Dial-Up Major Problem

[Stg-Flame]

First off, please don't tell me to get DSL or Broadband. It isn't available where I live and I do not have an extra $50,000 to move into the City Limits.

Now that we have that out of the way...

Back in November, the phone lines right next to my house (The lines that have the box at the top) was struck by lightning. Before they were struck I was getting 21.6 and on occasion 24.0 Kb/s but after it was struck, the best I can get is 14.4 and as low as 7.6 Kb/s.

Here is the problem. The Phone Company have checked the lines several times over and they say I should be having no problems. I called my ISP numerous times and he claims that the problem resides in my computer.

As far as I can tell, the problem cannot be with my computer because my old stock HP Pavilion was getting 28.0 Kb/s with a different provider and I have always had a 56K Modem in my computer. However, with that ISP, I could barely keep a connection for more than an hour which is why I switched.

 

[Harvey]

The problem could be the wire pair from the telco box to your phone jack or that some other device, such as a particular phone or answering machine, etc., or some combination of them, is loading the line.

To test whether other devices are the cause, just unplug them, and try the modem. If that fixes the situation, try them one at a time and in combination to see if you can determine which one, or which combo, is causing your problem.

Another possible problem could be caused by any splitters to connect more than one device to a particular jack.

If possible, try to connect your modem to the jack closest to where the phone line enters your house at the junction box.

After all of that, if you still have the problem, tell the phone company that "should be" isn't the same as "is," and ask them to have a service tech check the lines in your house.

If your phone wiring is old, you may have to replace it with clean new wire runs. If possible, run the wire from each jack directly back to the junction box. I did that at my last house. It helped my DSL and my dial-up (which I used as a backup when the DSL was down), and it cleared up all the random noise that came around during and after a rain storm.

Good luck.

 

[Stg-Flame]

Thanks, I shall try that.

 

[Lemon law]

I am in your boat---still stuck on dial up and I hate AT&T with a passion----but to start out with---and to be fair to your telephone Co., I note you are tossing numbers around without any demonstration that the numbers you toss around mean anything. So I note a few things.

1. There is a speed at which your modem initially connect at---which is usually displayed on your taskbar---but that number means little. What matters is the speed you stay connected at or throughput. You can download various modem speed test programs ---just google modem speed test to get a selection. An alternative to that is to download something fairly big and usually your download speed will be reported in K bytes per second---multiply what seems the average times eight to get kilo bits per second.---which is how a 56 K modem modem speed is reported in kilo bits per second.

2. Once you have a number you get over a number of runs and a number of days you might have something if you keep a log book---but law some but not all telephone companies are required to provide at least a 14.4 kilobits/sec rate. But you are far from having a usable number yet.

3. Next you must take your house phone wiring totally out of the equation---by going to the telco network interface box almost certainly attached to some side of your house. Find the jack that connects your inside wiring to the network interface box---unplug that jack and plug in a long enough phone cord through a window or door to reach and plug into your computer modem. Don't use any splices or a modem surge suppressor---now test again.----did anything improve or does it still stink?---but any problems in your house---which is your problem---is now out of the equation---and anything past the network interface box is your telco's baby.

4. And you still are not there yet assuming none of this is your fault---next you must either bring your computer to a better line or import another computer that is capable of near 56 K to your home wiring---a friend with a lap top is ideal. Then and only then are you prepared to demonstrate that the problem is indeed in the telco's lines.---and be open to the possibility that something is correctable on your end---maybe another modem might be worth a try.---or another isp.

5. Sometime switching wire pairs can make a world of difference---and if you can find a decent service tech---you are in real great shape---its usually the case the the telco managements stinks---but their employees are often very decent people.