Monterey Bay Internet
AOL via MBAY.NET Configuration - AOL Version 4

America Online (AOL) is a popular online service that offers a number of easy to use news, information, and entertainment features. Although there is almost nothing on AOL that is not available on the Internet, usually faster and for free, many people prefer to use AOL because of the ease of use, the access controls, or just because they have "outgrown" AOL and gotten an MBAY.NET account, but still want to access their AOL account for a while.

These instructions will set your AOL connection to use your Monterey Bay Internet connection, instead of AOL's modems. Doing this can give you a much faster and cheaper connection to AOL. See the bottom of this page for instructions on changing your AOL billing options to save over half of your monthly AOL bill.

To use these instructions, you will need:

If you are unsure of your AOL client version, look at the screens below. If they look the same, you can use these instructions. Otherwise, try the AOL Version 3 instructions, which are available where you got these.

Step 1: Connect to the Internet and start AOL.

If you use a modem to connect to MBAY.NET, start your Internet connection as you normally would.

Start AOL as you normally would to connect to AOL. If you do not have the AOL software installed yet, install it from an AOL CD-ROM by following the instructions included with it.

After starting the AOL client, you should get a screen like the one below. DO NOT sign on yet!

[AOL 4 Main Screen]

Step 2: Setting AOL to use the Internet

Click on the SETUP button, and you will get a window like this:

[AOL 4 Setup Wizard - Screen 1]

Select Create Location for use with new access phone numbers or an ISP, and press Next. The next screen will appear:

[AOL 4 Setup Wizard - Screen 2]

Select Add a custom connection (for example, TCP/IP), and press Next. The Setup Wizard will exit, and you will be back at the main signon screen.

Step 3: Signing on to AOL

On the main AOL screen, select the screen name you wish to use and click on the SIGN ON button.

[AOL 4 Signon Screen]

AOL will now use the Internet connection to connect to the service, instead of AOL's own modems. This can give you a much faster connection to AOL in some cases.

If you intend to *always* connect to AOL using MBAY.NET, you can reduce your monthly AOL bill to around $10, by selecting their "Bring Your Own Access" pricing plan. This gives you full access to the AOL system, as long as you connect using the Internet.

To go back to the old way of connecting to AOL, select your original location under "Locality" on the main signon window.

Version 1.0, Last Modified 3-Sep-98
Stefan Hudson, Monterey Bay Internet