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Review: MultiTech MultiModemZPX 56K V.92 PCI Modem

Disclosure: I don't work for the MultiTech company or have any ties to the MultiTech company at all, except for the fact that I purchased one of their modems from an online vendor in September, 2002.

Specifications

The modem I tested was a MultiTech MultiModemZPX, model MT5634ZPX-PCI-V92, internal, 56K, V.92/V.44 PCI voice/data/fax dial-up modem. It retails for $119 (U.S. ), but it can be purchased online for $92-102, plus shipping. At the time I tested it, it was the only internal PCI V.92 modem made by any manufacturer that came with its own on-board controller. Because it has its own "brain," it doesn't slow your PC down by using your PC's brain to do its work.

Why V.92?

The modem that came with my computer when I bought it in 1997 is a V.90 dial-up modem. That means that it meets all the standards and has all the features that were included in the V.90 specification, like the ability to connect to the Internet at up to 56K speeds over normal telephone lines. This modem supports a newer standard that emerged several months ago, called V.92. The V.92 standard includes all the previous V.90 features, plus several new ones:

• Quick Connect. You've heard those squealing/screeching sounds that your modem makes when it first connects to your ISP. That's called handshaking, and it is how the two modems agree on what speed they'll use to communicate and other technical settings. The V.92 standard includes a new feature called Quick Connect that allows a modem to "remember" your ISP's settings, effectively cutting that handshaking time almost in half.
• Faster Connection Speeds. While the V.92 standard itself does not specify any different connection speeds than the older V.90 standard specified, I tested three different brands/models of V.92 modems, and all three of them have allowed me to connect to my ISP at faster speeds than I am able to connect with my old V.90 modem. While faster connection speeds are not part of the new V.92 standard, I mention them because I believe that newer V.92 modems are going to be generally better at making faster connections than older V.90 modems, probably because the quality of both modem software and hardware has improved over the past several years.
• Faster Upload Speeds. If your Internet Service Provider support it, the V.92 standard allows modems to upload data at up to 48,000 bits per second, compared to the older V.90's 33,600 bits per second. For those who maintain Web sites, that added speed could significantly reduce the time it takes to upload Web pages to a Web server.
• V.44 Compression. The V.90 standard included a data compression standard that allowed Web pages to be compressed up to 4/1 before being sent to you. If your Internet Service Provider supports it, the V.92 standard includes a newer type of data compression (V.44) that can compress data up to 6/1, causing Web pages to display quicker.
• Modem On Hold. If your Internet Service Provider supports it, and if your telephone line has the call-waiting feature, the V.92 standard allows you to "put the Internet on hold" while you receive an incoming telephone call, and then return to the Internet after finishing the phone call. Your ISP chooses how long they will allow you to "put the Internet on hold" before they automatically disconnect you.

If you'd like to learn more about the V.92 features and standards, or if you'd like to find Internet Service Providers in your area that support V.92, visit the V.92 Home Page. America Online (AOL) also lets you search its list of access numbers, telling you which ones provide V.92 access. In addition, United Online, Inc provides V.92 access through its two national, low-cost Internet service providers, NetZero and Juno, after having selected modem manufacturer, Zoom, as its client modem launch partner.

Easy To Install

As shown in the photo below, this is an internal modem, meaning that it plugs into one of the PCI expansion slots that can be found inside nearly every PC. Though I've installed internal modems for many years, I read and followed the instructions, step-by-step, just to make sure that they were easy to understand. They were. The documentation in the MultiTech User's Guide was well written and easy to understand. The software CD installed the required modem software after just a few clicks. I installed it onto my computer, running Windows 98 Second Edition, but the installation CD included software to install it onto Windows 95/98/ME/2000/XP.

Missing An Important Feature

Once I had the modem installed, the first thing I wanted to try was its Modem On Hold feature. In fact, the MOH feature was the main reason that I had decided to pay a little more than $100 to purchase a new modem. I called my wife and asked her to call me back in a few minutes. Then, I connected to the Internet and waited for something to pop up and tell me that I had an incoming call. Nothing happened. I waited a few minutes, rebooted my computer, and tried the same test again. Still nothing happened.

Imagine my surprise when I did a search of my PC's hard drive and discovered that the MultiTech installation CD had not installed any Modem On Hold (MOH) software onto my PC. A few minutes later, I discovered that the printed and CD-based User's Guide didn't mention the MOH feature either. So, I went to the MultiTech Web site and downloaded the latest version of the modem's driver software. Still no sign of the MOH feature. Finally, I called MultiTech and spoke to someone in their Tech Support department. When I told him that the modem I had just purchased didn't have any MOH software, he told me that they were still writing the MOH software for my modem; they hadn't even started testing it yet, and he had no idea when it would be completed. In fact, he told me that the MultiTech external ZDA-model modem is currently the only MultiTech modem that has MOH software, and it doesn't work very well. He apologized when I told him that, for the past several months, MultiTech's Web site and press releases had stated that the modem that I ended up buying had the MOH feature.

Customer Service?

So, there I was, with an internal modem that did not have that one feature that I had expected and required it to have. Understandably, the online store that I had bought it from refused to accept it back and issue a refund, because I had already opened it and installed it, so I called MultiTech Customer Service Department. I explained the whole situation to a woman who was very nice. Then, she asked me to fax her a copy of all of my paperwork from buying the modem, along with a letter, explaining why I wanted to return it directly to MultiTech for a refund. A few days later, she issued me an RMA (return materials authorization), to allow me to ship the modem back to MultiTech. Unfortunately, I had to pay the shipping cost to send the modem back to them. About ten days later, I received a "Credit Memo" in the mail from MultiTech. I called MultiTech's Customer Service department again, to ask what that was, and they explained that they had issued a credit to my account for the amount of the modem. I told them that I don't have an account with MultiTech, and there's nothing else that I wish to purchase from them. So, she transferred me to the Accounts Payable department. I found it incredibly ironic that, while I was on hold, MultiTech's telephone system played an advertisement, boasting that MultiTech's V.92 modems have the Modem On Hold feature. Finally, I talked to someone in Accounts Payable, and she agreed to send me a refund check, but she warned me it would take another week or so for me to receive it.

Conclusion

This modem appeared to be very solidly built. It was easy to install and came with a lot of different software for faxing, voice mail, etc. Unfortunately, I never got around to fully testing it or any of its additional software, because it did not have the Modem On Hold feature that MultiTech had claimed it had for several months before I bought it. As a result, I cannot recommend that anyone buy this, or any other MultiTech V.92 modem.

I would be willing to test this modem again after MultiTech writes and completely tests its MOH software, but, after all the time and trouble (and lost productivity and shipping costs) they cost me, I would only do it if they sent me one for free.