How to Install Dial Up Internet on a Laptop
Dial up Internet was the way the world connected to the Internet for years. High speed Internet is more prevalent now, but some people still use dial up for one reason or another. The purpose of this post is to explain how to install dial up Internet on a laptop computer.
Reasons People Use Dial Up Internet
Some people use dial up because of its low price. The price of a dial up connection is only a few dollars a month. People who only use Internet for email don’t need much bandwidth. Some people use dial up as a backup connection, in case their broadband connection fails. And people who live in remote areas don’t have access to high speed Internet connections.
Installing Dial Up Internet on Your Laptop Computer
To install dial up Internet on your computer, you will:
- A modem
- A standard phone line (cell phones and VoIP lines are normally not compatible with dial-up modems)
- A dial-up internet account from an internet service provider
Required equipment
In order to use a dial up internet services on a laptop computer, your PC would need to have a modem. A modem is a device that translates digital information from going from your computer to the internet and the other way around into analog signals that can be carried on a regular phone line.
Even though dial up has lost a lot of popularity lately, most modern laptops still have a dial up modem built in.
If your computer does not have a modem already installed, you can buy one separately. The two main types used on laptops are PC Card (PCMCIA) or USB modems. PC Card modems fit into a special slot that is used on some laptops to accept peripherals that were specially designed for laptops, such as network cards, modems, external hard drivers, etc. Note that PC Card slots are becoming rare on some of the most recent laptops, mainly due to the technology behind them becoming obsolete and replaced with Universal Serial Bus (USB). A USB modem would simply plug in to the computer’s USB port, and just like a PC Card, would not require an external power source.
Setting up the connection on the computer
In order to be able to connect to the Internet via a dial up connection, you would first need a dial up Internet account. If you already have a broadband Internet service, contact your provider to see if they also include some access to dial up. If not, you can do a quick search to find dozens of companies offering dial up Internet access and compare prices and service plans. Make sure that the provider you are signing up for has local access numbers in the area that you live in or plan to visit, otherwise you may end up paying long distance charges for the time that you are connected.
You would also need to make sure that your modem is installed and working correctly. If your laptop already has one built-in, this would most likely already have been done. If not, follow the instructions in your modem’s guide on how to connect it to your computer and install any device drivers if needed, which would typically be on a CD that came with the modem. However, Windows can recognize most modems by itself and install the appropriate drivers automatically, so not all modems come with an installation CD.
In order to set up your connection to the Internet, many service providers will either send you a CD or let you download a program after signing up, that will automatically configure the connection for you and input information such as your user name, password and access number automatically. If not, you need to take a few simple steps in Windows in order to set up the connection by yourself.
In Windows XP, follow these steps:
- Go to the Start Menu and choose “Control Panel”.
- Open up “Network Connections”.
- Choose “Create a New Connection”.
- Select “Connect to the Internet”.
- Select “Set up my connection manually”.
- Select “Connect using a dial up modem”.
- You will then be prompted to enter a name for the connection, this can be anything that you wish.
- After, you will need to enter your provider’s access number.
- Then, you can select whether to make this connection available only to you, or to other users of the computer.
- You will then be prompted for your user name and password, as supplied by your provider.
When you are finished, you will be given the option to create a shortcut to the connection on the desktop. Go ahead and do so, since it makes it easier to find.
In Windows Vista and Windows 7, the steps are similar:
- Go to the Start Menu and choose “Control Panel”.
- Select “Network and Internet”.
- On the left side, under “Tasks”, click on “Set up a connection or network”.
- Select “Set up a dial up connection”.
- You will then be prompted to enter your access number, user name, password and to create a name for the connection.
- Click on “Create” to finish the process.
Once these steps are complete, your connection should be created in Windows. Every time you want to access the Internet, just open up the connection you created. Your computer will then dial the access number and connect to your service provider. Note that as this occupies the phone line, you cannot make phone calls and be on the Internet at the same time.