[Matt OS X]

I dont have a phone wire with me here but at my work does...But, I was wondering if I could browse internet and getting on ichat if I hook up phone wire to my 1 GHZ AlBook? I would like to bring my powerbook with me to my work once a while..... So..will it work? I've never expereinced anything like thist before with a phone wire..

Or I must have something hooked up to get online with a phone wire (Internal modem)?

Thanks!

[DigitalEl]

PowerBooks have internal modems, so yeah, if you have a phone cord, you just plug it in and dial into your ISP. Shouldn't be a problem. If you only have high-speed at home, however, you'll need a dial-up ISP.

Be careful about "at work" systems. If your phone system at work is digital, that could reportedly damage your analog modem. I have no personal experience with that... But have seen that warning somewhere before. I'm sure someone else will weigh in here.

Good luck.

[MM-o4]

Yes if you have a dial up account of cousre, this is what modems are for
If your work has a network see if you can get a spare ethernet cable for it. This way you'll be able to use iChats Rendezous asuming your work uses macs.

MM-o4

[Matt OS X]

2 questions: 'dial into your ISP' ???? and 'dial up account' ???? I have to have a dial up account to get online with phone wire?? at my place- I use high speed internet (cable modem) with ichat, mac mail app. and safari. but with 'dial up account' ?? how? I'm alittle confused here..

Thanks again

[DigitalEl]

Think about it. If you're not paying an Internet service provider, how would you get online? At home, the cable company you pay for your high-speed connection is your ISP. Well, you need the same thing to get online using your phone line.

I use AT&T WorldNet, b/c I'm too cheap/poor to have high-speed. Others use Earthlink, or even the hated America Online.

When you plug a phone cord into your PowerBook, you have to have a number to dial into. Your ISP will give you this number and access... Allowing you to surf the web, check your e-mail and use iChat.

[Matt OS X]

Originally posted by DigitalEl:
Think about it. If you're not paying an Internet service provider, how would you get online? At home, the cable company you pay for your high-speed connection is your ISP. Well, you need the same thing to get online using your phone line.

Okay I am getting there, I just checked "Network Preference" to Internal Modem setting and took a look at it. I see "Server Provider, Account name, password, telephone number" But the problem is that I dont know what company my work uses and how am I suppsed to know the "account name and password" to fill in the blanks?

[DigitalEl]

You're just using your workplace's phone line, not their network... Unless you have a friendly administrator who will give you access to a username and password at work.

When you choose a dial-up ISP, they will let you choose a username and password, and give you an access phone number to dial into. A good ISP should also tell you exactly what to put in each box in the Network preference panel. It'll be stuff like mailhost.worldnet.att.net and what-not.

Of course, that's all irrelevant if you have access to a job-provided network. In that case, your IT guy/gal should be able to tell you what to put in the Network preference panel. Also in that case, you would most likely be working wirelessly (with your AirPort card) or with an ethernet cable... And not a phone cord.

Hope we're getting closer.

[Matt OS X]

Originally posted by DigitalEl:
You're just using your workplace's phone line, not their network... Unless you have a friendly administrator who will give you access to a username and password at work.

When you choose a dial-up ISP, they will let you choose a username and password, and give you an access phone number to dial into. A good ISP should also tell you exactly what to put in each box in the Network preference panel. It'll be stuff like mailhost.worldnet.att.net and what-not.

Of course, that's all irrelevant if you have access to a job-provided network. In that case, your IT guy/gal should be able to tell you what to put in the Network preference panel. Also in that case, you would most likely be working wirelessly (with your AirPort card) or with an ethernet cable... And not a phone cord.

Hope we're getting closer.

Yup, getting closer now.. I have airport card in my powerbook but there's no network range (wireless) around where I work.. But, I'll try my best anyway....

[Earth Mk. II]

Originally posted by DigitalEl:
Be careful about "at work" systems. If your phone system at work is digital, that could reportedly damage your analog modem. I have no personal experience with that... But have seen that warning somewhere before. I'm sure someone else will weigh in here.

Yeah, this past summer someone blew out both his laptop's modem and fried the student union's ISDN network by doing that.

not pretty.


BOT:

If you're trying to use your company's existing network with your laptop, then (unless your office is stuck in the stone age and uses coaxial cabling) you'd be best set with Cat-5 networking cable. It looks similar to telephone cable, but has twice as many wires, so the connectors are much bigger. You can't use flat (untwisted) cables, like most common telephone cables, for networking wire though.

Still, I'm not exactly sure what you're asking for... accessing a dial-up ISP from your workplace (if you had a dial-up ISP, you'd know), or using your workplaces existing network (do you have an office computer with internet access already on it?).