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Archive-name: modems/ZyXEL/FAQ/part4
Last-modified: 1995/04/09
Version: 4.2
Posting-frequency: monthly;the third Monday of every month
ZyXEL Modems
Frequently Asked
Questions List
Version 4.2
Archived at: rtfm.mit.edu in
/pub/usenet/news.answers/modems/ZyXEL/FAQ/part[1-5]
Please mail any additions to: rwong@direct.ca
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Table of Contents
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I. Information Sources
I.1 WWW servers know to carry ZyXEL info
I.2 FTP servers known to carry ZyXEL info
I.3 Mail servers known to carry ZyXEL info
I.4 Known mailing lists dealing with ZyXEL modems
I.5 ZyXEL's CELP compression mode for voice
*I.6 What is V.34, and what speeds are supported?
*I.7 What are the advantages to V.34?
*I.8 How good is V.34?
*I.9 What is the difference between a good V.34 modem and one made
by Joe?
*I.10 What will happen to the old models?
*I.11 Will ZyXEL implement a subset of V.34 on the 1496 series?
*I.12 What is ZyXEL's upgrade plans for the 1496RN+ modems?
*I.13 Why can not the new V.34 modems do faxing at 28.8 kpbs?
*I.14 What are flash ROMs and how will they work?
*I.15 How will the parallel port on the modems work?
*I.16 What is the benefit of the using the parallel port?
*I.17 Can the second port be used for other purposes?
*I.18 Why is there not an ethernet interface on the modem?
*I.19 What is ISDN?
*I.20 What is required for an ISDN hookup?
*I.21 Why doesn't ZyXEL include the NT1?
*I.22 What are the benefits of ISDN?
*I.23 Can normal analog phone calls be made after the ISDN upgrade?
*I.24 What kind of call processing does ZyXEL support?
*I.25 Is the Euro-ISDN the same as the American-ISDN "modem"?
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Subject: I. Information Sources
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Subject: I.1 WWW servers known to carry ZyXEL info
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http://www.zyxel.com/ Experimental ZyXEL USA WWW site
Info on new V.34 modems, etc
http://www.comm-data.com/zyxel/ Info on ZyXEL FAQ, etc
Subject: I.2 FTP servers known to carry ZyXEL info
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ftp.csie.nctu.edu.tw mirror of ZyXEL (Taiwan) BBS
Look in /ZyXEL
cca.camb.com Mirror of ftp.csie.nctu.edu.tw
ftp.zyxel.com OR: ZyXEL USA FTP site
ftp.sdsc.edu Look in /pub/other/zyxel
Contains latest official roms and
software. (Not intended to replace
the ZyXEL BBS, which has a much wider
array of available files.)
ftp.tcl.com.hk TCL Technology FTP site
Look in /pub/TCL/ZyXEL
grind.isca.uiowa.edu Look in /info/ZyXEL
iacrs1.unibe.ch Look in /pub/ZyXEL
another mirror of ZyXEL, Taiwan
ftp.cd.chalmers.se Look in /pub/zyxel
Same info as above sites, with more
files from ZyXEL, USA BBS and
more voicemail programs
ftp.luth.se ROM images, files, info, etc.
Look in /pub/misc/zyxel
ftp.cs.psu.edu Look in /pub/fenner/ZyXEL
Owner says: odd tibits, etc.
Usually no ROM images.
ftp.twi.tudelft.nl Look in /pub/ZyXEL
Eprom images, zfax, FAQ and other
goodies
kaiwan.com Look in /pub/ZyXEL.US.bbs.mirror
Contains files from ZyXEL BBS
sgi.com Look in /sgi/modems
Contains file called: fix-zyxel
(mirrored on wuarchive.wustl.edu)
Replacement files for /usr/lib/uucp
and /etc (gettydefs) to use ZyXELs
Look in /sgi/fax
Contains FlexFAX software
shape.mps.ohio-state.edu Look in pub/netfax-zyxel
Contains netfax patches for ZyXELs
sparco.com Look in /pub/sparco
Contains pricing and order info for
Sparco, a ZyXEL mail-order vendor
129.26.9.88 (name unknown) Look in /usr/pub/zyxel/ibm/jhb
Contains beta version of PD voicemail
program for PC
Germany:
dsrbg2.informatik.tu-muenchen.de Look in /physik/ZyXEL
Contents similar to ftp.luth.se
faramir.informatik.uni-oldenburg.de Look in /pub/amiga/incoming/zyxel
pretty much a mirror of ROM images,
etc.
quepasa.cs.tu-berlin.de Look in /pub/atari/modem
File called: zyxelinf.lzh
ftp.rrzn.uni-hannover.de Look in /pub/special/zyxel
ftp.uni-stuttgart.de Look in /pub/systems/pc/comm/zyxel
sun.rz.tu-clausthal.de Look in /pub/atari/telecomm
File called: zyxelinf.lzh
vax.ph-cip.uni-koeln.de Look in /pub/amiga/comm/zyxel
Contains amiga-soft for ZyXELs
and newest ZyXEL-ROMs
Amiga FTP (AmiNet) sites:
*************************
Australia
splat.aarnet.edu.au 192.107.107.6 (*)
(*) closed 6:30am to 4pm weekdays
Germany
ftp.uni-kl.de 131.246.9.95
ftp.uni-erlangen.de 131.188.1.43
ftp.cs.tu-berlin.de 130.149.17.7
ftp.th-darmstadt.de 130.83.55.75
ftp.uni-paderborn.de 131.234.2.32
Switzerland
litamiga.epfl.ch 128.178.151.32
Scandinavia
ftp.luth.se 130.240.16.3
USA
ftp.wustl.edu 128.252.135.4
merlin.etsu.edu 192.43.199.20
wcarchive.cdrom.com 192.153.46.2
Subject: I.3 Mail servers known to carry ZyXEL info
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questor.org
send mail to 'mail-server@questor.org' with a body of 'HELP' to
get instructions
Subject: I.4 Known mailing lists dealing with ZyXEL modems
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zyxel-programmers@sfu.ca
Please send all subscription/cancellation requests to
owner-zyxel-programmers@sfu.ca
mgetty@greenie.muc.de
Please send all subscription/cancellation requests to
mgetty-request@greenie.muc.de
Subject: I.5 ZyXEL's CELP compression mode for voice
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CELP compression is currently available only on Plus model modems. The
implementation of CELP in the ZyXEL plus model modems is proprietary. As
such, ZyXEL has not published any information regarding the manual decoding/
encoding using this method. ZyXEL also will not confirm nor deny any
sources of information that will will further elucidate the CELP decoding/
encoding algorithms.
A listing of all the US Federal Standard 1016 sources is available by
sending e-mail to Robert Wong (rwong@direct.ca).
The numerous pages of USFS descriptions do not help in decoding ZyXEL's CELP.
They may help to understand what ZyXEL's CELP C code basically does. The
USFS 1016 descriptions are nice to learn about what CELP *could* do ;-)
For further understanding of CELP, it needs a real mathematician and deeper
knowledge of voice processing theories.)
Subject: I.6 What is V.34, and what speeds are supported?
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V.34 is a ITU-T (International Telecommunication Union - Telecommunication
standards group) recommendation for 28.8 kbps asynchronous data communication.
V.34 supports 28.8 kbps as the fastest speed. V.34 will also support fallback
speeds (in 2400 bps decrements) down to 2400 bps. Thus V.34 will run at 28.8K,
26.4K, 24K, 21.6K, 19.2K, 16.8K, 14.4K, 12.2K, 9600, 7200, 4800, 2400 bps.
Subject: I.7 What are the advantages to V.34?
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Speed! V.34 is a *standard*, ITU-T protocol that specifies a transmission
speed of up to 28.8 kbps. The previous standard speed was V.32bis,
transmitting at 14.4 kbps.
Lawrence Kirby (fred@genesis.demon.co.uk) writes:
In theory, V.34 could support 14.4 kpbs on lines that V.32bis could not and
where V.32bis would have to drop down to lower speeds. In practice this is
a quality of implementation issue which may not be present in current products.
Subject: I.8 How good is V.34?
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an171@FreeNet.Carleton.CA (Anthony Hill) writes"
Well first of all if you're getting a 14.4 connection between two
v.34 connections, the chances of you ever getting a 14.4 connection
between two v.32bis connections are next to nill since v.34 is so much
better at handling poor lines (I get 28.8/28.8 or 28.8/26.4 connects most
of teh time on what are fairly average lines for North America). Also
v.34 is asymetrical, meaning you can have the protocol talking faster in
one direction then in the other direction, so you might end up with a
14.4/16.8 connections where as with v.32bis you'd only have a 14.4
connection (well actualy you'd rpobably have a 7200 or 9600 connection, if
any at all). Basicaly v.34 is better then any other ITU-T protocol in
pretty much every way. Of course a v.34 modem connecting to a v.32bis
modem will provide no advantage over a v.32bis modem connecting to another
v.32bis modem as modems must can only use the highest common protocol.
Subject: I.9 What is the difference between a good V.34 modem and one made
by Joe?
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V.34 has a collection of implementation options which will affect the
eventual performance of the modem. Some options to look for in a product
are asymmetrical transmission, auxiliary channel, lower speed baud rates,
nonlinear encoding, precoding, trellis states, etc. Good quality modems
will have implemented more of the V.34 options. [Hopefully they would have
also done a *GOOD* job in the implementation.]
Data Communicatons magazine, Nov 1994, pg 99-108 is a good reference to these
options and their impact on interoperativity and performance.
Two good V.34 modems are more likely outperform two Joe Average modems. The
enhanced performance will be noticeable on lousy lines, and may be noticeable
on good lines.
This also means that a good V.34 modem connecting with the "Joe" modem will
not notice any performance benefits.
Subject: I.10 What will happen to the old models?
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They will still be sold.
Kolja Waschk (kawk@Yo.COM) writes:
ZyXEL said they'd implement whatever [subset of V.34] is possible on the
U1496, and they won't stop support and firmware development for the U1496
series in the future.
Subject: I.11 Will ZyXEL implement a subset of V.34 on the 1496 series?
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Kolja Waschk (kawk@Yo.COM) writes:
As far as I know, it is IMPOSSIBLE to handle any v.34 'subset' with the U1496
hardware. v.34 needs more processing power even for the lower speeds than
other 19k2 methods like ZyXEL's own 19k2 and v32.terbo; more than the U1496
series offer. Correct me if I'm wrong.
Subject: I.12 What is ZyXEL's upgrade plans for the 1496RN+ modems?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
That will depend upon whether or not the new board can fit (physically)
into the existing chassis. Officially, there has not been a decision as
far as upgrade path for the rack mounts. The LED model will come out
first, then the LCD, and then rack.
Subject: I.13 Why can not the new V.34 modems do faxing at 28.8 kpbs?
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Currently there is no ITU-T standard for faxing at 28.8 kbps. When this
standard exists, ZyXEL will implement faxing at 28.8 kbps.
Subject: I.14 What are flash ROMs and how will they work?
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The current U-1496 generation of ZyXEL modems update ROM versions via a ROM
*replacement*. This involves opening the modem, removing the ROM chips, and
inserting the new chips.
The new ZyXEL modems will have flash ROMs to facilitate ROM updates. Users
will get a new copy of the ROM images, and run a program in DOS or in MacOS.
The new ROM images are sent to the modem, and the new images are "flashed"/
written to the flash ROM chips. This method of ROM updates should be much
easier to perform.
brentm@zyxel.com (Brent Mosbrook) writes:
The [flash] chips are rated at 100,000 flashes..
Subject: I.15 How will the parallel port on the modems work?
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The new ZyXEL Elite modems have a parallel printer port on them. An Elite can
be hooked up directly to a HP Deskjet/LaserJet/PCL-based printer. The Elite
will then send all incoming faxes to the printer. In effect, the printer will
become an incoming-only plain paper fax machine. The computer is thus bypassed,
thereby removing the usual requirement for the computer to be turned on (to
receive faxes).
When the optional 2/4/8 Mb of RAM is installed, incoming faxes can be stored
in the modem itself. The stored faxes can then be sent to the PC for futher
processing.
The modem will work on HP LaserJets and other PCL-based printers. Postscript
printers are not *currently* supported (stay tuned!).
Subject: I.16 What is the benefit of the using the parallel port?
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Joe Gray (jgray@onramp.net) wrote:
: Brent, what kind of speed difference can I expect between the serial port
: at 115K (assume 16550 UARTs) and the parallel port? I know that
: theoretically the parallel should be faster, but what about in real life?
brentm@zyxel.com (Brent Mosbrook) writes:
The speed is not the most important factor.. reliability and reduced CPU
load are the primary reasons to run the parallel driver.
Subject: I.17 Can the second port be used for other purposes?
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Only one port can be used on the new modems. Users *cannot* use the
other port for diagnostic, statistic, or call progress reporting purposes.
Subject: I.18 Why is there not an ethernet interface on the modem?
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Brent Mosbrook (brentm@zyxel.com) [ZyXEL USA] writes:
We're looking into providing an ethernet interface. I don't have details
as to which product, nor when it will be available though. As soon as
concrete info is available, I'll post.
Subject: I.19 What is ISDN?
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Modems (MOdulators and DEModulators) take data from the computer and
modulates the data into sounds for transmission over the phone line. The
modem on the receiving computer demodulates the sounds into data, which is
then send to the connected computer.
The modulation and demodulation process is inefficient. A better way to
transmit the data is to avoid the mod/demodulation process. Use digital
lines, and send the data digitally -- essentially, this is the purpose of
ISDN.
ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) is an additional *paid* service
from the telephone company. It is a high bandwidth technology that allows
users to send large amounts of information in short amounts of time. While
V.34 can send data at 28.8 kbps, ISDN can send data at 128 kpbs.
Basic Rate Service (BRS) ISDN, or 2B+D is composed of two 64 kbit/s digital
channels and one 16 kbit/s control channel.
Subject: I.20 What is required for an ISDN hookup?
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Buy a ZyXEL modem that is ISDN equipped, or buy the ISDN upgrade module for
the new ZyXEL modem. Get an ISDN line wired to premises. Subscribe to BRI
ISDN. Buy a a NT1 adapter (U interface). Plug the modem into the NT1 adapter
and plug the NT1 into the ISDN connection. The ZyXEL modem (technically no
longer a MODulator/DEModulator) is now connected via ISDN.
Subject: I.21 Why doesn't ZyXEL include the NT1?
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Not all countries implement ISDN the same way. Some are given the NT1 by
the telco.
Subject: I.22 What are the benefits of ISDN?
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Speed and flexibility.
Kari Tiihonen (kari.tiihonen@pcb.mpoli.fi) writes:
Nobody has yet talked about the speed of ISDN. It's ideal for remote
operations with it's V.42bis capability - you'll reach 30,00 cps if
your DTE can handle it. Zipped files will move around 15, 000 cps. Nice?
ISDN allows the following connection possibilities:
1. 1B - ISDN (64k)
2. 2B - ISDN (128k)
3. 1B - ISDN (64k)
1B - External Analog device (phone, fax, modem)
4. 1B - V.34 over ISDN (to a remote analog device) up to V.34 speeds
5. 1B - V.34 over ISDN (to a remote analog device) up to V.34 speeds
1B - External Analog device (phone, fax, modem)
In scenario 5, users can use one B channel to maintain an ISDN connection.
SIMULTANEOUSLY, users can either talk/fax/modem/voicemail on the other B
channel. <Editor's note: "Awesome eh!">
Subject: I.23 Can normal analog phone calls be made after the ISDN upgrade?
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Yes.
Brent Mosbrook (brentm@zyxel.com) [ZyXEL USA] writes:
"If you have the ISDN module, you can still do V.34 links. The ISDN
module allows you to simulate an analog line, so you can still connect to
any other V.34 modem that has a POTS line.
IF you want to plug the ISDN-interface equipped modem into a real POTS
line, then you would have to open the modem, remove the ISDN module, and
replace it with the analog module. This is probably only an issue for
folks who take their modems with them on trips and such.. The whole point
of the ISDN module is to give you the flexibility to connect to EITHER
type of remote device."
Subject: I.24 What kind of call processing does ZyXEL support?
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Computer telephony can be defined as computers and telephones working together.
The computer will control perform the "call control/processing" tasks such as
dialling, answering, transferring, and conferencing of the phone line.
Currently, there are more than a few "standards" for call processing. These
standards include the AT&T/Novell Telephone Services Application Programming
Interface (TSAPI), the Microsoft/Intel Telephony Application Programming
Interface (TAPI), the Macintosh Telephony Architecture (MTA), etc. A
true "standard" will emerge in due time.
[Ed.: Hopefully this new FAQ entry is factually correct.]
Brent Mosbrook (brentm@zyxel.com) [ZyXEL USA] writes:
We haven't announced support for TSAPI (Novell) yet, but as the article
mentioned, we will be supporting TAPI (Microsoft).
Subject: I.25 Is the Euro-ISDN the same as the American-ISDN "modem"?
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There are hardware differences between the two "modems". Thus an ISDN "modem"
purchased in the Americas will not be Euro-ISDN compatible.
================================================================================
--
Robert Wong Jr.
1921 East 61st Avenue, Vancouver, B.C., Canada, V5P 2K2, (604) 322-6918
rwong@direct.ca or wrob@unixg.ubc.ca
Keeper of the ZyXEL FAQ and Head of the UBC-NeXT Users Group
Standard disclaimers apply.
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