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Internet dial-up service
Dial Up is the most affordable Internet access option and may meet your needs if you only need light to moderate Internet access. Dial-up is also great if you’re traveling because, unlike most broadband plans, you can use it pretty much anywhere. I use a home-based high-speed cable ISP and a low-cost dial-up Internet service for times when I’m away from home.
Advantages of Internet Dial Up
- Cheap – Many Nationwide ISP unlimited dial-up Internet service plans cost less than $10 per month.
- Mobile – You can use the Internet dial-up service anywhere a telephone jack is available.
- Easy – No special hardware to buy, configure or maintain.
Note: Although most dial-up ISPs advertise unlimited dial-up, the maximum Internet connection time is generally capped at 300 hours per month, which equates to approximately 10 hours of usage every day of the month. If you need more Internet connection time than this, then you should seriously consider a high-speed cable Internet plan or broadband DSL.
Disadvantages of Dial-Up Internet
- Slow – Not suitable for audio streaming or multimedia video display.
- You must connect – You must dial the ISP service to access the Internet.
- disconnections – If your Internet connection is down for a period of time, most ISPs will disconnect you.
- ata phone – Your telephone line will be busy while you are connected without Modem On Hold.
Can I use my phone while I’m online?
If you only have one phone line, you cannot dial or receive incoming calls while connected to the Internet unless you have a V.92 modem with the “Modem On Hold” software installed.
What is modem standby?
Modem-On-Hold is a new V.92 modem technology that allows you to make and receive phone calls while connected to the Internet. Most dial-up ISPs support “Modem Standby”. You will need your telephone company’s call waiting service and compatible Modem-On-Hold software. You should have received software such as “NetWaiting” or “MOH” with your v.92 modem, but if not, you will need to download it from your modem manufacturer’s website.
What is expedited dial access?
Most Internet service providers offer a dial-up Internet accelerator. Basically, the expedited dial-up service consists of advanced compression and caching software downloaded from your ISP and installed on your computer. This special software drastically reduces the amount of data that must be sent over the phone lines to your computer’s modem. Although you should see an immediate improvement in performance, the trade-off is that the quality of the graphical image is reduced a bit. Accelerator software can usually be configured to allow you to customize the compression ratio and other settings.
How do I choose the best dial-up ISP?
Personally I would choose an established ISP that has a proven track record and provides many nationwide V.92 local access numbers in the US and Canada. To avoid long distance phone charges, you should make sure that any potential dial-up ISP provides local dial-up numbers for your area. Compare low-cost dial-up Internet access providers and choose the one that best meets your needs and is within your monthly budget.