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- Path: sparky!uunet!cis.ohio-state.edu!rutgers!cmcl2!panix!schuster
- From: schuster@panix.com (Michael Schuster)
- Newsgroups: comp.dcom.modems
- Subject: Re: ZyXEL 1496S - Should I buy one?
- Message-ID: <1992Aug20.214253.12520@panix.com>
- Date: 20 Aug 92 21:42:53 GMT
- References: <14435@mindlink.bc.ca>
- Organization: PANIX Public Access Unix & Internet, NYC
- Lines: 64
-
- In article <14435@mindlink.bc.ca> Mike_Benna@mindlink.bc.ca (Mike Benna) writes:
- >I'm interested in the ZyXEL 1496S and I'm hoping someone out there who
- >owns one can answer a few questions for me. Feel free to only answer
- >the questions you know the answers to, or those you feel like answering.
- >
- >1) It's got all this neat stuff indicating signal strength, noise level,
- >etc. but how good is it at noise rejection? My limited experience in
- >the past has indicated that USR Couriers and Hayes modems are very good
- >on noisy lines, and that Supras and Practical Peripherals are very poor.
- >How does it compare to those modems?
-
- It compares favorably with the Hayes and USR modems.
- Many users on the Fidonet HS_MODEMS echo have found them to do =BETTER=
- than Supras on noisy lines (e.g. they can connect at 14400 on the
- same lines that the others can only get 9600 or 12000 out of).
-
- >2) Does it have any problems connecting to other V.32/V.32bis modems?
-
- No. Such compatibility problems were fixed a log time ago, when the
- product was still maturing. The Zoom, Supra, PPI etc are still at
- an earlier stage of development.
-
- >In particular I'll be calling a USR Courier V.32, USR Dual Standard, GVC
- >V.32/V.32bis, and Practical Peripherals 9600SA modems on a regular
- >basis. Does anyone have firsthand experience talking to any (or all) of
- >these various modems?
-
- I connect with USR's (ancient HST, V.32 Dual and V.33bis Dual) all the
- time.
-
- >3) How do you feel about the construction quality of your modem? Do the
- >pieces of the case fit together properly? Does it run hot?
-
- The fit and finish are good; not exceptional. I'm a beta tester; considering
- the number of times my 1496E and 1496S have been opened and closed (and they
- still look new to the casual observer) I think they fit together well enough.
- The circuit boards are well laid out and easy to work on (e.g. I've done
- some minor board-level modification without fear of destroying what's
- on these). Heat is not a problem.
-
- >4) Does the 1496S (as opposed to the 1496E) have an external volume
- >control?
-
- No. Electronic (AT command and/or S-register) only.
-
- >5) What kind of warranty does it come with, and has anyone needed
- >warranty service yet? What were your experiences with warranty service?
-
- I believe that Zero One Networking/ZyXEL USA has a 5-year warranty on the
- hardware. I've read numerous reports from other users here, on the support
- BBS, and the Fidonet echo of near-instantaneous turnaround when modems were
- returned for hardware problems. There seem to be a lot fewer DOA 's and
- infant mortality cases than, for example, the Supra or Dallas Fax models.
-
- >6) Finally, and probably most importantly, would you buy another one?
-
- Absolutely. I recommend them all the time. I've been using mine since
- late last fall and have come to rely upon them absolutely.
-
-
- --
- _______________________________Mike Schuster________________________________
- NY Pub. Access UNIX/Internet: schuster@panix.com | 70346.1745@CompuServe.COM
- The Portal (R) System: schuster@cup.portal.com | MCI Mail,GEnie: MSCHUSTER
-