Hotel Switchboards

[woftam]

Does anyone else have problems with modem connections on laptops at hotels?
I seem to get disconnected quite often which is very frustrating and quite expensive at hotel rates.
I don't have these problems on my home line.
My modem maybe?

[mackone]

Hotels are bad news in most cases, as the phone systems are additions to modifications etc etc. They tend to be very 'noisy' and hence a slow moden speed.
Also, you must reset your modem to suit the country, assuming your using win95/98/NT you must change the 'regional settings' as in win98/NT this changes the string etc to suit the country. Again, some hotels have a digital phone system and this will blow the c**p out of your modem and even damage your laptop. Check with the hotel to see if it is a digital system, some hotels warn about this.
Whilst overseas/abroad I stongly suggest for safety and privacy you limit your exposure to email and company correspondance via the GSM network using Nokia Data suite, which is very reliable and does not involve using your notebook modem.
Good luck, best wishes

[Jetset Willy]

A lot of hotel rooms around the world have digital phone sockets in place of the older analogue ones. Most modems will not work on digital lines, and you will get various error messages such as "no dial-tone detected" when trying to connect, or the calls will drop.
If the hotel room does not have an additional fax/modem point, ask at reception, and they normally have one available there.

[Feline]

Show me someone who hasn't had a problem with hotel switchboards and I'll show you someone who has never tried to log on thru a hotel switchboard ...

A couple of things I have learnt along the way ... Hotel switchboards are sometimes very slow to switch from the internal dial tone to the external dial tone (maybe they need time to wind up the egg timer or something). Solution is to add one (or more) commas between the number you dial for an outside line and the external number you are dialling. These act as pauses in the dialling process.

Another problem can be the frequency of the external dial tone - sometimes your modem will not detect the dial tone - and waits for ever before dialling. Solution is to uncheck the "wait for dial tone" option in your modem set up.

Some older PABX's incorporated a "low pass" filter in the speech circuit (to improve speech response). Not very common these days but I have come across it in the past. This can lead to multiple retries and dropped lines. Solution is to cut your speed right down - try 19 200 baud or even 9 600 baud. And yes, you're right, this sucks if you're trying to browse the web, but is just about tolerable to download e-mail.

Digital phone systems will indeed blow the sh*t out of a conventional (analogue) modem. And no easy way to check - except call the hotel switchboard and ask whether they have a digital phone system. If it is a digital system, the only solution is to use one of those gizmoes that straps onto the handset (aka an "Acoustical Coupler"). Rather quaint but they do work. Or failing all else, ask to use a FAX line (they are always analogue).

There is a s/w package from Norton (or Symantec) called "Mobile Essentials" which looks like it could be helpful (I have actually got a copy somewhere but have never used it in anger). Has diagnostics that show you where the problem is - not very expensive - might be worth looking at if you absolutely need to get connected.

Hope that helps - and good luck (my experience is that you need plenty of that!)


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Feline
(I Sit, I Watch, I Smile)

[woftam]

Feline,
Thanks for the information.
Much appreciated.
:)

[What_does_this_button_do?]

Enough answers on the problem, except the charges.

I have a calling card where I dial an 800 number before entering my PIN number and the number I want. All the Operating Systems support this facility and it will save you a fortune - and the hotel 9 times out of 10 won't charge if you make an 800 call.



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Capt IF Snailtrails, gawd bless 'im!
Slurp coffee and fire up PC....PPRUNE time!
Filth/garbage/sex...*post*...*post*...*post*

[blackadder]

What_does_this_button_do?
Which telco (800)calling card do you use abroad?
TIA
blackie