Ever hear one of those technology buzzwords and wonder what it meant? Do you have some problems with your internet connection and wonder if anyone else has experienced the same thing and why? We here at TBC want to help you answer some of these questions and more.
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Q. Sometimes I get disconnected from TBC.  What is causing this?

A. There are several factors that play a role in what kind of connection you get with TBC.  Following are a list of the most common reasons for loosing your connection to TBC:

Line Noise - The most common cause of being disconnected from the Internet is line noise or interference.  Even if your phone line sounds ok while talking on the phone, your modem is more sensitive to line conditions and can be greatly affected by poor line conditions.  Some common things that may cause line noise are:

- Damaged or poor internal wiring
- Fax machines or other modems on the same line
- Satellite TV devices

If you think one of the devices listed above may be causing the problem, unplug it from the phone line and try your internet connection again.

Several other factors can also affect your connection as well, such as damaged lines, carrier devices, and weather conditions.  Usually in the Spring, the wet weather conditions can cause a wide variety of intermittent connection problems to the Internet.  If you think your phone line may be damaged or in need of repair please contact GTE at 1-800-483-1000.

Call Waiting - Another cause of being disconnected is not disabling call waiting before dialing into the internet.   The beep that you normally hear when talking on the phone can cause the modem to hang up the connection.  Call waiting can be disabled by placing a *70 before the number you are dialing.

Picking up another extension - If someone in your household picks up the phone while you are connected, you may loose your connection.

Inactivity timers - TBC uses timed ports that will disconnect a user that has been inactive for 20 minutes.  There is also settings in Windows 95/98 that may disconnect you after a period of inactivity.

Modem drivers / firmware - Having the correct and latest modem drivers & firmware is very important with the changes that take place in the communication industry.  TBC updates its equipment that runs our communications server frequently to ensure that you will have the best connection possible.  Sometimes this means that your modem will "fall behind" our modems, causing incompatibilities.  Keep your modem driver and firmware updated.  Check your modem manufactures web site for the most recent updates.