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56K.COM exclusive!
Though there hasn't been an official press release yet, Diamond Multimedia will provide free upgrades to the final ITU 56K standard for their 56K modem products. Diamond Multimedia notified 56K.COM late this evening that the announcement will be forthcoming, and that we could publish the story. You can read Diamond's letter online.
Hey, space fans! A NetworkWorld article, "Mars - 2400 baud away," looks at the tools NASA uses to communicate with the Pathfinder rover on Mars. According to the article, NASA is using 9.6K Motorola wireless modems that effectively transmit data at about 2.4K. The modems were purchased off the shelf and then modified to operate in the harsh Martian atmosphere.
NetworkWorld also has a good piece about the upcoming ITU 56K standard, and an article about the Ramp Networks WebRamp M3, a bonding router.
A reader named Matt noticed that Practical Peripherals has extended their 56K upgrades until July 31, 1997.
MaxTech is offering free upgrades to the final ITU 56K standard for MaxTech 56K modems purchased between June 1, 1997 and October 31, 1997.
New pages @ 56K.COM
Practical Peripherals and MaxTech are two of the eight companies listed on a new page listing companies offering free upgrades to the final ITU standard.
Another page added to the site last weekend: a list of all 56K modem reviews.
Memphis: Windows 97? 98?
First, the good news: a PC World story, "PC Meets TV: Microsoft Offers Details About Memphis," reports on details of Microsoft's integration of the next version of Windows 95 with television, including cable TV and satellite, when used with appropriate hardware. Memphis will also offer a feature called InstantOn: Windows will be able to individually power down individual computer components, from the CPU and monitor to the cooling fan, then power them back up on demand. Besides saving battery power on laptops, the InstantOn feature means that a computer can wake up to receive faxes or exchange email at pre-set times.
Now the bad news: PC World also reports that Microsoft has officially stated that Memphis will not ship until 1998. I hope Microsoft hadn't printed any "Windows 97" boxes.
Canoe trip
I'll be on a canoe trip July 17 and 18 with a group of TVA biologists looking for endangered species. Wish us luck. Look for news again on Monday.
June 14
Special Report:
56K Performance Results
One of the questions people ask me is "how fast are 56K modems in real life?" Using both K56flex and x2 modems, I see connect speeds from my home of about 40-42K, with matching transfer rates for pre-compressed files. That's not bad at all, and I expect the performance to improve as the modem makers issue new firmware updates, and as new firmware is loaded onto the modems I'm dialing into.
Naturally, one person's experience can't speak for the whole world. Today we'll look at some ISP tests, and find out how you can test your own modem and send in the results.
ISP test results
A number of ISPs have done performance testing and posted the results to their web sites:
MindSpring has posted the connect speeds of their x2 test users. More than 80% of their testers are connecting between 40 and 50K.
Hiiway's second K56flex test results show that about a quarter of the testers report no speed improvement, a quarter report a modest improvement, and about half report a significant improvement in connection speed and transfer rates. Hiiway's report also discusses some of the line impairments that can affect connection speed, and individual results for some popular modems.
McHenryCom tested four K56flex modems brands: Diamond Multimedia, Hayes, Motorola, and Zoom. The four modems performed almost identically, with the exception of an early version of the Hayes Accura, which probably had one of the early, defective Rockwell chipsets. A second Hayes Accura with a later chipset performed on par with the other modems.
How to measure download speed
The McHenry test deserves kudos for showing both initial connect speed and download rate for pre-compressed files. Initial connect speeds only tell part of the story. 56K and V.34 modems can and do shift their connect speeds up and down during the course of the call. The best way to measure modem performance is to download a file.
Size wise, download a file of at least 100 kilobytes to minimize the effects of latency and TCP/IP slow start.
For consistency's sake, download a file that's pre-compressed with an efficient software utility, such as WinZip for Windows (.zip files) or StuffIt for Macintosh (.sit files). If you download an uncompressed file, your modem's hardware data compression protocols (such as MNP 5 and V.42bis), will compress the file, leading to higher transfer rates. That's good for performance, but bad for testing purposes. Different kinds of files compress to different degrees, making it impossible to compare the results of different downloads and different modems.
For testing purposes, you should download the file from your ISP's computers. When you download a file from across the Internet, you're adding extra variables, such as congestion between the ISP and the rest of the Internet. Remember: you want to test your modem, not your ISP's connectivity to the Internet. Your ISP probably has an FTP site you can download files from.
You should also use an efficient downloading program, such as an FTP program, or a plain old terminal program that supports Zmodem. Web browsers are absolutely terrible for measuring performance. The HTTP protocol is inefficient, and the browser has to download information, write it do a disk cache, and format the information for the screen. How inefficient is the HTTP 1.0 protocol? To download a web page with a block of text and ten unique pictures, the web browser must open and close 11 separate connections to the web server. Ugh.
How fast is your 56K modem?
I'd like to hear about the results you've gotten with your K56flex or x2 modem. Download a pre-compressed file from your ISP, and email me the results. I'll post them on the site next week.
Please include the following information:
- Modem brand and model
- Initial connect speed
- Download rate for Zip- or StuffIt-compressed files, in kilobytes/second
Feel free to include any comments or extra details. Here are a couple of reports from other readers:
"I just upgraded my 33.6K USR WINMODEM #1125 to X2. I have a 486-66 Vesa local bus machine with Win 95 and 16 meg of Ram. The install went perfectly. The modem connects at 49333 where before the upgrade I connected at 31200. Performance is very good." - David Purdy
"Thanks for your page. I'm using an USRobotics Sportster 56k on a Mac and get a 53.3 connection each time. Haven't checked download rates carefully, but I've seen some high short term rates and certainly faster than the 14.4 I had before." - Greg Scarich
July 11
George Tempel has set up a web page detailing his problems with U.S. Robotics. Initially, the problem was with a 33.6 modem, then an x2 modem. His x2 modem has a problem that's been widely reported on the comp.dcom.modems newsgroup: the modem will connect at a high speed, but then get slower and slower. The problem sounds similar to the "spiral death syndrome" that affected some of USR's 28.8 Sportsters. (The spiral of death should not be confused with the backward inside death spiral or the death spiral pool.)
Electronic Engineering Times looks at the various K56flex chips being used, and raises the question of whether K56flex is a unified protocol, or a bunch of chips with the same name.
A Communications Week article, "ISPs Hedge Best on 56K Question," reports that many ISPs are planning to support both K56flex and x2 until there's a standard for 56K. That's convenient for customers, but what an expense! But cheer up, gang. The draft ITU standard should be here in two months.
TheView, a site for hardware and software reviews, takes a look at the Diamond Multimedia Supra Express 56e.
Dean Craddock bought a Modular Technology 56K modem, but....
"Unfortunately Modular Technology have released a modem with a 33.6k INF file. Therefore it causes major problem and I can't find their web page. Anyway, I have put together an INF file for their modem which adds 56k support and allows Windows to correctly identify the connect speed instead of showing the DTE speed."
The .inf file is now stored on 56K.COM's FTP site, and can be accessed from the inits and drivers page. Thanks, Dean!
PCMCIA Cards
Global Village announced that they shipped the world's first Ethernet/56K modem PCMCIA combo card. Available in versions for Macintosh and Windows laptops, the card supports K56flex for dial-in communications, and 10BaseT for connectivity around the office.
Xircom followed on GV's heels with the CreditCard Ethernet 10/100+Modem 56, a $379 combo card that supports K56flex and both 10 Mbps Ethernet and 100 Mbps Ethernet, making it the first 56K card to offer fast Ethernet. Xircom will provide free upgrades to the final ITU 56K standard, and has an upgrade offer for Xircom and non-Xircom modem owners.
TDK announced the CyberExpress 5600, a K56flex PCMCIA modem that features caller ID and a five-year warranty. Availability is expected in August with a retail price of $219. TDK will provide free upgrades to the final ITU 56K standard, and has an upgrade offer for TDK modem users.
General Patent Corporation International is suing seven PCMCIA modem manufacturers, claiming that any PCMCIA modem currently in production infringes their patents. Newspage and NewsBytes have stories. Both services require memberships, but free memberships are available.
56K.COM is written and maintained by Les Jones. Artwork by Mark Maxwell. Copyright 1997 Softwords.
