The CoreComm FAQ (list of Frequently Asked Questions) answers questions that are frequently asked of CoreComm's technical support department.

Part Three: Answers to Common Problems with Modem to Modem Connections

3.01:	Why am I being disconnected unexpectedly from your system?
3.02:	Why does my modem connect at a speed lower than it's highest speed (21.6, 24k, etc.)
3.03:	My connection seems slow. What can I do about it?
3.04:	My computer shows that I'm connecting at 57600 or 115200. Is that true? I thought it wasn't possible!
3.05:	What is ISDN?

3.01: Why am I being disconnected unexpectedly from your system?
There are several reasons that a user may be disconnected by our system. The most common reasons are:

1. Noise on the line has caused the customer's modem to disconnect. A call waiting tone, an individual picking up an extension, thunderclaps, static or crosstalk can all cause a modem to be unable to hold a connection. The ability to hold a connection in periods of noise depends on the customer's modems: as a general rule, more inexpensive modems will disconnect often, whereas more expensive modems (such as the USRobotics brand) will hold a connection more reliably. This is because of error correction and compression that the modems use. More expensive modems tend to have better error correction and compression than their less expensive counterparts.
2. You've been inactive for too long. Our servers will automatically disconnect any customer who has not sent or received any data over their connection for 30 minutes (ISDN users: 30 minutes) If you are performing an operation that doesn't involve sending or receiving data (like reading or writing E-Mail) for a long period of time, you may want to reload or visit a site on the net every 10 minutes or so to keep your connection alive.
3. You have been connected for an extremely long time. Our system will disconnect you if you have been connected for an extended period of time (usually 6 consecutive hours or more). This is to allow other users to be able to access our system. You can just dial in again if this happens. As this only applies to those holding connections for an extreme amount of time, this is the case for only a very small number of disconnections, and does not affect the vast majority of our customers.
4. If you are a MichNet user, you may also be disconnected after one or two hours, depending when you dialed in. MichNet provides access for many different providers across the state and restricts access time to give everyone a chance to be online. It is MichNet's policy that CoreComm users accessing the Internet through MichNet will be limited to session times as follows: 1-hour sessions Sunday through Thursday between the hours of 3:00 p.m. and Midnight, and 2-hour sessions during all other times.

There are many, many more reasons that a user could be disconnected, and there are many things that one can do to minimize disconnections. If you are getting disconnected frequently, consult our In-Depth Troubleshooting guide, or check out our Disconnection troubleshooting guide.

3.02: Why does my modem connect at a speed lower than it's advertised speed (21.6, 24k, etc.)
The name of the modem (28.8, 33.6, 56k, etc . . .) can be a bit misleading: what would be a more appropriate description for a high-speed, v.34 modem would be "up to 28.8, 33.6kbps, or 56k". A v.34 modem does over 2000 line tests when it establishes a connection to determine the maximum speed of the connection that you're using. Not only that, but with a 56k modem, the maximum speed allowed by the FCC is 53kbps over standard phone lines. Meaning even though the modem is capable of the full 56k connection, the fastest it could ever go is 53kbps.

The maximum speed of your phone line is a combination of many factors: the quality of the wiring of the phone connection, the distance between you and your phone company's CO (central office), the kind of switching equipment your phone company has you connected to, and the way the phone company is routing your call. When all is said and done, there are few areas that will get consistent 33.6 or 53kbps connections.

For more information on this issue, please consult our In-Depth Troubleshooting guide.

3.03: My connection seems slow. What can I do about it?
There are many, many reasons why you might experience slowdown on your Internet connection. Here are some things to check if you're experiencing slowdown:

1. Check the system status page -- if there's a problem on our end, it will be revealed here.
2. Is the problem with slowdown only to a particular web site or group of web sites? If so, the slowdown is likely occurring because of oversaturation on those web site's servers or the Internet connections those web sites use, and not because of a problem with your setup or CoreComm's connections. Try a different web page to see if it seems to load at normal speed.
3. Check with your modem manufacturer to see if there is a firmware upgrade for your particular model of modem. Often, manufacturers will release updates to their modems that improve performance, and this software often can be easily applied to the modem. Also, check with your modem's manufacturer to see if they have a recommended init string for your modem, or any special drivers which may be needed for maximum speed.
4. When some modems connect at very high speeds (such as 33.6), they have to do so much error correction (ie, re-sending information) that you actually experience slower performance on the supposedly faster connection! Check your modem's guidebook to see if there is a way of limiting the speed of the modem to 21.6 or 24kbps -- limiting your modem's connection speed may reduce the amount of information that has to be re-sent, which would actually increase the speed of retrieving items off of the Internet.
5. If you are using an external modem on an older PC you may have a modem that is faster than the serial port it's plugged into. If your serial ports use what is called the 8250A or 16450 UART chip, this may be the source of your problem. Check with your computer's manufacturer or use the MSD program (type MSD at a DOS prompt to run it) to make sure your computer has a 16550A or higher UART.
6. If you're using a 14.4kbps modem, buy a 33.6kbps or v.90 modem. Bringing up nearly any web site with a 14.4kbps modem will seem ridiculously slow.

3.04: My computer shows that I'm connecting at 57600 or 115200. Is that true? I thought it wasn't possible!
The CONNECT message that your modem reports can be one of two things. The first, known as the DCE, or 'Data Communicating Equipment,' speed, reports the actual connection speed between the two modems across the phone lines. The maximum speed available with current modem technology is v.90, which can connect over normal phone lines at a maximum of 53000bps. However, your modem could instead be reporting the DTE, or 'Data Terminal Equipment,' speed, which is the speed at which your computer is sending information to your modem. The DTE speed can be 19200, 38400, 57600 or 115200 on most machines.

3.05: What is ISDN?
ISDN is a service available from your phone company that allows you to connect with an ISDN terminal adapter (like a modem) to CoreComm at speeds of up to 128kbps for an additional cost. For more information on ISDN, please see our ISDN FAQ.