Getting the most out of your modem.

With the advent of broadband, in the form of DSL, high-speed cable modems, and satellite Internet, a growing number of people are taking advantage of the benefits of the 24 hour high speed connection to the Web.

However, due to lack of availability in some areas, and the slightly higher cost, there are still quite a few of you still on the old 56K.

Here are few tips to help you get the most of your dial up connection.

Get the Best Dialup Speed

A 56-Kbps modem almost never connects at 56 Kbps. Here’s what you can do to make sure you're getting the connection speed you deserve,

If your dialup modem is set for 56 Kbps, you've probably noticed that it never runs at more than 45 Kbps. That's because you never get the full speed out of your dialup modem. A speed of 45 Kbps on a 56-Kbps modem is reasonable and no cause for concern.

Six factors contribute to the speed of your connection:

Your modem speed

Your phone-cord quality

Your phone-line quality

Your ISP

Your modem

The Internet's speed

Your computer may report a 56-Kbps connection, but that might not be accurate. Why? FCC regulations state that line speeds can't exceed 53 Kbps. So even though modems are advertised as being 56 Kbps, you'll never be able to reach a modem's full potential using your telephone line.

More likely it's a quirk in the way your modem reports the speed. To find out your true speed, go to DSL Reports and follow the links, or download AnalogX's NetStat Live.

When to worry

If your connection speed is more than 15 Kbps below your modem rating, you might want to worry. I wouldn't worry about 42-Kbps on a 56-Kbps modem, but I would worry about 28 Kbps.

What to do

NetStat Live or another diagnostic tool will help you determine if your modem operates properly. If you're sure about your modem, move on.

Phone cord: Is it old, frayed, or broken? Make sure it's a good, clean cord. You can plug a phone into it and listen to see if it works well. Still have doubts? Replace it with a new one.

Phone line: You can diagnose your own line or get the phone company to do it for a fee. Your phone company may clean the line for free if you claim that you can't clearly hear callers or that elderly callers can't hear you. Phone companies will not clean your line for free if you just want to increase your data rate.

Your ISP: Sometimes your ISP doesn't have the bandwidth to handle all its users. Speak up. Enough people complaining about service may get your ISP to add more capacity. You could alert it to a problem that it didn't know existed. You may also consider trying a different access number.

Your modem: Even though your modem is brand new, it may be an older model that needs upgrading. By upgrading we mean its firmware or drivers. Firmware is the modem's internal programming that you can update at a later date. Check the manufacturer's website to see if it has a "modem update" section for downloading the latest firmware version. Some manufacturers may also refer to this as a "driver update." Firmware upgrades are easy to install. Just follow the directions.

The Internet: Sometimes the Net gets slow. This usually doesn't affect your connection to your ISP, but it can. If your connection speed is only slow every so often, and everything else listed above works well, you can blame the Net.