Getting on and Staying Connected

Abstract

The nemesis of all Internet users at some time in their life will be that mysterious little device that makes funny noises and has the little blinking red lights that we lovingly come to know as the "modem".

If you are trying to connect to the Internet, having an uncooperative modem puts a stop to your best-laid plans very quickly. To those suffering at the hands of a contrary modem, it will rapidly become one of the most frustrating devices ever invented. To the layperson modem problems can also be very confusing to diagnose.

Problems relating to modems can be many fold and may include such things as your phone line provider, and of course your resident IT junky cousin (who is just a whiz with anything electronic), throw in the kids ordering pizza on the other line, add a little thunder and lightning, and we won’t even mention the vagaries of Windows having fun at your expense. Worst of all, that’s just the start.

Without a modem connection, no Internet, so this week we will try to demystify the modem, just a bit.

How Does The Modem Do What The Modem Does?

Before we start exploring some of the various troubleshooting procedures, we need to understand a little about how a modem works. The word "modem" comes from a combination of the words "modulate" and "demodulate," which refer to the ways in which a modem works. A modem converts the digital signal that computers speak into an analog signal that phone systems speak. This signal is the funny whistling sound you hear when you dial in with your modem. That’s about it really, and it needs to happen at both ends of the phone line.

There are two basic types of analog modems: internal and external. Most serious users usually prefer external modems. Generally they are far easier to configure than internal modems, have better compatibility, and let you see what’s going on by a series of lights you can use to help diagnose problems

Modems connect between computers via a serial COM port. In the case of external modems, you just plug the modem into a serial COM port, which is a plug socket on the back of your computer.

The basics

Now we know a little about the way in which modems work, let's discuss a few methods of troubleshooting them. If we are going to have a good connection to the Internet, we first need to make sure that the modem is connected to a phone line. If you're using an external modem, you should make sure that it's turned on, plugged into a power outlet, and attached to a serial COM port on your computer.

How Do I Give My Modem a Full Check-up?

When your modem doesn't appear to be working correctly but you've checked all of the obvious cables, the first thing that you should do is to check the Modem Diagnostics program that's built into the Windows Operating System that is loaded on your computer.

This program can detect most serious modem problems. You will find it under the Control Panel menu, where you then double-click on the Modems icon. After that you will see the Modem Properties screen appear where your modem will be listed. Once you reach this point you will see a list of all of the COM ports in your computer. Next to each COM port is a list of each modem that Windows has detected on that COM port.

If Windows is unable to communicate with the modem, you'll receive an error message. The most likely problem is that the modem is no longer on the selected COM port. If that is the case, it's best to try to get Windows to redetect your modem. We'll talk more about that solution later.

If the Modem Diagnostics program is able to communicate with your modem, you'll see a summary screen that lists the results of the various internal test commands that were run on the modem. On some modems, it may be normal to see an error that says something like "ATI 14" or higher. Usually, those errors are no cause for concern. If you see an error in "ATI1", "ATI2", or "ATI3", however, you've got a big problem, and it may be time for a new modem.

How Do I Keep Tabs On My Modem?

If the Modem Diagnostics program doesn't give you enough information, you can always build a log file to see what's really going on. If by now you are calling the people who sold you the modem to get some assistance this will reduce the frustration level on both ends of the phone and have you surfing in no time. You will need to return to the Modem Properties sheet, and burrow down until you find the "Advanced" button to access the Advanced Connection Settings dialog box. Now, select the Append To Log check box and click OK.

Now, each time that you attempt to make a call with that modem, you will build a log file. The log file's name is the same as the modem's name. For example, if the modem is named MODEM1, the log file will be named Modem1.log. You can view the log file either by opening it with a text editor, such as Notepad, or by clicking the View Log button that appears below the Append To Log check box on the Advanced Connection Settings dialog box.

What If My Modem Just Won’t Talk To My Computer?

If you haven't been able to communicate with your modem and can't perform the tests that we've been discussing so far, your computer may be looking on the wrong COM port for the modem. If you suspect that this is the case, you can remove references to the modem and have Windows 98 redetect it.

It’s do or die time. So it’s back into Control Panel menu and this time double-click on the System icon. Under the System Properties section, then follow the prompts to the Modems section. Take a deep breath and select all of the listed modems (one at a time) and delete them by clicking the Remove button. Then, click OK and reboot your computer.

When the computer restarts it will often automatically seek out and find the modems and configure them for you. If it does not, go to the Control Panel and double-click on the Modems icon. When you see the Modem Properties sheet, click the Add button to launch the "Install New Modem Wizard". Then follow the prompts, if it's unable to detect the modem, your modem may not be turned on, or it may be conflicting with another piece of hardware. If your modem came with a special floppy disk, click the Have Disk button to supply the driver software that came with the modem.

Checking for device conflicts.

You also can use the Device Manager to correct conflicts on your system. Go to the Device Manager, select your modem, and click the Properties button. The modem's properties sheet will appear and you can check what Resources (such as Memory Address, Interrupt Requests or COM etc) are in use. Once you know these resources, check each of the other devices in the Device Manager to see if they're using the same resources that your modem uses. If you find two devices, say a mouse and a modem using the same resources they will need to be reconfigured.

If The Modem’s OK, what else could be wrong?

If all of the tests that you've performed so far seem to work, it's probably safe to say that the modem is functioning properly. Therefore, your problem may be a phone line problem or a problem with the way in which the modem is hooked up. Now we will discuss some other circumstances that can prevent your modem from working correctly.

Are You Plugged IN?

If the Modem Diagnostics program seems to work, but you still can't dial out, there are several things to check. Modems have two phone jacks (where the cables plug in) on their backs. One of these jacks connects the modem to the wall. The other jack is designed to allow you to plug a telephone into the modem for voice calls. If the phone cord that plugs into the phone jack in the wall is plugged into the wrong plug on the modem, you won't be able to make or receive calls with the modem.

Plug a phone into the modem, and pick up the receiver. No dial tone may indicate that the line is dead, or that another extension on the line may have been left off of the hook. Obviously, if you don't hear a dial tone on the voice phone, your modem won't be able to dial out either. Before we jump to conclusions, however, try plugging the phone directly into the wall instead of into the modem. If you get a dial tone when the phone is plugged into the wall but not when it's plugged into the modem, the modem may be damaged.

Is Anyone Home?

If your modem dials out but the answering modem (the one to which you're dialling) never answers, you need to verify that you're dialling the correct phone number. This happens all the time, so remember to take care when you configure your ISP’s phone number in the system or you may end up continuously dialling up some poor innocent soul, who in all probabilities, is not going to vote for you as Australian of the year.

Should I ever Get the Engaged Signal?

If you get a busy signal when you're dialling your Internet Service Provider, it usually means they are over subscribed (do not have enough answering phone lines) and all their phone lines are in use. If this happens continuously it’s time to get the yellow pages out and find another ISP. Either that or the wrong number victim you have been calling has eventually left the phone of the hook to thwart your now frenzied efforts.

Will Call Waiting Affect my Connection?

Time to disable the call waiting option on your phone or in the setup software. This wonderful facility can wreak havoc on otherwise reliable phone line connections to the Internet. Should anyone call you the modem will often disconnect. On a similar subject, some phone systems regularly poll (interrupt) the line with "keep alive" enquiries or self-tests. This regular line noise causes connections to drop out on a mysteriously frequent basis.

How Can The Human Factor Affect My Connection?

Speaking of wreaking havoc, if you have teenagers and other phone handsets in the house that are also connected to your modem line, we have solved your problem. Other people cannot lift-up the handsets or use the same phone line when you are connected to the Internet. Teenagers have a special ability to create this problem; prying them off the computer in the first place usually creates this. If you can, get yourself a dedicated line just for the Internet.

When I connect my screen fills up with Gibberish.

Perhaps the most complicated problem to troubleshoot occurs when you connect your ISP and receive only gibberish on your screen. This usually indicates that the modem speed is set too high, or the communications parameters are set incorrectly. So it’s back into Control Panel and double-clicking on the Modems icon. Try speeds starting from 9600 and work your way up. The quality of the phone line has an amazing capacity to limit the actual speed at which you can connect and stay on-line for a prolonged period. A very poor quality line could in fact also cause this; it might be fine for voice use but fails dismally for modem communications. Getting phone service providers to admit to poor phone lines can be very "daunting" shall we say. Getting them to fix it can be even more so!

Also it’s a good idea to make sure that the "Wait For Dial Tone Before Dialling" option is selected under Control Panel.

Tried everything, but still the modem doesn't work?

If you've tried everything we have described so far, but you still can’t connect, it's possible that your modem has been damaged by a power surge on the phone line. Try asking your supplier for a loan modem to plug into your PC to see if the problem goes away. If you're able to connect, it's safe to say that you need to replace your damaged modem.

If you determine that your modem was damaged, there is a very real chance it was due to a surge on the phone line. Phone lines carry electricity. Sometimes this electricity is subject to surges, especially during storms. The best thing that you can do to protect your system is to get a spike filter that contains a modem port.

A surge protector or spike filter should contain two phone lines. One connects to the modem, and the other connects to the phone jack on the wall. The surge protector should absorb most surges that come through the phone line before they can damage your modem. Surge protectors also tend to clean up some types of line noise, and they sometimes help you get a faster connection.

Arthur Hissey
Computer Research & Technology
www.crt.net.au