From: mpye@netcom.com (Michael Pye)
Subject: Modem Summary - part 1
Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services  (408 241-9760 guest) 
Date: Wed, 27 Jan 1993 12:42:46 GMT

This is a summary of the responces to my query of which modem to
purchase (after being burned by a Supra).

Gathered (mostly) from sources on the Internet.  This discusses various
14.4K (and higher) modems.  As most of the "reviewers" lean heavily
toward the Zyxel modems, I've included some detailed specs on these as
well.

Modems discussed: Supra, Gateway Telepath, Zoom,
Practical Peripherials, USR Courier HST Duel, AT&T, Motorola, Zyxel

Thanks to: Paul Platt, Paul Platt, Mark Scrivener, Joseph Stroup,
Aron Roberts, Bill Johnston, and Steve Pershing.
========================================================================

>From pep Tue Nov  3 19:31:13 1992
Date: Tue, 3 Nov 92 19:31:08 CST
From: pep (Paul Platt)
To: Scrivener@llnl.gov@meson
Subject: modems
Cc: pep
Content-Length: 16185
Status: RO
X-Lines: 272


I did a one on one comparison of Gateway, Zoom, Supra, and ZyXEL. Here is
rough cut at data. I called several hard to connect to systems both local 
and long distance. Modems were rotated and the calling sequence cycled 
through approximately 5 times.  As an example of the variance, Gateway 
never connected to ZyXEL BBS. Rarely to R&E. Rarely (once? - don't have  
my notes with me) to work. ZyXEL connected to Supra, ZyXEL, USR Dual, PPI
reliably. Gateway never got 14400 connect to PPI. Only ZyXEL, and PPI 
(seperate test on PPI - not one on one) connected all of the time.
PPI droped carrier or had UUCP problem depending on PROMs used. PPI wasn't
tested under as adverse conditions as the others were.

>  Anyone interested in a comparison test against other
>  modem brands? I have the ZyXEL, can borrow a Zoom.
>  The Supra MAY be able to be borrowed again.
>

RESULTS OF THE FIRST Paul E. Platt MODEM SHOOTOUT


Gateway Telepath - Model tested had the latest PROMs as of September 1992. 
        This modem is cheap ($199) and comes with the best 
        software bundle. END OF GOOD NEWS. This was the worst performing
        modem BY FAR. It does not like to renegotiate and when it does
        renegotiate it sometimes screws up. This modem works well if you
        live in an area with perfect phone lines and only call others 
        with perfect lines. Documentation was the worst of the bunch;
        it consisted of a brief command listing and not much else. Call up 
        Zoom and get their manual. The commands are the same. The command 
        set for the FAX and modem are pretty comprehensive.This modem
        will sometimes lock in a state where it is outputting a tone and 
        where it refuses to accept ANY commands. The only way to exit this
        condition is with a hard reset of the computer. <CTL><ALT><DEL>
        doesn't help. Neither does diconnecting the modem from the phone line.
        The plug for a regular phone is unswitched. Hence that phone stays 
        connected during modem usage. This is both good and bad. On the plus 
        side, I sometimews used it for monitoring call progress up to the 
        time a tone was received. This was very useful with the Telepath 
        since it would return a BUSY response when it got a voice message 
        saying "We're sorry but your call did not go through as dialed.
         Please check the number and dial again". At one point I thought 
        a BBS was very busy only to later find out I was dialing the wrong 
        number! On the downside, all phones connected to a line degrade the 
        connection. For that reason, most modems disconnect the regular phone. 

        In fact, the Gateway Telepath was very sensitive to other phones on 
        the line. Disconnecting all phones made a big improvement in the
        reliability of connections. No other modem showed such extreem 
        sensitivity to associated equipment. PROMs are soldered in so 
        upgrades mean returning the modem. Tech support is helpful and 
        they have an excellent BBS. 
        However, they do tend to say "It's a problem with the phone line"
        to cover up the problem the Gateway has with noisy lines. The
        engineer who answers most of the hard questions (a nice and 
        knowledgeable person) just bought a ZyXEL.

Zoom - Works better than the Telepath by a good bit even though based
        on the same Rockwell chipset. Nice lights and a reasonably attractive
        case. Relatively cheap. A very rich modem and FAX command set.
        The problem is in performance. This modem tries to connect at 14.4K 
        even when it shouldn't. It then locks in the negotiation phase. 
        The result is CARRIER 14400 and then nothing. This is similar to the
        Gateway but requires more marginal lines for it to happen. Users
        with excellent phone lines will probably think this is a great
        modem. I don't. I like the manual. The AT, FAX, PROTOCOL and S 
register
        chapters have a command summary at the start and each command
        is then listed in more detail. Word on the street is that upgrades 
        to the firmware are few and far between. Tech support is near 
        impossible to reach.


                        Zoom
                        ati3
                        V1.200 TR14-Jxxx-001 049


Supra - A very attractive package. This modem is TINY. It reminds me of a 
        small radar detector. The display is very informative and better than
        all but the PPI and the ZyXEL with the LCD. The speaker is the worst 
        sounding modem speaker I have ever heard. There have been reliability
        problems with the speaker but they are supposedly fixed. This modem
        worked well. It tends to try for a fast connection. However, it does
        a much better job than the Zoom or Gateway of getting through the 
        negotiation phase. Still, it can be made to exhibit the same
        CARRIER 14400 and then nothing response as the other Rockwell
        based modems. All in all, not a bad modem for the price ($265 here, 
        $199 at the BBS Con One convention). This modem runs hot so 
reliability
        is a question. Keep it well ventilated. Case has an expensive look. 
        Much nicer than the ZyXEL (especially E model) or Zoom. There is a
        front panel power switch (YEAH!). As with the other Rockwell based
        modems, a very good modem and FAX command set. Several stored factory
        setups designed for Mac, Mac with DTR, PC - a nice touch. I couldn't
        get the F2 default to be recognized however (user error??). The
        F0 and F1 defaults worked. Caller ID is being added and voice is 
        promised. The Supra BBS looks fairly good. Supra has a reasonable
        update policy with fixes being free and new features (caller ID etc.)
        being about $30. All in all, this is a reasonable modem if bottom
        line dollars are a first priority. The quick reference card is
        the best I have seen. The manual is ok for beginners but lacking in
        depth of coverage. The modem is available with various software 
        packages. The PROM revision number was V1.200H. I believe this is the 
        latest rev. without caller ID. Since these are the original PROMs,
        it is interesting that caller ID hasn't been added to the shipping 
        product.

                OK
                at i3
                V1.200-H TR14-Jxxx-001 053

Practical Peripherals - Based on the AT&T chip set this one is hard to 
        call since I didn't have it available for direct comparison. However, 
        I was able to spend some time with it and have a preliminary opinion.
        The size and shape make placement a bit awkward. This modem really 
        wants to sit beside your PC and not on top of it. The display is 
        GREAT. Only the LCD model ZyXEL is better.Once you have used a 
        modem with this kind of display you won't want to go back. In some 
        areas it is better than the ZyXEL. The ZyXEL will just say 
        DIALING..... The PPI will say DIALING then FAR RING to show that 
        it is getting a ring at
        the other end of the line. There are several other messages not 
        displayed by the ZyXEL. The modem is easy to update and the past 
        policies of PPI have been very nice. PROM changes are sent free of 
        charge. All they ask is that the old PROMs be sent back in the 
        supplied mailer. The quick reference card is very good. Slightly
        below that of the Supra and the ZyXEL. It doesn't show the FAX 
        commands. The manual is good for beginners but lacks the depth of the
        Zoom manual. Connections are, in most cases, easy to make. I was 
        never able to connect to the ZyXEL BBS however. The PPI likes to 
        make high speed connections and seems to stay at 14400 more than 
        the ZyXEL. However, when it does renegotiate, there is a problem 
        and the connection is more often than not lost. This is fixed in 
        the latest PROM release (1.15m). However, the fix resulted in the 
        modem not working on uucp connections. PPI is serious about fixing 
this
        problem and they were asking to work closely with my friend who owns
        the PPI. It seems that at first they didn't know what uucp was.
        This looks to be an excellent modem once this problem is fixed. 
        For the moment I would stay away if uucp is a concern. Also, make
        sure you have the latest PROMs (1.15m?) since otherwise you will 
        get lots of dropped connections. I had trouble getting through my 
        mail before being dropped. The street price for this modem is 
        about $400. This is expensive for a modem with 9600 FAX (not 14.4K)
        and no caller ID or voice mail capability.

Courier HST Dual - I didn't have one to evaluate but almost all BBSs use 
        these. Some of this is due to their long standing discount program for
        sysops but I have heard only good things about these modems.
        Unfortunately, you pay a lot for the security. Probably a safe bet 
        but costly. No voice or caller ID. No security features. The 16.8K
        mode is proprietary and is 16.8K in only one direction. The ZyXEL
        is 16.8K both ways. However, the HST mode is more widely supported.
        In many ways these are the "cheap" reference modems. 

AT&T and Motorola - Great reputations. Didn't have any to test. I wanted
        to mention them since they are the safe bets for a business. 
        VERY EXPENSIVE. Generally no side features (FAX, caller ID etc.).
        The AT&T is able to download the update to its PROMs by dialing a 
        special number. THE best way of doing updates I have ever seen. Most 
        of these can be remotely configured (so can the ZyXEL) which aids 
        the system administrator. There are now pre-v.fast modems available 
        that transmit around 24K baud. If you really need high speed point to
         point over regular phone lines and you have $1800 to spend ($900 
        each end) then that is the way to go. Everything else is bush league.

        <BACK TO REAL WORLD - HE WAKES UP FROM THE DREAM OF v.FAST>

ZyXEL U-1496 (S & E) - The S model is usually listed without the S designator
        i.e. as U-1496. This is the LCD model. It has far and away the best 
        display I have ever seen. Scope outputs are an option. If you can 
        afford this modem then get it. I learned more about my phone lines 
        in 5 minutes with this modem than from 2 visits by the local phone
        company technician. If nothing else, at least borrow one for a day.
        The feature set is too long to list here. Read the review in 
        Boardwatch Magazine. The S model is physically very large and at the
        opposite end of the size range from the Supra. The E model is smaller
        than the S. It is slightly larger than the Zoom
        i.e. close to typical but slightly bigger. The E has the more 
        traditional front panel lights and is similar to the Zoom in 
capability
        of the display. There are some extra display features over the Zoom
        with bliking lights telling you line quality etc. but I found that a 
        little awkward. Both ZyXEL models have caller ID, voice mail, FAX 
        and on and on. Performance was the best of the group actually tested 
        (Zoom, PPI, Gateway, Supra). The ZyXEL is conservative. I got a lot 
        of 12K connections where other modems connected at 14.4K. HOWEVER, 
under
        the line conditions that generated the 12K ZyXEL connections, the 
ZyXEL 
        always connected while the others sometimes hung either during
        initial negotiation or renegotiation. All in all, this is my favorite 
        modem and I wound up sending back my Gateway and buying a ZyXEL 1496S.
        Speed shifts are fast. Speaker sound quality is good. It has many
        rare features - DTMF recognition, distinctive ring recognition,
        security callback, leased line dial backup, front pannel 
        programmability (S model). Negatives include a manual that's out of 
date
        and doesn't document many features (a new one has just been 
introduced),
        lack of support for some common AT command extensions, poor software
        documentation, & no Windows software. ZyXEL is excellent about issuing
        revised firmware. ZyXEL and Supra seem to have the most active update 
        programs. ZyXEL's update policy is reasonable but not as good as 
PPI's.
        They sell the updated PROMs for about $20. The code is freely 
available
        for download if you want to save money and burn your own. ZyXEL 
        dealers are few and far between. This is a shame for such an excellent 

        product. Their BBS is reasonable and I have gotten fair responses.
        With the design staff in Taiwan, I doubt that techie questions will
        be as easily answered as on the Gateway BBS. Modem has a 16.8K mode.
        This is an extension of v.32bis and is not compatible with HST 16.8K.
        ZyXEL is placing the protocol in the public domain (thank you). Also,
        there are new + models coming out which extend this mode to 19.2K
        (not right now - a future PROM update). There may be some issues with
        16.8K since there has been a problem with 16.8K connections not being
        clean or properly downshifting on noisy lines. I have not experienced 
        this myself. Mine has worked fine. The 16.8K problem gets solved when 
        one of the ZyXELs is restricted to 14.4K or slower. This brings up a 
        connand set feature missing on many modems. It is possible to set 
        v.22bis/no negotiation and connect easily to older 2400/1200 baud 
modems. 
        Many modems (Gateway, Zoom) require that you lock to a specific speed 
        i.e. S37=5 for 1200 baud. The ZyXEL method is much more flexible.
        Figuring out how to connect to America Online was minutes rather than 
        the days that I spent with the Gateway and the string was simple: 

                AT&N15&K0

        Be sure to ask about availability of the plus models when ordering.
        These modems are not cheap. Call around for good pricing. ZyXEL will
        supply names of dealers. Get them to give you the full list and not
        just the guy in your area. Then call around. The E model can be had 
for 
        $329 from Mike Bernstein at the Kandy Shack (800-638-1170). The E+ is 
        about $500. Tradeup policy is currently undefined. I hope they will 
use
        PPI as an example. PPI had a tradeup policy (about $250) from their 
        9600 to 14400 modems. It was supposed to be an upgrade but became a
        tradeup when the decision was made to add the LCD display to the PPI.
        PROMs are rev. 5.02 m. There is a problem with 16.8K when the modem 
        retrains (or is it shifts speed?) in the middle of negotiation.
        This only happens on the initial connect (as far as we have seen). 
        You get 16.8K no error correction rather than downshifting. ZyXEL
        is aware of this and has a fix in beta test. Same with the problem
        connecting to Microsoft BBS.  [these last problems have been fixed 
        with the latest ROMs.]

In summary, for the price and if you have fairly good phone lines, get the 
Supra. If you want the best of the ones I tested then that is the ZyXEL. If
you want it all as far as fearures go get the ZyXEL. If you want a modem that 
is also a piece of phone line test equipment then get the ZyXEL 1496S. 
I bought the S model I tested. I am now sending it back but only because
I want the S+ model. 

UPDATE: Tech response from ZyXEL has been very good. Better than I expected.
They say PROMs are free when they are only a bug fix. Upgrade path from
S to S+ is to sell the S ( or in my case get a refund ) and buy the S+.
I think they should do better here. UDS will upgrade to full v.fast for free 
but ythe modem costs $900 street price. I am still in love with the ZyXEL. 
The display on the S is just to good to give up. It has proven more useful 
than I would have imagined. By watching the instantaneous data rate (RX & TX) 
numbers you can tell a lot about what is going on. S/N says a lot about how 
variable line quality is. Last night kept bouncing from 26dB to 12bD. 12 is 
awful
and resulted in a speed shift to 4800. 26 will support 14400 - I live in the 
boonies!

The Rockwell based modems have problems in negotiation. All three above 
showed the same problem signature (CARRIER 14400 then nothing). The ZyXEL 
and PPI do not. The fact that I am returing my S for an S plus and shipping
the Gateway back says it all. BTW, Supra is $265 locally so I must REALLY
like the ZyXEL to spend so much more on it.


Gateway ---      -10 garbage
Zoom    ---      -7 poor
PPI     ---      -7 poor IF you need UUCP. Not -10 since I have faith PPI
                        will fix it. Friend is taking his SPARCstation
                        over to PPI to show them the problem. They called
                        him.
Supra   ---      +4 adequate. Great feature set. Lots of upgrades.
PPI     ---      +7 if no UUCP usage. Great display. PROM changes fixes
                        dropped connection probelm (but breaks UUCP)
                        Who uses 14400 FAX anyway. I don't get caller ID.
ZyXEL   ---  +9 Not perfect but close enough for sport. Best feature set.
                        Works well on poor lines.

MOST WANTED FEATURE: Upgrade of PROMs via modem like AT&T. Expect to
                        go through several upgrades no matter what you choose.

Hope this long winded report helps. Let me know if you get this.



===============================================================

Zyxel
ati
U1496E  V 5.02 M  

Zoom
ati3
V1.200 TR14-Jxxx-001 049

===============================================================


>From pep Mon Nov  2 09:05:14 1992
Date: Mon, 2 Nov 92 09:05:13 CST
From: pep (Paul Platt)
To: derek@morris.b17d.ingr.com@meson
Subject: Re: modems not Rockwell
Cc: pep
Content-Length: 3766
Status: RO
X-Lines: 84


>From what I hear USR modems work well. They tend to be overpriced. 
Other modems I hear great things about are AT&T and Motorola (UDS). 

My comparison was based on what I could get my hands on. I had the Gateway
which wasn't working out. I kept getting told it was my phone lines. The 
phone company came out twice and said things were ok. We had a Zoom at 
work but it was having problems similar to the Gateway's. I couldn't 
even get the Gateway to talk to the Zoom on a local call! A guy who
works for me got a Supra and was able to get in. The people we used the Zoom 
to link to got so fed up they bought a ZyXEL 1496E. That is when I decided 
that I needed to do some comparison testing. I read the Mac User article 
(Nov. issue) but didn't think their testing pushed the top modems enough. 
I got the S model ZyXEL on a 30 day money back guarantee on the BBS screen 
special. Would have loved to have had a USR Dual to test. A Sportster would
also have been nice. 

More thoughts:

Gateway Telepath is hopeless. AVOID

Zoom is poor in its present form and they seem to be waiting on Rockwell 
to solve their problems.

Supra is the best of the Rockwell modems but still has problems. Packaging is
excellent - small, attractive, functional. Very good display.

Avoid the Rockwell based modems. I know, preaching to the converted.

PPI is getting there. GREAT display especially for the price. Limited 
feature set, however.

USR - expensive, people seem to love them, the thousands of BBSs can't 
be wrong. Limited feature set.

AT&T, UDS - expensive. What your business should buy. AT&T gets PROM 
updates via modem download directly to the EEPROM. GREAT IDEA! UDS has
a 24.4K speed in a $900 (street price) modem and the mode WORKS! UDS on
that modem offers a FREE upgrade to v.fast when the definition is completed.
Like I said, what I would recommend to a company. Few side features. These are
modems period. 

ZyXEL - best feature set. Voice lacks good software but second party software
is currently being worked on. Works well. There is a problem with Microsoft
support BBS. Earlier PROM releases were ok. ZyXEL is being open that they
 also see a problem with that one connection. They seem very dedicated to 
solving the problem. S model has the best display I have ever seen. 
Callback secureity, leased line (S model), scope outputs (S model option),
FAX, caller ID, distinctive ring, DTMF decoding (many possibilities here - 
`if you want blah press 3...', voice recording and transmit, 16.8K speed,
future 19.2K speed (+ models only). See Nov Boardwatch Magazine. FAST
speed shifts especially ZyXEL to ZyXEL. This is seperate from a retrain and 
works very well. The S model display is like a piece of test gear and 
has let me debug my line problems. I feel much better knowing what 
the conditions are at any time 

S  display:

connect speed
error correction and compression mode
DTE speed
instantaneous bit rate both receive & transmit
selection to hang up using front panel (in case software locks)
 
<next screen>
phase jitter
frequency offset
received signal strength
signal to noise ratio on line (wow does mine move around a lot)

<next screen> 
retrains granted (retrain requests from other modem)
retrains done 
echo delay
CL (can't remember what this one does. I think it involves leased 
line operation and counts disconnects on the line)

<other screens> 
other screens allow complete control from the front panel including security
features, S registers, dialing, .......

Sorry about the long winded reply but ZyXEL is a young, small company that 
is trying hard and isn't very well known. A year ago their modems were 
interesting but with real problems. Most of those are gone and it is a 
very useful product. They have come a long way.

=========================================================================

All new S models (some old ones may be at dealers) are now S+ models.
They have a sticker saying "Plus Enhanced". The upgrade is to faster
components including a change from a 12MHz 68000 to a 16MHz 68000.
A PROM upgrade should offer a 19.2K modem  around Jan timeframe.
Non-plus models will not be able to run at 19.2K. Not that I think they
have kept the E as a cheaper model seperate from the E+. Careful on the
B models since older ones have smaller PROMs that can't store latest codes.
The update is a $50 board mod. Latest B+ models have sockets with
the extra address line connected.

ZyXEL has a problem that can cause flakiness at 16.8K but a fix is in beta 
test.
It will be a PROM update. 

Voice support is poor but SoftKlone (make the Mirror communications package) 
is working on an integrated voice/fax/data com package. They are testing
it with a ZyXEL.

Speaker volume, particularly on voice, needs to be louder. ZyXEL is aware of 
this.
Personally, I have no problem with the speaker volume under normal
usage (some people want more) but I haven't used voice very much.

========================================================================

Article: 25138 of comp.dcom.modems