| Modem
& Dial-Up FAQ's
|
| Software
Setup Information |
| Select the the option that
closely matches your system for instructions on setting up your
connection with CalWeb.
|
 |
| How
come I’m told to check the phone number? Don’t you know what
numbers are local to me? |
| We are your Internet
service provider, not the phone company, and calls to our access
numbers are treated just like voice calls. While we make our best
attempt to give you a local access number, we are unable to
guarantee that the number is a local number. We recommend that you
contact your phone company or a recent copy of the white pages to
make sure the number is a local access number. CalWeb
Internet Services is not responsible for any phone charges incurred
while using our service, including toll charges.
In addition, some dial-up
access numbers, if entered incorrectly, may dial-through and connect
correctly, but may be charged a long distance call. As an example,
(530) 204-1855 is local to Davis, (530) 205-1855 is local
to Grass Valley, (530) 206-1855 is local to Placerville, and
(530) 207-1855 is local to Woodland. If you live in
Placerville, but mis-enter 205-1855 instead of 206-1855, your call
to CalWeb will go through, but you will be charges long distance
charges.
|
| Some
of the numbers you gave me have some strange prefixes. Are you sure
these are local numbers? |
| Because of the various
area code splits that have occurred in California in the past few
years, including the 916/530 area code split that occurred in
November, 1997, several prefixes that have been used in other areas
are now being used as access numbers. These prefixes should appear
in recent copies of the phone book, or you can check with the
operator to make sure that it is a local access number. |
| I
have a 56K modem. Why am I only getting 26,400 or 28,800 connects? |
| All of CalWeb’s access
numbers support the 56K V.90 modem standard. However, there are
several factors that can prevent a high-speed (digital) connecting,
including distance from the switching office and phone line quality.
When your modem connects to CalWeb, it tests the phone line to see
if it can support a high-speed digital connection. If that test
fails, it falls back to the analog connection of 26,400 or 28,800.
For a more detailed explanation of how it works, see the 56K
Basics web page. |
| How
come I get disconnected from CalWeb? |
| The most likely cause of
disconnections is simply due to line noise, crosstalk, and/or on the
phone lines between your computer and CalWeb’s modem. While the
modems tries to maintain the connection by retraining and
renegotiating at a lower speed, in some cases, it fails and you get
disconnected.
If you are using Outlook
or Outlook Express and you are being disconnected after checking
your mail, then click on Tools, then Options. Click on the
Connection tab. Make sure that "Ask Before Switching
Connections" is checked and "Hang Up After Sending and
Receiving" is not checked.
In addition, because our
modem banks are a shared resource, CalWeb’s long standing policy
has been:
- If your connection has
been idle for 20 minutes, and no Internet Activity is detected,
you will automatically be disconnected.
- If you are connected
for 12 consecutive hours, you will be disconnected and be unable
to log in for 30 minutes. (Unmetered accounts are not intended
for continuous connections). If you require a dedicated
connection, please contact our sales department.
|
|
|
| Is
there anything that CalWeb can do about connecting or dropped? |
| Depending on the modem, we
can try some modem initialization strings in order to maintain your
connection. You may also want to have your phone lines tested by the
phone company. |
| Can
I use a wireless phone jack to hook my computer to the Internet? |
| A wireless phone jack uses
your house wiring in order to have another phone jack without
actually wiring up a phone jack. In most cases, these jacks were
designed mainly for fax machines, and are only rated up to 14,400
bps, which is slower than most modems. |
| Do
you have a 800- number or dialup access numbers outside California? |
| We do not offer a 800
number to access your CalWeb account. The ISPs that do offer a 800
number for internet access often charge a per-minute charge while
using the 800 Internet Access number. Also, we do not have dial-up
access numbers outside the state of California. However, if you need
to access your e-mail, you may want to try out CalWeb's
Web Mail Interface. This will allow you to check e-mail from any
web browser.
Comments about this FAQ? E-mail
us!
Note: Links to external web sites are provided for informational
purposes, and are neither endorsed nor support by CalWeb Internet
Services. |
Serving California Since 1993.
