Dial-up woes....

Factual Questions
1

I am back on a 56K connection for the first time in a couple years <sigh>.
I bought a new modem yesterday, a basic 56K PCI 3Com-USR winmodem (just a basic, no frills jobbie as I don’t game on the net).

Every 10 minutes or so (just a guess… seems to be more or less random though), the modem just “hangs”… no data flow in-out whatsoever. Then, as abrubtly as it stopped, it starts again and seems to be fine. Any idea? I’ve tried playing with the “flow-control” and error-correcting options on the properties and it hasn’t seemed to have much effect. I’ve also got the newest drivers from the USR site.

I have no phone features, like call waiting or anything like that either…

Any ideas would be appreciated!

2

You might find some answers here:

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=106903

3

Thanks, saw that yesterday… but its different. Not a “carrier drop”. I am still connected, just no activity between me and the ISP for a minute or two, but then resumes. I do not have to redial or anything like that.

4

Maybe it’s just the nature of your ISP. I’m on 56k dial-up and periodically the connection seems to balk.

5

I know what you are talking about, bernse. I have had the same thing happen to me often.

I haven’t had the “hanging” effect (yet) since I hardwired my modem directly to the telco junction terminal.

6

Same thing happens to me (or to my modem, rather). I just live with it as it does not do it all the time (although it does seem to choose the worst moments). My guesses are twofold: 1- The server at the other end is screwing up or 2- noise on the line causes data loss and modems decide to do the whole song and dance of shaking hands again (oh, nice to meet you, what speed would you like?, No you say first, No please etc).