Thanks to readers Luigi Cappel and Philip Ashenden, who provided some answers to an irksome problem noted in a your net feature on June 5 about getting global roaming internet access - especially in Japan.
Mr Cappel, who has spent a lot of time in Japan, says he often found himself helping fellow digital travellers.
"The first thing you need to note in Japan is that the dial tone sounds wrong to a modem. Even using something like a TDK Global Modem, which has settings for most countries, doesn't automatically solve the problem. You need to use the 'Ignore Dial Tone' option."
Mr Ashenden, who uses a Mac notebook, pointed out the need to adjust modem settings to ignore the dial tone too. But he also alerted us to the benefits of another global internet provider AT&T Global which has over 1300 local telephone numbers, in more than 50 countries.
Another trap for road warriors, says Mr Ashenden, is coming across digital phone systems in hotels. Remember your dial-up modem is for analogue lines and won't work on these phones.
Links:
AT&T Global
www.nzherald.co.nz/yournet
Modem tips for travel
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