Thursday, March 26, 1998

So just how fast is that 56K modem?

By Joe Kilsheimer

The Orlando Sentinel

When you bought that 56,000-bit-per-second modem last year, you probably thought you were going to zip through cyberspace and rid yourself of the stress you suffer at the hands of the World Wide Wait, er Web.

Now you know better, don't you?

You might as well face it: Nothing is simple when it comes to computers, and that is especially true of modems, one of the most finicky parts of any system.

We're going to offer some tips on how to navigate in the realm of 56 kbps modems. But first - for those who don't know what a modem is - here's a primer: A modem is the device that allows your computer to talk to other computers via telephone lines.

The word "modem" comes from the phrase "modulate/demodulate." Essentially it means your modem encodes outgoing computer data into signals that phone lines can carry and decodes incoming signals into data your computer can understand.

The basic rule is: The more bps per second, the better off you are.

When 56 kbps - or 56K - modems hit the market in early 1997, there was a lot of hype about them being twice as fast as the previous standard modems, which carried data at 28.8K.

That would have been cool had it been true.

Unfortunately, 56K modems never connect at 56K. It's always something slower, usually anywhere between 40K and 50K. I've been given conflicting reasons why this happens.

Some experts attribute the problem to telephone "line noise," caused by wet ground, old copper wiring or lengthy distances between your house and the switching office. Others blame a Federal Communications Commission regulation that effectively caps modem speeds at 53K.

Whatever the reason, modem companies could do a better job of being upfront about how fast their products actually work.That seems only fair.

Further complicating the issue for consumers has been the division of 56K modems into two technological camps. One side flies under the banner of "X2," a brand name of modem manufacturer U.S. Robotics. The other, called "K56flex," is based on standards designed by Rockwell International and Lucent Technologies.

The dueling standards mean that X2 modems can talk only to X2 modems. If your Internet service company has only K56flex - as is the case with many small providers - you're stuck if all you have is X2.

That problem, at least, is on its way to being solved. The International Telecommunications Union in Geneva recently came up with a unifying standard - V.90 - for 56K modems.

Although several manufacturers have rushed new V.90 56K modems to the market, they still will not run at the highest speed possible until Internet service providers deploy the needed equipment on their side of the connection. That will take another two to three months.

If you are in the market for a 56K modem, make sure you buy one that can be upgraded to the new V.90 standard. Most companies that sell such modems plan to issue the upgrade by posting software patches you can download and install.

Pay attention to how much built-in memory your new modem has. Some modems come with 2 MB of memory, but the good ones come with at least 4 MB.

At home, I've been using Global Village's new Teleport modem, which details for $99 at most computer retail outlets.

It was fairly easy to install, and I've been connecting to both America Online and a local Internet service provider at around 45 kbps. It is noticeably better than the performance I get with the 28.8 modem in my laptop computer.

But still, just once, I'd love to see AOL's modem icons light up and say: "Connecting at 56,000 bps."

(Computing reporter Joe Kilsheimer welcomes your comments via e-mail. Send it to OSOjoekils(AT)aol.com. Or you may phone him at (407) 420-5483. His columns are on America Online at keyword:OSO Living.)

(c) 1998, The Orlando Sentinel (Fla.).

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