From the old days of dial-up...

[draggar]

Yes, these are from the days that AOL was corrupting OSs and Bonzai Buddy was corrupting AOL. Dialup was in its glory days.

When I worked in the call center we'd have people calling often with modem issues. No biggie, most of the time we'd reinstall the driver and they'd be on their way.

Now, I'm doing PHONE support and I"m troubleshooting their MODEMS.

Sometimes I'd have to use hyperterminal for some advanced troubleshooting. I'd always ask "OK, is the modem on the same phone line as we're talking on or does it have a different phone number?" If they said it was separate, I'd verify at least two more times.

If they insisted, then I continued with hyperterminal.

OK, type in ATDT.

I'd hear some clicks. It could be crossed lines (houses with two lines were known to have some minor issues at the time). Are you SURE that the line the modem is connected to is on a different phone number?

Yes.

OK, type in ATH.

*click* Bzzzzzzz


You'd think if the phone was connected to the modem it was using the same phone number??

[teh_blumchenkinder]

wow.
and I barely remember seeing our first (?) modem inside the computer... it was all flashy and stuff.
wait. was it even in the computer?? all i remember are the orange and green flashy-lights. Must have been about 1992.

[TowelKing]

Know what's bad? My dad has dialup. As of November, I'll be using dialup too kind of makes me sad to have a gaming laptop.

[teh_blumchenkinder]

Look for Clear in your area. At least it's not dial-up.

[RichS]

Know what's bad? My dad has dialup. As of November, I'll be using dialup too kind of makes me sad to have a gaming laptop.

I'm in the same boat - wireless is available, but $34.95/month for 512k down, and $100 in equipment costs if I agree to 2 years? No thanks, I'll keep my free dial-up from my employer and use the places I work at with high-speed to download what I need.

[teh_blumchenkinder]

dude. I have low-low end Clear (used to be Clearwire), with average/poor reception, and I get about 1-2mb down. My bf gets 4-6, mid-range/good/excellent reception. Only drawback is you get best reception up high (geographically or like 5th floor apartment) and it's available in certain areas much like cell phone reception. However, they probably/I've heard them allowing a test to see if it'd work in your apartment/house.
http://internet.clear.com/?gclid=CJX...FQZCgwoddTJ6yQ
EDIT: I pay ~30 a month/2 year contract/70 modem, bf pays 50 'cuz he hasn't bought the modem/1 yr contract. I plan on sharing via wi-fi once I move in up above him.
EDIT: when they say "take it with you" they mean it! I've stayed at places without internet, and taken it with me, BAM internet!
EDIT: I need to stay more on topic!

[TowelKing]

Look for Clear in your area. At least it's not dial-up.

I'm in the same boat - wireless is available, but $34.95/month for 512k down, and $100 in equipment costs if I agree to 2 years? No thanks, I'll keep my free dial-up from my employer and use the places I work at with high-speed to download what I need.

I wish I could. Where he is, there isn't even an option for anything other than dialup. Can't even get cable tv.

[teh_blumchenkinder]

Oh snap. .____.
My parents have satellite internet. Annoying as hell, and I can't listen to streaming radio b/c of the d/l limits... it's probably at dial-up speeds tho. I can check for you if you'd like?
But ... sounds like it's satellite intertubes anyway.

(if you feel like some group therapy...)

[Geek King]

Oh snap. .____.
My parents have satellite internet. Annoying as hell, and I can't listen to streaming radio b/c of the d/l limits...

Yeah, satellite internet is pretty much the provider of last resort, and I've heard that included dial up. The sat companies are doing no further development on the tech, so it's years behind behind the times.

[Salted Grump]

I'm in the same boat - wireless is available, but $34.95/month for 512k down, and $100 in equipment costs if I agree to 2 years? No thanks, I'll keep my free dial-up from my employer and use the places I work at with high-speed to download what I need.

Lucky bastard. 1200$ in equipment costs, 89.95$/month for 1024 down, 80GB DL limit, and 2$ per gig overage.

[Chromatix]

I still have a number of working analogue modems, some inside machines, one or two not.

Most internal modems don't have lights on them, external ones usually have lots - as they date from a time when whoever bothered to buy such a thing actually wanted to know what was going on. Then again, in 1992 computers tended to have rather more blinkenlights on average than they do now.

[xaenon]

wow.
and I barely remember seeing our first (?) modem inside the computer... it was all flashy and stuff.
wait. was it even in the computer?? all i remember are the orange and green flashy-lights. Must have been about 1992.

Modems with indicators are external units - though I have seen one internal unit that had an indicator for CONNECT.

[xaenon]

Lucky bastard. 1200$ in equipment costs, 89.95$/month for 1024 down, 80GB DL limit, and 2$ per gig overage.

Holy Moley. Where are YOU located? A mine shaft?

[teh_blumchenkinder]

Worse. The Great Plains of Canada.
You couldn't pay me to live there. No offense to anyone who does... it's just you have more mental fortitude than I do.

[lordlundar]

Worse. The Great Plains of Canada.
You couldn't pay me to live there. No offense to anyone who does... it's just you have more mental fortitude than I do.

Umm, which ISP? None of the major ones I know of are that brutal.