Dial Up Question

Ok before I even ask my question. Please don't tell me to get DSL, ADSL, or anything else. Common sense would dictate that if I could get one of these faster connections then I wouldn't even be posting this question.

I'm trying to optimize my 56k connection the best I can. I currently get 28.8K when I connect. I've tried all of the methods that I could find to optimize my modem except getting an init string. And I don't know where to find one for my modem.

Here is my question: I have a 50 foot phone cord connecting my computer to the jack. I only need a 10 foot cable. If I bought a shorter cable do you think I would get a semi faster connection? I also have static on my phone line. I don't know if it's because of the phone line or if something's actually wrong with the phone jacks. So, is it possible that if I bought a different phone line I would get rid of the static?

Thanks,
-Taylor

 

I highly doubt it but you can try there not that expensive.

 

Does anyone know what's causing the static on my phone lines then?

 

One guess: Condensation and/or water in the main junction "box" can create static in the line. Happens to me frequently and used to wreak havoc when I was still using dial-up.......

 

How do I get it out?

 

First off, you need to isolate the problem yourself (if possible). If you live in a house, you can access the exterior box that contains your phone lines and connect a phone directly to the box on the affected line to see if the crackling is still present. Note: Some houses may have this box in the basement instead.

If it is still crackling at the box, the problem lies with the exterior equipment (be it an underground junction or pole problem, etc), which is the phone company's responsibility. They will have to fix it at their own expense. If the crackling is not present at the box, it is an inside wiring problem and not the phone company's responsibility. The homeowner would be responsible for payment of any repairs.

My problem was external, so the phone company had to keep coming back to clean up the underground junction (accessed via a hatch in the front yard). Water had corroded the terminals pretty badly over the years, so they started replacing them. It is still not perfect, but it is better than it was.........

 

I'm NOT going to tell you to get high speed access. But I am curious why you haven't made the jump to broadband?

 

Seriously? Not everyone has the resources to spend on broadband, nor the inclination to put internet access as a high priority. I couldn't justify the expense for quite some time.

 

50' seems like a long cable; especially if the cable is cheap and poorly shielded (but I would not go so far to say replacing it will solve your problem).

What R4000 makes sense...try to narrow down where the problem resides.

I have lived in some homes where the phone wiring was either bad or there was interference from electrical wiring or appliances, which caused poor sound quality. I assume that if you have other phone jacks in the house you have tried to use them as well? I certainly hope the problem is with the phone company...it's not very fun to rewire telephone lines in a home...

 

Until last week I could only get dial up in my area and nothing faster was in my future. I now connect to the internet using my cell phone as the modem and connect at 280kb/s. I know you didn't want to hear about that but I am happy and wanted to share. Oh the best part is it's only $25/month unlimited access. SWEET!

 

We have cox cable and my bill is $80 a month. That's for TV and cable internet with a downstream 10Mbps/Upstream 1 Mbps. That's the premier package. I know it's a lot of money each month but there are three of us who surf the net so we think it's worth it.

 

AT&T currently offers 14.99 DSL. It's not the fastest thing in the world, but leaps and bounds above dial-up, with pretty much the same price tag.

 

I like the portability of the cell phone access. It works on my laptop anywhere I have an EV signal. I would like to have your speed PCPAL but am
too limited in options. I can only get dial-up or satellite which I hear isn't great for the money.

 

I am guessing that its $25 on top of the normal monthly service charge?

 

It adds $25 dollars to my normal cell phone bill for unlimited access yes.