Subject: From: Date:

Modem issues resolved Mark Gilmore Sat, 27 Mar 1999 09:06:22 -0800

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Dear ECS users,
The modem-compatibility issues have FINALLY been resolved
(at least to my satisfaction). My intense confusion was due
to two problems (which had me in a crossfire):

1) Rockwell changed their chips, such that the handset-selection
   command (AT#VLS=1) reported an error if it was issued when the
   handset was OFF-hook.

2) Diamond made drastic/recent/UNDOCUMENTED changes to their
   SupraExpress 56, such that it does not support CID, does not accept
   some basic voice commands, does not select the handset properly,
   and hence does not forward pickup/hangup/DTMF status. Even their
   own FAXTALK software is unable to record from the handset (it waits
   indefinitely for you to pickup). I know these changes are recent,
   as one customer has a Supra which performs most (if not all) required
   functions.

Not knowing any of the above, I erroneously concluded that the newer
Rockwell chips used a modified AT command set, and so I began a long
search for a new command set that did NOT exist. After a number of
emails, Rockwell notified me of this change (in my defense, I never
find this documented). Diamond's "support" was hard to characterize
politely.

SO the Supra (and Diamond in general) are definitely OFF THE LIST.
I am now recommending the ZOOM COMSTAR (any model), as a customer
has tested all features successfully, and we have also had success
with previous Zoom modems. NOTE: When Zoom discontinued the VFP,
I did not recommend the new ComStar, as it's price was then $200 and
their support was horrible. But the price has since dropped to
around $100, and it appears that good support is a rarity among
modem manufacturers. May we find an exception one day :-).

Many thanks to those of you who helped me in testing.

Later...
-- 
Mark Gilmore
Omnipotence (ECS Home Automation Software)
omnip@usit.net
http://www.usit.com/omnip

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