Using phone lines and modems

Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

Using phone lines and modems

The most common dial-up connection is made by using DSL, a cable modem, or a standard analog telephone line and a modem. Standard analog phone lines are available worldwide and meet most requirements of a mobile user. Standard analog phone lines are also called PSTN (public switched telephone network) or POTS (plain old telephone service).

Hundreds of modems are compatible with Windows XP and all members of the Windows Server 2003 family. Most modems that comply with industry standards should interoperate. However, many difficult-to-detect problems are the result of incompatible modems. To verify the compatibility of a modem, see the compatibility information at Support resources.

Modems are automatically detected. This is especially useful for users who are not sure what modem is installed (for example, an internal modem). You can use shared modem pools for dial-up connections. Modem data compression and error control are available on most modems. However, built-in software compression offers enhanced performance over modem data compression.

For information about connecting to a network by using a phone line, see Make a dial-up connection by using a phone line.