This should also be done if you are using a 56k flex modem as well. Even though 56k technology has been around for a while, V.90 is still evolving and newer versions of the firmware are coming out on a regular basis. Another possible cause of connect speed problems is the phone line itself. We suggest you check the condition of the line itself by running the US Robotics line test utility. Instructions can be found on our Line Test page.
Many times there can be noise in the phone line that can cause the problem.
The third and least common cause can be a routing issue. By this we mean how the phone company routes calls from your machine or phone line to our modems. 56k technology only allows for one digital to analog conversion, if your calls into our server are going through more than one central switching station you will not be able to obtain the higher speeds. Unfortunately there really isn't anything that can be done for this problem on our end or yours for that matter. Routing can change from time to time so hopefully a problem like this will not be long term.