Solving Modem Problems
Nothing is more frustrating than modem difficulties. If you are having trouble staying connected or are only attaining low connection speeds, you need to systematically check your modem. The following has been lifted from Jon Faine's Radio Internet site with a few small changes and additions. It reflects my ideas. Ross.
1 - Other Phones. Other phones on your line might be interfering with the Modem. The classic example is the old Telstra Touchtone 2000 which went "off hook" to charge its batteries periodically. Unplug ALL other phones and try the ISP again. Check that all the sockets are snugly wired. Then if these are all OK and the problem is resolved or improved, attach your other devices (fax, hands-free phone, portable phone) one at a time to isolate the cause of the problem. Remember that the limit is around three devices on a phone line. Sometimes you will have no trouble with four or five; other times two is too many. Try a different point in the house if you have one. Don't forget the phone in the bedroom or the sauna! Get the physical connection as good as you are able. If this makes no difference, continue down the list.
2 - Call Waiting. Connect to the ISP and dial your own number from a mobile. If it gives "busy" then you don't have this problem. If you hear a "ringing tone" then this will kill the modem connection. Turn Call Waiting OFF when dialling your ISP.
3 - Change Everything. Go to a friend's place (who has a reliable connection and who lives nearby to get the same point-of-presence) and dial your ISP from there. If it doesn't drop out then it isn't the ISP. Get your friend to connect to THEIR ISP from YOUR PC at your place. If it still fails it isn't the ISP.
4 - Move Everything. Take your PC to your friend's place and call from there. This isolates the home phone line. Bring someone else's PC (or preferably a known good laptop) home and dial your (and their) ISPs.
5 - External Modem. Try using an External Modem instead (Experts Only).
6 - Pair Splitter. These cause problems so check if you have one on your line.
7 - V.92 Modems on Windows at least contain internal statistics for the previous call. If the modem hasn't been reset these can be retrieved using HyperTerm and "AT" commands (Nerds Only :-).