NOTE: The opinions offered here are strictly my own and do not reflect the positions and opinions of the University of Washington or any of it's departments. The information presented here is current as of September, 2002 and that should be kept in mind when considering the purchase of any particular product. Also keep in mind that almost all of these modems will work just fine for their primary purpose of moving data back and forth at V.90 rates. If I've given certain modems negative ratings it's usually because some feature of V.92/V.44 isn't working, they lack a functional modem on-hold application and/or the technical support is either nonexistant or very poor.
All testing was done using Windows 98 SE. In every case the hard drive was formatted and Windows re-installed prior to installing the modem. This ensured the test would not be affected by incompatibility issues. The PC used was very basic. An ASUS VX-97 with a 233Mhz Pentium and 64 megabytes RAM with an Elite OPTi sound card and Creative Labs 3D Blaster PCI video card. An IOmega ZIP drive was installed on the parallel port.
Summary - You're welcome to read everything there is but this recap might be what others are looking for.
Best Data,
56FW-92: Not competitively priced, an almost-working MOH app,
and spotty tech-support.
Creative Labs,
DI5633: Recent tech support concerns caused me to re-rate this
one as 'worth consideration'.
Diamond Multimedia
Supra, SUP2920 USB: Update 9/25/02, Somewhat pricey, MOH
application reportedly works, tech support still incompetent.
Modemsite,
I56LVP-F40: Update 9/30/02, My personal pick, this inexpensive
PCI modem has it all.
PhoebeMicro,
1456VQH-R3: A non-working MOH app and no tech support.
US Robotics,
USR5686D (replaced by USR5686E), USR5610B: The MOH app now works.
Tech support is still below average.
Zoltrix,
8FM56KSHCFVSP: No MOH app and no tech support
Zoom,
3025-00-00L: A working MOH app, competitively priced, and good
tech support. Definitely worth consideration.
Best Data, www.bestdata.com(updated 9/17/02)
10/30/02 - While it occured to me this caller id problem could be the same as what I went through with my 2nd Creative Labs modem I did try changing the .inf file but never could get it to work.
56FW-92 - This is a PCI modem that has only recently had drivers and MOH software released. They've now updated the website so the drivers, NetWaiting and the Conexant diagnotic they call MOHconfig are available. There do not appear to be any instructions but those in the download area and they're pretty thin. I did this by first removing the modem via the 'add/remove software' control panel. I removed both the modem and NetWaiting. I then went to the device manager and did a refresh. When the install wizard prompted I directed it to the new driver folder, Win98 in my case. I next went to the MOHconfig folder and ran MOHconfig.exe. This can take up to a minute and usually won't give you a clue as to whether it's done or not. Lastly, I went to the NetWaiting folder and ran Setup.exe. The modem itself seems to work well with no problem connecting at reasonable rates. I still could not get the caller-id function to work despite trying all +vcid possibilites in the extra settings box. NetWaiting did not report "caller id in progress" as it had with an earlier version of the driver. I've notified BestData about this. While their technical support has been responsive in the past they have not responded to three seperate emails. I do not know the reason that tech support is no longer responding but because of it I can no longer recommended BestData's products.
56SF-92 - This is an ISA winmodem. It seems a solid performer and is fully capable of V.92 connects. The bad news there is no modem-on-hold application available and BestData techs don't know when there will be. If you've got to have an ISA modem this might be worth consideration though the prices I've seen are a third again the PCI's and close to externals with more features currently available. I can't recommend this one unless you've no alternative.
Creative Labs, www.americas.creative.com
Update 9/17/02: As the original Di5633 had been given to another staff member I had occasion to purchase another Di5633 when the UW decided to start a new pay-for-use dialin service. When this new modem was tested it was discovered Netwaiting did not display caller id information. What's most disturbing is the response I got from Creative Labs. The once excellent tech support had slipped considerably. It took several days to get a response. The tech told me to try using +vcid=1 and reminded me that they don't support 3rd party software. I've asked for an escalation on that point since they're advertising V.92 Modem On-Hold and if they don't support Netwaiting then they effectively don't have modem on-hold and I'd call that false or misleading advertising. No response. I suppose this is another case of a company cutting back on staff during economic hard times. In case you're trying to get caller id info to display I eventually came across a note on a web site, sunny-beach.net, that described a similar situation with a DE5620. It said the modem was putting out "NMBR =" while the TAPI was waiting for "DDN_NMBR=". I changed the line the the INF file, cxt1059.inf in this case, and re-installed it. The caller-id information immediately began being correctly displayed by NetWaiting. I did note the modem was disconnecting frequently, say one for 3, on an incoming call. The reason may be due to a bug in Cisco's modem code and not the fault of the Di5633 however. While I had previously rated this modem 'best of the bunch and definitely worth consideration' it's now been downgraded because of lousy technical support. It is now only being given a guarded worth consideration.
Di5633 - This PCI modem was the first one to actually have
all the bells and whistles work. It uses the Conexant chipset
so it's being offered with NetWaiting. The upgrade package had
a readme file that explained exactly how it should be done. Despite
one minor typo in the instructions (I spotted and reported one
use of the word 'networking' when they really meant 'netwaiting')
the instructions were excellent and everything went smoothly.
When I looked through all the files I could see why other companies
were having difficulty, but Creative got it right. All of the
screenshots of the NetWaiting app were with this modem. Technical
support has been excellent and the product much lower in price
than other modems in the same class. They also have an external,
a DE5621 that also comes with NetWaiting.
Diamond Multimedia
Supra, www.diamondmm.com
(rechecked 6/20/02)
Update: 6/20/03 - It was just discovered SonicBlue has discontinued their Supra modem line leaving any Supra owners with no support. Here's the official announcement from their ReplayTV site.
"S3 or Diamond Brand Support
We no longer support customer service or warranty claims on any
of our legacy products sold under the former S3 or Diamond brand.
As we no longer manufacture these products, and have not for some
time, our customer care and warranty claim call volumes related
to these products are extremely low. Because of this, we made
the decision to discontinue support for these products. If you
are experiencing problems with your Diamond or S3 legacy product
please contact an independent repair professional. We appreciate
your understanding in this matter and hope that this change does
not inconvenience you greatly."
No I don't understand. The reason call volume fell off was that people gave up trying to get anything out of them. They could have at least left a driver support area up for a couple years as they did after all take our money, eh? What they need to understand is it's this kind of sleaze that causes companies to lose the goodwill of consumers. If SonicBlue expects me to buy any of their current offerings they're very mistaken.
Update: 9/25/02 - After a graduate students emailed with about
his no MOH Supra we both made another try at getting something
from SonicBlue. Me by filing a complaint with the FTC and he with
the BBB about false advertising and fraud over the lack of a modem
on-hold application. We were both surprised when their support
department immediately responded with a link to a MOH app by FaxTalk
called NetOnHold.
While I have not yet been able make this work on my Win2k system
the computer sciences grad student did and reported that it worked
though it seemed a bit clunky. He said he was able to receive
and make calls. The models this software is said to work with
are:
SupraMax 56i PCI V.92, SUP2751 (part number 23680001-003), with
driver revision 2.1.2.172.047.004 or higher
SupraExpress 56i Pro V.92, SUP2761, with driver revision 212.172.047.004
or higher
SupraExpress 56e Pro V.92, SUP2312
SupraSST, SUP2770, with driver revision 4.05.04 or higher
SupraSST 56i Pro, SUP2850, with driver revision 4.05.04 or higher
SupraSST V.92, SUP2771, with driver revision 4.05.04 or higher
SupraSST 56i Pro V.92, SUP2851, with driver revision 4.05.04 or
higher
SupraMax USB V.92 (part number 32680001-005, -006, -007, or -008),
with driver revision 9.5.2.172.056 or higher
It is not known why they chose to keep this a secret and not post
it on their web site. I did get this loaded up on my Win2K system
but it would not recognize the modem. After informing their tech
support of my system and OS I was told to download driver 9.5.2.172.056.
Unfortunately this was a Windows 98 version and while I had reservations
it would work I did as instructed. As I later learned it also
installs a USB driver and I found myself with a system that wouldn't
even boot up in safe mode. Some much for any improvement in their
tech support.
SupraMax USB V.92, SUP2920 - This was one of the first two modems
purchased when testing began. While it said it was V.92 it really
was only V.92 upgradable. Attempts at obtaining support have proven
difficult. All tech support is done by Diamond Legacy and is very
poor. Three times I have been promised call-backs from supervisors
after the technician could not answer questions regarding V.92
and modem-on-hold. I have never received a call back. They have
recently posted beta V.92 drivers for W2K and ME.
Nothing for W9x. (No, the Win98 drivers on the site are for a
V.92 modem but they are not V.92 drivers.) While the dates on
these postings is mid-June '01, they really weren't put up until
mid-December '01. There still is no modem-on-hold application
being offered even in beta form. I've tried the W2k driver and
it does seem to work but without a MOH app why bother. Despite
my always having had good luck, performance and support from Supra
in the past I can only say that the SonicBlue:Diamond Multimedia:Supra
conglomerate demonstrates how easily a good company can be ruined
by merger-mania management. SUPRA is defunct, dicontinued,
with no support available.
Modemsite, www.modemsite.com (updated 9/30/02)
Model I56LVP-F40: Richard Gamberg of Modemsite.com recently began offering this inexpensive Agere 1648C DSP-based modem by Lectron. The modem is under $30 which includes shipping, a one year premium subscription to Modemsite, and the Lucent MOH application. Simply install the drivers followed by installing the modem in an available PCI slot. What could be easier? This one is my personal choice!
PhoebeMicro,
www.phoebemicro.com
(rechecked 9/17/02)
Rocket V.92 Express, 1456VQH-R3 - PhoebeMicro was the first company
I found offering a V.92 internal PCI modem with a modem-on-hold
application. Their beta driver and MOH app were not guaranteed
and they were asking for feedback. While I found the modem a reasonable
performer their attempt at a NetWaiting implementation was at
best half-baked and would never work since not all the pieces
are there. Tech support was reasonable at first but the person
I'd been working with emailed me saying he could not work there
anymore. Very odd! Since then my emails have gone unanswered.
No working MOH app and no tech support lead me to advise
PhoebeMicro modems be avoided.
1/28/02 I had occasion to re-install this modem over the weekend. I'd never tried using it with the original drivers but when I did it would only connect to our servers at 300bps using V.21 protocol. There was no error correction since that feature wasn't necessary with this protocol at these speeds. It did not matter whether I connected to the V.92 or V.34 pools. The drivers that came with the modem are 2.1.2.166.003 dated 1/11/00. I could work around the problem by specifying +ms=v90 or +ms=v34 in the extra settings box as applicable. A better idea is to upgrade to 2.1.2.172.028 dated 6/14/01. I'm told that the '172' designates a V.92 driver. Remember you must update both the modem and the modem enumerator. The driver update available from PhoebeMicro has both.
US Robotics,
www.usr.com (updated 9/17/02)
USR5686D - this is an external serial modem. While it was all
they had that was V.92 capable at the time I started testing they
now have a PCI version (see below). USR has two proprietary applications
that deal with the new features in V.92. The first is called Control
Center. It's responsible for programming the modem's features
such as modem-on-hold and PCM upstream (the latter which we cannot
support.) Control Center also allows one to get updates for both
the modem code and Control Center itself. The other application
is called Internet Call Notification (ICN), which communicates
with you when you have an incoming call.
When asked about the lack of the new V.44 protocol in their external modems USR representatives pointed out that it really isn't beneficial during most V.9x type connects. This is because the serial port speed of 115,200 bits per second cannot keep up with the maximum data throughput of V.34/V.42bis (connect rate X maximum theoretical compression ratio = throughput ) let alone V.9x. For example, 33,600bps X 4 = 134,400bps which is more than the serial port can handle. I stand corrected concerning statements made earlier regarding the lack of V.44 being a disadvantage. The US Robotics representative also said that they will definitely be incorporating V.44 in their WinModems where the serial port speed restriction does not present an obstacle.
9/17/02 - USR5610B - this is an internal PCI modem. It installed easily and it's ICN app worked fine. This is a hardware-based modem, not a Winmodem, so technically I can't say USR representatives lied. It does not support V.44.
9/17/02 - It was noticed the ICN application now looks strangely like NetWaiting including the icon in the system tray.
I have tested the latest release of the modem on-hold application
and have found it to work well. Though I'm still a bit skittish
regarding my support experiences I'm willing to say US
Robotics products are once again worthy of consideration.
If you're using the modem on a system that can't run Control Center
you can still get updates via FTP. Point a browser at:
ftp://usr568603:usr568603@totalservice.usr.com/
This will get you to the place where you can get the files. Just
right-click the file and select 'copy to folder' from the menu.
Folks with Unix boxes can do an anonymous ftp to totalservice.usr.com
and log on using usr568603 for both the username and password.
Anyone with a 5610 in similar circumstances can find their files
at:
ftp://usrfaxmodempci:usrfaxmodempci@totalservice.usr.com/
Zoltrix,
www.zoltrix.com (rechecked
9/17/02)
10/30/02 - It could be that Zoltrix, like Supra, is going to use FaxTalk's NetOnHold. They do bundle FaxTalk software now, just not what's needed. Still nothing on their website I could find related to MOH software.
Smart Spirit 56K PCI, 8FM56KSHCFVSP - While their modem will do V.92 and has performed admirably in my home PC, they do not have even a beta version of Netwaiting. I've never received a response from them after 3 emails starting in early December, '01. I'll check back periodically but won't waste any more time emailing them. The lack of an MOH app and no tech support leads me to rate this modem not worth consideration.
Zoom model 3025-00-00L - This is an internal PCI modem. They've only recently (12/13/01) got version 8.12 of Lucent's MOH app out. The application seems to perform flawlessly but has one omission. You apparently cannot put your modem on-hold to place an out going call. When I asked Zoom about this they responded with "It sounds like a good idea...but the modem-on-hold feature will not have the capability to maintain internet connectivity and allow an outgoing call. The basic idea was to allow the user to not miss any calls that would otherwise be missed. You have little or no control over the timing of when an incoming call comes in, but you can control the timing of your outgoing calls so that they do not conflict with your internet session." While that may be a valid viewpoint the fact is the other guys, in this case NetWaiting, do have this feature. And I do find it useful. I've also found and reported that the modem does not seem to want to do quick connect with our servers. Despite these problems, customer support has been quite responsive and their modems reasonably priced. If you've a fondness for the Zoom name or the Lucent chipset then this product is definitely worth a look.
Note: Though Zoom still lists the 3025L as a current product,
808hi.com says it's being discontinued and will no have any further
driver support. It's supposed to be replaced by the 3025N. There
are drivers for the 3025N at Zoom and I see it available on Pricewatch
(search for 3025-00-00N.) (added 2/21/02)
Cheap 'n Cheezy (added 2/11/02)
I also tested two modems that may be of interest to the financially
impaired. No frills, no MOH app. Not much in the way of instructions.
But they are cheap. My real interest in these modems was that
they might be a good indication of possible compatibility problems
with the access servers.
Aopen, www.aopen.com
Aopen FM56-SV - Currently in the under $15 range plus about
$5 shipping. This is a Conexant HCF modem and has both V.92 and
V.44. I had no problems getting it installed. Aopen just posted
the V.92 drivers. It's about a 7 megabyte zip file. To update
I removed the initially installed modem via the add/remove programs
control panel then ran their installer. Though I've not given
it a through shakedown, the modem has proven reasonably reliable
so far, pulling down a Microsoft IE6 upgrade file of 20 megabytes
without difficulty. For 20 bucks you could well be getting
a bargain.
Asound
Asound AM008 - I found this on pricewatch for $8 plus $8 shipping under the 'generic' brand by selecting 'V.92' in the modem links section. It is a 56K V.92 modem that uses an ESS Technologies ES2838 chipset. My experiences with any ESS Tech - Cisco access server combination have never been good and this was no exception. There was a driver update available but it did little good. Apparently V.44 is not included. The modem will establish a V.90 connection but drops back to V.34 as soon as one attempts to push any data across the link. This modem would be an unfortunate choice if you'll be dialing in to our access servers.