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Regarding Phone Lines
Regarding Modems
Dropped Connections
When your Internet connection is unexpectedly disconnected, this is called a "dropped
connection." The following information may help you solve this problem. We have
provided the five most common reasons for dropped connections.
- Each modem is slightly different. Infinet's servers are capable of connecting
to over 90% of the modems on the market today. If you have a modem that is not
compatible you may be able to connect, but that connection may be unstable. The
common symptoms of an unstable connection include being disconnected just after
connection, or when the modem is working constantly (ie: downloads)
We recommend that you type three commas after our dial-up data number. You
will find this number on the connection window where you type you Infinet username
and password. (ie: 662-8069,,,)
- Infinet has a 10 minute server timeout feature. This means that if you are
connected to the Internet and do not actively use any Internet features for 10
minutes you will be disconnected.
Note: When you are downloading files the connection is active so no timeout
will occur. A simple solution to this problem is to click the reload/refresh button
on your browser if you haven't viewed a new page within ten minutes.
- If you have call waiting and have not disabled it incoming calls with disconnect
you. To learn how to disable call waiting click here.
- Another cause of disconnections is line noise. Noise can confuse your modem
into thinking it should hang up. Some modems are more susceptible to noise than
others. There is nothing Infinet can do to fix this problem. It is recommended
that you only contact your phone company about this type of problem. However this
should only be done when the problem is serious. It is recommended that you wait
until this count exceeds fifteen before contacting them. This practice will minimize
flooding your phone company, Webmasters, system administrators, and ISPs with
calls about intermittent problems.
- You will be automatically disconnected if another individual uses your account
name and password at the same time as you. You will be contacted shortly by Infinet
with regards to a multiple logon attempt.
Call waiting
The audible tone that is produced by call waiting can cause your modem to disconnect.
With most computers the caller will have already hung up their phone which means
that you will not only lose your Internet connection but also the incoming call.
For these reasons you may decide to disable call waiting while you are on the
Internet.
Instructions to disable call waiting Win 95/98
- Double click the My-computer icon
- Double click the Dial-Up Networking folder
- Double click your Internet connection icon (infinet/my connection/etc...)
- Click Dial Properties
- Check 'This location has call waiting. To Disable it dial:'
- In the text box select '70#,'
- Click OK.
This will disable call waiting on a per call basis. Only while you are on the
Internet.
No Dial Tone
In the event that your modem does not detect a dial tone check the following
items.
- Verify that your modem is plugged in and turned on.
- Check that your modem's phone cord is securely inserted at both ends of the
connection.
- Check that the phone line is securely plugged into the socket labeled 'LINE'
on the modem.
- If you need to dial "9" for an outside phone line, you must add a "9" prefix
to your dial-in string.
- If you have local Telco call answer, make sure there are no messages waiting. The
indicator sound confuses your modem.
- Make sure you close any other communications software (for example, fax software).
If you're using such software, try the following. Close the telephony or communications
software. Move the telephony or communications software from the Startup folder
to another Windows folder. Restart your computer and then reconnect to the Internet.
Busy
Signals
Busy signals are caused by inability to handle customer demand. The peak time
for Internet usage occurs between 9pm and 11pm. If you should encounter a busy
signal during these hours you will need to redial.
Instructions to set the automatic redial.
- Open the Dial-up Networking folder (located in the My Computer icon)
- Click on Connections in the menu bar and select Settings.
- Check the redial box and set the redial count and delay to your preference.
No Answer
If you have dialed and your call rings endlessly, here is some information
that could help: Unanswered calls are usually caused by your phone company, which
provides the dial-in lines, and not your ISP. Most ISPs use trunk hunting and
groups of dial-in lines called hunt groups. Trunk hunting is a method used to
switch incoming calls to the next consecutive or available number in a hunt group.
If the first number called is busy or unavailable, the call should be automatically
switched to the next number in the hunt group.
If this occurs simply redial the Internet.
Modem Connection Rates
Most modems sold today sense and adapt to the quality of the phone line. Because
of this adaptive behavior, the modem's speed will fluctuate during the course
of a call. Because the average phone line was not originally designed to transfer
data, such techniques as data compression are used to increase the amount of data
that can be transfered over phone lines. Pay attention to your connection speed.
If this speed is significantly lower than the rated speed of your modem our support
center may be able to help you. The various brands and models of modems vary significantly
in their ability to adapt to poor-quality phone lines and to the wide range of
modems used by ISPs.
56k Modems
Every modem in the Infinet modem bank is 56K capable. This means that we can
provide one dial-up number for all of our customers. Infinet currently supports
56K Flex technology. This means that any modem with the Flex capability can connect
at their maximum speed. Users of X2 technology (US Robotics, Cardinal) may still
connect but at a maximum speed of 33.6K.
Why doesn't my 56k modem connect at 56k?
The product name 56K is a misleading label. A 56K modem is theoretically limited
to a maximum speed of 5.6Kb/s. However this theoretical maximum only occurs in
the laboratory environment. The primary reason that your 56K modem connects at
a slower speed is the line noise generated by the telephone transmission lines.
Typical connection speeds for a 56K modem are between 42k and 48K. If you have
a significantly lower connection speed contact the Infinet Support Center. Our
technicians will be able to help you.
If you are familiar with modem initialization strings you may want to try the
following links:
What is V.90
V.90 The communications community has recently agreed upon a new standard called
V.90 which standardizes Flex and X2. Since this is a new standard the modem industry
is just beginning to produce V.90 modems and software upgrades. Infinet will be
supporting V.90 as soon as a tested software upgrade is available for our modems.
More V.90 Information
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