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Readers are encouraged to visit frequently that page to check for updates, as Virtual ISP technical team will keep updating it with more and more Q&A to satisfy the needs of our customers (and future customers) to know more. Because as we said - Virtual ISP is more than just Internet!
- What's the Fastest Speed for Dial-Up?
You'll generally connect at 40 - 50k , but that can be affected by several factors, most significantly your modem brand, phone line, location, ISP equipment and others.
The max speed for dial-up is based on the modem. Most people have a 56k modem though, which is the fastest modem for dial-up. Many factors depend the fastest speed, but the absolute fastest speed possible for 56k modem is 53Kb or also around 6.6KB/second. Upload speed is capped at 33.6Kb or also 4.2KB/second. These are under best conditions, which most people won't get.
As well as having ISP standards (which you should check on the dial-up numbers to see if it supports V.90, which most new modems come with) it also could be a problem with your phone lines. Pick up the phone and press 0 , listen for static (broom) , if you hear any then it is most likely causing the slow speed.
- What hardware do I need to use dialup?
A modem. You purchase a modem for $1 0 - $80 depending on features and types. Most, if not all computers bought today come with 56K modems standard.
If your low on power outlets, go with an internal PCI based modem(56K). Otherwise buy an external modem, for they are much easier to troubleshoot when problems arise! Also, you won't need to power cycle (reboot) your PC when you do need to reset the modem which must be done with all internal modems usually.
You may contact Virtual ISP office to check with us before buying a modem.
Our engineers will help you with choosing the best modem brand for your budget.
- What is an ISP?
An ISP or an Internet Service Provider connects you with the internet. This is the company.
With Dial-Up, your computer dials a number and connects with another equipment. This equipment (called RAS - Remote Access Server) is connected to the internet via a high-speed connection.
- How long does it take to dial-up?
It usually takes between 7-30 seconds to connect with a V90 (56K) modem.
- What is the difference between a hardware modem and a software modem?
A software modem (aka Winmodem) is a modem that can connects to your PCI slot and uses Windows to do all it's main functions. It uses your computer resources to process the data that the modem receives, which can slow down your downloading times and raise latency.
A hardware modem can either connect to a PCI slot or connected to your computer via serial/USB. Hardware modems have their own on-board controllers / processors , so your computer doesn't do as much work. Hardware modems normally provide better compression of downloads and lower ping times.
- What is a modem?
A modem changes outgoing digital signals from a computer to analog signals that travel over telephone lines. Then changes the incoming analog signal to a digital signal your computer can understand. The abbreviation comes from MO dulator- DEM odulator.
- What is a LAN modem?
A LAN modem is a modem that runs on a local area network and is basically a 56k modem with a router and switch built in. These can provide multiple computers with the same connection, but for each computer surfing, the speeds will slow vastly. These modems are generally more secure because they provide each computer with a private IP address.
- Why does my IP Address change every time I dial in?
Your IP address is a dynamic IP address that is given to you each time you dial up. When you disconnect, that IP address is freed. Dynamic IP addressing saves IP address space so that the ISP can serve the same amount of customers with less IP addresses.
If you need a static IP address, Virtual ISP is completely able to provide you with one. Contact our office or an authorized reseller.
- How am I downloading faster than 56kbps speeds?
If you have noticed, downloading some files would go above 56K speeds (6.87KB/s). This is due to the compression on your modem. Whether or not compression is used depends on the type of file.
For example, if your were to download a text file, then you could see up to 14KB/s which is nearly ISDN (128kbps) speeds, and since text files are uncompressed it can be compressed by the modem and downloaded faster.
An MP3 file would be different. Since MP3 files are already compressed, they cannot be compressed any further. Therefore, the true speed is shown.
- What's a modem initialization string?
Before your modem software dials a phone number, it initializes (inits) the modem by sending it a series (string) of commands, typically Hayes commands. These commands configure the modem's options for things like error correction, data compression, flow control, and many other parameters. The modem manual should list the Hayes commands the modem recognizes, and what effect each command has.
The important thing about modem init strings is that having the right one often makes the difference between connecting and not. Init strings are fairly specific to each modem. The string that made your friend's modem fly may not work at all for your modem.
Virtual ISP engineers are periodically testing all major modem brands and trying to improve the quality and speed ot the link by modifying the modem initialization strings. Contact our NOC if you want to find out if there is a way to make your connection better by changing the modem init string!
- What's a good way to test actual modem performance?
If done correctly, file downloads are a good way to test modem performance. The trick is to make sure you're really testing the modem's raw transfer rate, and not some other factor that you're not aware of. Here are some guidelines for download testing:
1. Use an FTP program
Web browsers often lie about download rates. FTP is more reliable. Note that some FTP programs reports download speeds in Kilobits per second (Kbps), while others use Kilobytes per second (KBps). To convert, multiply Kilobytes per second by 10 (eight bits plus the start bit and stop bit). (V.42 error correction strips out the start bit and stop bit, but adds other overhead, so multiplying by nine may be more accurate.) A valid alternative to FTP is a terminal program that supports Zmodem.
2. Download a pre-compressed file
If the file you download isn't compressed, hardware data compression in the modem will kick in, leading to erroneous results. Different file types compress to different degrees, so if you download a Microsoft Word file and I download a QuickTime movie, there's no way to compare the results. Use .zip (PKZip/WinZip) , .rar or .sit (StuffIt) files for your tests. Some file formats (GIF, JPEG, QuickTime, etc.) offer some compression, but can sometimes be compressed further by hardware protocols.
3. Download a file that is atleast 200K
A file size of at least 200K will minimize the effects of TCP/IP slow start.
4. Download a file from your ISP's FTP
A local server is one that's on your system, not on the other side of the Internet. If you download a file from across the Internet, you're testing your ISP's connectivity to the Internet just as much as you're testing your modem.
Download that file http://www.visp.net.lb/support/test.zip
5. Download during off-hours
To eliminate congestion issues, download early in the morning or late at night
- How do I reduce dial up time?
Today's 56 and 33.6 kbps modems automatically fall back to a lower speed if the line noise is too intense to maintain a faster connection, but sometimes they fall back too far or too soon. Search for S11= in your modem initialization string (or create them if they are not present). This tweak will force your modem to cut the dialing delay in half (default is S11=100, measured in milliseconds).
- Do I still need a firewall with a 56k?
Yes. You probably won't be a target most the time, but it is highly recommended that you get a firewall.
- Do I need an Anti-Virus program?
Yes! Viruses, trojans, etc. are airborne. When you visit a website, open your e-mail, or download a file, you could get infected without proper protection. A virus is defined as a "program or piece of code that is loaded onto your computer without your knowledge and runs against your wishes."
Even such a simple virus is dangerous because it will quickly use all available memory and bring the system to a halt. Also it can damage your data or reveal sensitive information from your computer (passwords, credit card numbers and etc) to hostile individuals on the Internet.
- Port and Line speed: What are they?
Port speed is the speed between your computer's serial port and your modem. The port speed can usually be set to 110, 300, 1200, 2400, 4800, 9600, 19200, 38400, 57600, 115200 and recently 230400(up to 921600).
Line speed is the speed between your modem and the modem at the other end of the telephone line. Depending on the modem, the line speed can be 24000, 28800, 31200, 41333, 42666, 45333, 48000, and 50666 bps.
- Why can't data transmission over conventional phone lines be any faster?
The Public Switched Telephone Network was originally designed for voice communications only. To reduce the bandwidth required for a voice call, engineers limited the frequencies from 0 to 4000Hz allowing more simultaneous calls (The range of the normal human voice is 300 to 3500Hz.) Unfortunately, this bandwidth range has a detrimental effect on data communications.
- Why do I sometimes have trouble connecting?
If you have been able to connect before and suddenly find that you can't, the first thing that you should try is resetting your modem. If your modem is external, you can simply turn it off and on again. If you modem is internal, you have to shut your computer down then boot it. This should be the first thing you try if your computer cannot connect, as most often the problem will lie in your modem simply not resetting itself properly.
- Why am I connecting at 115.2K?
If your dial-up networking (DUNS) CONNECT shows a speed of 57,600 (57.6k), 115,200 (115.2k), or 38,400 (38.4k), you are getting the port speed between your computer and modem, not the modem CONNECT rate.
- Why is my connection so slow?
The speed of your connection involves many different factors. Not only does it depend on the server into which you have dialed, but also on the speed of any computer from which you are receiving data. If the computer storing the web site you are visiting is slow or heavily loaded, then data transfer to your home PC will be slowed down accordingly. If you find that a site is extremely slow, try again at a less busy time or find an alternate site. If you are having trouble with all web sites being slow, there could also be a configuration problem on your computer.
The telephone lines have a large effect on your dial-up connection -- length, load coils, resistive crosses and taps and other things that do not affect voice quality enough to require repair will adversely affect data speeds. When an analog modem connects that horrid screech/squawk noise is the two modems talking to each other testing the quality of the connection and what maximum speed they can handle over that connection.
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