Why does my modem keep dropping connection? 

Some ISP's terminal server will drop your connection only for excess idle
time. 

There is nothing about the Internet that will cause modem disconnects.

But any number of problems can occur between your modem and your ISP
connection.

Modem brands are not entirely 100% compatible. A modem initialization
string that works well for connecting your modem to a USR, for instance,
may not work for establishing a problem-free connection to a Hayes.

A simple change in the initialization string will often fix that problem.
Furthermore, some modems (such as certain older models of the USR
Sportster) have bugs. 

For instance, one version of the Sportster will drop carrier if the connect
speed drops below a certain level. Port speed also matters. Setting it above
the recommended level can cause problems. 

If you have call waiting, be sure that it is disabled. There should be no fax
software running in the background, or anything else that might compete for
the modem's comm port.

Check your modem manual for the recommended port speed. Check your
modem manual for the initialization string that sets your modem to its factory
default settings. 

Upgrade to the latest ROM revision. Check all cables and connections and
be sure that the modem itself is not getting too hot.

Additional devices on the same line can cause problems. Remove any
additional fax, modem or answering machine. Try using MNP error
correction, rather than v.42. See your modem manual for details.

It is possible that low-level noise is present on the telephone lines. Noise
need not be audible for it to cause problems with high-speed data
transmission.

The telephone connection between your computer and our server has deteriorated to a point where the modems can no longer communicate. The modem will then need to reestablish itself. If this occurs fairly frequently, you will need to have your telephone company determine the quality of your telephone lines.

You have been "idle" for more than 20 minutes and have been disconnected by our access server. (If you are reading an email or web page, you are considered to be "idle" because our servers are not receiving any data from your computer.)

Why am I getting a connection slower than the capability of my modem? 

Awesomenet has fiber optic cable coming to their facilities directly from SWBell. 

In all likelihood, your neighborhood still has copper wiring, which runs to
SWBell or Verizon. V.34 modems connect at the best speed they can obtain under present line conditions. 

Telephone companies do not guarantee that high speed modems will
connect at the maximum rate. In fact, it has been said that only 30% of the
country's households have access to phone lines capable of carrying 28.8
traffic -- 5% at 33.6.

It is also possible that your modem is not configured properly. Check your
modem manual for the correct initialization string and port speed. 

Due to FCC regulations, phone companies won't allow connections over 53kbps over a phone line. The fastest you will ever connect is 53000, and that is in perfect conditions. (Say the phone line plugged directly into your computer goes directly into our modems.) Your connection sometimes has to go through several "routers" and "switches" to get to us, which sometimes causes speed decreases. Some phone companies will only guarantee up to 2400bps connections because they use different ways of provisioning the phone lines, causing your modem to connect at slower speeds..

Sometimes I can't connect to the news server. Why?

The news server periodically runs a program called "expire" which removes
old articles from the news spool. 

The final phase of the expire program rebuilds the "active file," the file
containing the list of newsgroups and articles on the server. 

To prevent clients from getting an obsolete copy of the active file, the server
refuses connections to it, normally for five to ten minutes. When the new
active file is built, the server allows connections once again. 

Why am I getting an authentication error when trying to log in?

Be sure that you have not selected an authentication protocol in your dialer
software. 

Examples are PAP. Some ISP's do not use authentication. 

Check that your username and password are entered correctly. 

Most servers are case sensitive.

Usernames and passwords must match, letter for letter, case for case.

One common error is typing the username in caps, when it may, in fact, be all lower case or a combination of both. 

Why am I getting "Invalid Login" when trying to log in?

Check that your username and password are entered correctly. 

Again, most servers are case sensitive.

Usernames and passwords must match, letter for letter, case for case. 

The most common error is typing the username in caps, when it may, in fact,
be all lower case or a combination of both. 

If you are a new user, it is possible that your account has not been activated
yet. 

Why do I get DNS errors?

Check to make sure that the URL is correct. You could have a typo. Check
your DNS settings in your Network/Dialer software (Trumpet Winsock,
Netscape Personal Edition, MacTCP, Chameleon, etc.) for the correct
settings. 

It is possible that you have specified a gateway address that belongs to a
different subnet than the one you are connected to. In most cases you
should have no gateway specified. 

Your modem may have dropped carrier. Virtually no Internet PPP dialup
software is designed to detect that. It only knows when a modem has
dropped carrier when it has detected the hang up command. Those using
internal modems will not have any visual clue that the modem is no longer
connected to Awesomenet. 

If you connect to Awesomenet by clicking on the icon for an application, such as your email package or browser, rather than through the dialer, it is possible that the application has gotten ahead of the dialer and tried to connect to a remote site before your Internet connection to Awesomenet has become fully established. 

Try connecting through your dialer first then open the application once your
Internet connection has been established.