Line Noise essays

Line Noise essays Achieving a reliable Internet connection as close to 56K as possible is something every Internet user strives to achieve. However, due to line conditions and phone companies, the dream of every surfer is shattered into something reminiscent of 5 year old 33.6 technology. The general rule of thumb is that to obtain speeds greater than 33.6, one must live within 2-3 miles of the telephone company's switch box. The further out, the more degraded the connection speed becomes. Connections speeds suffer especially in rural areas and old houses where some phone wiring has not been changed since the 1950's. The phone company must maintain certain standards of line quality going to your home. However, the trouble arises because of the discrepancy in the phone company's definition of "quality lines" and the quality needed for an Internet connection. Some phone companies will say your lines are in good shape merely if you have a dial-tone and can successfully make a call. Yet, to obtain a near-56K connection, much more precision is required in determining line quality. So just how good are your lines? The proceeding instructions will help you get an estimate of your line quality. First, do the obvious and make sure the modem has been updated with the latest drivers. NOTE: If Windows reports you are connecting at speeds of 38400, 57600, or 115200, these are Port BPS numbers (the transfer rate between the computer and the modem) not Connect BPS (the transfer rate between the modem and the ISP). This is usually caused by incorrect drivers, generic drivers, or incorrect Modem Initialization Strings. The method of obtaining the decibel values works best with a 3com, USRobotics, and Rockwell modems/chipsets. It may or may not work with other types of modems. The following is the HyperTerminal approach to retrieving modem statistics. If you have trouble with HyperTerminal or prefer an alternative appr ...