Some feel better knowing they have dial-up as a back up.
Jeffrey Hamilton/Lifesize/Getty Images
While many people opt to use a broadband Internet connection such as cable because of the increased speed, some of those are still hesitant to give up dial-up. There are times when the cable company may have issues resulting in a loss of service. For those who rely on the Internet to work or perform other necessary activities, having dial-up as a back up is important.
Connection Type
Dial-up and cable Internet each connect to your computer in different ways, allowing you to have both ready to go when needed. The dial-up modem is located within your computer and requires a phone line connection, which is the same line needed for phone service. The cable modem is usually external and connects to your computer through an Ethernet cable. Therefore, you do not have to switch the wires back and forth to use one or the other. They are both always connected and ready to use.
Which One
The biggest question is which one your computer will automatically use. Unless you physically request the dial-up connection to call in, your computer will automatically be connected to your cable connection as soon as you turn your computer on. However, if you ask your dial-up connection to connect, your computer will use that as the default connection, causing your broadband connection to become the back up. You can change this through your computer settings. Under "Network Connections" in your computer, uncheck the box next to "Use default gateway on remote network."
Back Up Only
If you want to keep your dial-up connection only as an alternative if your cable service is out, you don't need to log into your dial-up connection at all unless needed. Instead, use your cable service for all of your Internet activity. When you use the cable service, you will still be able to access your email from your dial-up provider, but you will not be able to send out any emails. Any email you try to send out will go out from your cable email address. If your cable is out, use the dial-up instead. You will still be able to receive emails through your cable email, but not send them out.
Route Information
If you are familiar with computer programming, you can create specific routing information to send certain types of websites through either your dial-up connection or your cable connection. For instance, if you want all news group websites to travel through your dial-up connection, enter the DOS command in your computer to enter route instructions. Type in "route add" followed by the news group IP address, then "mask" and your dial-up IP address. The IP address for a dial-up connection changes each time you log in so you must change this command each time.
References
Photo Credits
- Jeffrey Hamilton/Lifesize/Getty Images
