- Speed Up and Fix Up Your Dial-Up
- Bring Me a New Brain, Igor!
- What You Need to Know to Perform Brain Surgery on Your Modem
- Don't Just Call Any Number (Choosing the Correct Dial-Up Number)
- It's Not Your Modem—It's Your Phone Line
- Testing, Testing—Is Your Phone Line Ready to Rumble?
- Tweaking Your System for Faster Speed
- Adding Extra Horsepower to Your Internet Connection
- Software That Makes Tweaking Easier
- Super Glue Two Modems Together with Bonding
- How Bonding Works
- Will Your ISP Approve?
- Upgrading Windows 95 for Multilink Support
- Setting Up a Multilink Connection on Your Computer
- "We Interrupt This Online Session..." (Getting Calls While You're Online)
- Grabbing Messages While You're Online
Will Your ISP Approve?
The bad news is that many ISPs don't support multilink connections. However, you can probably find another ISP that will support multilink connections in your area.
More on Multilink
To locate ISPs in your area that support multilink 112Kbps connections (two 56Kbps modems), go to
http://www.ispcheck.com/access/
Enter your area code, select 112k Multilink for the access type, and click the Search button. If you are recycling an older 33.6Kbps or slower modem, ask if you can mix and match modem speeds and models; normally you will be able to.
When I searched for providers in my area code (812), I came up with 10 local and national providers supporting 112k Multilink, with prices ranging from as little as $19/month to as much as $39.95/month. So look around for a spare modem and put modem bonding to work for you. It will increase your download speed without breaking your piggy bank. You will need to have two phone lines to use this feature, but even if you need to add a second phone line, you'll enjoy the extra speed and the ability to share a phone line with your modem without losing the ability to work online.