Page Contents -
1. Choosing a modem
2. Understanding modems
3. Downloading files
4. Installing a modem in Windows

1. Choosing a modem

So what modem do you buy? 

Modems can come in three types: 28.8Kbps, 33.6Kbps, 56Kbps. Not including ADSL modems.
External modems cost a bit more, but are a lot easier to install. They have lights to help tell you the status of your modem and you can always take it to a friend's house. Internal modems are hidden away inside of your machine and although cheaper they take up an ISA/PCI slot and do not tell you a lot about what they are doing.
(Modem prices are dropping all the time and can vary from shop to shop so take a look around before buying one.)

The faster the modem the higher the cost, but the slower the modem the longer it takes to do anything hence more money spent on phone bills, which then makes buying a cheaper and slower modem something of a false economy.

At the moment the fastest modem you can buy is a 56Kbps using the V.90 standard.
56K modems can also come with 56kflex and X2 formats, but that was before the V.90 standard was introduced and many ISPs have or are now upgrading their modems to this standard.

One last note about 56K modems. It is best to buy one from a well known make (Diamond, 3com, Pace) because their modems will come with detailed instructions and great deal of support in case you need it. Also they will be able to offer you update drivers for your modem.

2. Understanding modems

When you connect to the internet you will see an icon appear in your taskbar on the bottom right of your screen. By hovering your mouse over it you'll see the speed that your modem is connected to your ISP, or you can double click on it for more information.
If you don't have this icon here's how to get it:
open ' dial-up networking '. Right click on your ISP icon and select ' properties '. Press the configure button and then select the options tab. Tick the box that says display modem status.

Now even though you may have a 56k modem you will more than likely connect at around 40000 Bps. The actual speed your connected at is due to a number of factors. Noise on the line, the phone company lines that you are using, the distance from your local exchange and more.

If you have an external modem you may wonder what the lights mean:

TR = Terminal Ready. Lights up when the modem software is activated.
CD = Carrier Detect. The modem is connected to another modem.
AA = Auto Answer. The modem is ready to answer incoming calls automatically.
OH = Off Hook. The modem has picked up the phone line, a bit like taking a phone off the hook.
SD = Send data. Flashes as data is sent.
RD = Receive Data. Flashes as data is received.
PWR = Power.

3. Downloading files

Even with a 56k modem you will find you can only download at around 3Kbps. Why?

For example say you are downloading a 900k file at 1Kbps (bps = bits per second), it will not take 900 seconds to download. 

There are:
8 bits in a byte
1,000 bits in a kilobit
1,000 kilobits in a megabit
1,024 bytes in a kilobyte
1,024 kilobytes in a megabyte.

The actual file size in our case is 900x1024 bytes or 900x1024x8 bits. Taking 7372.8 seconds to download.

4. Installing a modem in Windows

The chances are your modem will be a ' Plug and Play ' type where you just connect it to your PC and windows will help direct you through the rest of the process, but in some cases this does not happen so here's how to install it.

EXTERNAL: Make sure the PC is off and set up the modem as described in the manual. Then connect it to the COM1 or COM2 port.

INTERNAL: Making sure your PC is off and unplugged from the mains. Earth yourself by touching the side of the PC casing and then slide your modem into the ISA/PCI slot (depending on the type of internal modem. The manual should tell you) onto your motherboard. You can also follow the Onlinehelp guide to adding hardware.

Go to ' control panel ' and select ' Modems ' and you will be met with the screen below.

The other options are easy to follow.

In my case if the modem does not connect within 60 seconds it will cancel the call.

The ' Disconnect... ' option is useful if you keep forgetting to disconnect from the net when you have finished, but if it annoys you by popping up with a box saying your connection has been idle for so many minutes then untick the box to disable it or increase the time needed before the disconnection will happen.

Forwarding

Some phone companies offer a service so that when your phone line is in use anyone phoning you will be greeted with a message. If you wish to activate this when you use your modem then this tab will allow you to do it.

Port Settings... Option:

Try Using the settings above and if your connection is fine you can try moving the receive buffer up one to the right and move the Transmit buffer slider up one to the right as well. Although the settings shown above are fine for general web browsing.

Advanced... Option:

If you tick the ' Append to log ' box everything your modem does will be saved in a log. This can be helpful when trying to solve connecting problems.

The extra settings box is used for entering commands to your modem. These commands depend on your modem's make and details of AT commands you can use should be listed in the modem manual. You do not need to worry about this unless you want to start changing some advanced settings.