Re: Best way to choose modem for dialup?

Gus <spamsucks@xxxxxxxx> wrote:
I have dialup service that basically no longer works. It seems Verizon
made changes to the copper wire down the road, they put in a smaller
diameter I am told. Since then my service has dropped off dramatically.

A smaller diameter wire is not causing what you describe below,
but it certainly is not helping either. It may be that they
have moved you from cable using 24 gauge wire to something with
26 gauge wire. The expected effects would be more high
frequency attenuation, which would reduce data rates that can be
achieved, either with v.90 or v.34 modems. But wire gauge is not
going to cause dramatic changes in SNR.

Data communications seems to work, stop, work, stop, but mostly "stop".
I get SNR(dB)45 with Hyperterminal testing the line (I know it's not a
very accurate measurement) then it drops to SNR(dB)19 so there is a lot
of noise.

Actually modem diagnostics are an extremely useful tool!
However, they can't be compared directly with anything else, and
that is a serious limitation. It is hard to say if the SNR
numbers are anything like accurate; however, given what you have
described, those two numbers sound correct. If you can get a
v.90 connection, the SNR is necessarily going to be into 40's or
even 50's. At 19 dB you might have a hard time getting a v.34
connection, and it would be impossible to get a v.90 connection.
(Specs are 24 dB, minimum.)

The best use of a modem as a diagnostic tool may or may not make
you happy though. Configure your modem for v.34 and see if it
will negotiate and maintain a connection. If it can maintain a
14.4kbps or better connection... then you are in fact getting
exactly the service you are paying for. Obviously that is not
necessarily the service you would like to see, but it is what
you are paying for.

If you get disconnected with regularity or cannot get connects
that are at least 14.4kbps, then you are *not* getting "voice
grade" service. The v.32bis standard was *designed* to get
14.4kbps on a voice grade connections, and if it can't then
either the modem or the line is not meeting specifications...

Verizon checked out the lines and basically said there is nothing they
legally have to do, you're only entitled to voice bandwidth phone
service, stop bothering us.

That is probably true...

I was also bluntly told that since FIOS is

I'm not sure what "FIOS" is, but "eventually" doesn't help much
today.

coming to the area (eventually) they have no intention of spending money
fixing up the wired service. Basically that are saying that everyone
will eventually have to switch to the more expensive FIOS, like it or
not, if you want anything other than voice service.

This sort of attitude was standard practice 20 years ago, but
I'm just a little surprised to see anyone confronted with that
sort of mentality today. It was abjectly *stupid* when the
telecom industry gave the (about to explode) consumer data
connect business away to cable TV people (and modem companies,
when they could have implemented ISDN and cornered the whole
market), and anyone who still has that attitude today is
unbelievably out of touch with reality. Annoying customers
by refusing to provide modern services is dumb.

Since I'm over 20K from the CO and I cannot get DSL, can I do anything
with the modem to get the most out of my dialup until Verizon brings in
FIOS (and empties everyones bank account)?

At 4 miles, you aren't going to do well with v.90 either. I'm
not sure what you do expect, but I lived for many years at the
end of a 4 mile loop that was lucky to get 28.8k connects.

Which internal modems look
better for holding a connection with so much noise and whatever others
problems they may encounter? Good ole Win95 is used on the desktop and
occasionally 2K on a laptop. Desktop modem needs to be Win95 compatible.
Zoom 2920, Sterling, US Robotics, Creative Labs, store brands? TIA

I have no recent experience with modems. Up to five years ago,
there really weren't any great internal modems that I knew of.
I had the opportunity to try many modems over some of the most
impaired, but within specifications, satellite long distance
services you can imagine. I needed a modem that would tolerate
worst case line conditions. The USR Courier and the Supra v.34+
external modems were the two that worked the best. I never did
find a PCMCIA modem that was any good for "impaired" lines.

--
Floyd L. Davidson <http://www.apaflo.com/floyd_davidson>
Ukpeagvik (Barrow, Alaska) floyd@xxxxxxxxxx
.

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