Hayes Releases First V.92 Modems

Stan Miastkowski, special to PCWorld.com

If you're among the throngs still relying on dial-up Internet access in this increasingly broadband world, Hayes Microcomputer has released 56k modems based on the new V.92 standard that provide some bells and whistles plus marginal improvements while you wait for broadband to reach your door.

Available immediately, the $59 Accura PCI Model H08-1537 is an internal unit, and the $99 Accura RS-232 Model H08-15328, an external unit. Both incorporate a digital signal processor and are compatible with Windows, Mac, and Linux.

Hayes claims it is shipping the first modems to meet the latest V.92 modem standard, approved late in 2000 by the International Telecommunications Union. The new technology may be most appreciated in rural or small urban areas that lack broadband access and are likely to lack it for the foreseeable future.

Faster Downloads Promised

Although V.92 modems still offer the same 56k raw download speeds as the current, ubiquitous V.90 modems, the new technology offers a boost. It can nearly double the speed of Web downloads in some cases, because of a new V.44 compression standard that replaces the V.42 standard in V.90 modems, proponents of the new standard claim.

All Web data comes to your PC in compressed form, but V.42 compression was developed while the Web was largely a text-based medium. The V.44 compression incorporated in V.92 modems has been developed specifically for today's graphics-heavy Web content.

In addition to the new compression, the V.92 standard is designed to offer faster connections at the beginning of a call. The initial "handshake," where the two modems negotiate a speed at the beginning of a call, can take up to 30 seconds. V.92 is said to cut that time in half.

V.92 will also offer faster data uploads. Currently, V.90 modems upload data at a maximum speed of 33.6 kbps, even if you're connected at 56k. V.92 modems will upload data at up to 48 kbps.

But the V.92 feature that is likely to be most appreciated by home users with a single telephone line is the capability to put an online session on hold and take a voice call. This feature requires that your phone line have call waiting. Exactly how long you can put your online session on hold will be set by your Internet service provider.

Here's the Catch

Speaking of Internet service providers, none of the V.92 features will be available until your ISP upgrades its equipment to conform to the new standards. Industry sources expect most ISPs to upgrade within the year, but in the meantime, V.92 modems are operational, because they are fully backward-compatible with the current V.90 standard.

Major modem makers all plan to offer V.92 modems. U.S. Robotics described intent to take advantage of the new functions.

And you won't necessarily need to buy a new modem to get the benefits of V.92. Many modems with flash ROMs will be upgradable with a software download. However, a Hayes spokesperson cautions that not all existing modems will be upgradable because the V.92 puts a strain on both modem memory and the CPU.