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SEkker · May 30, 2003, 04:16 PM

I am in general a pleased customer with my Apple Powerbook 17. I have one major existing problem that is significantly diminishing my enthusiasm for this product, however.

The built in modem does not work well at all. For some history, I have successfully used a Lombard, a Pismo, and a TiPB to connect to the same phone line using OS9 successfully. I find that my modem really is not all that stable. It drops connections, most notably when I am running the Apple Mail program, making it impossible or impractical to send any moderately large file via email. This is unfortunately very reproducible.

It also sometimes seems to take forever to disconnect after it's lost the connection (during the entire time it took me to write this note, it has read 'disconnecting'). When it does this, the first sign is Mail reports a failed password. At the same time, I can log on and surf with Safari for a hour or more at a one time without these critical disconnects.

I can break the black hole disconnect cycle (problem 2 above) if I unplug the phone hookup, and eventually the machine recognizes the lost phone line signal and resets via Internet Connect.

On one occasion, a fresh reboot seemed to fix the problem. However, it did not do so last evening despite multiple fresh reboots.

This is rather annoying, and really needs to be addressed. As a word in advance, I have little special software installed, primarily using the Office suite of programs, iLife apps, Mail, Safari (latest betas), and Photoshop.

Have any other PB17 users noticed this? Mail is not a problem sending text messages, but when you try to send an attachment, it almost always disconnects midtransfer. I have the latest OS software, is this a hardware problem?

djjava · May 30, 2003, 04:31 PM

sorry, I haven't used a modem in years.... have you checked the KB?

SEkker · May 31, 2003, 10:55 PM

Nothing on the Apple boards or KB that I can find.

I suspect many PB17 users don't use the modem much, so this may not have been noticed very much.

There has been some discussion of the low quality of the latest round of modems on a MacIntouch thread, but that did not deal with my problem in particular.

djjava · May 31, 2003, 11:07 PM

Originally posted by SEkker:
Nothing on the Apple boards or KB that I can find.

I suspect many PB17 users don't use the modem much, so this may not have been noticed very much.

There has been some discussion of the low quality of the latest round of modems on a MacIntouch thread, but that did not deal with my problem in particular.

maybe it s time you hoped on the cable modem bandwithwagon. unless of course you live in an area that is still waiting for that privilege.

call AppleCare. heck, you paid $350 for it.... right?

mixtup · Jun 1, 2003, 03:33 AM

I might be way off here, but did you try to uncheck the "Send PPP echo packets" option in System Prefs>Network>PPP tab>PPP Options? (BTW this was posted in http://forums.macnn.com/showthread.p...threadid=63157)

This helped my modem problems some, although the modem still "unexpectedly" hangs up sometimes or goes blank, but it's not nearly as bad as it was before. In fact I've had it connect for hours on end without disconnecting.

Oh, I'm using X.2.3. Maybe an update will help?

Hope that helps some...

SEkker · Jun 1, 2003, 12:15 PM

I am using the latest update OS X.2.6. I really suffered from X.2.5 from Kernel panics and a USB hub.

Thanks for the PPP tip, I'll give it a try. If it does not work, then I'll head to Applecare.

OT: I wish I could justify the cable modem price. However, at the moment, our cable monopoly charges an additional $40/month + taxes for this feature, even as a current cable subscriber.

I get modem access for free thru my university.

I have 2 kids, and am a U professor.

$500+ a year for somewhat faster access is not in the cards at the moment. My modem SHOULD work.

JohnM15141 · Jun 1, 2003, 04:38 PM

Try changing your modem script. The three available are V.92, V.90, and V.34

Also,

I had a similar situation with a brand new iBook last year. The modem was unreliable and suffered frequent disconnects on a line that I had previously used perfectly with another iBook and windows PC.

It turned out that my modem was set to the wrong country code and it wasn't working with my phone line quite right. Once I set it to the correct country code it worked perfectly. I did this by using the Modem Terminal (under PPP Options) and set the modem AT commands.

In OS 10.2.6 I think the country code is changed by the Date&Time Preference when selecting a different time zone. I travek frequently between Japan an the US. My first trip to Japan with my brand new PB17, my modem worked exactly as you described, until I reset the modem to Japan Standards.

Here is the thread describing the problem:http://forums.macnn.com/showthread.p...ht=Modem+Japan

I know that isn't the problem you described but just as an experiment try setting your Timezone to Japan(which requires a more robust modem) and then define and set a new Location under Network Preferences and try it out.

You can also try setting other Time zones that may be compatible and see what happens. Also the time zone must be set first before switching to another location or the Modem changes don't take affect.

SEkker · Jun 1, 2003, 10:10 PM

My default script is set to v.90.

What is the difference between v.90 and v.92?

JohnM15141 · Jun 1, 2003, 11:22 PM

Originally posted by SEkker:
My default script is set to v.90.

What is the difference between v.90 and v.92?

They are just different modem standards that are commonly used by ISP's. This will explain it a little better:

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=58493

It doesn't mention V.92 because it is the latest and newest standard but V.92 is almost identical to V.90 but adds nifty features like putting internet connections on hold while and working with call waiting, etc.

djjava · Jun 2, 2003, 07:34 AM

Originally posted by SEkker:
$500+ a year for somewhat faster access is not in the cards at the moment. My modem SHOULD work.

I hope you don't get a chance to test drive cable modem speed anywhere, cuz once you try it, you'll be on the phone trying to get it....

but i suppose it is all relative to whhat you do with your internet. if it is all mail related, heck, stay with the free modem access. but if you are doing research on the net, or DLing files, go cable.

$500/year does seem like alot.. To put this into perspective, I moved oiut of my parents after graduating college. I pay about $750/month for my half of rent, about $100/month for utilities, $20/month for a landline phone i hardly use, and $100/month for tv/cable internet service. I am by no means rolling in it ($$), and I also attend grad school full time while working full time (not making as much as I should). I come up with the $$ somehow--but I use the itnernet for things you may not. one of things i treat myself to... like my PB17 that I bought.

Don't worry I do not work for a cable internet company...

SEkker · Jun 2, 2003, 10:46 AM

A good 56k modem is more than good enough for surfing in off hours. When you couple it with Safari, the speed is quite usable (when the modem works).

I've actually measured the throughput, and in my old university office, the T1 connection during the day was slower than my 56k connection at home in the evening.

I certainly appreciate what a good connection to the internet is worth -- my new office is much better, incidentally -- but I think few people add up the annual costs of these kinds of connections. I've waited 3 years, I'll wait at least one more before I dive in. That's $2k in total savings. Adds up pretty fast!