State of Oregon - Online Services |
| 155 Cottage St NE Salem OR 97301 |
| Phone: 503-378-2135 Fax: 503-378-5543 |
| Email: support@dialoregon.net |
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Please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) below for further information on 56K dial-up access or for help with troubleshooting your dial-up connection.
In order for you to take advantage of 56K technology, there must be only ONE analog to digital conversion between your modem and ours. All standard modems are analog modems. This means that you can take a normal phone line and plug one end into your modem and the other end into the phone jack on the wall. Somewhere outside of your house, the phone company takes the analog signal from your modem and converts it to a digital signal. Depending on how your neighborhood and/or city is wired, that digital signal may or may not stay digital all the way to our modems. If it does, then you have passed the first hurdle in being able to use 56K technology.
The second issue is your actual modem. About 4 years ago, when 56K modems first burst on to the scene, there were 2 competing standards: X2 and Flex. The two standards were, of course, NOT compatible with each other. If a Flex modem called an X2 modem (and vice-versa), one could not expect to connect faster than 33.6K. Those two standards eventually brought forth a unified standard called V.90. V.90 is, of course, not directly compatible with either of its predecessors. However, our V.90 modems are actually combination V.90/Flex modems, so if you have an older 56K Flex modem you may be able to connect at a higher speed. Older 56K X2 modems will not be able to connect above 33.6K. Some X2 and Flex modems can be upgraded to v.90. You will need to contact your modem vendor for information on upgrading.
The third issue is your phone line quality. If you have static on your phone line, your modem won't be able to connect above a certain speed even if it is a V.90 modem. A simple way to check your phone line clarity is to plug a regular telephone into the phone jack that your modem is using, pick up the receiver and press any number other than zero. This will get rid of the dial tone for you. You should hear nothing. If you hear any cracking or popping, you may want to call the phone company and have them check your phone line for excess noise. It is best to NOT use a cordless phone for this test.
I have a V.90 modem and I've noticed an increase in my connect speed, but I am still unable to connect at 56K. Why is that?
The FCC has regulations in place that limit the modem connection speed to 53K. However, in most cases, depending on your phone line quality, you may not even break 50K in your connection. In fact, the average connection is probably in the 45K range.
I have a V.92 modem, will it work?
Yes, V.92 has just come out and is fully compatible with V.90.
I don't have a 56K modem. Will I still be able to connect to Online Services 56K sites?
Yes. Our V.90 modems are fully compatible with slower modems.
My modem is old and I'd like to take advantage of the V.90 technology. Can you recommend a modem to me?
If you are looking to buy a new modem, the general rule is that you get what you pay for. Theoretically, any V.90 modem will work. However, modem manufacturers use various techniques to improve the signal to noise ratio. Some are more successful than others. The modems we've found to USUALLY work well are US Robotics and Supra. Many other brands work well also, just make sure you know the return policy and procedure if you're buying a new modem. There's no guarantee that any brand will work, but your chances are a little better with a name brand modem. By the way, last we checked, the US Robotics modems were selling for about $85. The Supra's are generally a little cheaper.
In the past, you have slowed my modem down because I was getting disconnected. Is this still necessary?
It may no longer be necessary. In fact, in some cases it could be keeping you from connecting above 33.6K. If you're on a Windows PC, try this:
The numbers 56K and 33.6K don't really mean much to me. What's the bottom line? How much faster will things really go?
If you primarily use your internet access for email and don't do much web browsing, you will probably not notice much difference. Even while web browsing you may only notice a little difference. The biggest difference will probably be found when downloading files. The average 33.6Kbps connection will download files at about 2.5KB to 3.0KB per second. The average 56Kbps connection will download files at about 4.5KB to 5.5KB per second. For example, if someone sends you an email attachment that is 1 megabyte, it could take between 5 and 10 minutes to download that email message on a standard 33.6K connection. The same file would download in 3 to 5 minutes on a V.90 connection.