Dial-Up Help & Faqs
The phone numbers listed on
the web site have all been checked, but for your reference, we have listed below
some links to Verizon’s and ATT’s websites that you can visit to verify that
they are local to your specific calling plan.
VERIZON
http://www22.verizon.com/CallingAreas/LocalCallFinder/LocalCallFinderSAS.htm
1. Copy and paste the above
link into an Internet window.
2. Enter your area code plus the first 3 digits of your home phone number into
the box listed Phone Number:
3. Click Next.
4. Select the calling plan you are currently on from the list.
5. Click Go.
6. Click on Show All.
7. Find the 3 digit number in the list that applies to the new Dial-Up number
from above for your calling area.
8. If you find the number on this list, it is a local call for you to make.
AT&T
http://localcalling.sbc.com/LCA/lca_input.jsp
1. Copy and paste the above link into an Internet window.
2. Enter your area code plus the first 3 digits of your home phone number into
the box listed Your area Code and Prefix.
3. Click Search.
4. Click List Prefixes Now.
5. Find the 3 digit number in the list that applies to the new Dial-Up number
from above for your calling area.
6. If you find the number on this list, it is a local call for you to make.
Please follow these instructions to
change the numbers.
1. Click on the Start button and select Control Panel.
2. Select Network Connections from the Control Panel. (Note: You may have to
click on Network and Internet Connections before you click on Network
Connections, depending on which view your Control Panel is in.)
3. Right click on the NConnect Icon and click on Properties.
4. Under the General Tab you will see the current phone number.
5. Change the phone number to the new number that correlates to your area.
6. Click OK.
PLEASE SET UP OUTLOOK
EXPRESS OR MICROSOFT OUTLOOK
INSTRUCTIONS FOR POPPING EMAIL BELOW
Setting up an email account.
There are many
different versions of both programs, but the info needed is the same for
both. This will eliminate email staying on our servers—space for email left
there is limited.
1. Open up
Outlook
Express or
Microsoft Outlook.
2.
Go to the
Tools
menu, and select
Accounts.
3.
Click on
Add
and then select
Mail.
4.
Type in your
display name in the box provided. (Note: This
is going to be the way people will see your name. We suggest not using
your full name, but enough of your name so that people still know who you are
(for example, B Jones, The Jones, Kelly J).
5.
Click Next.
6.
Enter your user
name/logon—this is your full email address.
7.
Click Next.
8.
Make sure that the line
across the top reads: My incoming mail server is a POP3 server.
9.
In the incoming and
outgoing mail server boxes for:
Bertram
Wireless email address user:
Incoming server: mail.bertramwireless.com
Outgoing Server:
mail.bertramwireless.com
Nconnect email address user:
Incoming server: pop.nconnect.net
Outgoing Server: smtp.nconnect.net
Also on this same page Do Not
check the check box:
Log on using secure password authentication(SPA).
Microsoft Outlook users
will see on the bottom of this screen a button saying
"More Settings". Click this button and you will be brought to the next screen.
Select the "Outgoing Server” tab and check "My Out going server (SMTP) requires
authentication".
10.
Click Next.
11.
Verify that your
username/logon is your full email address and is typed correctly. Don't forget
to check the spelling of your password.
12.
Click Next, and then
click Finish.
Modem Connection Questions
This document is intended to help troubleshoot the most common problems
individuals have with their modem connections:
-
low (or incorrect) connect speeds
-
disconnections from our system
-
other related problems
Q.
My modem is a 28.8 (or 33.6), but it
connects at a lower speed (such as 26.4, 24 or 21.6). How come? Is there
something wrong on your end?
A. The term "28.8 modem" is a bit misleading. A more
appropriate name for a high speed v.34 modem would be "28.8-capable
modem.” A v.34 modem does over 2000 line tests when it establishes a
connection to determine the maximum speed of the connection that you're
using.
The maximum speed of your phone line is a combination of many factors:
the quality of the wiring of the phone connection, the distance between you
and your phone company's CO (central office), the kind of switching
equipment your phone company has you connected to, and the way the
phone company is routing your call. When all is said and done, there are few
areas that will get consistent 28.8 connections.
The newer v.34+ modems which support 33.6 are no exception: while they are
capable of handling speeds that high under optimal line conditions, the
majority of phone lines will only be able to connect at less than that
speed.
Bertram Wireless lines are optimized for the highest speeds possible.
Therefore, connections higher than 28.8 are possible with our service, but
only from areas that have particularly clean telephone service.
While connections at 24k or 26.4k are normal and can be expected with a 28.8
or 33.6 modem, if you're getting very slow connections, such as 19.2k, then
you may have a problem on your line. You may want to call your phone company
(call 611) for a free line test if you get consistently slow connections.
Need more information? Check out an article in Byte Magazine called "Phone
Lines Stymie v.34 Modems", available at
http://www.byte.com/art/9511/sec3/art8.htm. It offers an even more
detailed analysis of the effect of phone lines on connection speeds. There
is also an extremely good article on connect rates at USR's site:
http://www.usr.com/home/online/topdocs/10530.htm
Q.
I keep getting disconnected from the system. Are you guys kicking me off?
What can I do about it?
A. When using a modem to access online services, there
will usually be an occasional disconnection. If this is a chronic problem
for you, this document will help you find out what's causing the
disconnections, and what you can do about fixing it.
One of the most common reasons for disconnection problems is line noise.
When there is extended static or noise on a phone line, or if the signal
becomes very weak, the two modems exchanging data can't "understand"
each other. Most modems will pause when there is noise on the line and wait
to recover the connection, but occasionally this is not possible, and the
modems will disconnect from each other.
From USR's web site: "Dropped connections can occur when there is a sharp
decrease in line quality during a call. [28.8] modems will switch to rates
as low as 4800 bps to compensate for these changes. If the loss of quality
is extremely severe, they will drop the connection."
There are often severe changes in line conditions during and after inclement
weather: moisture in the ground caused by storms, flooding or snowfall will
typically make connections less reliable. There are many other conditions
that might affect line quality: if you have tried all of our suggestions in
this document and still experience disconnection problems, you may want to
contact your telephone company's repair department, typically available by
dialing 611.
Some older 28.8 modems are not as capable of holding connections with bad
line conditions; these are known as v.FC modems. If you have a modem that
supports v.FC, but not v.34 for 28.8 connections, that may be the cause of
your problem. You can get this information out of your modem's manual. Most
modem manufacturers offer an
upgrade that will allow you to upgrade your v.FC modem to a v.FC/v.34
compatible. Contact your modem's manufacturer for details.
Also, there are often occasions where the firmware for a particular modem
(i.e., the software that "runs" the modem) is prone to disconnections. In
the past, problems of this sort appeared with Supra firmware upgrades to
turn 28.8 modems into 33.6 modems, and on early X2 modem models. If you are
experiencing disconnects and have either a new modem or have recently
updated your modem's firmware, you might want to check with your modem’s
manufacturer to see if a fix has been released.
Another common reason for lost connections is Call Waiting. The Call Waiting
"beep" is interpreted by modems as noise on the line, and can eventually
cause a disconnection. In most areas, you can turn off Call Waiting by
dialing *70 before the NConnect phone number (if this does not work, check
with your local carrier about the procedure to turn off Call Waiting).
Inactivity can also cause disconnections. NConnect has a 20 minute
inactivity timeout, meaning that if you do not send any data over your
Internet connection for 20 minutes, your connection will be disconnected.
When you type a message in your graphical mail reader (say, Netscape or
Eudora), it's not actually sending any information out over the Internet
(until you actually click on the Send button to send the final message out).
Most Internet dialer software will automatically drop the network connection
after a few minutes of inactivity. The best way to get around this is by
using a "ping" client, which will send small, unobtrusive packets of data
across the Internet to keep the connection alive. Call NConnect Tech
Support for information on how to "ping.”
If the disconnections are occurring at times when you're certain you're not
inactive (such as during file transfers), the problem may be linked to the
hardware handshaking configuration of your modem. Try adding the string
“&K3” to your modem's init string to force this feature on.
If you are connected for over 5 hours and our system is experiencing peak
usage which is resulting in busy signals, you may be disconnected in order
to be fair to our other customers. Simply dial back if you need to continue
to use the system.
Some modems are better than others at holding connections. We've rarely seen
problems with US Robotics brand modems (except one particular model—see the
section on RPI, below) or with Motorola's. Modems that use the Rockwell
chipset, however, are more likely to sporadically disconnect. Modems by
Hayes (esp. Hayes Accura), Zoom
and Practical Peripherals are more likely to experience problems of this
sort.
Other modems, known as RPI modems, don't have error correction built into
the modem—you need special RPI drivers. If you have an RPI modem (the two
most common are the USR Sportster SI—not to be confused with the standard
Sportster Faxmodem—and the Zoom 14.4 PC), but aren't running the WinRPI
drivers, that's likely the problem.
Some older cordless phone and fax machines use capacitors that are prone to
send surges of electricity across the phone connections that the units are
attached to. Such a surge can easily knock a modem
user offline. If all of the above measures have failed, you may want to
disconnect all of your other phone and fax equipment from the line for
testing to see if possibly one of your other telecommunication devices is
knocking you offline.
Q.
When I log on, my modem says CONNECT 38400
(or 57600, or 115200). Am I really connected at that speed? I only have a
28.8 (or 14.4) modem!
A. The CONNECT message that your modem reports can be
one of two things. The first, known as the DCE (Data Communicating
Equipment) speed, reports the actual connection speed between the two modems
across the
phone lines. The maximum speed available with current modem technology is
53333. However, your modem could instead be reporting the DTE (Date Terminal
Equipment) speed, which is the speed at which your computer is sending
information to your modem. The DTE speed can be 38400, 57600 or 115200 on
most machines.
If you want your modem to report the true connection speed (i.e. the DCE
speed), on most modems it is as simple as adding the string “W2” to your
modem's initialization string. If that is not the case, consult your modem's
manual for details.
Q.
I upgraded my older, slower modem to a
new, external 28.8, and the 28.8 seems to be very slow—as slow as my old
modem! What's going on?
A. External modems rely on a serial chip inside your
computer for the transmission of information across the serial interface
between the computer and modem. Unfortunately, older computers may have a
serial
chip that simply can't keep up with a 28.8 modem. The 8250 and 16450 serial
chips are only reliable up to approximately 9600 baud:
meaning that they'll work fine with older, slower modems, but not with
28.8s. The 16550 chip, on the other hand, is reliable up to 115200.
You can check to see if you have an older 8250 or 16450 serial chip in the
MSD program. Drop to a DOS command line, type MSD, and select "COM Ports".
Under the COM port that your modem is on, check the "UART" setting. Is it
8250, 16450, and not 16550? If so, you'll want to get a new serial card, one
that supports the higher speeds.
If you don't have the MSD program, check with your computer's manufacturer
about the type of serial chip used in your machine.
If you have an internal modem, you don't need to worry about the above.
Internal modems come with their own high speed serial chips.
Q.
Why do I keep getting "COMM Overrun"
errors using Trumpet Winsock?
A. The most common reason is one that is discussed in
the answer above. If you have a high speed modem (14400 or higher), make
sure that you're using a 16450 or 16550 UART, as opposed to the older 8250
UART.
If you're using Windows 3.1, check the "comm.drv=" line in the [boot]
section of your \WINDOWS\system.ini file. If it reads "comm.drv=comm.drv",
you are probably using the original comm driver which was designed for the
8250 UART. You might like to try another, such as Cybercom: you can download
Cybercom from http://129.7.6.134/Windows/
Updates/cybercom.zip
If that doesn't help, try adding the following statements to the [386Enh]
section of your system.ini file:
comXfifo=1
comXbuffer=1024
comboosttime=8
Where X is the number of your COM, or SLIP port.
Some video drivers built around the s3 video chip also hold CPU cycles and,
therefore, cause overruns as well. The s3 have apparently released driver
updates that cure the problem. Several OEM vendors using the s3 design have
followed suit.
Unfortunately, there is one cause of overruns that cannot be avoided.
When accessing local disk(s), Windows halts any I/O to the comm ports for a
short period of time. This, in turn, causes the overruns, when the Winsock
is unable to access the comm port. This is, unfortunately, a glitch with the
internals of Windows.
Q.
When I log into any online service, my
mouse freezes up. Help!
A. This indicates that your modem and your mouse are
sharing the same interrupt line (IRQ) on your computer. COM1 and COM3 share
IRQ 4, whereas COM2 and COM4 share IRQ3. This means that if you have a mouse
on COM1 and a modem on COM3, the two will conflict.
If possible, you'll want to
have your mouse and modem on complementary COM ports: mouse on COM1 and
modem on COM2, for example, or mouse on COM1 and modem on COM4. Some modems
will allow you to use jumper settings on the modem to jump to another unused
IRQ. Check your modem's manual on how to make these changes. If you didn't
install your modem, you might want to have a professional help you.
