Dial-Up Networking

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What Does Dial-Up Networking Mean?

Dial-Up Networking (DUN) is a utility in Windows 95 and Windows 98 that enables the user’s system to connect to a network through a modem. Dial-Up Networking was useful in days when LAN was not common and connecting to the Internet was via configuration of Dial-Up Networking to dial into a point of presence (POP) and connect to an Internet service provider (ISP).

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Techopedia Explains Dial-Up Networking

The Dial-Up Networking method has become largely obsolete with the introduction of broadband Internet. The DUN connects the system to the ISP, which then provides the system a certain IP address and Internet gateway address to be connected to and be a part of the network. Since DUN uses a telephone line to be connected to the ISP, the modem or router has a built-in encoder and decoder to process information from audio frequency signals. Although this is not a method of high-speed internet, DUN can still be used and easily accessed in areas where Internet is not otherwise available or is too expensive, such as rural or remote areas.

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Margaret Rouse
Technology Expert
Margaret Rouse
Technology Expert

Margaret is an award-winning technical writer and teacher known for her ability to explain complex technical subjects to a non-technical business audience. Over the past twenty years, her IT definitions have been published by Que in an encyclopedia of technology terms and cited in articles by the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine, and Discovery Magazine. She joined Techopedia in 2011. Margaret's idea of a fun day is helping IT and business professionals learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages.