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FAQ's
What is V.92?
V.92 is the latest standard in dial-up modem
technology. With your V.92 modem and V.92 Internet access, you will be able to:
- Get rid of your second phone line!
If you have Call Waiting from your local phone company, your V.92 modem with
its Modem On-Hold software can let you know you have a call. You will be able
to put your modem "on-hold" and answer your phone, and then talk without
losing your Internet connection! The amount of time you can talk depends on
your Internet Service Provider's implementation of V.92. If you have caller
ID, your V.92 modem will also let you know who is calling!
- Get online faster!
Using V.92 technology, your V.92 modem learns and remembers how you usually
connect to the Internet. This shortens the time it takes for your modem and
Internet Service Provider to connect, so you can start surfing faster.
- Surf the Web and download files faster!
Some V.92 modems also include V.44 compression, to speed up data transfer when
you are surfing the Web or downloading compressible data like emails, BMP
files, Message Boards, and HTML files including Web pages. The improvement you
get from V.44 depends on the type of data you are downloading.
How do I take advantage
of V. 92?
First, you need a good V.92 modem. Please see
below for suggestions.
Second, you need to be 3.5 miles or less from your local telephone company's
central telephone office, which you are if you are currently using a V.90 or
V.92 modem to connect at speeds between 33,600 and 56,000 bits per second. And
to use V.92 to receive phone calls when you are online, you need Call Waiting
service from your local telephone service provider.
How can I tell if my
modem is V.92 compatible?
First, make sure that the modem is labeled as
a V.92 modem. If you have an external modem, you will normally see V.92
indicated on the front panel or on a label at the bottom of your modem.
If you're still not sure and you're using Windows 95 or later, click on the
Start button. Click on Settings. Click on Control Panel.
Select the Modems Icon from the Control Panel. When this opens you will
see two tabs on the top, one named General and the other Diagnostics.
Click on the Diagnostics tab. You should see your modem with the COM port
it is assigned to. Click on the COM port next to your modem and then
click on the More Info. Tab below the window that shows your modem. A box
will open telling you to wait while the computer talks to the modem. When that
communication is done, another window will appear. In the lower half of that
window, a list of AT responses from your modem will be listed. If the response
to the ATi3 command does not say V.92, the modem probably does not
support the V.92 protocol.
Do all V.92 modems work
the same?
No. V.92 is complex, and the V.92 modem
hardware and firmware should have proven ability to interoperate with an ISP's
V.92 service. Some modems have solid V.92 modem hardware and firmware, and some
do not. Some modem companies take interoperability testing very seriously, and
others do little or no interoperability testing.
If possible, check to make sure that your V.92 modem supplier has a Web site
with "fresh" V.92 firmware and drivers, and that your V.92 modem uses that
firmware.
Where can I get a V.92
modem?
V.92 modems are gradually becoming the
industry standard, so you should be able to find them wherever modems are sold.
However, not all V.92 modems are alike!
U.S. Robotics has been manufacturing
PC modems for over 25 years. U.S. Robotics modems include the features and
reliablity you need for surfing the Web, including the enhanced performance of
the New Feature-Rich V.92 Standard. More information can be found
here.
If you are buying a new V.92 modem, if possible ask your V.92 Internet
Service Provider what V.92 modems work best. You should also check the Web site
of the manufacturers you are considering. A good manufacturer should have a good
Web site with up-to-date V.92 firmware and drivers. Compare Web sites before you
buy! On the same Web site you should be able to review the quality of the online
technical support, and to get the technical support number of the manufacturer.
Consider calling that number to see how hard it is to get someone on the line.
http://www.citywidecomputers.com
http://www.americas.creative.com/products/category.asp?category=7&maincategory=7
http://www.usr.com/products/home/p-home-menu.asp
IDo I need anything
special to use the Modem on Hold feature?
In addition to Call Waiting service from your
telephone service provider, you will need Modem On Hold software to monitor
calls, display incoming call information, and manage the Modem On-Hold process.
This software should come with your modem; but if not, you will need to contact
your modem vendor's tech support or download it from their web site.
If you are buying a new V.92 modem, you should check that it comes with Modem
On Hold software and ideally that it has been tested with your Internet Service
Provider's V.92 service.
Will my V.92 modem work
over a connection that is not a V.92 connection?
Yes. V.92 modem will allow you to connect to
the Internet and surf as you normally would over non-V.92 access numbers.
However, you will not be able to take advantage of the special features of your
V.92 modem, including Modem On-Hold and Internet Call-Waiting.
How do I confirm that
my V.92 modem is connecting in V.92 mode?
For some external modems, simply look at the
V.92 indicator light on the front of the modem while you are connected to the
Internet. If the light is displayed, you have a V.92 connection.
With other modems you should do the following after disconnecting from the
V.92 service. Go into a terminal program such as HyperTerminal in Windows and
issue the command ATi11 ("11" is eleven), or AT#UG . If the Last
Connection status shown is V.92, your modem connected using V.92.
If you would like to use HyperTerminal to enter the ATI command, follow these
steps:
1. Click on the Start button, point to Programs, point to
Accessories (and then to Communications, if available), and click
HyperTerminal. The HyperTerminal folder will open.
2. Double-click Hypertrm.exe. The HyperTerminal application will launch.
3. In the Name: text field, type "test" (without quotes) and click
OK.
4. In the Phone number: text field, type "123" (without quotes).
5. Next to Connect using:, select your modem and click OK.
6. When the data screen appears, type AT and press Enter. You
should get an OK response.
Note: If there is no response, type ATE1 ("1" is one) and press Enter.
7. Now type ATi11 ("11" is eleven) and press Enter. If the Last
Connection status is V.92, your ISP is V.92 compatible. For some modems, instead
of Ati11 use the command AT#UG
If HyperTerminal is not installed, consult your Windows Help Files to install
it.
How can I use one phone
line for both voice and data?
The V.92 standard lets your ISP or online
service put your data connection "on hold" while you pick up a voice call using
your "call waiting" service. When you finish with the voice call you can
instantly resume the connection as though you had never left.
Does V.92 "QuickConnect"
work on all calls?
This feature of the V.92 standard allows the
modem to "learn" and "remember" the variables associated with calling a specific
telephone number and connecting to a specific modem associated with that number.
This feature will be most effective when you repetitively call the same number -
such as that for your on-line service or internet service provider. The modem
will then be able to use its stored profile and deliver the advantage of a
quicker connection.
Does V.44 work equally
well on all file transfers? Which are most improved; least improved?
V.44 compression is optimized for the types
of files associated with internet use including WEB pages, graphics and
documents such as .pdf files. As with all compression the amount of improved
performance varies both with the actual format and with the content of
individual pages.
For reference, WEB searches show the most visible improvement, especially
searches on WEB stores or areas that have high amounts of text and numerous
small images. The most improvement is in standard WEB browsing. Email and
downloading of ASCII type text files show noticeable but more modest improvement
Will a V.92 modem work
automatically with earlier modems? V.90, K56flex, X2? With 33.6k, 14.4k, 9600
and 2400 modems?
A V.92 modem will automatically negotiate and
connect at the best achievable shared speed down to 2,400 bps. The negotiation
and the related connection time may take longer if the connection does need to
be negotiated down to a very low speed as the higher speeds are attempted first.
However the connection between a 56K V.92 and a 56K V.90 will take approximately
the same time as between two current V.90 modems.
Does "Internet On Hold"
work without Call Waiting? Without CallerID?
Internet On Hold does require that the user
have Call Waiting service from their local telephone company. V.92 provides
enhanced support for Call Waiting service so that the user is notified of an
incoming voice call and has the option of picking up the call and leaving the
Internet on hold for an extended period of time. The maximum on hold time will
be determined by your Internet Service Provider or On Line Service.
How do V.92 modem
speeds compare to ISDN, ADSL and Cable speeds?
First, remember that V.92 is asymmetric in
nature, the same as ADSL. It offers download speeds from the WEB which are
higher than it's upload speeds. This means that it is inherently different from
ISDN and has been optimized, like ADSL, for Internet access. In fact it is
optimized primarily with V.44 compression rather than with purely higher
transmission speed as found in ADSL and Cable.
Because of this it is not possibly to directly compare the different devices
except in terms of the Internet experience itself, including Web browsing. Given
optimum V.92/V.44 performance of approximately 300,000 bps, this still means
that that it will operate at less than half the speed of most broadband services
(which range from 600,00 bps to 1,500,000 bps).
Zoom also makes and markets ADSL and Cable modems to support broadband service;
we feel that the V.92/V.44 modems will significantly improve the Internet for
many users that do not have access to or wish to pay for broadband service but
we do not represent them as competition for broadband. They will, however
deliver equivalent or better Internet access than most ISDN devices as long as
the application does not require equal speeds in both directions.
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