page_title: Dial-up Internet access
section_title: Usage in other devices
hierarchical_section_title: Dial-up Internet access / Usage in other devices
caption_attribution_description: Backpanel of the Sky HD receiver.
context_page_description: Dial-up Internet access is a form of Internet access that uses the facilities of the public switched telephone network to establish a connection to an Internet service provider by dialing a telephone number on a conventional telephone line. Dial-up connections use modems to decode audio signals into data to send to a router or computer, and to encode signals from the latter two devices to send to another modem.
context_section_description: Other devices, such as satellite receivers and digital video recorders (like TiVo), have also used dial-up connection using a household phone socket. This connection allowed to download data at request and to report usage (e.g. ordering pay-per-view) to the service provider. This feature did not require an Internet service provider account – instead, the device's internal modem dialed directly the server of the service provider. These devices may experience difficulties when operating on a VoIP line because the compression could alter the modem signal. Later, these devices moved to using an Ethernet connection to the user's Internet router, which became a more convenient approach due to the grown popularity of broadband. A broadband connection also provides much higher speed, which may allow richer functionality.
caption: A Sky TV receiver, made by Thomson, has a telephone socket at the left of its back panel. This connection serves as a way for the machine to communicate to the company, as a TV satellite dish cannot transmit signal back to the satellite.
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