Dreamcast Internet Troubleshooting Guide v1.4 --------------------------------------------- Last updated 01/05/2000 Copyright (C) 1999-2000 Jeff Bogumil jbogumil@yahoo.com I work for an ISP, and have a few suggestions that may help anyone having connection difficulties. WHAT'S NEW ---------- Nothing really, but I haven't posted in a while. :-) I've had reports that freei.net is compatible with the Dreamcast, although the official word from their tech support is "No". If anyone knows how to set up a Dreamcast for freei.net access, please let me know and I'll add the information ASAP. ---------- I will not provide technical support. If you require technical support for your connection, please contact your on-line service provider. You must contact me if you wish to distribute or host this document. Not that I'll say no. :-) Disclaimer: I cannot be held responsible for false or mistaken information. The latest version of this guide can be found at www.gamefaqs.com This guide applies to the U.S. released Dreamcast system. Mileage in other parts of the world may vary. I'd like to complile a list of ISPs which work, or do not work with the Dreamcast. Send your comments and experiences to the e-mail address above. Please include the following: Name of ISP ISP home page Area coverage of ISP (national, state-regional, county, city, etc.) Contact info (phone number, etc) ON-LINE SERVICES COMPATIBILITY LIST ----------------------------------- These notes are based on the OFFICIAL responses from the on-line service's e-mail tech support: America On-line (AOL): Not compatible Freei.Net: Not compatible EarthLink: Compatible Microsoft Network (MSN): Compatible (except for e-mail). See below: -- quote -- Hello Jeff, Thank you for posting to Ask msn Member Support. I appreciate the opportunity to assist you. For connecting to Non-Windows9x applications like NT, MAC or Sega Dreamcast you will need to set it up as follows: A. You will need to use your user name as MSN/username B. The password will be the same. C. You will need MSN's DNS numbers. They are 204.255.246.17 and 204.255.246.18 D. The Dreamcast system will not be able to check your MSN mail. No further support will be available as these issues are not directly related to MSN. In order to ensure a quick response to future concerns please continue to utilize the on-line forms at the address provided below. http://memberservices.msn.com/ We hope you are enjoying The Microsoft Network, and we look forward to meeting all your service needs. Thanks, Jason E. msn Member Support --- end quote --- ----- DREAMCAST INTERNET INFO Your on-line service needs to offer the following in order to work with your Dreamcast Internet software: 1. PPP (Point to Point Protocol) 2. PAP (Password Authentication Protocol) And will need to offer the following if you want the fastest modem connection speed possible (i.e. 56K): 1. Digital dialup site 2. v.90 56K protocol support (from what I understand, the Dreamcast modem is not compatible with the X2 or KFlex 56K protocols). Without v.90 protocol support, you'll connect at a maximum speed of 33.6K (or whatever maximum speed is supported by your ISP). Without a digital dialup, your ISP can't offer 56K. Dreamcast requires your ISP to offer PPP (Point to Point Protocol) and PAP (Password Authentication Protocol) with the ISP dialup site. (Most "black box" Internet devices, like the Sega Saturn Net Link and WebTV, require PPP/PAP). If PPP and PAP are not available, you're SOL. The only way to fix this problem is to either convince your ISP to upgrade their site with PAP/PPP (better chance of seeing a Sonic sequel on Saturn), convince Sega to offer Dreamcast Internet software which supports either terminal-based manual verification or scripted verification ((better chance of seeing a Sonic sequel on the Master System) and this would only help with the PAP problem anyways)), or (the easiest fix) switch to another ISP. The good news -- a true, modern-day ISP will be running PPP and PAP (unless you live somewhere which redefines "rural"). So what are "true" ISPs? They're NOT AOL, Compuserve, Prodigy, or any other on-line service which offers Internet access via a gateway. If it's free, it's most likely not a true ISP either. Most true ISPs are not the big-wigs of on-line services (AT&T, Earthlink and Mindspring are probably the three largest true guys that come to mind - soon to be two), so if you need to go ISP shopping, you might have to shop locally a bit. Connection Problems ------------------------------ If you're not sure, check with your ISP to see if PPP and PAP are offered. If not both, you've found your problem, and it's time to go ISP shopping. If PPP and PAP are available, first things first: to help troubleshoot, access your Dreamcast settings, select Display Settings, and turn on Show Verbose Modem Messages. This will allow you to see the init strings fed to the modem, and your dialup number, when you connect. Most of what you see won't make sense, but any ISP tech will find it useful (if nothing else, to rule out a few things). Try some general troubleshooting -- is your phone line plugged into the modem, is it clean (no line noise or interference)? If you have a PC, can you connect with it? It you have a DC keyboard, is the caps lock on? :-) Get the obvious outta the way, and rule out as much as possible before calling the ISP - otherwise, they'll have you off the phone checking everything anyhow (assuming you have only one phone line). Check the following: The username and password are almost always case sensitive with any ISP. If they ain't right, you ain't going to get in. Check the dialup number. Make sure it's correct. Watch the verbose messages; the number will be in the ATDT string (ATDTxxxxxxx). Do you have voice mail with your phone company? If so, turn on Blind Dial in your Dreamcast settings, or check and remove your voicemail before attempting to go on-line. Disconnect all other phone devices except the Dreamcast. Phones, answering machines, pay-per-view boxes; everything. If this fixes the problem, it could be a load number issue (too many phone devices), or one of your phone devices is causing interference. Make sure the phone line from the Dreamcast is running STRAIGHT to your phone wall jack. Remove any line splitters, surge protectors, even line filters, so that the line from the modem to wall jack is direct. If this fixes the problem, one of your inbetweeners is at fault. (A surge protector is a great idea, but you'd be surprised how often these things can cause connection problems -- read the fine print included with your surge protection for the details.) Replace the phone cord that connects your modem to the wall jack. If this fixes the problem, the phone cord was at fault. Could be problems with modem-speak. The Dreamcast may be speaking French, and your ISP Italian, for lack of a better comparison. It's tough to go into detail, because your ISP may use equipment different than what mine does. Solution -- the Dreamcast doesn't give you any options to modify your modem configuration, so little can be done with your DC, and I doubt your ISP is going to overhaul or modify their equipment for one or two Dreamcast connects. Best bet is to give the info from the verbose messaging and hope your ISP tech can help. Still having problems; it's time to contact your ISP tech support. Check their on-line tech support (if you've got other means to access the 'net), and if that doesn't help, give 'em a call. Have all of your information available (what you've checked, what you've done, what a Dreamcast is (if nothing else, describe it as a WebTV which plays games), and have a good attitude. :-) Don't call and tell them "I can't connect" and expect them to fix it -- the more info you can provide, the better. If they make suggestions that don't help, ask that you would like their dialup logs checked to see what the problem might be. If the tech is worth anything, and especially if the dialup site is digital, he should be able to tell you if the logs show a username/password issue, line issue, etc. The trick is to get this guy/gal/thing (and trust me, we are "things" after enough coffee) to point you in the right direction as to what needs done. If it looks like a modem issue, ask what type of equipment they have at their dialup site, what code revision they have running, then start checking with other ISPs and see if they have anything different. (Word has it that the Dreamcast modem uses a Rockwell chip set; if this is actually the case, it'd be wise to find an ISP using Rockwell based equipment on their end). For that matter, if you go ISP shopping, simply ask if they support the Sega Dreamcast. Most can give you a Yes or No, 'cause they've been dealing with calls like this over the past couple of weeks. (Be careful of a "No" -- it's the default answer if the tech in question has no idea what you're talking about). If necessary, ask for another tech that has a clue as to what a Dreamcast is (ask NICELY). If you get a fellow diehard video gamer on the line who is also an ISP tech, things will get done, trust me. :-) I can't receive e-mail ---------------------------- Doublecheck your e-mail settings, in particular the Email login, Email password and Incoming Mail Server. I can't send e-mail -------------------------- Doublecheck your e-mail settings, in particular the Email address and Outgoing Mail Server. (Some ISPs won't let you use their Outgoing mail server unless your e-mail address is the one they've given you, and/or you're connected directly to the on-line service, and not another provider.) I can connect, but the web browser and e-mail doesn't work. ---------------------------------------------------------- Doublecheck your DNS settings. I keep getting disconnected ----------------------------------- Did you disable call waiting, if you have it? If not, access your Dreamcast settings and add your call waiting disable code (consult your phone book or phone company if you don't know your disable code). Add a comma (,) after the code (for example, *70,) Did you unplug the phone cord? Did someone pick up the phone? Obvious, but check 'em anyhow. :-) Could be line issues or modem communication issues (like a french modem trying to speak with another french modem that just happens to have a thick Italian accent). Refer to the "Connection Problems" section above to troubleshoot. Could be your ISP's idle timeout or time limit disconnect (some have 'em, whether they promise "unlimited access" or not). Your ISP's dialup logs may provide details as to why you were disconnected. Call your ISP with your username, dates, and approximate times of your disconnects. How do I reset my Web Browser software? --------------------------------------- To reset your Web Browser software (which will wipe all settings and allow you to access the Registration screen): 1. Insert the Web Browser GD-ROM. 2. Plug a Dreamcast controller into Port B. 3. Press and hold the X & B buttons. 4. Turn on the Dreamcast. 5. Hold the buttons until the Registration window appears. But the Dreamcast manual says I need an analog connection, not digital. Why do you say I need digital? --------------------------------------------------------------- Point. :-) The Dreamcast is referring to your phone service, and unless you have ISDN, DLS, a T1, or something similar dropped into your house, you have an analog phone line. My FAQ, when referring to analog vs digital, is referring to the type of lines on the ISP's side. Visual aid: You & your Dreamcast modem | | (Your phone line - analog) | | Phone switch | | (Your ISP's phone line - | it might be analog, but | digital is best (and required | for 56K)) Your ISP's modem My Dreamcast says it's connecting at 115200!?! ---------------------------------------------- It isn't connecting at 115200. What you see there is the DTE rate, which is the speed your modem is communicating with your Dreamcast. It would have been nice if the modem would report your DCE rate instead (your modem/modem speed), but since there's no known way of feeding an init string to the Dreamcast modem (at least, no way that I'm aware of), there's no way to judge your actual connect rate. If I check my e-mail with my Dreamcast, will it still be there if I check it with my computer? ------------------------------------------------------------------- Unlike most computer-based e-mail programs, the Dreamcast does not remove your e-mail from your ISP's server when you check it (aka POP; Post Office Protocol). Instead, it displays your e-mail as you request it, but it leaves everything on your ISP's server (aka IMAP; Internet Message Access Protocol). The e-mail will be left on the server unless you delete the e-mail with your Dreamcast. While the Dreamcast configuration requests a POP3 Incoming Mail server, it's operating as IMAP, which should be supported by your ISP. ------------ Final notes: FYI, my ISP offers both digital PAP and analog non-PAP sites. Our digital sites are powered by Ascend Max 4000 series equipment (Rockwell based), running code revision 7.0+ (with clean v.90 code). DCs haven't been a problem with our digital dialups. Bad weather? Thunderstorms? Unplug the phone line from your Dreamcast. You'd be surprised how easily a modem can fry. :-) I hope this helps. Back to Sonic Adventure, Jeff