First, does your connection speed really need to be improved? In the U.S., 56k modems cannot connect any faster than 52k because of FCC limitations. Also, most 56k modems connect between 42k and 48k. This speed is in kilobits per second, while download speeds are usually displayed in kilobytes per second. There are 8 bits in a byte, so if you were connected at 48,000bps, you would optimally see download speeds of 6.0k/sec. This is an optimal speed, which you will likely never see since every server that the data passes through slightly reduces the download speed that you see.

If you have a 56k modem and, no matter how hard you try, you just can't get above a 28.8 connect speed, it's possible that you may just live in an unfortunate location. 56k technology relies upon Analog to Digital conversions and if there is more than one analog to digital conversion in your local neighborhood phone circuit, you will be limited to a 33.6 or lower connection speed. You can always complain to your phone company about this, but don't get your hopes up. Your only real option is to either move to a different neighborhood or to hope the phone company upgrades their equipment.

If you believe that your current dialup provider is at fault for your poor connections, then you could simply switch to a different dialup provider. Sometimes national providers offer better service and pricing than local ones.

Other Alternatives

If you rely on your internet connection day-to-day to get work done, then you should consider getting wired broadband internet. Broadband (a.k.a. high speed) internet is basically any kind of connection that's faster than dialup. There are generally three types of wired broadband:

• Cable: Which comes from a Cable TV provider
• DSL: Which comes from the phone company
• T-1: Which also comes from the phone company, but is intended more for business use, it's the most expensive

If broadband is not available in your area, you may have to consider wireless broadband alternatives. Following are the two common wireless alternatives in western Massachusetts USA, the third may be available in other areas...

WISP: Also known as Wireless Internet Service Provider. This is a high speed wireless internet service that operates similarly to wi-fi (a.k.a. wireless networking). But wi-fi networking only broadcasts a few hundred feet, whereas WISP broadcasts for over a dozen miles from a wireless tower. A primary WISP provider in southern Berkshire County, MA is WiSpring. WiSpring responds about as fast as Cable and DSL internet, but you need to be within line-of-site of one of their towers, contact them for more information.

Satellite: Also known as dish internet. Dish internet is similar to dish tv, except that it's two-way, it sends as well as receives, and it does not require a phone line. Two common dish internet providers in southern Berkshire County, MA are HughesNet and WildBlue. Dish internet has a slower response than Cable and DSL, but it is 10 to 20 times faster than dialup. You need a clear line of sight to the southwestern sky from your home, contact either of them for more information.

Cellular: You can get cellular broadband internet service from most cellular phone providers. However, cellular services have very poor coverage throughout western MA (and most rural areas, for that matter) and are often quite expensive.