What Are the Standard Settings for Dial-Up & the Internet?

The Internet is a worldwide network of computer devices and data servers. To access Internet data, such as webpages and e-mail services, your computer requires a data connection to the Internet. Dial-up service provides an Internet data signal through a traditional phone line. While this allows for low cost and simple installation, the maximum data speed of a dial-up connection is limited to 56 kilobytes per second.

To decipher the data signal that delivers Internet data to your computer, a modem device is required. A modem acts as a middleman between your computer and phone line in order to decode the data signal so that it can be read by your computer. This is the same principle seen in radios, which pick up a radio wave signal and decode it into an audio output. To access the Internet, an Internet service provider (ISP) is required. An ISP is a business that provides access to an Internet data signal for each network user.

Since a dial-up connection utilizes a traditional phone line and data signal, there are several disadvantages when compared to other Internet connection types. A dial-up connection is limited to a maximum data-transfer speed of 56 kilobytes per second. Furthermore, whenever you connect to the Internet with a dial-up service, the phone line used for the connection will be busy. This prohibits use of your landline phone at any time you are connected to the Internet.

A broadband Internet connection uses a data signal with a broader wavelength. This type of signal can transfer a much higher rate of data than is possible with dial-up. Generally, the slowest broadband connection speed available is 256 kilobytes per seconds, which is over four times the speed of dial-up. High-speed broadband services offer data speeds of 100 megabytes per second or more. Such a broadband connection allows you to transfer data thousands of times faster than is possible with a dial-up connection.