SOLUTIONS TO FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTION (FAQ)

SOLUTIONS TO MODEM PROBELMS

5. Why does my modem/connection keeps dropping out?
This problem is almost inevitable and it doesn't matter which ISP you connect to. Because the dialup modem is still going through an analogue telephone system, noise and interference is unavoidable. Apart from this, there are other causes that result in the modem dropping out. However, there are ways to minimize this problem:

• Disable call waiting if you have Call Waiting on your phone line.
  For Telstra phone lines, to turn Call Waiting off
  1. Lift the receiver and listen for the dial tone.
  2. Dial # 43# and listen for the message that your call waiting feature is turned off. Then dial the Internet.
  To turn call waiting back on dial *43#
  For Optus phone lines, to turn Call Waiting off
  1. Lift the receiver and listen for the dial tone.
  2. Dial #87 and listen for the message that your call waiting feature is turned off. Then dial the Internet.
  To turn call waiting back on dial *87#
  
• Unplug all phones, fax, answering machines which are connected to the same line as the modem line. Most of these equipment draws current from the phone, leaving it connected may cause the modem to loose carrier signal, hence the connection drops out.
• Check the phone lines for crackling, noise and crosstalks. Get your telephone supplier to rectify any of these problems.

• Some modems are unstable. Different makes, models have different reliability. Most internal modems tend to drop out more frequent than external modems. There are ways to reduce your modem connection speeds which also increase reliability.
• Check all connection settings especially the Idle Time settings.
• Other ISP connections, may also cause your link to drop out. For example, you have NET2000 setup on your computer as well as another ISP, the email program is setup to check for both ISP servers. After you checked the email on NET2000, a request to check the other mail servers causes the connection to drop out from NET2000 to dial the other ISP. Try not to have more than one ISP connections on the same computer.
• Are you on the 'Unlimited Plan'? If you so, make sure no one else is dialling into your account at the same time. Concurrent (simultaneous) dial in is not permitted with the 'Unlimited Plan'. The server will detect the multiple connections and will disconnect all connections after a few minutes.