Dialup / ISDN FAQ

How do I change my modem init string?

Open My Computer -> Dial-Up Networking -> Right-click your ISP icon and choose Properties -> Configure button -> Connection Tab -> Advanced Button -> Enter desired modem initialization string in the Extra Settings box.

What are some tips for better dialin performance?

Here is some information that may help someone experiencing slower than expected downloads. For the good of the order:

Start by ensuring that your machine is not doing extra work by compressing data unnecessarily.

  • Double click on My Computer / Dial Up Networking
  • Right Click on Prolog Icon (or whatever you called it on your machine)
  • Click on Properties / Server Type
  • Remove all checks from boxes except for the TCP/IP box.
Next, let's be sure that your modem is answering your computer correctly:

  • Click Start / Settings / Control Panel
  • Double click on Modem
  • Click on Diagnostics
  • Click Com2 (or what ever port your modem is assigned)
  • Click More Info
  • Mine says:
  • Port COM2
  • Int 3
  • Addr 2F8
  • UART NS 16550AN
  • Highest Speed 115K Baud
Another trick you might try is to change your modem driver to the Supra 288i. See if that makes any difference compared to the Hayes 288 settings. Don't know how you feel about those "standard" selections, but I am not a fan of default settings.

How can multiple machines share one dialup TCP/IP connection?

[With all due respect to Adrien, I really think Win95 is the wrong tool for the job. A dedicated DOS-based router, like the ones mentioned in the FAQ for comp.protocols.tcp-ip.ibmpc, would give better performance on much cheaper hardware. Of course, the user interface would be nowhere hear as pretty, which is why WinGate is the right tool for most "normal" people.]

Adrien wrote the very cool proxy server WinGate for this purpose. It runs under Win95 or WinNT. Get it from http://www.wingate.com.

For those of you who don't know the jargon, a proxy server lets you use common TCP applications like mail, telnet, ftp, and the Web by going through an intermediate site. Proxy servers are often used by corporate sites for security and bandwidth control. It occurred to Adrien that they're also a convenient way for home and small business users to share a single Internet address.

A proxy server is not a router, which passes all packets from one network to another. So you can't ping or use SNMP through WinGate, but you should be able to do what most normal people do on the net.