My Kingdom for a Stable Connection -- Part 2

By Don Watkins

This month, we'll look at how to apply these techniques to other modems.

Solutions for other modem brands
Normally, I use a high-speed connection, and have for some time, as my phone lines can't support 56K. However, I started doing some testing for a client and became increasingly frustrated when I found modems that would try to connect at 56K but experienced errors and dropped connections. I started investigating if there was a way to resolve this problem and I kept coming back to "slower, but more reliable."

Further testing with different brands of modems revealed a very surprising result. If your modem is trying to establish a 56K connection, the USR line test stops testing because it figures you are already using a 56K connection. Since I know my phone line can't possibly handle 56K, I was confused by these results until I figured out how to work around this. The solution is to disable 56K first and then perform the test. If your line can really handle 56K, you will get a positive response. However, if your line cannot, you will get a true evaluation. We'll look at how to perform the test using HyperTerminal, the tool built into Windows and available as a free download from the developers, Hilgraeve, Inc.

Setting up the test
If you haven't installed HyperTerminal, download it from Hilgraeve and run Htpe5.exe. Follow the prompts to install the program. Locate the port your Modem is installed on by opening up Control Panel, Modems, Diagnostics. This screen shows what communications port your modem is configured for. You will use this info in the next step so go ahead and close the Diagnostics window after noting the port information.

Click on Start, Programs, HyperTerminal Private Edition, HyperTerminal Private Edition to start the program. You will see a screen labeled "Connection Description." Give your connection a name and choose an icon. It doesn't matter what you call the connection or what icon you use, but I recommend "Direct to Comx," where "x" is the number of your communications port. This name makes things easier to track.

Click OK and you will see another screen, labeled "Connect To." At the bottom is a drop-down box labeled "Connect Using." Click on the arrow at the right and choose "Direct to Comx," choosing the port number your modem is using. See why I suggested the name before? It really does make things simpler. Then click OK.

The next dialog is where you set the properties. The only one to deal with is the topmost one: "Bits per second." I usually set this to 115200, as that's the fastest most modems can handle. Click OK, and you will see a blank white screen with a blinking cursor. Relax--the hard part of the process is over.

Type AT&F and press Enter. You will see an OK, meaning the modem accepted the command and processed it (AT&F resets the modem to its default configuration).

Set up the command
Next, type the command needed to turn off 56K on your modem. The command is different for different modems. I have listed the most popular modems below. If your modem doesn't respond to any of these commands with "OK," but instead returns "ERROR," check the typing. If you are sure you have entered the command correct, but continue to get the error message, post a mesage in the message boards, listing what kind of modem you have installed and we'll try to help. See Control Panel, Modems, Diagnostics, select your modem, and then More Info to see what kind of modem you have installed.

Rockwell/Conexant: at+ms=v34
Lucent LT WinModem: atn0s38=0
PCTel: ATN0s37=12s34=13
USR WinModem: ats32=96

Take the plunge and take the test
Dial the USR Line Test computer by entering the command:

Atdt18472626000

When prompted for graphics, hit enter.

When prompted for a user name, enter: Line Test

This test will take about a minute and will tell you if your phone line supports 56K. If it does, congratulations--you're done and are in great shape. Close HyperTerminal, save the configuration and enjoy the performance.

If the test fails, you have a little more work to do. Close HyperTerminal, save the configuration, then open Control Panel, Modems, click on your Modem, Properties, Connection, Advanced. In the box marked "Extra Settings," put the command you used in HyperTerminal to turn off 56K access. It only gets in the way, since your phone line can't handle the process and it's a source of many problems.

Click OK three times to save the settings and you're done. What you should find is a connection that may seem slower, but will be faster overall because it will be more reliable.

Until next month, stay connected!

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