Dropouts & Disconnection

Please use the following checklist if you're experiencing trouble with modem disconnection.

Phone Line Issues:

• Having Call Waiting enabled while your modem is in use will cause problems when someone tries calling your line. To disable Call Waiting dial #43# and wait for the message.
• Other devices on the same line, such as a telephone, fax or answering machine may interfere with your modems operation, even if you are not using the other devices at the time.
• Line noise which may be cause by:
  • Radio Frequency interference (eg. Using a mobile phone next to your modem).
  • Loose wiring/jacks.
  • Old or faulty wiring.
  • Poor lines.

Windows Issues

• If using Windows 95/98 ensure that the correct modem driver is installed for your specific modem's make and model. Windows is notorious for detecting modems incorrectly, especially Windows 95. Therefore check that the modem detected by Windows is the correct one. If you are unsure what modem you have, please contact your hardware vendor. To check what modem driver is currently installed on your machine:
  • Go to My Computer.
  • Control Panel.
  • Double click on the Modem icon.
  • In the General tab is a list of all the modem drivers currently installed, if the modem installed is a Standard Modem then it may be the cause of disconnections. Speed Internet strongly suggests that you install the correct driver for your modem. Drivers are usually shipped with the modem and are also available online at the following suggested sites:
    http://www.driverzone.com/modem.html
    http://www.56k.com
  • Download the driver for your particular modem and follow the instructions to install the new driver.
  • Once complete, make sure that the newly installed driver is the one being used to dial your Speednet internet connection:
  • Go to My Computer.
  • Dial Up Networking.
  • Right-click your Speednet dial up networking icon.
  • In the General tab, select the correct modem from the "connect using" pull-down menu.

• Software Issues:
  • If you are running Windows 95 version A, it may help to download the Dial Up Networking update from Microsoft, you can obtain this free of charge HERE
  • If you are using Outlook for e-mail, it may be configured to disconnect you after you've finished receiving e-mail. To check this in Outlook (version 4 or 5):
    • Click on the Tools pull-down menu.
    • Select Options to display the Options dialog box.
    • Click on the Connection tab.
    • Ensure that the box titled 'Hang up after sending and receiving' is unchecked.

If you still experience trouble after taking these steps, you may want to try to:

• Disable Compression, to do this:
  • Go to My Computer.
  • Control Panel.
  • Double click on the Modem icon.
  • Click once on the modem installed so that it is highlighted.
  • Click on the Properties button.
  • Go to the Connection tab.
  • Click on the Advanced button.
  • Check that on this page the Use Error Control box, and all boxes appearing beneath it, are not ticked.
• Lowering the Port Setting on your modem, to do this:
  • Go to My Computer.
  • Dial Up Networking.
  • Right click on the Speednet connection.
  • Select Properties.
  • Click on the Configure button which appears beneath the modem type.
  • Click on the Connection tab (which will appear at the top of that page).
  • Click on the Port Settings button.
  • Lower the Receive buffer and Transmit buffer by one notch.
• Lowering the modem speed, to do this:
  • Go to My Computer.
  • Control Panel.
  • Double click on the Modem icon.
  • Click once on the modem installed so that it is highlighted.
  • Click on the Properties button.
  • And try decreasing the Maximum Speed.