Modems, Phone Lines, Telephone Network Issues

Why do I lose my connection (drop outs and disconnections)?

A drop out is a term used to describe your modem disconnecting without you, your computer or our communication equipment initiating the disconnect. Typically drop outs are caused by line noise, interference or modem instability.

Unfortunately this problem doesn't have an obvious solution - there are several reasons why modem disconnections can occur. No, WE DO NOT HAVE the secret room at Hermes Internet.

Below are some common causes, and suggested solutions.

Call Waiting (a part of Easycall service) is a service that allows someone to receive a phone call while they are already using the phone – if you have call waiting, you will hear pips. You may not even be aware that you have this service, as all new Telstra lines have call waiting. These pips will disconnect your modem! When you connect to the Internet, deactivated call waiting by dialling # 43 # (remember: if you leave it, any coming call with disconnect your modem connection). To re-enable call waiting dial *43# For more details about call waiting see the White Pages, or ring Telstra.

Messagebank is a service offered by Telstra. It can create a condition which appears to incorrectly indicate that your modem is faulty. With Messagebank activated the user is notified that new messages are waiting by a modification of the dial tone. When this happens, most modems report 'no dial tone' condition, and will not dial out. The 'no dial tone' typically indicates that the phone line is not connected (this is easy to check) or that the modem failed. The easiest way to avoid this misleading condition is to receive and cancel all messages that might have accumulated in your message bank. Then, the dial tone of your line returns to normal, and your modem is able to recognize it again. Another way is to set "wait for dial tone" off in the modem configuration (this is also known as 'blind dialling'). But then, if connections fail, you do not know what malfunctions, your modem or your line.

Unplug all phones, faxes and other devices from the line, while using your modem! Modern phones and faxes have memories that are maintained by small rechargeable capacitors (batteries) in the device itself. Every 15 or so minutes this battery recharges from the phone line. The recharging usually generates a pulse similar to a noise spike, and disconnects the modem. Some telephone models (for example Telstra Touchfone 200) are known to cause this problem, other (for example Telstra Touchfone 200R) were modified to avoid causing modem disconnections. If in doubt - leave only your modem connected to the phone line when using it.

Try turning error control off if you use one the following modems: Boca, Cirrus Logic, Creative Labs, Digicom, IBM Aptiva Mwave, Infotel, Ositech, Practical Peripherals, Rockwell 14.4, Supra, U.S. Robotics, Zoltrix (you may also try it for different brands - if there is no change, just restore the setting back to the original).

for Windows 95 users: to turn error control off go to Control Panel -- Modems -- Modem properties -- Properties -- Connection -- Advanced.

	Try using a different modem to dial into Hermes Internet, and see if the problem still persists.
	Ensure that the modem cable is properly connected at both ends. Poorly seated cable can cause line noise.
	check all phone cables in you room for proper connection (loose plugs, etc).
	see advice specific for your modem – try to locate your modem manufacturer Web site, or see excellent Australian site iinet Modem Troubleshooting
	slow down your modem (all other factors being equal, the slower the connection speed, the more reliable the connection will be), turn off all compression – for details see your modem manufacturer Web site or iinet Modem Troubleshooting

Finally, ring your phone service provider and ask them to test your phone line. Say that you started using the line for modem transmissions, and that after performing the checks as listed above you suspect the quality of your phone line. Be persistent – we have seen many phone line problems fixed only after many complains. Telstra has recently standardised procedures and increased operator awareness for modem related problems such as drop outs and similar Internet connectivity problems, so your Telstra operator should be more helpful than some people have experienced in the past.

The quality of the phone line

This is probably the most confusing factor. We have to accept that the phone lines were not designed for high speed data communication. Your phone line may provide quality sufficient for a telephone conversation, where some amount of noise is acceptable. However the quality of the copper wire laid in your area, possibly many years ago, may cause your modem to misinterpret incoming information and even disconnect with no apparent reason. Modern modems try to compensate for any such interference, but only up to a certain level. If your call is routed through an older exchange noise can be generated on the line, and your modem will hang up. Unfortunately there is no technical solution which would allow a modem to ignore a noise, perhaps "freeze" for a second or two, and then continue. If there is certain level of noise, the modem will simply disconnect.

The quality and speed of your modem

All our lines fully support speeds of up to 56K and V.90 standard as approved by ITU (International Telecommunications Union) . Owners of slower modems can connect to Hermes Internet at maximum speed their hardware allows without any changes in their setup. Some older and slower modems which do not follow communication standards are not compatible with the latest 56K V.90 equipment we use, and thus can not connect to us. One such modem is Avtek Avenger 33.6. Vast majority of modems on the market can connect to us without any problem.

Not all modems are created equal. Some lesser brands may have difficulties negotiating the connection, and sometimes you may have to dial two or three times before the connection is established. Once established, the connection may not hold very reliably, and small noise on the line may cause the line to drop. However even the best modem can not cope with wrongly configured system or a poor quality, noisy phone line.

What is the best modem on the market?

Many reliability and disconnection problems are caused by poor quality modems. It is difficult to say which modem is "the best", however if you suspect that your problems may be caused by the modem you use, please try to swap it with a friend for a few days and see how different brand performs in your environment. As a rule faster modems (specially 56K) are a bit more sensitive to noise, static, and various quality problems which often trouble telephone lines. What is even more confusing is that sometimes different models coming from the same manufacturer differ in quality.

How do I know which modem to buy?

There are many good modems on the market, and many of them in similar price range. Before making a decision, try to look Web sites of manufacturers you have shortlisted – which Web is more informative? Which one has more materials and specific information about their products? Finally, go to software download area – is there a lot of software to download? Is a flash upgrade software for various modems recent, or is there just one file, which is very old? This should tell you how well the product is supported, how often you may expect to get new, improved flash code for the modem, and what additional support you can get. There are quite a few readily available modems with no Internet Web sites maintained by their manufacturers – this indicates that any future software upgrade, or any additional information about such product may be very difficult, or impossible to find. You can find all this before buying a modem! Some good brands are (this list is far from complete, we know that there are more good brands!): NetComm, Banksia, Maestro, Simple Modem (Australian manufacturers), Hayes, USRobotics, Zoom, Diamond Supra (USA), etc.

56K modems

This new standard allows to download (receive) information with maximum theoretical speed of 56Kbps. This is close to twice as fast as 28.88Kbps, and four times as fast as 14.4Kbps modems. All traffic from you to Internet will stay limited to maximum of 33.6Kbps. 56K is the last standard for modems connected to conventional telephone lines, as the phone lines (copper wiring) are simply unable to carry any faster digital data transmission. Depending on quality of your local phone cabling and phone exchange you may never be able to reach full 56Kbps speed anyway, but some improvement should be always possible.

V.90 - final 56K standard

Initially there were two competing and incompatible ways to achieve 56K speed, known as "K56Flex" and "x2". At the beginning of 1998 International Telecommunications Union (ITU-T, United Nations specialized agency for telecommunications) began work on 56K standard, referred to as V.pcm. On 6 February 2025 unified 56K standard was agreed upon, and named V.90. See this Press Release for more details. Manufacturers currently producing modems based on proprietary schemes (K56Flex and x2) have already stated that they will rapidly migrate to the new V.90 standard.

Any good quality, flash (software) upgradable K56Flex or x2 modem can be updated to V.90 by simply loading software upgrades. Some cheaper 56K modems are not upgradable, and once all equipment is migrated to V.90, they will be able to connect at maximum speed of only 33.6K. Please check Web site of your modem manufacturer for more details. It is expected that once V.90 is firmly established (probably early 1999), no ISP will continuee supporting obsolete K56Flex or x2 standards.

The latest modems (end of 1998) offer cmpatibility both standards, K56Flex and V.90. One example of such modem is an excellent NetComm Roadster II 56Ultra SVD (NetComm is in the process of changing all product names to Sirius).

Modems Resources on Internet

There are many excellent resources on Internet describing technical issues relating to modems. Highly recommended Web sites are:

iinet Modem Troubleshooting – excellent AUSTRALIAN site, drivers, tips, specific advice for local brands. Try this site first for all your modem problems!

ModemHelp.Org excellent resource for all

Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Modems ...But Were Afraid To Ask. In addition to many invaluable pieces of information it also has comprehensive links to many other modem pages.

V.90 Modem Standard – In 1998, 56K modems finally reached critical mass, after the V.90 modem standard was declared by the ITU (the international standards organization) in February. Read all about it – overwiew, links to modem manufacturer sites, etc.

Another recommended site is Curt's High Speed Modem Page

Navas 28800-56K Modem FAQ is a very comprehensive set of Questions and Answers dealing with all aspects of modems, reliability of connections, troubleshooting, hints how to set up your modem, new developments. Information was compiled by the author who has no connection with any modem company, and does not endorse the products of any company, and is provided as a public service.