How to Boost Dial-Up Speeds
- 1). Take note of your modem port settings. Right-click "My Computer," click "Properties" and "Device Manager." Open "Ports" and select the port your modem is on. Right-click and select "Properties." Click "Port Settings" and start noting down all of the information. As changes are made to your system, you want to be able to return things back to normal if something goes wrong.
- 2). Verify that the modem speed is set to 115,200 bits per second. This is usually the fastest that 56k modems will allow you to safely set your speed. If your computer allows it, you can adjust it to an even higher speed. If the connection becomes unstable, simply lower this speed again.
- 3). Change the "Flow Control" near the bottom of the box to hardware (if you have a WinModem this won't be possible). This will maximize the hardware potential of your modem instead of relying completely on software for decompression of information.
- 4). Click "Advanced" and slide the "Receiver Buffer" dial all the way to the right. This will maximize the download speed of the modem. Click "OK" in each of the boxes to close them out and accept the new settings.
- 5). Open "Control Panel" in the computer and select "Modems" by double-clicking the icon. Click "Advanced" and make sure the following features are checked:
"Use Error Control"
"Compress Data"
"Use Flow Control"
"Hardware [RTS/CTS]"
Everything else should be unchecked or non-selectable. - 6). Reboot the computer, allowing it to start up fresh with all the new settings in place. If Internet connections become unstable, start by adjusting the speeds back down. Use the notes from the first step to help you normalize your equipment's original settings.