Important: The BC Modem Pool has been phased out. Learn more about the modem pool being phased out.

BC's modem pool connects at speeds up to 56kbps. Slower speed modems (33.6kbps and 28.8 kbps) also work, but we do not recommend anything slower. If you live within the local calling area of Boston College, connecting to the BC network via a modem is free of charge.

Before you begin, consider the following:

• You cannot dial-in to BC's modem pool from the residence halls.
  In order to use BC's dial-up access number, you must be living off-campus. If you want access to BC's online services and you live in a residence hall, you must have an Ethernet device installed on your computer to use the BC network. Learn more about connecting your computer to the BC network.
  
• Consider an external ISP (Internet Service Provider).
  Although all BC students, faculty, and staff receive a free account to dial-in to the BC network, we highly recommend that you use an external ISP (such as AOL, RCN, or Comcast Broadband) to access the BC network.
  
• BC maintains a firewall, or security barrier, to block unauthorized access to secure resources. There are certain special services on BC's network, such as access to computers, servers, or databases behind the BC firewall that you will not be able to access unless you use BC's modem pool number or purchase and install another software package for a VPN (Virtual Private Networking) connection. Graduate students in particular may be interested in this service.
  For more information about VPN, see our VPN Web page.

Learn how to configure a dial-up connection to the BC network using:

• Are you using Windows Vista Home, XP Home, Me, or 98? Learn why Boston College does not recommend Windows Vista Home, XP Home, Me, or 98 and what you can do about it.
• Windows Vista
• Windows XP Professional  
• Macintosh OS X (10.2.2) Jaguar and higher

= BC sign-in required.