Telephone Line

Q: People have often told me that my connection problems are caused by my telephone line. How does my telephone line influence the performance of my connection?

A : In most cases, the problem is a bandwidth that is too narrow. The factor that causes decreases in bandwidth is distance. The further your home is from the telephone exchange, the smaller the available bandwidth, and the slower your modem.

Distance from the Telephone Exchange

Q: At what distance am I too far from the telephone exchange?

A : There is no absolute answer to this question. It all depends on the quality of the cable pairs, their size, the number of splices, etc. However, it seems that performances begin to deteriorate at distances greater than 5.5 km from the central (following the cable and not as the crow flies).

Bandwidth

Q: What is bandwidth?

A : Bandwidth is the difference between the lowest and the highest frequencies necessary for the modem to work or even to carry voice. Here are the bandwidths necessary to carry voice and to attain the various modem speeds:

• Voice carrying: 2 700 Hz, or between 300 and 3 000 Hz (minimum provided by the telephone companies)
• 56 K speed: 3 600 Hz, or between 150 and 3 750 Hz
• 33.6 K speed: 3 429 Hz, or between 244 and 3 674 Hz
• 31.2 K speed: 3 200 Hz, or between 359 and 3 559 Hz
• 28.8 K speed: 3 200 Hz, or between 320 and 3 520 Hz
• 26.4 K speed: 3 000 Hz, or between 375 and 3 375 Hz
• 24 K speed: 2 800 Hz, or between 467 and 3 267 Hz

In most cases, with the quality of today's phone systems, modems can be connected at relatively high speeds if we live less than 5.5 km from the exchange. However, as we have seen, a speed of 56 K requires 33 % more pass band than voice; and since the pass band decreases with distance, it is probable that the further the house is from the exchange, the slower the connection will be.

Other Slowing Factors

Q: My telephone line does not seem to be the problem and I am not able to connect at reasonable speeds. What is the problem?

A: The wiring inside your house may be the problem. As well, a telephone or other equipment, such as an answering maching, or an alarm system, can affect your connection's performance.

To resolve the problem, you must proceed by process of elimination: first, unplug all telephones and other equipment. Make sure your wiring is in perfect order. Try out the connection. If the speed is improved, reinstall your equipment one by one until you can identify the problem area.

Telephone Wire Installation

Q: What is the best way to install telephone wire inside my house?

A: When you install telephone wire, make sure that you really tighten the screws in the connection boxes. Avoid plugging several phones in series and use a star mode instead. Avoid following electrical wires, baseboard heaters, and fluorescent lights: these can cause interference and parasites that can affect your connection.

If you cross an electric cable, try as much as possible to cross the wires at a 90 degree angle. Do not use unused telephone wires to hook up other equipment.

Modem Speed and Connection Speed

Q: I have a 56 K modem and I cannot connect higher than 46 000, 42 000, 36 000, 33 600…Why?

A: The 56 K speed is the maximum speed that your modem can theoretically attain, under ideal conditions. Various factors can influence connection speed: the distance between your house and the telephone exchange, the internal wiring of your house, your modem's firmware, etc.

A good analogy is with a car that can attain 200 km/h, but in fact goes much slower because of road conditions, temperature, etc.

Q: I had a 33.6 modem and I only connected at 31 200. Now, even with my 56 K, I cannot get speeds higher than 31 200. Why?

A: If you do not attain higher speeds than with your old modem, it is very unlikely that your new modem will be faster since you are connected on the same phone line. In some cases, you can reach higher speeds if your modem is optimized.

Q: Why does the connection indicate 115 200, when I have a 56 K modem?

A: The speed indicated is that of the transfer of information between the modem and your computer. This information does not reflect the true connection speed.

Moreover, if your modem is installed as a "Standard Modem" you will probably not be able to see the true connection speed. However, if your modem is correctly installed with the correct drivers and parameters, you can find out the actual speed by:

• Double click on My Computer;
• Double click on Control Panel, then on Modems;
• Press on the Properties button;
• Select the Connection tab;
• At the bottom of this window, click on Advanced;
• On the Extra settings line, write: AT:
• Validate by clicking on OK.

Q: I have two computers and I connect better or faster with my old computer than with the new one. Why?

A: It is possible that the configuration of the connection parameters of your old computer and that of its modem werebetter optimized. As well, your new modem may not have been optimized for the server that you are trying to reach.

For example, you connect with your old modem at 43 000 and you only reach 28 000 with your new set up. In this case, it is preferable to redo the configuration of your modem and obtain the most recent driver for your modem. This can solve most problems of speed and disconnection.

Q: I formatted my computer and after I reinstalled everything, I am connecting slower than before. Why?

A: Did your modem's driver get updated after its installation andprior to the reformatting? This is often the reason for a decrease in speed after a reformatting. If this is the case, reinstall the most recent driver.