PHONE LINE NOISE

InterNet Access Network ( )
Fri, 23 Apr 1999 14:51:25 -0400

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>Internet Tip of the Day:
>
>PHONE LINE NOISE
>
>While technology is changing rapidly, most phone lines that
>we use in our homes and businesses were originally designed
>to carry voice signals exclusively. Today, we are often
>attempting to squeeze every bit of data possible through our old
>phone lines in order to get on the Internet.
>
>Inevitably, this produces problems. Remember the last time
>you tried to talk to Aunt Gertrude and the phone was crackling
>so badly you could hardly hear her? Modems are much more
>sensitive to phone noise than your ear and at high speed
>connections, modems are particularly susceptible to phone line
>noise. In fact, the higher the speed, the more susceptible they
>become.
>
>Phone noise can bog down your connection, making it seem
>painfully slow, or even disconnect you from the Internet
>completely!
>
>To make matters worse, not that we want to be the bearer of bad
>news, modems vary widely in quality (i.e. some modems handle
>phone noise better than others).
>
>You wouldn't expect a Yugo to handle a rough road
>like a Lexus or Mercedes, and you shouldn't expect a low
>quality modem to handle phone noise the same as a high
>quality one.
>
>Unfortunately, some of the large computer manufacturers are
>pumping out computers with the cheapest, junkiest modems
>they can get their hands on, just to bring down the price. They
>must figure the public is too naive to know the difference!
>
>Phone line noise is caused by a multitude of factors. Every
>phone call is routed through a menagerie of phone company
>equipment to get it to it's destination. Virtually any point on
>the path could be causing interference or noise. That is why
>it is so difficult to solve the problem and why each phone call
>varies in its level of phone noise.
>
>If you are having frequent disconnects or find your Internet
>connection bogging down on occasion, it is possible to force
>your modem to communicate at a slower speed. The slower
>the connection, the greater the ability your modem will have
>to cut through the phone noise.
>
>Your modem manufacturer or your Internet Service Provider
>can help you slow down your modem speed or offer helpful
>suggestions.
>
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>Web Site of the Day:
>
>For everything you ever wanted to know about modems visit
>Curt's High Speed Modem Page:
>
>http://www.teleport.com/~curt/modems.html#connect-speed
>
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Dayton, OH