How to Speed Up Your Dial Up Internet Connection
How Does Dial-Up Internet Work?
Dial-up networking, also known as DUN, is becoming an outdated mode of telecommunications. However it is still prevalent in rural areas, and dial up remains the most common method of connecting to the Internet today. Dial-Up networking uses the telephone line to connect to an Internet Service Provider, or ISP, and it’s limited by the speed of the modem you use. Almost all modems today are 56k, while broadband connections start at 768k – DUN is very slow, even when optimized.
Does Your Dial-Up Connection Need Optimizing?
Everyone knows that dial-up is slower than broadband, but a lot of people still expect more from it than it can give. You cannot watch streaming media on a dial-up connection, downloads which take less than a minute on high-speed can take half-an-hour or more, and pages with numerous images and scripts can take several minutes to load; this is normal and does not indicate under-performance. 57,600k is the maximum connection speed possible on a dial-up connection. Some tweaks can speed-up your dial-up Internet connection, even if you are already connecting at 57,600k, but no amount of tweaking will allow your dial-up connection to match the speed of a broadband connection.
Note that not all of these modifications will work on all machines, even if they are running the same operating system. Also remember that making changes to the configuration of your computer and operating system, particularly the registry, can result in major damage, so be sure to back-up your data before you start.
Optimizing Your Dial-Up Connection
The first step to optimizing your dial-up connection is optimizing the performance of your PC. While there are many things you can do, this process lay outside the scope of this article. However, you should be sure to clear your Internet cache and cookies regularly – once a week or more will suffice – and defragment your computer on a regular basis, as well. You can set your computer to run these maintenance procedures on a schedule through your Control Panel – just type “Scheduled Tasks” in the Help window and follow the directions provided.
Next, make the connection to the phone outlet as direct as possible. Move the computer closer to the socket, use a shorter cord, eliminate couplers and splitters, and so forth. Most modems have two phonejacks: one is for the incoming phoneline and the other is for connecting your phone, so you should not need a splitter.
Change to OpenDNS. Without a DNS, we would have to remember the I.P. address of every website we visit – an 11-digit number in four parts; the DNS, or Domain Service Provider, translates the names of websites into their corresponding IP addresses, and names are easier for us humans to recall. While your ISP provides a DNS, OpenDNS is faster. OpenDNS utilizes its own cache, similar to the one your browser employs, reroutes your connection to its nearest server, and includes other time-saving and security features your ISP’s DNS does not have.
Next, you must change your TCP/IP properties to maximize your MTU, or Maximum Transmission Unit, size. This can be a tricky – a mistake can stop your computer from connecting to the Internet, or any network – so the best way to do this is to download a program which does it for you. There are several and many are free – in fact, you can find a free TCP/IP Optimizing program through a search engine query or on most Internet connection speedtest sites. However, many have advanced functions which can only be unlocked by purchasing the program, and these functions will also improve your dial-up Internet connection. With a 56k modem, your optimal MTU should be between 576 and 1492; the only way to find out which settings optimize your connection is through trial and error. This is another good reason to download a free MTU optimizing program and let it do the work for you.
Finally, there are several “accelerator” programs which will speed-up your dial-up Internet connection. These programs work by various methods, but most use data compression routines to force faster delivery – they basically break larger files into smaller pieces, “zip” these into compressed files, then decompress and reassemble them when they arrive – and some have their own caches. If your ISP does not have its own accelerator program, a search engine query will reveal several. Like TCP/IP configuration programs, good acceleration programs can be found for free, and some also include MTU optimization as a feature, eliminating the need for both programs.
Recap
- Make sure your entire computer is operating at peak performance by deleting temporary files and defragging on a regular basis. You can set Scheduled Tasks to handle this for you through the Control Panel, or by typing “Scheduled Tasks” into the Help topics search bar.
- Use shorter phonecords and eliminate couplers, splitters, and extensions; make the connection to the phone outlet as direct as possible.
- Change your Domain Name Server to OpenDNS. OpenDNS provides several features your ISP’s DNS does not and will speed-up your Internet connection, whether it is dial-up or broadband. The free package plan can be had without download, by signing-up and following the directions provided.
- Locate and install a TCP/IP or MTU Optimizer program. Several good ones can be found for free, but some include features which can only be accessed by paid users, and these extra features may also increase the speed of your dial-up connection. These programs optimize your connection speed on both dial-up and broadband, in case you ever switch.
- Locate and download an accelerator program or ask your ISP if they provide one. Several good accelerator programs can be found for free and some include TCP/IP optimization features, eliminating the need for two, separate programs.
Conclusion
One day, everyone will have access to high-speed Internet, but for now, many rely on dial-up networking. Several tweaks can speed-up your dial-up Internet connection, but 57,600 is the maximum speed at which you can connect, so some things – like streaming media – are never going to work on a dial-up connection.