My Diamond Supra modem refuses to connect or connects at a very low speed and sometimes disconnects me again. What can I do to prevent this?

As Darien Telephone Company and darientel.net do not sell or maintain computer equipment, this information is provided as is, and without warranty. If you don't feel comfortable with the following instructions, you are encouraged to seek help from a qualified computer repair business.

I've been running into more of these Diamond Supra modems lately.  They seem to have a lot of features for a very low price.  Unfortunately, they seem to have a major flaw.  Depending on line conditions, they either won't connect at all, or they will connect at a very low speed.  They actually seem to work better with poor line conditions.  I've had one for about 5 months now.  It worked flawlessly at home but when I brought it to the office (at the telephone company!), it failed most of the time.  I found that if I put AT&F+MS=K56 in "extra settings", it worked fine and got good (> 44000) connect speeds. This setting, if your modem will accept it, can work for other less-than-reliable modems. If you have these problems, click here. If you don't have problems, don't use this setting, as V.90 is a tad faster than K56Flex.

I checked Diamond's web site (http://www.diamondmm.com/products/firmware/56k/index.html ) and found a firmware upgrade that corrected the problem. Upgrading your modem's firmware is simple, but it may be intimidating to some people. If you are unsure of any of this, you are encouraged to consult a qualified computer repair business.