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What
can I check on my end?
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- Line
Cord:
That flat telephone cord that you use between
your modem and the wall jack, known as Flat Satin,
is the worst kind of cable there is. It will act like an
antenna, and pick up every electrical noise it can; from
lamps, heaters, motors, monitors, speakers etc. As such,
keep it as short as possible, and under no circumstance
allow this cable to be over 6 feet in length. Having a
longer cable wrapped up is not acceptable either. If you
computer is not within 6 feet of the jack, move it or
install a new jack.
- Extensions:
If your modem is not connected to its own
telephone line, then the line cords of other devices on
your extension jacks are also critical. If any of your
other telephone jacks in your home/business have longer
than 6 foot cords, try to shorten them. Also route them
as far away as possible from any electrical devices or
lines. Unplug unused devices.
- Other
Telephone Devices:
Again, if your modem is sharing a line in your
home/business with other devices, telephones, cordless
phones, fax machines, answering machines etc., try
disconnecting all of these devices at their wall jack.
These devices can affect your connect speed even when not
in use. If your connect speed improves, then start
reconnecting the other devices one at a time to see if
you can identify the trouble maker, and then repair or
replace it.
- Inside
Wiring:
In Wisconsin, contractors are not under any
regulations regarding the type of wire used to install
telephone lines as it is considered low voltage
service. As a result, a significant number of newly
constructed homes and business, as well as newly
installed jacks and additional lines in existing
buildings are installed with the wrong type of wiring.
Often old buildings that were wired pre-deregulation by
the telephone companies have superior wiring. Often
contractors will use the aforementioned Flat Satin
wire to wire a whole building, or they will use antenna
rotor wire, or intercom station wire. All of these types
of wire are incorrect, and will act as a giant antenna to
pick up electrical noise. The correct type of wire is
known as Category 1 cable, and is designed to
cancel out electrical noise. Category 3 or
Category 5 computer data network cable is
acceptable too, as it is designed in the same manner. It
is difficult for the typical individual to determine what
kind of cable is used in their home/business. Try opening
up a wall jack and examining the wires inside the cable;
if the cable contains 4 or eight wires and they are
separated into 2 or 4 pairs, and each pair are
individually twisted around each other, it may be the
correct cable. Often the pairs are color coded as orange,
green, blue, and brown. If the incorrect wire was used,
all of it must be replaced. Most local telephone
companies can do inside wiring for a reasonable cost,
discuss with them the type of wire you need. If you want
to do your own wiring, while Category 1 telephone
cable is difficult for the consumer to purchase, many
local computer stores can obtain Category 3 or
Category 5 networking cable for you to use
instead.
- Update
Your Modem
Most current modems have their internal
programming stored in what is known as Flash
memory. This type of memory can be reprogrammed by a
utility program. Often modem manufacturers improve their
products by updating this internal software. You can
typically obtain updated programming directly from your
modem manufacturer's web site, or try
www.56k.com.
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