swansonc@grendel2.acc.stolaf.edu (Chris Swanson) (05/07/91)
Greetings, I just received my May _Data Communications_ today, and paging throught the "New Products/WAN" and on page 139 I saw a short blurb for CompuCorp's (anybody ever heard of them?) "SpeedModem." According to the report, it uses proprietary error correction, compression, and line conditioning algorithmns above 2.4 kbps. Below 2.4, it supports CCITT V22, V22.bis, and V21. Anything above that, and you need to have a "SpeedModem" hanging off either side of the line. The product is listed as available now with a 1 unit price of $169 for an ISA (PC) internal card. Interested, I called them up [(408)-732-4500] and got the following information. o Uses a 9.6 kbps data pump (proprietary, *not* V32) o The compression algorithmns are software and run on the PC's not in the modem's firmware (the 9.6 base rate pump is in firmware, however). o Only the internal card version is currently available. An external model is in the works, but will not be available until early 3Q91. No ideas on price or location of compression software/firmware. o Currently backordered. o Uses the AT command set. Has anybody worked with this modem? While it is proprietary, it would be a cheap way to get some descent SLIP/PPP performance (if the throughput is as good as they say). Since the PPP/SLIP connection is ususally between two fixed sites, proprietary modems, while not the best, would be ok (so long as they don't go south a month after the company does :) and considering the price .... Regards, -Chris -- Chris Swanson, Chem/CS/Pre-med Undergrad, St. Olaf College, Northfield,MN 55057 DDN: (CDS6) INTERNET: swansonc@acc.stolaf.edu UUCP: uunet!stolaf!swansonc AT&T: Work: (507)-645-4528 Home: (507)-663-6424 I would deny this reality, but that wouldn't pay the bills...
shihsun@der.Princeton.EDU (Shih-ping S Sun) (05/08/91)
In article <SWANSONC.91May6234421@grendel2.acc.stolaf.edu> swansonc@grendel2.acc.stolaf.edu (Chris Swanson) writes: > >Greetings, > > I just received my May _Data Communications_ today, and paging >throught the "New Products/WAN" and on page 139 I saw a short blurb >for CompuCorp's (anybody ever heard of them?) "SpeedModem." According >... The product >is listed as available now with a 1 unit price of $169 for an ISA (PC) >internal card. from what I undersatnd the $169 figure is only for sysops. NOt sure what the "end user" price is. > Has anybody worked with this modem? While it is proprietary, They have a decent population in the WWIVnet - a really rough estimate would be that about 10-20% of the high speed modems in WWIVnet are CompuComs, with the remainder being USR HST's and DS's (a few V.32's floating around). Reaction so far has been pretty good. S. Spencer Sun - P.U. '94 - #1 @6909 WWIVnet - 609/258/8877
root@zswamp.uucp (Geoffrey Welsh) (05/08/91)
In a letter to All, Chris Swanson (swansonc@grendel2.acc.stolaf.edu ) wrote: re: CompuCom SpeedModem >Has anybody worked with this modem? While it is proprietary, >it would be a cheap way to get some descent SLIP/PPP performance (if >the throughput is as good as they say). The device is either half duplex or asymmetrical, and the benchmarks given are unidirectional (as well as cooked, as are all good advertising 'facts'[*]); you'll probably get much better SL/IP or PPP performance with a full duplex modem *like V.32 or V.32bis). [*] NOTE: Every manufacturer who puts data compression on their modems and allows the host computer to talk to the modem at an RS-232 async speed higher than the physical link rate loves to claim that the modem is 'capable' of the highest link rate. That means precisely diddley/sqat in terms of what the modem will do for you! Today for the fun of it I fed a specially prepared file through a 2400 bps V.42bis-equipped modem and achieved a throughput in the vicinity of 950 CPS... on a 2400! Of course, the onlookers were disappointed when they saw that the file was completely useless, but the point is that such an experiement could well be used to justify the claim that 4:1 data compression is possible... that doesn't avoid the fact that you shouldn't count on more than 2:1 compression on text and that compressed data will receive about 25% boost from asynchronous framing (the stripping of start & stop bits), and that's about it. When transferring compressed files using the SpeedModem, you should count on throughputs in the vicinity of 1160 CPS (just like V.32, and 2/3rds of V.32bis)... *not* 3840! -- Geoffrey Welsh - Operator, Izot's Swamp BBS (FidoNet 1:221/171) root@zswamp.uucp or ..uunet!watmath!xenitec!zswamp!root 602-66 Mooregate Crescent, Kitchener, ON, N2M 5E6 Canada (519)741-9553 "He who claims to know everything can't possibly know much" -me
jiro@shaman.com (Jiro Nakamura) (05/08/91)
In article <SWANSONC.91May6234421@grendel2.acc.stolaf.edu> swansonc@grendel2.acc.stolaf.edu (Chris Swanson) writes: > [Edited out] > o Uses a 9.6 kbps data pump (proprietary, *not* V32) > > o The compression algorithmns are software and run on the PC's > not in the modem's firmware (the 9.6 base rate pump is in > firmware, however). > [Edited out] > Has anybody worked with this modem? While it is proprietary, > it would be a cheap way to get some descent SLIP/PPP performance (if > the throughput is as good as they say). Since the PPP/SLIP connection > is ususally between two fixed sites, proprietary modems, while not the > best, would be ok (so long as they don't go south a month after the > company does :) and considering the price .... If the compression algorith is in software, you might have a teensy problem getting it to run with your SLIP/PPP driver. Some of the modems with software compression require you to run *their* telecommunications application. If the emulation is in a loadable driver, though, you might have a fighting chance. In the end, you get what you pay for. - Jiro Nakamura jiro@shaman.com -- Jiro Nakamura jiro@shaman.com Shaman Consulting (607) 253-0687 VOICE "Bring your dead, dying shamans here!" (607) 253-7809 FAX/Modem
rdippold@maui.qualcomm.com (Ron Dippold) (05/10/91)
In article <9228@idunno.Princeton.EDU> shihsun@der.Princeton.EDU (Shih-ping S Sun) writes: >In article <SWANSONC.91May6234421@grendel2.acc.stolaf.edu> swansonc@grendel2.acc.stolaf.edu (Chris Swanson) writes: >> I just received my May _Data Communications_ today, and paging >>throught the "New Products/WAN" and on page 139 I saw a short blurb >>for CompuCorp's (anybody ever heard of them?) "SpeedModem." According >>... The product >>is listed as available now with a 1 unit price of $169 for an ISA (PC) >>internal card. > >from what I undersatnd the $169 figure is only for sysops. NOt sure >what the "end user" price is. Pricing: CompuCom 9600 bps modem - $169 CompuCom 9600 bps modem / 9600 bps Fax - $269 CompuCom 9600 bps modem / 9600 bps Fax - $169 sysop deal Prices may have changed since I last looked... -- Standard disclaimer applies, you legalistic hacks. | Ron Dippold