modem

Infopackets Reader 'WB2' writes: " Dear Dennis, I have a home network consisting of two computers, using an N-link router. Both computers are connected to the router using a wired connection (not wireless). Problem: the router drops my Internet ... connection from time to time. Shutting off the router and turning it back on after a few seconds appears to solve the problem -- but it's only temporary. Can you help me solve this problem? " My Response: If the problem you are experiencing happens to both PCs at the exact same time, it's a safe bet it's not either of your PCs at fault, but likely the ... (view more)

Sprint's promotion of super-speed wireless Internet has taken an important step with the release of a plug-in modem that can work with WiMAX and the slower but more widespread 3G network. Xohm, the name for its service employing the small but ... growing WiMax wireless network, is also dubbed 4G (following on from the 3G network used by devices such as the iPhone) and aims to provide wireless data speeds comparable to fixed-line broadband. Like the 3G network, users don't have to be near a WiFi 'hotspot' (such as a cafe or airport): the data comes over the mobile phone network. At the moment, the ... (view more)

A modem (a portmanteau word constructed from modulator and demodulator) is a device that modulates an analog carrier signal (sound) to encode digital information, and also demodulates such a carrier signal to decode the transmitted information. The ... goal is to produce a signal that can be transmitted easily and decoded to reproduce the original digital data. The most familiar example of a modem turns the digital '1s and 0s' of a personal computer into sounds that can be transmitted over the telephone lines of Plain Old Telephone System (POTS), and once received on the other side, converts ... (view more)

Recall -- Yesterday, Andy P. asked if there was a freeware program that could display the send and receive activity of his internal modem: " I use a dialup Internet connection from AOL. Before I upgraded to Windows XP, I ran a wonderful utility ... called 'FMLights' which allowed me to view the Send and Receive activity internal modem. Unfortunately, FMLights is not compatible with Windows XP, and I can no longer view my network traffic when I'm connected to the Internet ... If you can recommend a freeware application that displays my modem lights and is compatible with Windows XP, that ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Joel M. writes: " Hello Dennis, This is my first time to write to you because I have usually found the answers to my questions in your wonderful articles. Please keep them coming! I do not have the call waiting feature disabled on ... my computer, nor do I have one of those 'catch-a-call' boxes which allows me to answer an incoming call when I'm connected to the Internet. Instead, I gone to Control Panel -> Modems -> Advanced Settings, and used the modem command 'ATS11=254' which (I believe) has given me the option of ignoring / allow incoming calls. Unfortunately, a ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Ric J. writes: " Hi Dennis, I recently tried to install a new PCI modem card in my system. The modem is Plug and Play (PNP) and should automatically configure itself once the drivers are installed. Unfortunately, the modem won't ... properly install on my machine. I went into Device Manager and found that the modem assigned itself to COM1, which was already in use. So my question is: how do I change the COM port so that the modem won't conflict with COM1? " Side note: PCI stands for Peripheral Component Interconnect, or 'personal computer bus'. A COM port is short ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Vicky F. writes: " Hello, and good day to you! I just want to know how can I connect to the Internet using a laptop with a built-in modem? Do I still need an Internet Service Provider (ISP) or can I just hook up my laptop to the ... cable outlet? I am a newbie on this stuff, and I will really appreciate it if you could give me some insight. " My response: The built-in modem you are referring to is for dial-up (I.E.: phone line) Internet access, which is very slow compared to a cable modem or DSL connection. Should you decide to use dial-up Internet, all that is ... (view more)

A little while back, a reader named Larry K. asked me if it was possible to answer phone calls while still maintaining a dial-up Internet connection. Receive phone calls while using dial-up Internet connection? Recall: " I use dial-up Internet, ... which is the *only* service available in my remote location. I am on call at my work, and my son will be home from University soon. Is there software / hardware / or some type of service available which can alert me of an incoming phone call when I'm online? I really don't want to purchase another phone line. " When I initially published this ... (view more)