Dial Up ISP: How Does a Modem Work & How to Connect Your Modem

Dial-up access is a form of Internet access in which the customer uses a modem connected to a computer and a telephone line to dial into an Internet service provider's node to establish a modem-to-modem link, which is then routed to the Internet. Historically, this really was the first way in which the general public was able to access the Internet and World Wide Web. It remains a means through which people can access the Internet -- although there have become faster ways through which a person can access the Internet and World Wide Web.

Dial-Up Remains an Important Means of Accessing the Net

Even with the advent of widely available and popular broadband Internet access in most parts of the Western world, many people worldwide still connect via dial-up simply because they do not have access to or cannot afford a high-speed Internet connection.

The Benefit to Travelers of Dial Up Internet Service

Telephone lines are available throughout the world so dial-up remains very useful to travelers because if they have a cable or DSL, they can only be used from the location and the computer that it is connected to. Dial-up is usually the only choice available for most rural or remote areas where getting a broadband connection is impossible because of low population and demand. Many people would not leave home without being certain that they will have Internet access via dial-up.

In most cases dial-up access may be the only option for people who have limited budgets. Thus, it also works well for people who have very tight budgets.

The Effectiveness of Modern Dial Up Modems

Modern dial-up modems typically have a maximum speed of 56 kbit/s, although in most cases only up to 53 kbit/s is possible due to cost and FCC regulation. These speeds are currently considered the maximum possible but in many cases transfer speeds will be slower, normally anywhere between 33 to 43 kbit/s. Various factors such as phone line noise and conditions, as well as the quality of the modem itself, play a large part in determining connection speeds.

However, with that said and understood, dial-up can be appropriate if a person is using the Net for such purposes as dealing with email. It can be a very cost effective way of dealing with matters like reading and responding to email.

The Downside of Dial Up Internet Access

Dial-up connections usually have high delay that can make online gaming or videoconferencing difficult, if not impossible. Some games are capable of running on 56 K dial-up. Gamers with dial-up connections are often disconnected from game servers due to the delay of the connection. Many computer games released in 2005 such as Battlefield 2 or Star Wars:Battlefront are not compatible for online play with dial-up modems. These first person shooter style games are the most sensitive to lag, making playing them on dial-up impractical