What's a modem? And why buy this one? Read on and find out! (3Com 56k Voice Faxmodem Pro)

Member Name: cjkace

Product:	3Com 56k Voice Faxmodem Pro
Date:	29/05/01 (1567 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: reliable, fast connection

Disadvantages: quite expensive

Most people that connect to the net in the UK are using some form of a MODEM, whether it is external or internal, hardware or software and it seems that the majority don't know much about them, so I'll try to explain a little.

Firstly it is important to understand that your telephone line is analogue and your computer is digital. The modem converts the noise from the analogue signal into digital data that your computer can understand. It MOdulates and DEModulates the signal hence the term MODEM. Because of the general inaccuracy of analogue data, this can be both processor intense and quite unreliable.

When the transmission of data down a telephone line became very widely used, limits were set by the telecoms industry, limiting the top speed of data transfer down a telephone line to 52K, and this can be reduced further by signal noise, so the top speed you will ever get on a V90 modem is 52K. Any higher and your computer has got it wrong. (I've seen people crowing about getting 115K plus, and have to smile. It's simply the software reading the speed wrong.)

Unfortunately this is in only one direction. Download speeds can go upto 52K but upload speeds were limited to 33.6K (until V92 modems are released). So generally you download faster than you upload, but this is not always true.

So what's the differnce between a software and a hardware modem? Software modems aren't strictly speaking actual modems, they are just signal carriers as the system processor modeulates/de-modulates the signal, so in effect when you install a software (sometimes called Winmodem) modem you turn your computer into the modem. Hardware modems on the other hand do everything on the card, using their own hardware chips, which takes the load away from the processor. When you consider that most software modems need a Pentium 150Mhz and up to run, but a hardware modem will work on a 486 it isn't difficult to see the difference. <
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External or Internal? Mostly an aesthetic choice, but the aforementioned software modems are generally internal, although some have appeared that connect via USB. Internal modems plug into either a PCI or an ISA slot. Because of the low bandwidth either is acceptable. Externally, modems can connect to your PC via a 9 pin serial port or the newer USB port.

Thats a liitle bit about modems. Which modem do I own?

I am a VERY proud owner of a US Robotics V90 external Voice Fax modem. It is very reliable, offers consistently good download speeds ( usually connect to BTInternet ay 49,333 but have been as high as 52,0000) and very rarely drops connections. Installation is a breeze, involving plugging the modem into the wall, the 9 pin cable into the serail port, installing the drivers and connecting to the net.

Thats it for installation. The best feature about external modems that I have found though, is that due to the LEDs on the box, you can see what is happening, while you are surfing the net and downloading. Different lights flash when you are uploading or downloading, which may not sound that useful, but believe me it is. You can also switch off the modem, without having to switch off your entire computer. This is good because there are so many programs floating about that will try to connect to the internet, and when I leave my computer on over-night, rendering complex 3D scenes or video footage, I don't want it to connect, so I switch off the modem. Try doing that with an internal modem!

I've now owned my modem for over two and a half years and have never had any form of problem. While it was quite expensive (£120) when I bought it, and compared to cheap, internal, software modems still is, you get what you pay for. This modem would be especially useful for online gamers where reliability is the number one issue.

**NOTE**

There are many things that can affect the speed of your connection. He
re are a few tips.

If you consistently get speed of 28,800 or below using a V90 modem, telephone BT and ask whether you have a DACS fitted to your line. This is a cheap way of splitting one line into two, which is suitable for voice but not data.

If you constantly lose connections and it isn't your ISP, then ask BT to turn up the GAIN, as it could be noise on the line.

Try not to use too long a telephone extension cable. If you need 10 metres buy a 10 metre extension, DON'T use two 5 metre cables.

Don't take as gospel, what Windows says your modem speed is. Above 52K is telling lies. Check out www.windrivers.com where they have a way for you to test your modem speed.

Modem speeds are always referred to as 56K or 33.6K BUT that is kiloBITS not kiloBYTES. 56 KiloBITS = 7 kiloBYTES (approximately).

Hope this is a help.

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