Best Dialup

Gavin Scott · Sat 29 Apr, 2006 08.00

I've just given a 56k US Robotics modem to a mate to get him and his new computer online.

I set up an account with FreeUK, but got a rather nasty 9Kb transfer rate making even google painfully slow.

Who is the fastest free to register 0845 dialup provider?

Luke-H · Sat 29 Apr, 2006 10.11

http://www.purpledial.co.uk tend to be rather good.

Nick Harvey · Sat 29 Apr, 2006 11.47

I'd go for dear old Freeserve/Wanadoo/Orange again.

Dial 08456 075602.

Use username freeservesignup and password signup for the initial call.

Neil Jones · Sun 30 Apr, 2006 10.50

Freeola:

0845 1121212

Username: Whatever you want.
Password: Whatever you want.

Or alternatively: EmergencyInternet.com:

# 0845 604 3090
# Using ANY user name
# And ANY password

tillyoshea · Sun 07 May, 2006 11.00

Never being one to pass up an opportunity for self-promotion...

cdd · Tue 16 May, 2006 16.08

tillyoshea wrote:Never being one to pass up an opportunity for self-promotion...

Which service does that operate off? A google search for that number returns lots of results!

tillyoshea · Tue 16 May, 2006 20.24

cdd wrote:
tillyoshea wrote:Never being one to pass up an opportunity for self-promotion...
Which service does that operate off? A google search for that number returns lots of results!

http://www.adial.co.uk - part of UK2.net

nodnirG kraM wrote:So does anyone know of a non-0845, 0844, 0870, 0800, 0808, 0500, 09 etc dialup number that offers a free account or, better still, no account!

With http://www.tesco.net, you can (or could - I haven't tried it recently) connect via 01256 758717, and tesco.net accounts are free.

Gavin Scott · Tue 16 May, 2006 20.37

The advice given in this thread is very useful. I'm indebted to all.

In the event however, the modem seems to be permanently stuck on that low download speed, whoever he connects with.

It is clearly labelled "56k" on the front panel, but connects by serial cable. Would this be capping the speed?

From the manufacturers website, I have found small applications for tweaking settings. I'm wondering if it needs to be configured using this app.

The sticking points now are silly ones:

I don't have any floppy discs or blank CDs to burn the application onto, and he's not confident about pc things and probably wouldn't try even if I gave him it.

He wants broadband, I want him to have broadband. Its just inactivity on his part that has stopped it happening.

I'm thinking of paying for it to be installed and the first month to get him started.

Not sure if Telewest will allow a benevolent stranger to call up and do such a thing.

How wrong would it be to pretend to be him?

Chris · Tue 16 May, 2006 20.45

tillyoshea wrote:
nodnirG kraM wrote:So does anyone know of a non-0845, 0844, 0870, 0800, 0808, 0500, 09 etc dialup number that offers a free account or, better still, no account!
With http://www.tesco.net, you can (or could - I haven't tried it recently) connect via 01256 758717, and tesco.net accounts are free.

Beware - telcos usually have a list of these geographic numbers in their database and charge these at the standard pence per minute rate rather than the going rate on any discount packages.

I got stung once by BT thinking that the geographical number for some ISPs would be included in their 5p per hour for one hour's chat package. How wrong I was when I got landed with a £200 or so bill after a month's use.

Neil Jones · Tue 16 May, 2006 20.49

Gavin Scott wrote:In the event however, the modem seems to be permanently stuck on that low download speed, whoever he connects with.

It is clearly labelled "56k" on the front panel, but connects by serial cable. Would this be capping the speed?

56k is a theoretical maximum which will only ever usually be achieved if you are sitting a stone's throw from the exchange.

From Wiki:

The serial cable was often used in the past when communicating with a computer and a peripheral (such as a modem). The term null modem is used to describe the type of serial cable to be used without a modem to allow two computers to communicate directly.

Originally the serial cable was designed for a speed of 300 baud or bits per second, with 1200 bit/s considered to be high speed. This is in stark contrast to today’s bandwidth needs in which a common household internet connection can exceed 512,000 bit/s on the downstream. Latter versions of the cable with supporting software/hardware could handle speeds of up to 115,200 bit/s.

From the manufacturers website, I have found small applications for tweaking settings. I'm wondering if it needs to be configured using this app.

Probably not. If the modem's falling back to slower speeds, it's usually doing it for a very good reason and the most common reason is the quality of the phone line. Modems are very fickle when it comes to interference and it doesn't take much to upset it connection-speed wise. You can usually hear it try to handshake at least twice (the noises you hear when setting up a connection) if its having trouble connecting and then this usually results in a lower speed.

How wrong would it be to pretend to be him?

It's wrong because its technically fraud.
But on the other hand, if you use his phone line and what not, how's anybody going to know?

Gavin Scott · Tue 16 May, 2006 21.03

Previously I lent him a laptop with a modem card, and he acheived significantly higher connection speeds than this time. He is using the same telephone extention lead as before. That said, it probably cost about a quid and could stand to be replaced.

All things considered, I'll just get him to come round with copy of his account number and I could sign him up for broadband via the blueyonder website.

Who wants dialup anyway?*

*I'd be grateful of it in an emergency