Dial E for efficiency and economy with these budget-priced V.34 modems.
by: John J. Yacono, Technical Editor
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If you spend much time communicating with far-flung colleagues or cruising cyberspace, the right modem is worth its weight in gold.
A fast modem can lower your telephone charges by getting you on and off the phone quickly. A quality modem also achieves solid, fast connections more often, reducing the number of calls gone awry and repeated dial-ups.
What'll it cost to purchase such a paragon? You'll be happy to learn that low cost and high speed are not mutually exclusive. When we put seven contenders through their paces, we found that the most expensive modem is not necessarily the fastest, nor does it necessarily offer the most features.
V.34 is the latest and greatest standard from the International Telecommunications Union (ITU).
This specifies a new coding scheme that crams more information into a telephone line signal transition and also provides enhanced data compression. A V.34 modem on each end of a connection allows a raw data-transfer speed of 28.8Kb per second--twice as fast as the V.32. With data compression, the modems can move data as fast as 195.2Kbps, assuming line conditions will allow it.
For this product comparison, we looked at the least expensive serial port V.34 modems from seven manufacturers: the AT&T DataPort Express V.34, Boca Research V.34 28.8Kbps BocaModem, Cardinal MVP288XF, Microcom DeskPorte FAST ES, Motorola ISG Lifestyle Series 28.8, Practical Peripherals PM288MTII V.34 and Zoom V.34X FaxModem. We also requested modems from Hayes, MaxTech, Prometheus, Supra, Telebit and U.S. Robotics, but they could not supply units in time for review.
The DataPort's manual, one of the largest I've ever seen, was exceptionally comprehensive, especially in its problem/solution and Hayes AT command set sections. There's a Quick Install card included in the documentation, and the bundled QuickLink II fax/communications software has its own manual. Extras include an offer for FarSite document-conferencing software and Reuters Money Network. There's also a bundled Imagination Network trial, for those who are interested in games and computerized conversation.
The DataPort performs self-diagnostic tests when given the appropriate commands. One test is a complete diagnostic. The loopback series of tests checks the send and receive capability of the modem by making it generate signals that are sent back (or looped back) to the modem. Its analog and digital loopback tests check the modem's two main sections. All the tests can be requested by the connected computer or by a remote computer. The front panel indicates when the unit is in test operating mode.
For raw throughput the AT&T came in next to last, followed distantly by the BocaModem. Conversely, it ranked the best for data compression. The main reason for this apparent conflict is that the AT&T had difficulty communicating on our longer loop-line simulations (those where we simulated the modem's being further from the phone company's central office). The test results suggest that the modem will not do well operating on rural local lines.
The compatibility test places this modem in the middle of those reviewed. While this sounds only average, remember that our compatibility tests were quite demanding. It could not dial up and establish connections with the Practical Peripherals or the Motorola modems, but it showed greater prowess when calling other modems, achieving high-speed connections. As the receiving modem, the DataPort--like the other modems tested--fell back to 19.2Kbps when picking up a Microcom or Cardinal call.
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AT&T DataPort Express V.34
Price: $215
In Brief: With the most online service offers in this review, the DataPort seeks to make you a savvy "surfer" quickly.
AT&T
800-482-3333, 813-530-2000
The Boca, the only unit in this review bundled with a serial cable and a high-speed serial port, lets you dive right in to your online-surfing adventure. The single-port serial card requires no special drivers, addresses or IRQs.
It uses IRQs 5 or 7 if IRQs 3 and 4 are already in use--as they probably will be for other serial ports in your system.
Before you install the card, the included software will determine what addresses and IRQs are free. You set jumpers on the card to configure it for those unused resources and then insert the card. (Alternatively, the company sells a multi-I/O card with dual high-speed serial ports and a parallel port for a mere $65.)
The bundle also includes software for faxing and data transmission. Trial memberships for the three major online services are provided, and Boca has a CompuServe online forum for customer support. In addition to the regular customer-support number, there's a $2-a-minute 900 number for immediate support, for those situations that require immediate attention. The modem's manual, which covers both the modem and serial port card, is small. It's easy to carry, but I wonder what details might be missing.
While the bundle and its price are a little better than those of its V.Fast Class predecessor (see "Hot-Shot Modems," December 1994), its performance is significantly lower. Over many of the phone-line conditions tested, the device yielded poor results. It has trouble connecting, often doing so at low speeds. The modem occasionally loses 28.8Kbps connections once established. Its last-place throughput-performance score is likely the result of comparatively poor compression implementation as well as error correction.
During compatibility tests, the Boca achieved many high-speed connections, but couldn't connect with the Motorola modem. However, just because a modem connects at a high speed doesn't mean it can take full advantage of the connection. To be a speed demon, a modem must compress data and pump it into the phone line well, something this modem does not seem able to do as well as the others in this roundup.
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Boca Research V.34 28.8Kbps BocaModem
Price: $269
In Brief: The only right-out-of-the-box solution in this group, the Boca comes bundled with great extras like a serial cable and port.
Boca Research
407-997-6227, fax 407-997-0918
The Cardinal's throughput was second only to the Motorola's. And only on rare occasions did it have trouble maintaining high-speed connections on the longest simulated local loop we used.
In compatibility, it is one of only two modems capable of connecting to the Motorola. In fact, when the Motorola calls the Cardinal they establish a 28.8Kbps connection every time--something none of the others do. As an answering modem, the Cardinal even aced out the Zoom, overall the most modem-friendly unit in this group. As a caller, the Cardinal never dipped below 19.2Kbps.
This small, light unit is very portable. The included rubber feet and Velcro offer a variety of mounting options. For example, you can attach it under a desktop with the Velcro. Or, supported by the rubber feet, it can stand on end, saving you precious desk space. The front-panel labels are oriented diagonally, making them readable whether the unit lies flat or sits up tower-style.
None of this is spelled out in the manual, which is light on other details, too.
The generous offering of online trials includes membership packages for Imagination Network and the OAG Travel Service, among others. Only Practical Peripherals matches this unit's lifetime warranty. But how long do you use a given modem before you buy into the next generation? Two or three years? Still, if you can't justify upgrading hardware often, the protracted warranty might add appeal to this already nice deal, which incidentally is one of this review's least expensive.
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Cardinal MVP288XF
Price: $179 (street)
In Brief: The MVP288XF is a fleet, very inexpensive modem that's both user and modem friendly.
Cardinal Technologies
800-775-0899 x205, 717-293-3000
The DeskPorte FAST ES comes bundled with a few notable extras. For example, there's built-in MNP class 10 cellular-communications error correction. The manual is also quite thorough and clear enough for a beginner. However, it is written for a V.FC modem, not a V.34. Apparently, rather than produce a new manual for this V.34, Microcom decided to include the manual for its V.FC progenitor. An addendum (two 8.5- by 11-inch sheets stapled together) seeks to bridge the gap.
The front panel has only five LEDs (including one for power). While that might be less confusing for a beginner, it leaves the modem's status ambiguous. Communications aficionados would appreciate a more informative display. The DeskPorte FAST ES software package is also sparse.
The Microcoms proved pretty fast when talking to each other, and their compression places third among a tight grouping. However, under one set of phone-network conditions (where we simulated only a short distance between the modem and the phone-company central office) the Microcoms negotiated for a long time--a few minutes--before establishing a solid connection. As well as being noisy, that can run up a phone bill as you idly stand by waiting for a connect message.
The compatibility tests place the Microcom in the middle of the pack. It consistently made 19.2Kbps connections when calling, even with the Motorola. It could not connect while answering a Motorola call, though.
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Microcom DeskPorte FAST ES
Price: $179 (street)
In Brief: Microcom--being the M in MNP--designed the DeskPorte with support for numerous MNP protocols, including MNP class 10, which provides error correction for cellular communications.
Microcom
800-822-8224, 617-551-1000
The Motorola is clearly the fastest modem in this review. Its 24-bit RISC-based data pump (which moves data through the modem) likely accounts for the excellent performance. The unit made one high-speed connection after another, most of them 28.8Kbps, regardless of line conditions. Occasionally the modems probed the phone line a little longer than expected, in order to take maximum advantage of the prevailing conditions, but it was never longer than a minute.
But the Lifestyles were very awkward when dealing with other modems. As the calling modem, they established consistent connections only with the Zoom and Cardinal, and made one fleeting connection with the BocaModem. The unit made connections with the Cardinal, Microcom and Zoom acting as the callers, but mostly turned a cold shoulder to the AT&T (which did establish one connection), Boca and Practical Peripherals. Speculatively, that might be the drawback to using this OEM data pump; the other modems have the ubiquitous Rockwell chip set. Also, this unit is the only modem here that's not V.FC compatible. So it's possible that the other modems, failing to connect V.34-style, fall back to V.FC, which the Motorola can't do. Whatever the reason, this energetic modem does not play well with others.
In our labs, we recently encountered a problem with another Motorola modem, the V.3400. When you switch between pulse and Touch-Tone dialing while making a call--for example, you dial a banking service on a pulsed line, then enter a PIN as a Touch-Tone sequence--the tones won't get through. When we reported the problem to Motorola, its engineers investigated the difficulty and fixed our V.3400s with an EPROM-chip upgrade, which we've verified works. They told us, however, that the Lifestyle Series modems are based on the V.3400 design, and have the defect wired in. By the time you read this, Motorola should have changed the Lifestyles' design to correct the problem. Motorola's responsiveness is noteworthy, especially considering that few users will encounter the problem.
While not the modem to fit most people's lifestyles, it is useful for point-to-point communications, where two like modems are dedicated to exchanging large volumes of data only to one another. That's more a corporate than a personal venture.
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Motorola ISG Lifestyle Series 28.8
Price: $325
In Brief: By far the fastest modem in this review, the ISG Lifestyle is particularly useful in point-to-point communications, where two like units are dedicated to exchanging large volumes of data.
Motorola ISG
800-487-1456, 508-261-4000
An interesting highlight of Practical Peripherals' bundle is a pair of tiny clip-on feet that support the modem vertically. The front-panel labels are angled so that they can be read whether the PM288MTII is laid flat or standing on end. Having almost no desktop space to spare, I appreciated that feature. The Practical also comes with QuickLink II communications software.
Beyond that, Practical offers a $99 high-speed serial port. Interestingly, the serial port is actually the Hayes ESP board used in our tests. (Practical Peripherals, a subsidiary of Hayes Microcomputer Products, competes freely with the latter company.) The single-port ISA card employs unusual addresses, thus avoiding conflicts with standard serial ports. You run a setup program for the card and, like the software for the cards in our throughput tests, it replaces the Windows COMM.DRV and a virtual device driver (called VCD for virtual communications device), and adds a third driver of its own. It also adds a section to WIN.INI for configuration parameters.
On the down side, the units had trouble connecting, even on a fairly clean line, and occasionally produced slow transfer rates. They sometimes connected at the lowly 14.4Kbps. It seems as though the longer the simulated distance between the modem and the phone company's central office, the worse the problems became. It is very likely the modem will not perform well in rural areas.
In compatibility tests it made high-speed connections mainly as the calling modem, failing only with the Motorola. However, it could not connect when the AT&T came a-callin', which kept its compatibility score low.
Something worth considering is the unit's lifetime warranty, matched in this review only by the Cardinal's. However, considering how long a modem standard lasts nowadays, that's probably not a compelling enough reason to overlook its shortcomings
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Practical Peripherals PM288MTII V.34
Price: $279
In Brief: Featuring tiny feet that hold the unit upright, this modem is desktop-space conscious. Its small size also makes it suitable for travel.
Practical Peripherals
404-840-9966, fax 404-734-4601
Distinctive to the Zoom V.34X is its generous front panel consisting of 15 indicator LEDs. They show everything from current connection information (the use of V.34, V.FC, error correction, data compression and so on) to fax status. The Zoom has more indicators than any other modem in this review, and it's the only one to devote LEDs specifically to faxing. This wealth of indicators will delight those who must know the exact status of their communications at all times.
The unit comes with enough software to transmit data and faxes in both Windows and DOS, and three major online-service trials. In addition to the owners' manual, there's a fairly hefty Quick Start guide that covers both hardware and software installation. Its seven-year warranty is second only to the lifetime promises made by Practical and Cardinal.
During compatibility tests, the Zoom was one of only two modems with no trouble calling or answering the Motorola. In fact, it consistently established high-speed connections with that unit. Its lowest speed was 19.2Kbps, but only when answering Cardinal and Microcom calls. Those two modems consistently established 19.2Kbps connections as calling modems, so it is likely that they, not the Zoom, are responsible for that minimum.
Notable extras include MNP class 10 cellular-communications error correction. It's also backward-compatible to the V.FC de facto standard.
The Zoom modem lives up to its name. This speedy fellow wins a Recommended seal by virtue of its compatibility with other modems. Its throughput with other manufacturers' modems rivals the speeds other modems achieve only with their own kind .
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Zoom V.34X FaxModem
Price: $269
In Brief: The Zoom's faceplate is the most user friendly here, with 15 indicators that inform you of the modem's status.
Zoom Telephonics
800-666-6191, 617-423-1072
Get away from it all, quickly.
by: Janice J. Chen
Just because you're on the road doesn't mean you have to leave V.34 28.8Kbps data transmission behind. That's where PCMCIA fax modems come in. You'll have to pay a premium to get state-of-the-art modem technology in an 85.6mm by 54mm by 5mm package, but you won't have to sacrifice performance when you're traveling with a notebook.
PCMCIA cards, which comply with a standard originally developed for flash memory by the Personal Computer Memory Card International Association, provide notebook and portable computers with expansion capabilities that were previously impossible. With a PCMCIA slot, you can add peripherals like miniature hard disks, network connectors, memory modules and more as easily as you'd slide a floppy diskette into its drive. Well, almost. While it's easy to put the cards into the PCMCIA slot, getting your computer to recognize them is another matter.
For that you'll need Card and Socket Services software on your PC. The software configures the PCMCIA interface for whatever function is needed, whether it's communications via modem, memory operations or hard disk access. Most systems that have PCMCIA ports come with Card and Socket Services, as do most PCMCIA modems. Microsoft Windows 95 will ship with its own Card and Socket Services.
We asked all the modem manufacturers participating in the review to send us their 28.8Kbps PCMCIA modems in addition to the external modems reviewed here. Although Boca Research and Microcom have 28.8 PCMCIA modems, Practical Peripherals was the only vendor to send us one.
The Practical Peripherals ProClass PC288T2-EZ V.34 fax modem card supports the V.34 standard for 28.8Kbps communication. It also provides Group 3, Class 1 and Class 2 fax capabilities at speeds up to 14.4Kbps. Like most PCMCIA modems, it requires a Type II or Type III slot. It uses a Rockwell chip set and flash memory to store firmware. It has an XJack RJ-11 connector that pops out at the press of a finger, a convenient but somewhat fragile feature.
The PC288T2-EZ comes bundled with QuickLink II fax and data software, WinFax Lite fax software, and its own Card and Socket Services. I tested the modem with a number of other Card and Socket Services, such as SystemSoft's CardSoft 3.1, Phoenix PCM+ and Windows 95 Plug and Play. None of them posed any problems and all recognized the modem as soon as I plugged it in.
At a list price of $459--about average for 28.8Kbps PCMCIA modems--the PC288T2-EZ will cost you more than the desktop modems in this review, but you can take it with you.
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Practical Peripherals ProClass PC288T2-EZ V.34
Price: $459
In Brief: The PC288T2-EZ lets you take 28.8Kbps data transmission on the road. The bundled software--including Card and Socket Services--will have you telecommunicating in no time.
Practical Peripherals
404-840-9966, fax 404-734-4601
Testing the Modem Connection: Speed and Sensitivity Count -- First a modem has to connect; then it has to go really fast.
We transmitted files over simulated lines of varying quality and measured the speed of transmission. We also tried to make all the test modems connect with each other and scored them based on the ease with which they connected. Then we scaled the scores for transmission speed and connectivity. The best modem in each test gets a 10.
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We applied a weighting to the features listed in the Report Card because some are more significant than others. Compatibility was considered twice as important as speed. If you can't connect to a different modem or you connect poorly, the modem cannot reach its optimal speed. We gave speed twice the weight of the remaining features, however.
The Zoom V.34X FaxModem, with its high marks for compatibility and speed, is the clear winner. It takes a WINDOWS Recommended seal with ease. It also provides a very informative 15-indicator front-panel display and useful software. If you need to communicate with a wide variety of modems and can afford the price, the Zoom should be your modem.
The Cardinal MVP288XF, also yielding high compatibility and throughput scores, comes in second. It offers excellent trial memberships, and its diminutive case easily resides in a briefcase. Alternatively, on a cramped desk the unit can be placed on its edge. Perhaps the most outstanding feature, at least for the budget conscious, is the price. The Cardinal and the Microcom DeskPorte are the least expensive units in this review. It's a hard bargain to turn down.
Sensitivity Check, Please -- Is your modem listening? Does it truly care?
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Modem Performance Scores
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Modem Testing Configuration Diagram
It probably comes as no surprise to any human ear that phone lines across the U.S. vary in quality. That's due in part to the variations in the phone companies' equipment. In low phone-revenue regions, older, less-capable devices are replaced more slowly than in large cities. And some upgrades, like replacing large sections of cable, are expensive under any circumstances.
That brings up an interesting question: What device, besides the human ear, is sensitive to a myriad of sound variations? The answer is the V.34 modem. A well-designed V.34 runs the most exhaustive phone-line-quality diagnostic available today, which is the 23-tone V.8 sequence specified by the International Telecommunications Union for testing phone-line quality. To enable a phone line to work at its greatest potential, the modem must examine the connection's weaknesses and strengths to compensate for the former and take advantage of the latter. How well it does the analysis determines the speed of the connection and whether a connection can even be made.
The most accurate way to test V.34 modems is by simulating all 168 possible phone-line conditions that the Telecommunications Industry Association recognizes as existing in this country. To reduce testing time, it is common practice to probe only those conditions that arise most often. So to save time during our testing, we chose a subset of the 14 most common situations, which covers 75 percent of the likely connections.
To simulate those 14 conditions, we used the TAS 240 Voiceband Subscriber Loop Emulator and the TAS 1200 Telephone Network Emulator, both from Telecom Analysis Systems (908-544-8700, fax 908-544-8347). The TAS 240 simulates the phone line between a modem and the phone companies' central office (CO), while the TAS 1200 acts as the network between COs.
A Gateway 2000 4SX/33 sent configuration information to the TAS 1200. Two AT&T Globalyst 630, 90MHz Pentiums from AT&T Global Information Solutions (800-447-1124, 513-445-5000) operated the modems. The Globalysts had the Hayes ESP Communications Accelerator high-speed serial ports (Hayes Microcomputer Products, 404-441-1617, fax 404-449-0087) installed. The software for the ESP boards replaced the Windows communications driver (COMM.DRV) and virtual communications driver (VCD) with drivers that took full advantage of the high-speed ports.
To enhance communications on the two Pentiums we used, we added the lines:
AllVMsExclusive=TRUE
TrapTimerPorts=FALSE
in the 386Enh section of the SYSTEM.INI file. Those two lines disable much of Windows' multitasking capability to boost the performance of the communications software. In the 386 Enhanced window (accessible from Control Panel), we set COM1 to Always Warn. Also, we selected Exclusive in Foreground operation, and set Foreground to 10,000 and Background to 1 to further speed up the communications software. Additionally, we loaded only the bare minimum of DOS drivers, and we had no network environment installed. We set all these parameters to reduce as much as possible the software influence in the testing, leaving us with a modem-to-modem comparison.
Each Pentium ran a communications script in Procomm Plus 2.11 (Datastorm Technologies, 800-474-1527, 314-443-3282). One script, pretending to be a user, called a BBS (simulated by the other script), and downloaded two industry-standard files that represent the extremes of compressibility. One can be compressed to a seventh of its original size while the other cannot be reduced at all. By comparing the time it takes to transmit the two files, we gauged how effectively the modem compresses files without incurring undue communication overhead. By looking at the modem performance for the incompressible file, we get an idea of the modem's throughput without compression.
To avoid extraneous overhead, we ran only the communications package during tests, with Program Manager minimized. Also, we conducted all file transfers with the raw ASCII protocol, which, unlike Xmodem, Ymodem or other transfer protocols, does not incur computational overhead. During an Xmodem transfer, for example, a transmitting computer spends significant time computing checksum values, transmitting them and waiting for a reply. Such protocols also add to the byte count. A raw ASCII transfer requires no computation, and the transmitting computer adds only 1 byte to the data regardless of transmission size.
During our test, we discovered a minor problem in Procomm. Its implementation of the raw-ASCII protocol polls the outgoing data for carriage returns--which make up about 10 percent of the compressible file's size--slowing the transfer to a crawl. Datastorm said it will eliminate the problem in the next major release. To get around the snag here, we simply substituted a character that wasn't in the original file for the carriage returns. That maintains the file's compression ratio and should provide equivalent results.
Using this setup, identical modems called one another and transferred files at least three times under the 14 conditions we selected.
We also had each modem call, and receive calls from, all the other modems three times, to note their connect speed and investigate their compatibility with all other modems in the review.