Dial-up sound

1. What is dial-up sound?
2. Why did dial-up sound like that?
3. Does dial-up still exist?
4. Why did internet have dial tone?

What is dial-up sound?

It's the sound of a modem connecting with another modem across the repurposed telephone infrastructure. It was the noise of being part of the beginning of the Internet.

Why did dial-up sound like that?

The whistles and chirps and buzzes that you hear when a modem is going through its initial handshake process is a test of the telephone line quality. A modem send precisely specified sounds and the other listens see what it actually hears on the other end.

Does dial-up still exist?

Even though high-speed internet has been a popular choice for many years, dial-up service is still available in quite a few areas.

Why did internet have dial tone?

Because there was no technology to allow different carrier signals on a telephone line at the time, dial-up internet access relied on using audio communication.