Modem Troubleshooting Part 1

Modems serve one purpose: translating between digital information understood by computers and analog sounds that travel over phone lines. Your computer uses its OS (operating system) and the modem manufacturer’s device driver software to convert data to sound. The modem then uses the phone line (connected via jacks on the modem and the wall) to transmit those sounds to a modem on the receiving end, which undertakes the same process in reverse. When you’re receiving data, your modem listens to the sound made by the sending modem and translates for the OS, which provides data for whatever application you’re using (an Internet browser or email client, for instance). Any such chain of conversion and transmission has multiple points of failure. Identifying those points and systematically eliminating them, one by one, is the essence of troubleshooting. Starting with the easiest and most common possibilities, you can quickly narrow down the options, identify the problem, and find a solution.