# IP connection **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 9, 2000, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ip-connection/28760 "2000-08-09T22:41:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2000, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ip-connection/28760/1 "2000-08-09T22:41:01Z")
Which is the best application to keep your IP from disconnecting you? ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2000, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ip-connection/28760/2 "2000-08-09T22:46:56Z")
I’ll assume you mean ISP. [Tucows](http://www.tucows.com) has many shareware and freeware pingers. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2000, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ip-connection/28760/3 "2000-08-09T22:50:38Z")
I have tried several, and would like one that works. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2000, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ip-connection/28760/4 "2000-08-09T22:53:47Z")
I think it has all to do with your ISP and nothing to do with the program. ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2000, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ip-connection/28760/5 "2000-08-09T23:24:37Z")
Every one I’ve ever tried has worked fine. They’re really remarkably simple programs. Maybe you just have a crappy ISP. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2000, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ip-connection/28760/6 "2000-08-09T23:56:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by neutron star \* > \*\*Every one I’ve ever tried has worked fine. They’re really remarkably simple programs. Maybe you just have a crappy ISP. \*\* Maybe. I had one with an icon I could drop over the redial button, but it had a violent disagreement with a cheap USB modem. I wich I could remember the name. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2000, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ip-connection/28760/7 "2000-08-10T00:43:09Z")
For the record: IP = Internet Protocol, ISP = Internet Service Provider. There are lots of shareware programs that will ping random hosts and such to keep your connection open. Alternatively, just keep a connection going to an IRC channel. That worked for me when I was on dialup. If you still get disconnected, you have a crappy ISP or bad phone line. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2000, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ip-connection/28760/8 "2000-08-10T00:58:11Z")
You want to stay online a long time? Are you getting disconnected when you don’t want to? Check phone jacks for crud. Most ISP’s have a time limit you can stay online. Get DSL if you want to be online forever. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2000, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ip-connection/28760/9 "2000-08-10T03:25:16Z")
Thank you all for being so gracious concerning my I(S)P typo. The file I had was “Absolutely Online”. I found it again on ZDNet. It will click the “Reconnect to Crappy ISP” button for me. Regards, CP ---
**Author:** ![CurtC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce73a5/32.png) [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2000, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ip-connection/28760/10 "2000-08-10T03:50:12Z")
Back when the Earth cooled and I still had a dial-up account (about a month ago), my e-mail program checking for new mail every five minutes would keep me from getting disconnected. Have you tried that? ---
**Author:** ![capacitor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e47774/32.png) [@capacitor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capacitor)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2000, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ip-connection/28760/11 "2000-08-10T03:57:44Z")
alternatively, go to a web site that constantly self-refreshes every minute or so, such as a web cam. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2000, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ip-connection/28760/12 "2000-08-10T03:58:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by CurtC \* > \*\*Back when the Earth cooled and I still had a dial-up account (about a month ago), my e-mail program checking for new mail every five minutes would keep me from getting disconnected. Have you tried that? \*\* Not that I recall. I am running WIn 98 Internet Sharing on a little 100 mHz Pentium. That’s what it does for a living, sit on my network and provide internet access for me, the SO and child. Maybe if I ran another mail account on it and checked every five minutes…when I am not using the 'net, I log off so that the SO and kid will have more bandwidth. ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2000, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ip-connection/28760/13 "2000-08-10T07:57:27Z")
Try switching ISP’s, carnivorous. I’d like to make a recommendation if I may. (Note to mods : this is a non-profit organization, so it’s not a commercial link). Worldshare gives you internet access just for donating to charity. Donate a minimum of $10 to the charity of your choice and you get free internet access for a year. There are no ad banners like [juno.com](http://juno.com) and other free ISP’s. I have cable at home, but I use Worldshare on my laptop when I’m at work. I get excellent speeds and rarely get disconnected. And I haven’t met a person alive that wouldn’t rather give $10 a year to charity than give $240 a year to a Baby Bell for the exact same service. ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2000, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ip-connection/28760/14 "2000-08-10T07:59:46Z")
Whoops. That link came out wrong. [http://www.worldshare.com](http://www.worldshare.com)