FAQ - I'm getting frequent disconnects

Spontaneous disconnects can be one of the most frustrating problems you will encounter when using the Internet. For some the problem is sporadic, while others experience frequent disconnects every time they use their modem. In the vast majority of these cases, the situation can be improved but it often takes patience and trying quite a few remedies before the source and solution of the problem can be found.

How Can You Be Sure You're Losing Your Connection?

It might seem that this should be obvious, but that's not always the case.

With Windows 95 machines the fact that you've been disconnected becomes evident as soon as it happens: A dialog box pops up with a message that you've lost your connection, asking if you want to reconnect.

Unfortunately the most commonly used dialer software for MacIntosh and Windows 3.1 computers don't alert you to the fact that you've been disconnected. The first indication you have that you may no longer be connected is either you can't navigate anywhere you want to go on the Internet, you get "NO DNS" error messages every time you click on a link, or you try to send or check your email and your email program is unable to connect to the mail server.

If you have an external modem such as most Macs and a few IBM compatibles do, a glance at the lights on the front of the modem should tell you if you're connected. If you have one of these external modems, you should pay attention to which lights are on when the modem is disconnected and which additional lights are lit when you are connected so that you can easily tell by looking at your modem whether you're online or not.

If you experience the symptoms mentioned above and you're not sure whether you're still connected, go through the motions of hanging up with your dialer software, then dial in again. If, after re-dialing, proper function is restored you can conclude that you probably had lost your connection. In addition, Windows 3.1 users using Trumpet Winsock will see three "Plus Signs" (+++) on the screen when they hang up rather than the usual "OK" messages. If Trumpet displays +++ when you hang up, this is verification that you had lost your connection before clicking "Bye".

OK, I'm Getting Disconnected. How do I Fix it?

This will depend on what's causing your disconnects. The most common cause of frequent disconnects is phone line related. The next most common is software configuration problems that result in hardware or software conflicts or comm overruns. If your phone line is not working at its best, the problem could originate on your own premises or it could be somewhere outside between your house and the phone company.

First, take the following steps to see if your connection improves:

1. If you have the "Call Waiting" feature on your phone line, it MUST be disabled in your dialer software for your Internet connection to work properly. If you don't do this, each time someone tries to call you while you're online, you will either lose your modem connection, or your connection will be badly disrupted and your modem will slow down drastically, or stop altogether. In many cases you don't know this has happened since you haven't heard the phone ring and you will be frustrated because the Internet doesn't seem to be working correctly. To disable "Call Waiting" follow the instructions below for the operating system you run on your computer:

• Windows 3.1 with Trumpet Winsock - Start Trumpet, then click on the "Dialler" menu, then on "setup.cmd". Here you will see a phone number. Change it to read *70,330-5070 then click "OK".
• Windows 95 - Double-click on the "My Computer" icon, then on the "Dial-up Networking" folder, then on the "Local Access" icon. Now click on "Dial Properties". Verify that the box is checked next to the line: "This location has Call Waiting. To disable it dial", then choose *70, from the drop-down menu next to this line and click "OK". Verify that the phone number on the "Connect To" Window now says: *70,330-5070
• MacIntosh - Open your "Config PPP" Control Panel, then click on the "Config" button in the lower left corner. Edit the phone number to read *70,330-5070 then click "Done".

After making these changes, "Call Waiting" will be automatically disabled each time you dial in to the Internet and people who try to call you will receive a busy signal. "Call Waiting" will still function normally when you're on the phone.

2. Make it a habit to inform everyone else in the house when you're going to be on the Internet. This is to prevent them from picking up an extension phone elsewhere in the house and disrupting your call. If someone does pick up a phone, your modem will either hang up, slow down or stop, so you'll want to avoid this happening.
3. If your modem is disconnecting after you've been reading or writing email messages or spending a long time at one Internet site without moving from one location to another, you could be experiencing an inactivity timeout. Local Access's communications servers are all set to disconnect users who are inactive for 20 minutes or longer. This is so that our lines aren't occupied by users who have forgotten to hang up their modem connections and is designed to help minimize busy signals. Typing an email message or scrolling up and down through a message or a web site doesn't move any data through your modem so the inactivity time out will come into play during these situations.

   To avoid being cut off under these circumstances just check your email occasionally while you're reading or writing long messages, or better yet, learn to write email offline. While reading long Web documents, clicking the Back, then the Forward buttons occasionally should maintain your connection for you.

4. Make sure you've plugged the cord into the proper jack on the back of your modem if there is more than one jack. On most modems these are labeled, with one called "Phone" and the other labeled "Line", "Telco" or "Wall". You should use the one called "Line", "Telco" or "Wall". Don't plug anything into the one labeled "Phone" since there is a possibility that a telephone will introduce some interference into your connection. If your modem is not labeled, it probably doesn't matter which jack you use, however try each one to see if one works better than the other.
5. Check the condition of the line that connects your modem to the wall jack. Inspect it for damage - both the cord itself and the connectors at each end. If there is even slight damage, the cord should be replaced. Also, the shorter the cord the better. Locate your computer as close to the wall jack as possible. If you must use a long cord, try to avoid using staples, nails, etc to fasten it to the wall. We've seen cases where this was done in order to string the wire above a door or along the floor or ceiling. Very often this results in damage to the cord and is not recommended.
6. Plug the cord directly from the modem to the wall jack, not through any other telephony devices such as phones, FAXes or answering machines, since these devices can introduce interference into your modem connection. Also don't use "splitters" which are designed to allow various devices to share the same line. Splitters very often reduce the quality of a phone line signal and should be avoided if at all possible. If you need to plug more than one device into your modem line, install a wall jack with 2 outlets rather than use an inexpensive splitter.
7. Your modem must be plugged into a real "hard wired" phone jack. Don't use a jack that plugs into an electrical outlet and is designed to extend phone service into a room that doesn't have phone wiring. These jacks will not work properly for modem connections.
8. Don't run your modem line through any line conditioners, surge suppressors or power supplies since these devices also can interfere with a modem connection.
9. Read our Comm Overrun FAQ and follow the steps suggested. It is particularly important that you at least make certain your modem is using the proper initialization commands to activate Hardware Flow Control.
10. If none of the above steps improve the performance of your connection, your problem may involve the portion of your line between your house and the phone company. To determine if this is the case you'll need to try your connection on a different phone line, preferably a line that is known to work properly for modem connections.

    If you have a friend who regularly connects to the Internet without problems, you could try your computer on their line. Local Access customers are welcome to try their computer on one of the phone lines at our offices located at 1133 Kresky Road #102 (The KITI Radio Building) in Centralia. Just call ahead so we can be sure a technician will be here to assist you.

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"Disconnect FAQ" by Mark Carrier

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