Welcome to the first installment of Spider-boy's
Mac-Help Section.
Being more familiar with Windows and a novice at best on this topic, I will attempt to ease into this with a few helpful
hints and a handful of links to get things started.
As time progresses, I hope to make this a stand out forum for
issues involving the Mac and Mac software. Please feel free to submit your own experiences and I will do my best to publish them here
(author credit is always given).
Thanks for your patience...Spider®
Modem Connection Speeds
I have heard of connectivity problems with many of the newer
Macs (the iMac, in particular). Most times it can be traced to the same problems that plague PC-users with this
type of problem.
Poor line quality
Internal modems
Settings
There is not much that can be done for connectivity on the Phone Co.'s end (no two calls are routed throught the same path, even when dialing the same number). But you can
upgrade your phone lines or install a 2nd. line in your home (bit pricey, though)
Also consider signal interference and line distortion on your modem's ability to analyze the line impairments as they affect the
quality of the transmission signal. Poor quality causes transmission errors, reduced throughput & connection speed and even dropped connections (gettin' bumped).
These are a few things that you can do to attempt better connection speeds...
Confirm with your ISP that you are dialing in to a number answered by a modem of the same 56K protocol as yours.
If your modem can be flash-ROM upgraded by software, go ahead and apply the most recent drivers to date. Apple 56K modem updates are available online.
Be certain that you are using the correct modem script for your modem. Many manufacturers supply these online also. Externally configured modem scripts may be found in the Communications directory of Info-Mac FTP servers.
Edit the init-string contained in your modem script or use software that provides the option of entering the init-string manually, such as FreePPP or MacPPP. Your ISP may also be able to tell what initialation string, if any, they recommend for best compatibilty with their modems
And finally, the question exists as to whether Internal Modems are hardware modems or software modems (share resources with the OS). Most are probably software modems as they are the least expensive to install. Software modems almost never perform as well as hardware modems (or External Modems) and Lucents may not be the best choice (IMHO)
Performance issues with software modems include resource-sharing. The amount of ram, extensions, other programs which run at the same time are also a factor.
So...if it is within your budget, you may want to consider an External Modem as they tend not to have the issues that irritate the heck out of us.
Click on the Mac Help Links below;
Please feel free to add a comment or a suggestion...I also will accept Reader Submitted Tips & Tricks for this page. Author credit will be given for the tips that are used....Spider®
Official Disclaimer:spider-boy.com is not responsible for user-induced damage to your PC. These Tips & Tricks are provided
in good faith and are meant to ease your use of Mac and Apple harware, software and OS. Some links on this site connect to third-patiy web-sites and although
we at spider-boy.com try our best to verify the integrity of each link, we are also not responsible for the content found there. Thank you and come again...Spider®
