Connect to NYU-NET with NYU DIAL

NYU community members with NYUHome service can use the NYU DIAL modem service to access to NYU-NET (NYU's computer network) from home or when traveling. If the telephone company you use does not charge you for calls to the 212 area code, then this service is free; otherwise, it costs only what your telephone company charges you (in this case, see below). When you connect to NYU-NET from your home using NYU's DIAL modem service, you are using a technology called Point-To-Point Protocol (PPP). PPP lets your home computer access NYU-NET and the worldwide Internet with a modem connection. With PPP access, you are able to use the same Internet applications that you might use on a computer with a direct (Ethernet) connection to NYU-NET—such as web browsers, desktop email programs, file transfer programs, and so on.

When connected with PPP, your computer temporarily becomes a part of NYU-NET. The one major difference between an on-campus computer that is directly attached to NYU-NET and a home computer with a PPP connection is the speed of that connection: the home computer uses a modem, and only relatively small quantities of data can be moved quickly across its link. Hence, some common Internet activities (such as downloading large files or accessing and displaying remote graphics files) may proceed slowly.

Please note:

• If your DIAL connection is idle for 15 minutes, the service will automatically disconnect. This situation sometimes arises when people are typing a long email message. Open a web browser window and refresh it occasionally to avoid this situation.
• NYU DIAL does not support PPP multilink.

Should I Use DIAL or a Commercial ISP?

If you live far enough away from NYU to incur long distance phone charges when you connect to the 212 area code, you might want to consider using a commercial ISP instead. Whether using an ISP will save you money depends on how long you spend online each month. Compare the monthly charges of a commercial ISP with the long distance fees from a month of connecting via your DIAL account when making your decision.

You may also want to consider signing up with a commercial ISP if you travel extensively for your research and you want to stay connected while you're away, since many of the larger ISPs have a global reach.

For a complete list of commercial ISPs to choose from, see http://thelist.internet.com.

How to Use DIAL

Select your computer's operating system for instructions:

• Macintosh OS X
• Windows XP
• Windows 2000

Note: These instructions are also available on the NYU-NET CD, available at the ITS Client Services Center and the ITS computer labs.

Page last reviewed: August 26, 2006