For what it's worth, I'm in a fairly remote area as I type this. Connection is 4200bps! Connection speed is like playing lotto here: Varies from 33600 downwards. I'm running a USB external modem. I placed a similar thread around 2 months ago, and receieved some very uselful info from the replies. If I could somehow stop the rate is disconnects (6 per hour on average) I'd be impressed! Back in the big city, my trusty modem and laptop never miss a beat!