Off the Continent but Still Online

Modems: Don't Get Hung Up

Let's start with some good news: Despite the claims of "international" modem manufacturers, you can use a standard U.S. modem anywhere in the world. There are some issues involved, but none are insurmountable. So don't run out and buy another modem.

The most important thing you need to know before you leave home is whether you'll be able to physically get at a phone jack in your hotel room. (Hotel phones are sometimes designed so that they cannot be unplugged.) Call ahead to find out what your situation will be. If you know you'll have access to a jack, you still have a problem: There are about 40 standard phone jacks in the world. Once again, the solution is an inexpensive adapter. The best way to buy adapters is in a "country pack" containing both AC and phone adapters. (See "Where to Buy the Gadgets" for purchasing details.)

If you know you won't have access to a jack, then you should consider purchasing an acoustic coupler. The device (a throwback to early modem technology) attaches to your modem and a phone, feeding data noise from the handset's speaker to the modem, and sending the modem's noise to the handset's microphone. Acoustic couplers run about $100, but they are handy, providing you with the flexibility to get online with any type of phone (think pay phones and mobile phones).

There are some other gotchas to keep in mind when you're dialing in a foreign land:

• Many hotels use special digital PBX phone systems. The phone jacks look normal (for the country you're in), but if you plug a modem into a PBX system you'll get nothing at all--if you're lucky. If you're unlucky, you'll get a fried modem. How do you know the hotel's phone line is safe? Use a line tester, a gadget you can buy for as little as $30. Or you can just use a phone: Take a small, standard phone with you, and plug it in at the hotel. If it works, so will a modem.
  
  
• If your hotel has a PBX system, you can still use a modem if you also have a digital converter. These gadgets, which plug into the phone where the handset goes and then plug into the modem, cost about $150 to $170. They're easier to use and offer a faster connection than an acoustic coupler. While I was in Germany, I used TeleAdapt's Digital Connection digital converter. Once I got over the rather intimidating documentation (which leads you to believe you need to know the hotel's type of PBX system--you don't), it worked fine.
  
  
• You also have to pay attention to dial tones. They vary from country to country, and your American modem might not recognize the dial tone somewhere else. (Then again, it might. My Dell's internal modem had no problem with the German dial tone, which sounded very different to my ears.) If your modem won't dial because it can't recognize a dial tone, tell it to stop listening for one: Open My Computer and double-click Dial-Up Networking. Right-click the icon for your dial-up connection and select Properties. On the General tab, click Configure, and then click the Connection tab. Uncheck "Wait for dial tone before dialing" and click OK twice.
  
  
• If you have to use an acoustic coupler or a digital converter, chances are you'll have to dial manually--one more reason not to worry about your modem recognizing the dial tone. Dialing manually is no big deal (you've done it all your life), but you need to tell Windows that that's what you want to do: Open My Computer and double-click Dial-Up Networking. Right-click your connection icon and select Properties. On the General tab, click Configure. Then click the Options tab. Check "Operator assisted for manual dial," and click OK twice. When you go online, you'll be prompted to dial manually.
  
  

So now you know how to get your modem hooked up. But which number do you call? That's our third problem...