Why Can't I Just Get Faster Dial Up?

While it's true that, at first glance, dial-up Internet is less expensive than a lot of other high-speed options, surfing the Web at a snail's pace can get old. Especially with all of the things you want to download, watch and experience that require a faster connection. Sure, it would be easier to simply boost the speed of your current dial-up service. Unfortunately, there are limits to the technology that make it nearly impossible to get the kind of high-speed connection you crave from dial up.

Limitations of Dial Up

Basically, dial-up Internet is an analog transmission over phone lines that only uses a small portion of the amount of information that can actually be transmitted over the line's copper wires. The maximum amount of data that you can receive using ordinary dial-up modems is about 56 Kbps. However, in most cases, you will only experience speeds up to approximately 53 Kbps due to FCC regulations and your service provider's technology. Most transfer speeds will be even lower, averaging anywhere between 33 and 43 Kbps. Other factors like phone line noise and conditions, as well as the quality of your modem, play a part in determining your maximum connection speed.

In addition, your computer's ability to receive information is constrained by the process of your telephone company filtering the information that arrives to them as digital data, putting it into analog form so it can travel through your telephone line and then requiring your modem to change it back into digital before it finally reaches you. In other words, the analog transmission between your home is a bandwidth bottleneck.

The Myth of "High-Speed" Dial Up

In the last few years, providers have attempted creative solutions to make dial up a faster experience. Several dial-up providers even advertise their dial-up service as being "high speed." While it is technically true that you experience slightly-faster download times, the technology is limited. This type of dial-up service can sometimes be advertised as being "up to five-times faster than dial up," which is still slower than the slowest DSL connections available for around the same price. Plus, you still have to tie up your phone line, wait while your computer dials in (don't forget to cross your fingers to avoid a busy signal!) and deal with random disconnections. And if you add in the extra cost of a second phone line, "high-speed" dial-up service can actually cost more than faster DSL, cable and satellite Internet options.

If you want the Internet like it is meant to be experienced, it's time to dump dial up and upgrade to a faster connection.