A new modem standard will soon–but not quite yet–make it safe for you to jump to the next modem level: the “56K” level where the modem moves more than 50,000 bits every second.
The first modem speed that made the Web and Net practical ran at 9,600 kilobits per second (thousands of bits per second), often abbreviated simply as “K.” Later came 14.4K modems and then 28.8K. Let’s hope you’re at least operating at the 28.8 level now. Most likely you’re there, or at the slightly faster 33.6K generation. I don’t think you can even find 9.6 and 14.4 modems any more. If you’ve got one, jumping to 56K will bring a big smile.
Last year brought the introduction of 56K modems. But they weren’t ready for prime time. They came in two different designs: “x2” from Skokie’s U.S. Robotics, now part of 3Com, and “K56Flex” from Rockwell International. If you had a new modem with one design, and your Internet service provider had another, your bits wouldn’t move any faster than 33.6K or 28.8K. Because of that divided market, many ISPs were slow to buy equipment at their end to support 56K, which meant individuals were reluctant too, which meant prices on the modems didn’t fall fast.
But in February, the International Telecommunications Union managed to bring the two sides together in support of a single standard for 56K modems called V.90.
Announcements of new modems that would follow V.90 came within days.
Which raises the question: Should you run down now to buy?
No, not quite yet, unless you’re just dying for some extra speed and have enough tech savvy to upgrade a modem’s built-in software later.
First you have to figure out if 56K is worthwhile.
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Maybe you live in one of the few communities that offers super-fast cable modem service or Digital Subscriber Line, or DSL, telephone service. Those can move between 1.5 million and 30 million bits per second. That makes 56K look very small. And the trial installations of cable modems and DSL are often at very low rates. Call your cable TV company and phone company to find out.
Or maybe you’d like a satellite dish antenna. Famous for delivering movies and sports, a variation of these pizza-pan-sized dishes can bring in the Internet at 400K, though they can only send at 33.6K because they have to go out through a normal modem. If you’ve got the right exposure to the southern sky, this can be a fine idea. That’s assuming you can find a comfortable rate plan that doesn’t force you to pay too much per megabyte received–a surprise to people accustomed to unrestricted access for a set monthly fee. Also, some of the rate plans restrict your Net time to the middle of the night. If you’re interested, call Hughes Network Systems about its DirecPC service (800-347-3272; www.direcpc.com).
Finally, maybe you can get a good deal on an Integrated Services Digital Network, or ISDN, line. That’s a new kind of phone company wire, although not as new as DSL, that can give you 128K Internet access plus improved voice telephone features. Some phone companies make it relatively cheap to get an ISDN line, some charge a bundle, nearly all claim that it’s now “easy” to set up. Don’t believe that claim unless you’re the type who also thinks re-partitioning your hard drive and manually setting your PPP addresses is simple. Remember that you won’t get ISDN speed unless your ISP offers an ISDN connection.
If these alternatives sound intimidating, get ready for some disillusionment about 56K, too.
Because of legal restrictions set down years ago, based on technical limits of the voice phone lines, a 56K modem can’t actually download bits any faster than 53K. If you live in an area with bad phone lines–old, overworked, poorly connected at the station–or even just have bad lines into your house, cut that down to 45K or even the same 28.8K you’d get with an older modem. And, again, you won’t get anything better than 33.6K unless your ISP is ready with a 56K modem at its end.
Oh, and did I mention that you can’t send any faster than 33.6K at any time, no matter how fine your phone lines? 56K modems only get faster for incoming bits, not outgoing. That’s fine for viewing pictures, but not for communications.
So now are you still as eager to buy that 56K modem?
One final quibble: the first V.90 models are coming out so soon after the ITU standard that they haven’t seen a whole lot of testing. If you buy one in the next two or three months, you could get bitten by some bugs.
If you already have an x2 or K56Flex modem, call your modem maker and get a V.90 upgrade as soon as possible. Most modems these days are made with “flash” memory to hold their basic software. These flash memory chips can be erased and then given new software from a disk or even directly from the Internet. This upgrade could be free.
If you have a 28.8K or 33.6K modem, and can’t get or afford cable, DSL, satellite or ISDN, hold off a little while on buying 56K. I’d say live with your current speed until the end of May, then ask your ISP if they’ve installed 56K V.90 equipment. If so, buy one for yourself.
If you have a modem slower than 28.8K, and no choice of cable, DSL, satellite, ISDN, maybe you should just forget about the Internet for a while, and cancel your current account. Then in May look for the best new ISP deal that includes V.90 support.
I don’t see any reason for anyone to buy a 28.8K or 33.6K modem any more unless it comes free in a computer. Modems built around x2 and K56Flex don’t cost much more than 28.8 or 33.6.
If you’re buying an x2 or K56Flex, insist that it be flash-upgradeable with promises for V.90 compatibility.
You no longer have to worry about much else in a modem, such as “Hayes-compatible” or “`DSVD.” These features matter more when you’re connecting to Bulletin Boards and other non-Internet stuff. For the Internet, they’re fading from whatever importance they once had. Some serious on-line game players may want V.70 support; videoconferencing experimenters should look for V.80 and H.324 support. Home businesses may want Caller ID, distinctive-ring, speakerphone and other voice-mail features.
If you’d like to send and receive faxes, make sure you get a “data-fax” modem, although almost all modems now on the market support faxing.
And naturally ask for a good warranty and tech support. Personally, I also like a manual volume control knob somewhere on the outside of external modems, to turn down the shrieks of Internet hook-up when I can’t figure out how to make the software control the volume for me.
All modems come with some free software, for faxing, voice-mail and Internet connection. Don’t make your modem decision based on these, because they’re freely available most everywhere.
A 33.6K internal modem costs about $45 these days. A 56K internal in the x2 or K56Flex design costs from around $80 to $140. An external modem, which is easier to install and to share with several different computers, costs about $30 more.