InBox

Kevin wants to know how he can run two PCs and a telephone from one phone line and a dial-up connection. He was told it could be done, so he bought a four-port ADSL router/modem, but now neither Telecom nor his internet provider will enable a DSL line unless he subscribes to broadband.

ADSL is a form of broadband, so therefore you have to subscribe to it to gain the advantages. ADSL - Asynchronous Digital Subscriber Loop - is a digital signal converted to run over the old analogue phone line at a different frequency to the phone, which is what allows the phone to work in tandem through a filter. Implementing this technology involves investment that the subscription barely covers. Other alternatives are often far more costly or limited in areas available. For around $30, broadband is way more cost-effective than dial-up as well as giving you a huge speed gain. If the service is available at your location but you haven't applied for it, you are probably getting a far less cost-effective service.

* * *

Harold just bought a webcam when ordered to by his son in London. His son suggested using it in conjunction with MSN Messenger and sent a blow-by-blow setup plan for him. It worked, but the video connection is slow, with the frame refreshing only every five or six seconds. Harold admits his modem only connects at 33 kilobits a second, but he thinks he should be getting a more fluent picture.

Your two cameras will need to be co-ordinated. You'll either need to set yours to send and his to receive, or vice-versa. Each one takes huge bandwidth, so by only sending one way at a time you may get a better result. Alternatively, as with Kevin in the item above, broadband is an ideal solution if it is available to you.