This manual covers installation and operating instructions for the following U.S. Robotics modems: Sportster® 56 kbps internal and external modems U.S. Robotics, the USRobotics logo, and Sportster are registered trademarks and Connections, Total Control, Courier, RapidComm, x2, and the x2 logo are trademarks of 3Com Corporation and its subsidiaries. Windows and Internet Explorer are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corp. CompuServe is a registered trademark of CompuServe Inc. America Online is a registered trademark of America Online Inc. Netscape Navigator is a trademark of Netscape Communications Corp. Any other trademarks, trade names, or service marks used in this manual are the property of their respective owners. © 1997 3Com Corporation 7770 North Frontage Road Skokie, IL 60077-2690 All Rights Reserved IMPORTANT! All x2 products are capable of 56 kbps downloads; however, due to FCC rules which restrict power output of the service providers' modems, current download speeds are limited to 53 kbps. Actual speeds may vary depending on line conditions. Uploads from users to service providers travel at speeds up to 28.8 kbps. An x2-capable modem, an x2-compatible analog phone line and an x2-capable Internet Service Provider are necessary for these high-speed downloads. Welcome to x2 Information Access Product Features Before You Begin (Windows 95 Users) Internal Modem Installation with Windows 3.x A Word about COM Ports and IRQs How to Use ComTest to Determine Your Modem's Settings Testing an Installed Modem What to Do with ComTest's Recommendation How to Change the Modem's Settings How to Insert the Modem into the Computer Internal Modem Installation with Windows 95 Plug and Play Installation How to Prepare for Plug and Play Installation How to Insert the Modem into the Computer How to Move Through the "New Hardware Found" Screens External Modem Installation with Windows 3.x How to Determine Which Serial Cable to Buy How to Connect the Modem to the Computer External Modem Installation with Windows 95 How to Determine Which Serial Cable to Buy How to Connect the Modem to the Computer Software Installation and Testing Software Installation and Registration Using the Setup Wizard Sending Your First Fax 1 3 4 5 5 7 9 10 12 14 21 21 21 23 27 31 31 32 35 35 36 43 43 58 Installing Other Fax/Data Software Type of Modem Initialization String Flow Control UART (External Modems Only) Using Modem Station Why Modem Station? What Does Modem Station Do? Installing Modem Station Starting Modem Station Using Detect New Modems Using Terminal Using Modem Configurator Using Modem to Computer Using the Extended Information Screens U.S. Robotics Modem Update Wizard Installation Operation Troubleshooting and Online Help Resources Online Help Resources Are You Still Having Problems? If You Need to Return the Modem to Us RapidComm Troubleshooting Tips A Note to Users with Older Versions of RapidComm on Their Systems 61 61 61 61 62 63 63 63 63 66 69 70 73 76 80 89 89 94 101 107 111 111 112 113 Glossary Technical Quick Reference Front Panel Lights (External Modems) Command Summary DIP Switches (Modems with DIP Switches Only) S-Registers The Serial Interface Regulatory Information Manufacturer's Declaration of Conformity Caution to the User IC (Canada) UL Listing/CUL Listing Connecting to the Telephone Company Fax Branding Radio and Television Interference For Canadian Modem Users Limited Warranty Index 114 127 128 129 144 146 157 159 159 160 160 160 161 161 162 163 166 169 WELCOME TO X2TM INFORMATION ACCESS power output of your service provider's modems, current download speeds are limited to 53 kbps. This modem is software upgradable, allowing easy upgrades to new features and enhancements as they become available. An integrated end-to-end solution from the leader The latest breakthrough in online communications Until now, 33.6 kbps was thought to be the practical limit for speed over standard phone lines. Now, x2TM shatters that barrier, to bring you download speeds of up to 56 kbps. However, due to FCC rules which restrict U.S. Robotics is well positioned to bring you x2 technology. Our Sportster® modems are the world's number one seller, and our Total ControlTM and CourierTM product lines are favored by many Internet service providers. This widespread acceptance allows U.S. Robotics to offer x2 technology to virtually anyone. 1 WELCOME TO X2 INFORMATION ACCESS Taking advantage of the modern telephone network x2 technology takes advantage of the typical network configuration found when an analog subscriber connects to a digitally connected server. Because it requires no analog-to-digital conversions in the downstream path (which can cause line noise), x2 can use nearly all of the available 64K network bandwidth. (Upstream data, typically less speed sensitive, travels at the standard V.34 rate.) The result is a completely new kind of transmission technique. Based on "encoding" rather than "modulation," it can give you download speeds that you never thought possible. What's more, with standard V.42 bis compression, x2 can download at speeds up to a blistering 115.2 kbps. Updating x2 technology is easy and FREE! Read the section of this manual titled "U.S. Robotics Modem Update Wizard" (page 85) for information about using this software (on the ConnectionsTM CD) to update your modem's code to the latest version. The new standard for online speed U.S. Robotics has already submitted x2 to the ITU-T standards committee for acceptance as the next online standard. For more information on U.S. Robotics' x2 technology, see our World Wide Web page at http://x2.usr.com. 2 PRODUCT FEATURES Your new x2 modem provides many advanced features. Here are just a few: Fax Modulation Schemes ITU-T V.17 ITU-T V.29 ITU-T V.27ter ITU-T V.21 V.34+ Link Rates 4800, 7200, 9600, 12000, 14400, 16800, 19200, 21600, 24000, 26400, 28800, 31200, 33600 Modulation Schemes x2 technology ITU-T V.34+ ITU-T V.34 ITU-T V.32bis ITU-T V.32 ITU-T V.22bis ITU-T V.22 ITU-T V.23 Bell 212A ITU-T V.21 Bell 103 V.32bis Link Rates 4800, 7200, 9600, 12000, 14400 Fax Standards EIA 578 Class 1 FAX EIA 592 Class 2.0 FAX Additional Link Rates 300, 1200/75 (V.23), 1200, 2400 Front Channel Link Rates 33333, 37333, 41333, 42666, 44000, 45333, 46666, 48000, 49333, 50666, 52000, 53333, 54666, 56000, 57333 Fax Link Rates 2400, 4800, 7200, 9600, 12000, 14400 Error Control and Data Compression Schemes ITU-T V.42 ITU-T V.42bis MNP 2-5 Back Channel Link Rates 14400, 16800, 19200, 21600, 24000, 26400, 28800, 31200 3 BEFORE YOU BEGIN (WINDOWS 95 USERS) Your Sportster modem is a Plug and Play device. Windows 95 can automatically identify a Plug and Play device and determine if your system has the resources necessary to support the device. However, Plug and Play will not work if you do not have resources available or if devices on your system are not reporting resource usage correctly. Here's how you can verify that your system has the necessary resources before installing the modem. 1. Click the Windows 95 Start button, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel. 2. Double-click the System icon. 3. When the "System Properties" screen appears, click the Device Manager tab. 4. Double-click Computer and the "Computer Properties" screen appears. 4 Select the option at the top of the screen to show Interrupt Requests (IRQs). You will see the IRQs your system is currently using. If IRQs 3, 4, 5, and 7 are being used, you need to free an IRQ before you begin installation. This process involves moving a device from the IRQ you want to use to a different (and unusually higher) IRQ setting. Please read the documentation for (or contact the manufacturer of) the device that is currently using the IRQ you want to use for your modem to learn more about what you should do to free the IRQ for your modem. INTERNAL MODEM INSTALLATION WITH WINDOWS 3.X You'll need these items from your Sportster modem box: A Word about COM Ports and IRQs Most computer accessories -- a mouse, sound card, enhanced graphics card, scanner, etc. -- require a special connection through which they can communicate with the computer. For some devices, this connection is called a communications (or COM) port. Most computers have 1 or 2 COM ports, but they can have up to 4. Although internal modems do not connect to COM ports directly, they do require a COM port setting, which is determined by the setting on the modem's COM jumper pins. Each COM port uses an interrupt request (IRQ). An accessory uses an IRQ to get the attention of your computer's central processing unit (CPU) so that the accessory can perform 5 modem phone cord Connections CD Plus: a screwdriver (not included) INTERNAL MODEM INSTALLATION WITH WINDOWS 3.X a task. The computer stops what it's doing, depending on the priority of the request, to help the accessory perform its task. When two accessories share an IRQ, it's like two people asking different questions in unison to a third person. Just as the person being asked the two questions cannot understand either request, a computer can lock up or otherwise fail to communicate properly with your modem when there is an IRQ conflict. U.S. Robotics has set your modem to a default Plug and Play setting geared towards Windows 95 users. In this configuration, the shunts used to set your modem's COM port and IRQ settings are hanging from single jumper pins and will not affect your modem's settings. As a Windows 3.x user, you need to run the ComTest program (on the Connections CD) to determine what settings your modem should use. D KEY POINT: Accessories cannot share COM ports and should not share IRQs. When accessories try to share settings, they will either not work properly or not work at all. This section of the manual will help you understand the COM/IRQ settings on your new Sportster modem. NOTE: Some communications software programs require a particular setting for your modem (RapidComm, which shipped with your modem, does not). If you wish to use a program other than RapidComm, now is a good time to read that software's manual to determine what setting is required. 6 INTERNAL MODEM INSTALLATION WITH WINDOWS 3.X How to Use ComTest to Determine Your Modem's Settings 1. Insert the Connections CD into your CDROM drive. 2. In Windows' Program Manager, click Run on the File menu. Type d:\comtest.exe and press ENTER. This starts ComTest, the program that determines which COM ports and IRQs are available for use by your modem. 3. The screen in the next column appears when ComTest starts. · If there is a modem in your computer which you are replacing with your new Sportster modem, go to "Testing an Installed Modem" on page 9 to determine which COM and IRQ settings the older modem is using. · If a modem is not currently installed in your computer, click Recommend settings for a new modem. Then click Next. 7 INTERNAL MODEM INSTALLATION WITH WINDOWS 3.X 4. Click Internal Modem. Then click Next. COM2/IRQ3 is free in this example. ComTest might instead recommend COM1/IRQ4, COM3/IRQ4, or COM4/IRQ3 for your modem. Write down the displayed settings in the spaces provided on the first page of this manual. You'll need to know these settings later. Click Next. If you do not have a free setting, you will see a screen like this. 5. If you have a free setting, you will see a screen like this. 8 INTERNAL MODEM INSTALLATION WITH WINDOWS 3.X Click Finish to exit ComTest. Go to "What to Do with ComTest's Recommendation" on page 10. 6. When you see this screen, click Finish to exit ComTest. Testing an Installed Modem If there is a modem already installed in your computer, you can determine its COM and IRQ settings by selecting the Test an installed modem option. Follow the instructions on screen until you see the screen that tells you "Testing is complete." This screen will also tell you which COM and IRQ settings your present modem is using. These are the settings you want to use for your new Sportster modem. Write the settings down in the spaces provided on the first page of this manual. Turn off and unplug your computer and remove your present modem. Go to "How to Change the Modem's Settings" on page 12. Go to "What to Do with ComTest's Recommendation" on page 10. 9 INTERNAL MODEM INSTALLATION WITH WINDOWS 3.X What to Do with ComTest's Recommendation NOTE: If your communications software requires a modem that ComTest does not recommend, there is a good chance that the setting is being used by another device in your system. To free that setting in your system, consult your computer's manual. Go to "How to Change the Modem's Settings" on page 12. If ComTest recommended COM1/IRQ4 Write "COM1" and "IRQ4" in the spaces provided on the first page of this manual. Go to "How to Change the Modem's Settings" on page 12. 10 If ComTest recommended COM2/IRQ3 Write "COM2" and "IRQ3" in the spaces provided on the first page of this manual. Go ...