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# Checking Modem Connection

If you are experiencing difficulties with your connection, following the steps to check the phone line that your modem uses to connect may assist you in resolving the problem.

## Check the Phone Line for Dial Tone

Plug a working telephone into the telephone line you are using to connect your modem nad make sure that you can receive a dial tone on that line. If not, verify that your phone service is operational by trying different jacks on the same phone line.

## Check for Interruptions

In a home with multiple telephones, a person picking up another extension in the house can cause a modem to disconnect. Fax machines or other computer modems can also pick up the phone line and start dialling without sensing that the line is clear. There is usually no way to know that the phone line is being used by a modem without picking up the receiver and listening for a dial tone. At this point, it is often too late to avoid having the modem drop the connection.

If call waiting is enabled while you are signed on to the AOL service, your modem connection will be interrupted when the call-waiting signal is received.

## Check the Phone Line for Noise

A new phone or other communication equipment in the home such as fax machines, answering machines, additional extensions, or home networking equipment may be the source of additional noise on the phone line. Testing for these problems can be as easy as temporarily removing other equipment (especially if it has recently been added) and seeing ifthe disconnect problems improve. When testing for problems by disconnecting other phone equipment, remember that it is not the power supply that needs to be unplugged, but rather the phone cord attached to the jack on the wall that should be temporarily removed. Even the installation of additional telephone lines that run through various parts of the house can be problematic if they were not correctly installed.

Modem connections are more susceptible to noise than voice communication. The original telephone lines were created to carry verbal communications. When noise interferes with the signal on the phone line, the computer's modem has trouble talking to the AOL modem on the other end. If the modem cannot be sure it is still connected because the noise is so bad, or the PC is too busy to control it, it can lose contact with the AOL service entirely, causing the modem to disconnect. Sounds like static, popping, or other conversations usually indicate noise on the phone line. However, noise that can cause problems with a modem may not always be detected by simply listening to the receiver.

## Check the Phone Line for Interference

Electromagnetic interference can be a factor in causing your modem to disconnect. Most residential-grade phone wiring is susceptible to such interference because of its lack of shielding. Phone lines should not run parallel to other wiring for extended distances. The phone line should not pass too near digital electronics such as computers and CD players. Radio-frequency (RF) electronics such as TVs, radios, and microwave ovens, and devices with motors such as fans and appliances are sources of electromagnetic interference. Other sources of interference may include lights with dimmers, lights that use fluorescent bulbs, and electrical appliances that use a lot of power.

Older phones can also create line noise, as they were never designed to take modem use into consideration. Poor quality phone wiring is a common problem in older houses. The wiring may have been adequate for voice phone calls, but modems require higher-quality wiring.