x2 IBM Mwave Data Fax VOD modem compatibility

Adjusted points to 200

If this modem uses x2 then why not try a usr x2 modem
Look at link below to see what you can find out about your modem.


http://www3.pc.ibm.com/support?page=IBM+Options%7CModems;doctype=Downloadable+files;subtype=Modems#documents

Since a MWave can hardly do 33k6, im not amazed it handles 56K even worse..

I have an Acer MWave modem that I upgraded to 56K(X2. The MWave has been a nightmare for me. I discovered that it had no telephone Answering capability and told Acer they peddled junk. Had to threaten them. They just provided a fix and now it is compatible with Ring Central. The drivers have been upgraded to 20E and that has improved the performance greatly. Watson@Mwave has the most info on mWave. Acer's MWave is made by IBM also. Another thing to ponder is AOL only downloads at a maximum of 28.8 no matter what they say. I have researched MWave for 7 months and received a response from a guy who works for IBM and he felt he wasted his money buying an MWave and dumped it. Also stories are flying that IBM has dropped all research on the MWave and shut down their MWave development team. I have talked with numerous software developers and they don't write their programs for MWave. Get the 20E drivers if you don't have them and see if your modem doesnt improve. Good luck.  Russ@linkline.com

It's still (basically) the same modem, after the upgrade,
so the same "initialization-strings" should still be used.
Does AOL show the "connect-speed" or "statistics" about
a connection?  Is the value shown greater than 28800
or 31200 or 33600 ?  Please post the AOL telephone-number
you are using, and I'll try to connect with my X2 modem.

Thanks for the input. My modem connect speed that AOL "says" I'm connecting at is 115,200, but that has to be BS!!! All my estimated download times are slower than 28.8 download estimated times! I connect to AOL using x2 access numbers 602 532-6500 and 602 252-1605 in Phoenix, AZ.  The modem aol list for mine is the slower default speed one IBM Mwave V.34. But it's listed in my settings as IBM Mwave Data Fax VOD modem (with an x2 licence.  Thanks guys, you are being really helpful.  Help me fix this!!

> My modem connect speed that AOL "says" I'm connecting at is 115,200.

That's the data-transfer rate between your COM port and your modem.

It is *NOT* the rate which your modem is communicating with AOL's modem.

When even *ONE* byte is sent from the modem to your computer,
the rate at which it is sent is 115200 bits/second.

The "problem" is that the modem often has not received any data,
in some small time-interval, and thus is sending at ZERO b/s.

I'll try those dial-up numbers, and report back.

Edited results from using my USR Sportster to dial those numbers:
+++
at&f1
OK
atdt1-602-532-6500
CONNECT 52000/ARQ/x2/LAPM/V42BIS
ANSNet Access Node - Phoenix tel (5-1:47) [UQKT1]
login:
NO CARRIER
ati6
U.S. Robotics 56K FAX INT Link Diagnostics...
Chars sent                    1      Chars Received               63
Blocks sent                   1      Blocks Received               5

Data Compression       V42BIS 2048/32
Equalization           Long
Fallback               Enabled
Protocol               LAPM/SREJ
Speed                  46666/21600
x2 Peak Speed          49333
Last Call              00:00:11
Disconnect Reason is DISC Received
OK

at&f1
OK
atdt1-602-252-1605
CONNECT 53333/ARQ/x2/LAPM/V42BIS
Welcome to Sprint-ip
    SYS  SITENAME    SLOT  PORT
aol-ns-001azphoe005t   2    3
username:
NO CARRIER
ati6
U.S. Robotics 56K FAX INT Link Diagnostics...
Chars sent                    1      Chars Received              111
Blocks sent                   1      Blocks Received               7
Data Compression       V42BIS 2048/32
Equalization           Long
Fallback               Enabled
Protocol               LAPM/SREJ
Speed                  46666/19200
x2 Peak Speed          50666
Last Call              00:00:10
Disconnect Reason is DISC Received
OK
+++
Quite surprising!  My local ISP rarely connects above 48000,
so to get >50000 on long-distance calls is unexpected!

I think you are lucky to keep the modem working at all, after 12 months, I have just got mine working properly and consistently and that was only by making the ini files read-only as they were being corrupted by the modem.  The biggest disadvantage of the Mwave is the inability to Video-conference as it cannot maintain Modem speed when working as a full-duplex sound card.  I will be buying a cheap 33.6 modem, installing it and diasbling the modem part of the Mwave card ASAP.

I called US West, the local phone company here in Phoenix to have a line test done on my phone service.  They guarantee only voice quality, which they say is like 24.5 kbps, and they say I passed that "quality standard" test. I could go higher, but no guarantee.  Yet I failed 3 Comm's US Robotics line test when calling their x2 line test BBS site.  I've loaded Mwave's 20E driver for the midi sound file upgrade. My local phone number prefix is (602) 274-xxxx calling to AOL's x2 line at (602) 532-6500. Either the phone lines are sub-quality, the local phone switch is antiquatied with a analog to digital foul up, or the IBM Mwave Data Fax VOD modem x2 upgrade from Mwave V.34 does not have the proper modem settings and/or initialization strings.  Frustrates the daylights out of me!!  Any suggestions???????

Suggestions:
 - take your computer to a colleague with a working X2 connection,
   and try your computer at his/her location;
 - borrow an external X2 modem, and try it at your location.

If you can get X2 at your colleague's location,
it is your location which has the problem.

If the borrowed modem gets an X2 connection,
it is your modem which is at fault.

Thanks, good advise.  I'll give it a shot.