What hardware do I need to use a dial-up connection?
A dial-up account from an ISP: They must provide you with a number to dial to connect to the Internet, as well as a username and password. This information will be needed to set up the connection on your computer.
A land line telephone: Unless a cell phone is used as a modem (see below), the modem must be connected to a land line. A phone can still be on this line by connecting to it through the “out” port of the modem.
A dial-up modem: There are two types of modems.
Soft Modem: Sometimes called “Winmodems”, these are essentially sound cards that plug into a phone line, with all conversion between sound and data handled by software. Windows and OSX have built-in drivers for these devices, which do not require additional software to be installed. Some software modems can be configured to work on Linux using the Scanmodem tool, but support is patchy.
Some cell phones can be used as soft modems by connecting the phone’s data port to the computer via USB. A special driver will need to be installed to use the phone as a modem instead of a data storage device; this drive is sometimes included with the USB cable or can be downloaded from the Internet. Please note that wireless charges will continue to apply in addition to Internet service fees.
Hardware modem: A hardware modem does all the conversion between sound and data. These modems are guaranteed to work with Linux and may offer a slight performance boost since the processor doesn’t have to deal with data conversion. However, this extra capacity means much higher prices. All modems that connect to a serial (RS-232) port are hardware modems.
windows 7
From the Start menu, select Settings, and then click the “Connections” tab. Click on “Add a new modem connection”. This will launch a connection wizard.
Enter a name for the connection field. This name is what you will use to find your connection on the computer and can be anything you want. Click Next.”
In the “Select a modem” field, select “Cellular line”, even if you are using a landline, and click “Next”.
On the next screen, enter the phone number provided by your ISP, and then click “Next.”
Finally, enter your service account username and password and then click “Finish”.
Windows Vista
From the Start menu, select “Connect to”. A screen will appear showing the available network connections. Click “Set up a connection or network” below this list.
On the next screen, select “Set up a dial-up connection.” A connection wizard will now open, requesting the following information:
Dial-up phone number: The phone number provided by your ISP to connect to the Internet.
Username and Password: These are provided by your ISP. Check the “Remember this password” box if you want to connect without having to type the password each time.
Connection Name: This name is used to keep track of this connection. It doesn’t have to be specific to the service.
Allow other people to see this connection: Checking this box will allow other users on the computer to use this connection.
Windows Xp
On the Start menu, click “Control Panel” and then “Network and Internet Connections.”
Click on “Network Connections”. Here you will have the option of “New Connection Wizard” and “Network Setup Wizard”. Click “New Connection Wizard.”
On the “Network Connection Type” screen, select “Connect to the Internet.”
This is followed by a “Getting Ready” screen. Choose “Set up my connection manually”.
Then select “Connect using a dial-up modem.”
You will now be asked for the name of your ISP. This will be used to find the connection on the computer and can be any name you can remember, not just the ISP name.
On the next screen, type the phone number used to access your ISP.
Next is the “Internet Account Information” screen. Here you will need to enter the username and password of your iSP account. Check “Use this account name and password when someone connects to the Internet from this computer” if you want other users to have access to this account. Check “Make this the default Internet connection” if this is your primary Internet connection: If a program that uses the Internet is started, it will automatically attempt to connect using this account. Unless you have a third-party firewall installed, check “Enable Internet Connection Firewall for this connection.”
Finally, you will have the option to add a shortcut to the connection on the desktop. Make your choice and click “Finish”.
operating system X
In the Apple menu, select “System Preferences.” In the “View” menu, select “Network.”
Select the type of modem you are using in the menu sidebar” “Internal modem” for a modem built into your computer, or “External modem” for one attached to the outside of your computer.
A new screen will appear where you can enter the phone number, connection name, username and password of your account. Fill in these fields and check “Show modem status in menu bar” to display an icon in the menu bar that you can use to control and monitor the connection. Click “Apply” or “Apply Now.”
linux
The settings may vary from distribution to distribution, but most distributions will have “Networks” in the “Administration” menu.
On the “Connections” tab, click “Modem Connection” and then click “Properties.” A new window will open.
In the “General” tab, check the box “Enable this connection” and write the phone number to access your ISP and the username and password of your account.
In the “Modem” tab, make sure “Dial Type” is set to “Tones”.
On the “Options” tab, check the boxes “Use Internet Service Provider’s nameservers” and “Retry if connection is interrupted or failed.” Checking “Set modem as default Internet route” will cause the modem to connect automatically if you start a program that uses an Internet connection.