Door Peninsula Internet, Inc.
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Reasons for Disconnects

Call Waiting

If a call comes in while you are online and you don't have "call waiting" disabled, this can cause a disconnect. Make sure that you have a *70, in front the phone number you use dial our service. This can be inserted by right clicking our icon in "Dial up Networking" which is in "My Computer" or you can set it up in the control panel under "telephony".

Email Software Setting

Some email software can be set to automatically hang up after checking for new mail. If you get disconnected every time you check your mail than this setting should be checked. In Outlook Express this is under tools - options - connection.

Line Noise

Any noise on a phone line can cause a disconnect, even noise you can't hear, but definitely noise that you can. If you pick up a phone and dial a digit to silence the dial tone then you can listen for noise. Any hum or crackling or hiss can slow down or break your connection. For testing purposes you may want to try disconnecting any other devices on your phone line such as cordless phones, fax machines and anything else. Another great way to see if the problem is with your inside wiring is to connect your computer directly to the gray phone box on the outside of your house. You open the box and unplug the cable inside. This disconnects your house wiring. Then plug the cable from your modem in the same jack and try connecting. If there is no improvement then the problem is not with your inside wiring. Some modems handle line quality far better than others. We have had reports from several different users that when they switched to 3Com US Robotics modems, they no longer had any disconnect problems.

Modem retrains Related to line noise.

Every time there is a disruption of your phone line by noise, the modems will get confused and have to retrain to find out what speed they can still communicate at. Some modems, especially certain Rockwell HCF modems will only retrain a set number of times an then hang up. 3Com US Robotics modems do not have this problem. Sometimes there are settings that can be put in the modem configuration to help out such as requiring a v.34 connection or reducing the amount of buffers. Call us for suggestions on these settings (or see the link at the end of this page).

Inactivity time-out

To protect our users from busy signals, the system is designed to disconnect any connection that has been dormant or unused for 20 minutes. That way if somebody walked away and forgot to log off the Internet, the system will close that connection and make it available to another user. Remember, you do not have to be online to read or compose replies or new messages. Everything is stored on your computer and can sent when you get back online. So relax and work off line with out the pressure of tying up a phone line.

Problem with Network Software or Settings

Usually these will prevent you from getting online at all but they could be indicated here. Check them by right clicking our icon under Dial-up Networking which is found by double clicking "My Computer". Common problems with dial-up network settings include having any of the following items under "server types" checked: "Log on to network" IPX/SPX protocol or NetBEUI protocol. You should also delete these from the network settings in control panel if you are not on a local network that needs them. While you're in there delete any AOL stuff if you don't need it since this can also cause problems. Be prepared with your Windows installation CD when you change these settings as it is sometimes required. If problems persist you could also try deleting all items from the network control panel then re-boot and add back in Microsoft Dial-in Adapter, Microsoft TCP protocol, and Client for Microsoft networks. Then re-boot once more and try connecting.

Our modem recommendations

We have many subscribers who have switched to hardware based (non-winmodem) US Robotics modems with great results.  If you wish, you can bring your computer to us and we will install and configure a USR modem in your computer for $90.  If you want to do it yourself, we provide the modem for $75.  In almost all cases, this eliminates disconnect problems and gives you a faster connection.  For purchase information click here.  If you need a less expensive alternative, we would suggest an "LT" modem based on the Lucent chipset.    These work pretty well as long as you have a current driver (version 5.39 or above) and a fairly fast computer (Pentium 166 or better with at least 32 MB memory).     We don't recommend the Connexant HCF, HSP, Motorola SM56, or PC-tel modems.   Under ideal conditions, they may work satisfactorily but usually not as fast as the others.  Under less than ideal conditions, you will have trouble connecting and will experience disconnects.