Frequently asked questions on Dial Companion

All Demon Broadband customers including HomeOffice but excluding Home 500, SDSL and Borders Broadband are eligible for the Dial Companion service. Please read all FAQ's, as some functions will be different depending on the type of Broadband service you have purchased.

How do I sign-up for this if I am already a Demon Broadband customer?

Visit www.demon.net/affinity You will need to have your Broadband hostname and password to hand. This can be found on your Broadband account card contained within the silver envelope of your welcome pack.

How much does it cost?

There is no subscription charge for the Dial Companion as long as you continue to pay your Demon Broadband subscription. Your telephone service provider will charge calls (5p per minute* on a BT line).

How is Dial Companion different from my Demon Standard Dial-up (SDU) account?

Demon SDU offers lower call pricing for a monthly subscription of £11.75
Demon SDU gives access from overseas, unmetered upgrade options, a static IP address, 128kbit/s access, Usenet news access, and SMTP mail feed in. Dial Companion does not offer any of these
Dial Companion will not connect if your phone line withholds its Calling Line Identity (CLI) whereas Demon SDU does not have this restriction
Dial Companion for Broadband has no email box, Web space or Fax-to-email service, (but you can access these Broadband inclusive services via your Demon Broadband connection) Demon SDU has these functions built in.

What will this product addition provide me with?

Ability to remotely access your Broadband account features. In the UK if you are teleworking you can send and receive email from your NAT Broadband account and you can remotely upload to your Web space. Faxes coming into your Broadband account can be seen in your remote email and you will have normal access to the World Wide Web at Dial-up speeds.

Do I need to sign up for the Dial Companion?

If you signed up for Demon Broadband after 08 March 2004 you can start using Dial Companion straight away. If you signed up for Demon Broadband before this date then you will need to visit http://www.demon.net/affinity/ to sign up and obtain details of how to add the Dial Companion to your current Broadband service.

What do I need to access my Dial Companion?

You will need an analogue telephone modem or ISDN Terminal Adaptor. If you previously used Dial-up you will most likely have been using one of these before you migrated to Broadband. Please note that the access numbers will be different to those you previously used. Please see other FAQs "I haven't got a modem can I still connect to Dial Companion?" and "Can I connect using ISDN?"

Note - A USB Modem is for use on an ADSL line and is different to an analogue modem used for Dial-up.

Where do I find the Access Number for the Dial Companion?

This can be found on your Dial Companion for Broadband card contained within the foil envelope of your welcome pack. If you purchased Broadband before the launch of this Dial Companion service (08 March 2004), you would have only received one card (Broadband account card) and will need to sign up online by visiting http://www.demon.net/affinity/.

If a family member or employee is at a remote location and unable to connect to see these FAQs, an automated audio version is available on 0800 0276446. Account holders can get specialised telephone support to help get connected to the Internet using the Dial Companion 24 hours a day on 0871 2710900. (Calls cost 10p per minute* inc VAT.). Please note both these telephone numbers are lines specialising in Dial Companion and are not for general helpdesk queries.

How do I set up my POP3 password so it is different from my ADSL access password?

It is good practice to do this. For further information and instructions on how to change your password, please click here.

How do I connect using my Dial Companion?

For general setting please see "What are the general settings for Dial Companion?" All information on how to connect using your Dial Companion service, can be found within the "How to connect to the Internet using your Demon Dial Companion" guide available by visiting here.

I am getting a busy tone or a voice telling me to "try again later" when connecting with my Dial Com

Ensure you are presenting CLI (Calling Line Identity) - please see the section on "How do I ensure my CLI is presented when dialling in?"

Note - This service has a finite amount of capacity and at times may become busy

Why can I not collect email via POP3 if I have a non-NAT ADSL account?

If you have purchased a non-NAT ADSL service, you will be unable to access your email via POP3 as your email service is held locally on your internal network.

How do I find out if my Broadband Account is NAT or non-NAT?

Our lowest priced Broadband packages are all NAT. Your Broadband account card may say "Service Type: non-NAT", in all other cases you have NAT. In most cases you can also tell by the way you use your Broadband and which product you have purchased.

Home and HomeOffice products are NAT.

Business, Express Plus, Express Pro maybe non NAT.

Will my email be sent from from the same address?

Yes, you will have the same email address regardless of whether you access email via the Broadband account or the Dial Companion.

How do I connect to my local internal server to collect email?

If you have purchased a non-NAT Broadband service, all email is sent from the Internet directly to the Broadband premises via SMTP. You will most likely have a third party vendor's mail server so that remote users may retrieve email from your Broadband premises. Please follow instructions in the third party vendor's mail server handbook.

Note - This will work only if your Broadband connection is online and configured correctly

Do I get any Web space with Dial Companion?

You can use the Dial Companion to remotely upload content to the Web space that comes with your Broadband account. There is no additional Web space with the Dial Companion.

Can I access Usenet News?

Not from the Dial Companion, however you can access Usenet News from your Broadband connection. You can use Dial Companion to access Web-based News.

How can I send emails using my Dial Companion?

This would obviously depend on the type of email software you are using. For more information on various different email clients and configuration, please visit http://www.demon.net/helpdesk/#customer. Please see below for general settings. If you have more than one user other than yourself you may find it useful to look at " Can multiple users collect email?" section before using your Dial Companion for email.

What are the general settings for my Dial Companion?

IP address	This is dynamically assigned (no need to specify)
DNS settings	Primary - 158.152.1.58 Secondary - 158.152.1.43
Incoming mail server	pop3.demon.co.uk on port number 110
Outgoing mail server	post.demon.co.uk on port number 25
Hostname	This will be found on your Broadband account card
Password	This will be found on your Broadband account card

What is the purpose of a static IP address and how do I get one?

A static IP address makes it easier for your company firewall administrator to allow you remote access to the company LAN securely. If you play multiplayer games you give your static IP address to your friends beforehand so that they can find you easily when you host games on the Internet. You have a static IP address with your Demon Broadband service, however if you also require a static IP address with your Dial-up then we suggest that you subscribe to Demon Standard Dial-up (SDU) instead of the Dial Companion, because the Dial Companion has a dynamic IP address instead.

Can multiple users collect email?

Yes, Dial Companion will allow multiple concurrent connections; and allow those users to download email from the same account when the Broadband account holder has given them login details. There are several ways that the account holder might want to operate this with a NAT Broadband account using the Demon mail servers:

Multiple users can access shared email addresses using POP3. For example these could be a sales enquiry address, the electronic fax address, or the online enquiry form address associated with your Demon-hosted website. In this mode it is optionally possible to configure email clients to leave copies of email on the Demon mail server for colleagues to download later.

Alternatively multiple users can access multiple separate mailboxes though more care is required with the POP3 configuration. This is because you may have problems if one user retrieves everybody's email leaving nothing on the Demon mail server. There are many different ways to configure email clients and THUS provides comprehensive help information on its website to help you avoid this situation; please click here

As a security precaution, only one location may access the Demon email associated with your broadband account in any half hour period.

How secure is my email if I allow other users to use the same connection password?

To protect your email we recommend that you only give out login details (including ADSL connection password) to a minimal number of trusted users, please see terms and conditions for user acceptance information.

I do not seem to be receiving as many emails?

If we are not reporting an email problem on our status line 0800 027 0384 then you or another user's email client may not be set-up correctly and is downloading all the email for your broadband account. Please see "Can multiple users collect email?" to eliminate this possibility before calling the specialised help line on 0871 271 0900.

Can I connect using ISDN?

Yes you can use an ISDN terminal adaptor if you have an ISDN line. It is not possible for this to work on the same line that has been converted to Broadband.

I haven't got a modem, can I still connect to Dial Companion?

No, if you have not already got one you will need to purchase a modem for a telephone line (sometimes referred to as a 56k modem). If you previously used Dial-up to access the Internet, you will most likely be able to re-use the analogue telephone modem that you used before you migrated to Broadband.

A USB modem or other equipment being used to connect to Broadband will not substitute for the modem required to connect to Dial Companion.

What is a CLI?

CLI is Caller Line indentification, is the telephone number of the person making the call.

Is CLI presented on my line when dialling in?

By default a BT line and some non-BT lines present CLI and you require no change. Please contact your telephone provider for more information on presenting CLI.

What if I am ex-directory?

If you have opted to block CLI, or are ex-directory, you will need to release your number when you access our dial in number. The most common way of doing this is by inserting a code in front of the access number your computer is calling. This code is usually 1470 on BT lines. Not all telephone companies have this feature yet. If this is the case with your telephone company you will not be able to use this service.

Can I dial in via a switchboard/PABX?

Yes provided CLI is presented. However, some switchboards - especially in Call Centres - withhold CLI. If this is the case where you dial from, you should consider subscribing to a standalone service such as Demon Standard Dial-up product instead.

Do I need to protect my PC or Apple Macintosh?

Yes, your machine will be connecting directly to the Internet and we recommend that you keep antivirus and firewall software up to date. Apple Macintosh is a trademark of Apple Computer, Inc.

Can I run servers on the Dial Companion?

No, Dial Companion is intended for remote working applications and abnormal traffic may be blocked as a precaution against network abuse.

*Note: The National Telephone Numbering Plan designates the call prices quoted, and BT and other operators follow this. However some operators, such as mobile phone companies and hoteliers may add a premium so in these cases please refer to their call pricing.