To set up your Macintosh to connect with Interwrx, please follow the instructions below:

Step One - Determine which connection type you are using

With each new system upgrade and for some indivdual computers there have been slight changes with the way each computer connects to an internet provider such as Southwest Link. Most Macs are using MacTCP, but some now use a newer interface called TCP/IP. To determine which interface your computer is using you must do the following: Open your "Control Panels" folder which is in your system folder (if you are using System 7.5, the Control Panels are also accessable through the Apple Pull-Down menu). Now look through the files within that folder (or menu) for anything with a "TCP" in it's name.

• If there is a file called "MacTCP" (above) then proceed to "MacTCP Settings" in Step Two - Mac TCP.

  

• If there is a file called "TCP/IP" (above) then proceed to "TCP/IP Settings" in Step Two - TCP/IP.

• If there are NO files with a "TCP" in their name, then see "Getting TCP" in Troubleshooting.

To change the MacTCP Settings, start by double clicking the MacTCP icon then follow these steps:

1. When you see the MacTCP window (above), be sure that the PPP icon is selected (as above), then click the "More" button.

2. Select "Manually" in the "Obtain Address" area. This will allow you to change the information in the "Gateway Address" field. Type 209.210.172.1 in that field (as above), then select "Server" in the top left area.

3. In the "IP Address" area, select "C" under "Class". The following information (by default) should read as follows:

IP Address
Class: C
Address: 192.0.0.0
Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
Bits: 24 0 8
Net: 12582912
Subnet: 0
Node: 0

4. Under "Domain Name Server Information", enter the following (as above):

Note: Before you go on, you should write this information down. You may need to re-enter the information at another time (after a system upgrade for example).

5. Click "OK" and close the MacTCP Control Panel.

Now Proceed to: Step 3 - ConfigPPP Settings

Step Two - TCP/IP Settings

To change the MacTCP Settings, start by double clicking the TCP/IP icon in the Control Panels folder (or go to TCP/IP in the Apple pull-down menu under Control Panels) then follow these steps:

1. Set the "Connect via:" pull-down menu to "Mac PPP" or "Free PPP", whichever is there. (If both are there, you've likely got problems - go to troubleshooting) Once you change this setting, the following fields should default as such:

Configure: "Using PPP Server"
IP Address: "will be supplied by server"
Subnet mask: "will be supplied by server"
Router address: "will be supplied by server"

209.210.172.9
209.210.172.9
209.210.172.6

Note: Before you go on, you should write this information down. You may need to re-enter the information at another time (after a system upgrade for example).

Now Proceed to: Step 3 - ConfigPPP Settings

Step Three - ConfigPPP Settings

To change the ConfigPPP Settings, start by double clicking the ConfigPPP icon (found in the Control Panels folder within the System folder - or, if you are using System 7.5, the Control Panels are accessable through the Apple Pull-Down menu). Then follow these steps:

Note: If you are using FreePPP 2.5 instead of ConfigPPP, you may have some difficulty changing its settings since the interface is different than the one described below for ConfigPPP. Please call Interwrx.com if you have questions about configuring FreePPP 2.5 for your account.

1. When you see the ConfigPPP window (above), be sure that the Port Name is set to Modem Port, Idle Timeout is set to None, and the Echo Interval is set to 10 (as above). Of the 5 items under Echo Interval, only the first (Disable Auto Connect) and third (Hangup on Close) should be checked (as above).
Once you have done this, click the "New" button at the bottom.

2. Enter "Interwrx" in the field after "PPP Server Name" (as above). This will create a new dialup setting for the ConfigPPP control panel to use. Click "OK". Now click the "Config..." button at the bottom of the PPP window.

3. The "PPP Server Name" should read "Interwrx". Set the "Port Speed" to "57600". Set the "Flow Control" to "CTS Only". Confirm that "Tone Dial" is checked. In the field next to "Phone num" enter 602-889-0499 if you are in the greater Phoenix metropolitan area or 702-932-1701 for the Las Vegas, NV. In the field next to "Modem Init" enter "AT&F1" (as above). (Note: These are standard settings for commonly used modems, to view alternate init strings for specific modems, see the Internet Starter Kit for Macintosh (Modem String Page).)

Once you have entered this information, click on "Authentication..." at the bottom left.

4. In the "Auth. ID:" area, enter your account name. (This is the name which was agreed on when you set up your account) Remember to use lower case letters only. In the "Password" area, enter your password using its exact characters (be sure to use capitals wherever you have one in your password). The "Retries" should be set to "10" and "Timeout:" should be "3" seconds.

Once you are done, click "OK" in that window and then "Done" in the previous window.

Note: Before you go on, you should write this information down. You may need to re-enter the information at another time (after a system upgrade for example).

If you have already gone through Step One (TCP Settings), you should be set up and ready to dial in.

Step Four - Dialing

Now that you have set up your Mac properly to dial in to Southwest Link (if not, go back to step one!) you are going to need to actually connect your modem to our modem to begin your internet experience (although if you are reading this from our web site, you must be a little experienced already). There are several different prefferred dialing methods to connect, so, in Step Four - Dialing, we will go over the ones most commonly used:

Method 1. Config PPP
If your computer is using Config PPP, which is found on most Macs, (if you aren't sure, review Step One) you can simply go to that control panel by opening your System Folder and then the Control Panels folder, find the Config PPP icon (seen above) and double click on it. (Or, if you are using system 7.5, you can simply go to Config PPP in the Apple pull-down menu under Control Panels) This will bring up the Config PPP window (as seen below). The word "Open" in the "Open" button (top) should be black (as below), which means that you are not yet connected. To initiate a connection, simply click on the "Open" button and wait. Your modem should dial and start making all kinds of ungodly noises (don't worry, it'll shut up after a few seconds). Within a minute or so, you should be connected. The icon to the left of the "Open" button should now read "PPP UP". Once it does, you can open any other internet programs, such as Netscape, and they should work properly.

Once you wish to disconnect, simply go back to the ConfigPPP window and click "Close". Be sure to quit the internet programs that are running so that they don't try to re-initiate your connection. (If these steps haven't worked for you - go to troubleshooting.)

TIP: If you prefer to use this dialing method and if you use it often, it might help to make an alias of the Config PPP icon in the Control Panels folder and put it on your desktop. To do this just click once on the actual icon, type Command-M (or "Make Alias" under the "File" pull-down menu), and drag the alias icon to wherever you'd like.

Method 2. Using Netscape to Dial
Another way to initiate a connection is to simply double click on Netscape's icon to run Netscape. With most Macs, the computer is set up so that when Netscape is opened, the computer will automatically dial up (granted all your PPP/TCP settings are right). This is an easy way to connect, but you should be warned that it may not work every time and it might not work at all with some versions of Netscape and on some computers. The second, and more annoying problem is disconnecting. When you quit Netscape, it will NOT automatically disconnect your modem. This may be a problem if you want to use your phone for other stuff, as you can imagine, so to manually disconnect you have to actually go to the Config PPP control panel and click "Close" (see step one above).
(If this doesn't work for you, try using the other dialing methods suggested. If they don't work - go to troubleshooting.)

Method 3. PPPop
The best way yet to keep control of your modem connection is to use a shareware program called PPPop. This program will allow you to simply click on a button on your desktop which will connect and disconnect your modem properly. To use PPPop, you must first download the program. To do so, just click the link below.

Download version 1.4.1 -- 240K

Once it is downloaded, it will unpack itself if you have StuffIt Expander on your hard drive (if not - go to Troubleshooting). Now just run the program by double clicking its icon. When it is launched, you should see a red down arrow (which means you're not connected) and the program (depending on its settings) may even initiate a connection automatically. If so, the red down arrow turns into a green up arrow (connected) and you may commence your internet browsing. To connect and disconnect manually, simply click the arrow on or off to toggle a connection.

Tip: Much like the above Config PPP tip, you can make your connections quick and easy by putting an alias of PPPop on your desktop so that it's easy to use. Also, don't forget to browse the PPPop readme files, cuz it can do a couple of other handy things too.

Note: There are other shareware and commercial programs which are designed to function much like PPPop, you should try them out if PPPop doesn't work for you. However, we have had very little, if no conflicts with this program and find that it works very well. "Shareware" programs are programs which are usually free for a trial period and then cost a small amount for continued use. Often, the cost is well worth the software. It should also be noted that Southwest Link cannot support these programs directly, you should check with their authors for support.

At this point, if you have gone through all of the setup steps, you should have no problem connecting and using your internet account. Remember there are lot of Internet programs out there to be taken advantage of, so don't be afraid to try some new things (as long as you feel comfortable with using your computer). To help you keep up to date, we have prepared a software page with links to some well visited software sites: Software/Support Web Sites.

If you need to configure Netscape for use with email and newsgroups, see: Configuring Netscape Mail and News.

If you are still having trouble with your connection, go to Troubleshooting.