Telephone Line Quality
Generally, people have become accustomed to the way the telephone can alter a person's voice. We have even accepted that music we hear while on hold will have a sound quality that rivals the Victrola. In fact, this comparison is not unmerited, since POTS, or plain-old-telephone-service, is in many areas using the same technology that was present when the Victrola was still in use. Though older telephone technology is being replaced piece-by-piece, many areas have yet to be updated.
The fact that current telephone technology alters the sound it transmits (by adding noise, or leaving out frequencies) is significant because a modem turns your computer's data into sound. Alter the sound ... alter the data.
The Modem Initialization String
Adjusting the initialization string used by your communications software can improve your modem's ability to deal with less-than-perfect line conditions. Please, check the manual that came with your modem for suggestions.The Modem
The next consideration is the modem itself. While most Modem advertisements promise top connection speeds, experience shows that some modems are more consistent than others in achieving these speeds. Many of our customers who own the US Robotics modems have had consistent success in achieving solid, high-speed connections. To satisfy your curiosity, it may be worth your while to borrow a different modem in order to compare its performance with that of your own. Note that if you have an internal modem, you will likely need to un-install it before installing the borrowed
device.
The Telephone Line
Finally, there are ways to test the link itself. Your telephone line is in three major segments: the cable connecting your modem to the wall, the wiring inside the walls of your home, and the route between your home and the location you are dialing. The most simple test to perform here is with a telephone.
Unplug the telephone line connected to your modem, and plug it into a phone. then pick up the receiver, and listen carefully to the dial tone. Does the dial tone sound distorted, does it crackle or hiss? Or does it sound smooth? Next hit any key on the phone pad to clear the dial tone. Do you hear any hiss, or low hums, static or other interference like radio noise or other people speaking on the phone? Any irregularity you hear can be indicative of local problems.
If you do hear interference in your phone line, try using a different cable to plug the phone into the wall. If the line runs through a surge protector,
we encourage bypassing it. Next try plugging into a different phone jack in your home. If at any time during these tests, the audio quality is measurably improved, you may have found the weak link. If the quality does not improve, the situation may warrant a call to your phone company's residential repair line. Note that this may involve a visit to your home, which, depending on your service contract, may also involve a charge. Be sure to investigate this before agreeing to a home visit.
If your phone line does not display any measurable quality-loss, or if the phone company gives your local wiring a clean bill of health, the weak link may be in the route your call takes from your home to our modems. This gets tricky.
Most phone companies do not guarantee a line quality for normal residential service that supports high speed connections. However, you may still be able to have them test your call's route; they will need both your phone number and the number you are dialing to perform these tests.
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