racketboy.com

In 2013 I worked in the countryside and most of the town didn't get broadband. They went to the town library to look at their emails and stuff. I was lucky to get a somewhat fast (1 MB~) connection at home. But it was intermitent.

I have apparently used up too much data, and I am throttled to 56K until at least June 12th. The struggle is real.

For people with dial up, I'd imagine that things like a good ad blocker are essential. Flash is disabled or not even installed. I wonder if there's any extension/plug ins specifically for dial up users, like blocking all images by default with a click to download option or something.

Ziggy587 wrote:For people with dial up, I'd imagine that things like a good ad blocker are essential. Flash is disabled or not even installed. I wonder if there's any extension/plug ins specifically for dial up users, like blocking all images by default with a click to download option or something.

Good thinking. I'll have to google that.

I know that there is a plain html version of gmail that loads much faster than the regular version. You loose a number of features, but it's really the only way to go on 56K.

samsonlonghair wrote:I know that there is a plain html version of gmail that loads much faster than the regular version. You loose a number of features, but it's really the only way to go on 56K.

Or use an email client, I'd imagine that would help a bit.

samsonlonghair wrote:I have apparently used up too much data, and I am throttled to 56K until at least June 12th. The struggle is real.

Sometimes I wonder the same about my internet, of course my internet just loves to go in and out....a lot thanks a lot crapstream

fastbilly1 wrote:

Ziggy587 wrote:Until recently (maybe a couple of years ago?) GameStop was using dial-up for their CC machines. A lot of places still do.

Most CC machines built since 2010 can take a RJ11 or RJ45 handoff for POTS or VOIP. But you are right, alot of CC machines and Fax machines are still dial based. But you would be surprised what old telecom equipment is still in use. Heck I ran into a car repair shop a couple years ago who had a key system in place.

The CC machine is transmitting data over 1 pair of the cat 3 or 5e. It can be directly punched down on a 66 block and then directly over to the carrier's POTS line (however they deliver that analog handoff) or you can run it through a phone system PBX (usually takes up an analog port) & it can then be a shared line (carrier line, not PBX ext) for both phones & CC.

This is not dial up Internet. You're paying a carrier for a phone line to dial out to the PSTN, not for Internet access through a dial up ISP.

On most of my projects we actually run into more of these machines than USB to PC point of sales machines.

Also important to note many areas along the gulf Coast have an electrical & telecom infrastructure that is areal. It's been damaged so many times by hurricanes in the past decade, many pockets are now satellite Internet and TV only. My parents cable provider literally closed their doors after Hurricane Rita in 2006. It wasn't worth repairing thr infrastructure. Neighborhood has 50+ houses, 5 miles from I10, no Internet or cable provider available at all. Now picture middle of nowhere Montana lol . Lots of folks out there with no Internet

Jagosaurus wrote:This is not dial up Internet. You're paying a carrier for a phone line to dial out to the PSTN, not for Internet access through a dial up ISP.

No need to get all technical. I know that CC machines and dial up ISPs are not the same thing. Weird thing about GameStop though was every time I paid with a CC, after swiping I heard the unmistakable dial up modem sound. Never heard a CC machine do that before.

Ziggy587 wrote:

Jagosaurus wrote:This is not dial up Internet. You're paying a carrier for a phone line to dial out to the PSTN, not for Internet access through a dial up ISP.

No need to get all technical. I know that CC machines and dial up ISPs are not the same thing. Weird thing about GameStop though was every time I paid with a CC, after swiping I heard the unmistakable dial up modem sound. Never heard a CC machine do that before.

Fax machines make a very similar noise.

Ziggy587 wrote:

Jagosaurus wrote:This is not dial up Internet. You're paying a carrier for a phone line to dial out to the PSTN, not for Internet access through a dial up ISP.

No need to get all technical. I know that CC machines and dial up ISPs are not the same thing. Weird thing about GameStop though was every time I paid with a CC, after swiping I heard the unmistakable dial up modem sound. Never heard a CC machine do that before.

Lol I miss that sound. Interesting, likely the CC machine calling the merchant services server to deliver CC # and purchase amount (think fax machine calling another fax).

More so than getting overly technical, my goal was to point out that places using phone lines for CC/POS machines can also have business class high speed data connections.

Surprised no one has brought up T1 lines yet. They're quickly becoming the dialup of today with only 1.5mbps per T1 circuit. Bonding multiple T1s gets very expensive. They'll only be used for voice in the near future. You can break analog lines off them or get a PRI (similar tech delivering 23 call paths).

Even DSL (which uses telephone infrastructure) can hit about 8mbps up/5 mbps down these days.