6600dan@ucsbuxa.ucsb.edu (Dan Zerkle) (07/30/90)
I just purchased a "Baud Bandit MNP 5 Plus" modem by Progressive Peripherals & Software. This article is an unsolicited review of said product. I paid $144 (delivered) from a mail order company. Features are as follows (in no particular order): o MNP levels 2-5 o 8 status LED's o double RJ11 connectors (line / phone) o internal speaker o external power supply (from 9v 350mA tranformer included) o standard RS232c connector (female) o Hayes compatible o 2400 / 1200 / 300 bps (more with compression) o CCITT for foreign modems at 1200bps o Hardware flow control o FCC class B o Extensive MNP command set o Several self-tests o configurations stored in RAM, NVRAM, and ROM (factory settings) o completely software controlled (no DIP switches) o hardware volume control o etc, etc. The good: The thing seems to work perfectly. I have had it for five days with no problems whatsoever. I just plugged it straight in to my serial port (on an A3000, but that won't matter to you) and started my terminal program. The factory settings are fine, and I have not had to play with them at all. The system was ready to go, down to the included RJ11 cord and the power transformer. It is MNP. For those of you who have not tried this, it is wonderful. I have gotten not a single error due to line noise the whole time. At level 5, editing seems to go a little faster. Of course, I have a level 5 modem to CALL. If you don't, this won't do you any good. The price just can't be beat. I tried very hard to find the least expensive MNP 5 external 2400, and this was it. I was a little worried about not adequate features, but this bugger has everything. For this price, you might afford to get one for each end (to make sure you have level 5). The closest I've seen for a similar product is one made by Supra, but that won't be available until October at least. It is full-featured. Everything you could want is "in there", and considerable that you don't want. There is even a command to switch to HAM radio mode (doesn't listen for rings). The manual is VERY nice. It is extensive (144 pages) and clearly written by a native English speaker. There is even a quick reference card listing commands, registers, and pinouts. The Bad: No software at all is included. There are so many computers that use incompatible software, they did not presume to guess what kind of computer you own (and charge you for the software). The LED's. There are only 8: Off Hook, Terminal REady, Modem Ready, Carrier Detect, Send Data, Auto Answer, Receive Data, High Speed. There should be an LED or two to indicate what MNP modes are or are not being used. You have to look at the screen for the connect message and text behavior. This is probably the same case for the non-MNP modem. The volume control setting is a pain. You do it by turning a little tiny screw, which is barely accessible through a little tiny hole in the bottom of the case. The Ugly: The case. It takes up too much space on my little desk. It's 1.5" x 5.7" x 8". It's cheap, black plastic. The top and bottom halves on mine are not stuck together evenly (the bottom part is too far forward). Blech! About the only good thing about the case is that you can set a telephone on top of it. Not that it helps, but it does have a slick logo on the front. Summary: This modem will give all the features you could stand for a very reasonable price. If you don't need 9600 or better speed, this will give almost 4800 bps error-free throughput under certain conditions, at about a quarter of the cost (at worst). Just so you don't have to look at it. I am in no way associated with Progressive Peripherals & Software, or with the mail order company from which I bought the modem. If you want the name of the place where I got the thing, or have some other questions, send mail. -Dan (6600dan@ucsbuxa.ucsb.edu)