Setting Up Your Modem, etc.

If you reside in the continental United States, America Online will take you through an automatic process to set up your modem and select a local telephone number for you to use to reach us.  Just choose "Sign On" from the first screen to go through this process.

If you do not live in the continental U.S., you need to set up manually by following the instructions below.  (For additional information and phone numbers, refer to "Access Outside Cont. USA" in "America Online Help.")  You should also follow this manual set-up process to change the local phone number when you travel and want to take us along.

First, select "Customize" from the "Go To" menu offline, and then pick "Change Network Setup."  The form you see next is where you would change modem speed, network phone number, etc.    
     
PHONE TYPE

Most people use touch-tone phones, and most local phone exchanges support tone dialing.  But there are areas where tone dialing is not available.  If you are in doubt, choose pulse dialing because that's supported everywhere.

To change the Phone Type from the default setting of "Touch-Tone" to "Pulse-rotary," point to the Phone Type box, click and hold down the mouse button, highlight your selection, and then release the mouse button.

NETWORK PHONE #1

For most members in the U.S., a call to Telenet or Tymnet will be a local call.  (Telenet and Tymnet actually route your call over their long distance data network to Quantum's host computer.)  Remember, phone charges are your responsibility, so be sure to pick either a local number or one that minimizes any phone costs.  You'll have to coordinate your phone number and your choice of the data access network:  Either Telenet, Tymnet, or Datapac.  For example, if the number you choose dials a Telenet phone number, be sure to select Telenet as the data access network where the screen says "Connect Via..."
     
If you are dialing from an office or school, you might need to dial '9' (or some other prefix), and then pause before dialing an outside number.  If this is the case, preface your phone number with a "9" and a comma (or the appropriate sequence), as in "9,703-555-1212." The comma signals a pause to your modem.

If you live outside the U.S., check the Help files that contain numbers for Alaska, Hawaii, and Canada to find the number closest to you.  If you are planning to take America Online on a trip with you, or if you move, check the Members' Online Guide in our free What's New & Customer Relations department online for a full listing of all local access numbers in the U.S.  If you cannot find a local number, check with our Customer Relations Department (800/227-6364); they'll know if any new numbers have been added in your area.

BAUD RATE

Baud Rate indicates how fast data will travel between your Macintosh and America Online.  You should select the fastest number your modem will support.  To change the "Baud Rate" setting, click on the box, hold down the mouse button, highlight your selection, then release the 
mouse button.

CONNECT VIA...

Here you specify whether the phone number you chose is a Telenet, Tymnet, or Datapac number.  To change the "Connect Via..." setting, click on the item, hold down the mouse button, highlight your selection, then release the mouse button.
 
NETWORK PHONE #2

These selections allow you to choose a second access number; set it up just as you did for the first number, but with another local access number option.  If something is wrong and your first number can't connect, the America Online software automatically tries the second number.  If only one number is available for your area, leave this box blank.  The software will automatically try the first number again.

MODEM STRING

This field is optional and is rarely used.  If you would like to send a special command to your modem, this option is provided for you via "Modem String."  Some members use the modem string for such things as turning the modem speaker off or clearing out the modem's memory.

America Online inserts the modem string (if any) between the modem attention ["AT"] command and the dialing sequence.  For example, assume your America Online disk is configured for tone dialing, you have entered the phone number "555-1212," and you have entered "M0" as your modem string (for most modems, this tells the modem to turn off the modem's internal speaker).  The full dialing sequence would be as follows:

AT M0 DT 555-1212.

Consult your modem manual before entering any commands.