Is there a way to set up my dial-up networking settings so that
whenever a call comes in and I'm online... it will disconnect the
computer from the internet so that I can then answer the phone call?
I have call waiting on my phone and was just wondering if the PC can
be setup that way so I can get disconnected automatically.
Thanks in advance
DAVID
Well....
[short answer]...that is a function of hardware as much of it as of
software, so without saying specifically what modem you are using nobody can
give you an answer.
[long answer]...what happens now when it receives call-waiting while
connected? Many (old) modems had an unintended "feature" of dropping
carrier when they received a CW. To counter CW, you would dial out with a
prefix of *70 in order to disable CW on the line; i.e., ATDT *70,
333-4444... "Newer" modems can recover after a CW interruption though.
More (relatively) recently, the V.92 standard allowed you to put a modem "on
hold" while taking a call-waiting call. It also works with CallerID on
Call-Waiting (CIDCW). Software usually presents a pop up window, giving the
CallerID (number and name, if available) and the option to either accept the
call (putting the modem on hold, or dropping it) or ignoring it all
together. The amount of time that you can keep the modem on hold is
determined by your access provider and telco. (Usually, its not very long,
only a few minutes.)
If you are stuck with using dialup either by circumstance or personal
choice, you probably want a V.92 modem since you have CW. Also, if you are
going to use an analog modem -- you really do want to look for a real
hardware analog modem. 99 percent of analog modems aren't real hardware
modems these days. Real hardware modems have all the necessary hardware
onboard, while the majority of modems are "soft-modems" -- that is they
basically are just an interface to the phone line while all the processing
is done by the computer's resources. Thats why all the analog modems you
see in brick and mortar stores are so cheap these days. A real hardware
modem will run you about $100, but is worth it. Even better: a real
hardware modem that is external. Not all external modems are always
hardware modems though, many of the USB modems are soft-modems too. US
Robotics still puts out a real, honest-to-goodness, hardware external
(RS-232) V.92 modem.
