Internet dial-up service

Dial Up is the most affordable Internet access option and can 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 virtually anywhere. I use a home-based high-speed cable ISP and 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 access, maximum Internet connection time is typically capped at 300 hours per month, which equates to approximately 10 hours of use every day of the month. If you need more Internet connection time than this, then you should seriously consider a high-speed cable or DSL broadband Internet plan.

Disadvantages of dial-up Internet access

• Slow – Not suitable for audio streaming or multimedia video viewing.
• 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 phone line will be busy while connected without Modem On Hold.

Can I use my phone while online?

If you only have one phone line, then you cannot dial or receive incoming calls while connected to the Internet, unless you have a V.92 modem with “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 On Hold”. 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 Dialup?

Most Internet Service Providers offer a Dial-Up Internet Accelerator. Basically, Expedited Dial-up service consists of advanced compression and caching software downloaded from your ISP and installed on your computer. This special software dramatically reduces the amount of data that has to 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 graphical image quality is slightly reduced. Throttle 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?

I would personally choose an established internet provider that has a proven track record and provides many V.92 local access numbers nationwide 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 providers and choose the one that best meets your needs and is within your monthly budget.