🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <6ss8mr$kil$1@plug.news.pipex.net>, Nad
<URL:mailto:nad@mindless.com> wrote:
> I connect to Argo via ISDN at work using a PC or an SARPC.  The modem we
> have is the external USR Robotics ISDN TA/33k Modem.  It work fine except
> connections are limited to 64K as only one of the two ISDN channels can be
> used at once - still, works fine if you want to be able to internet and
> receive calls at the same time. - this modem did cost �200-�300!!

A cheap external TA that will do channel bonding (2 at once) is the Hayes
Accura ISDN box - it's a rebadged Zyxel Omni, and can be got from PC world
pretty cheap (under 200 quid) - it's also got 2 analogue ports. Remember,
though, that your ISP has to support channel bonding - many don't (Demon
don't, I think www.dircon.co.uk do) - and that if you use both channels,
you pay for 2 phone calls.

If you want to use the full rate from it, you'll need a serial card:
eg, the Atomwide one which will do 230,400 and 460,800 - ideally, ask for
it with the 16c750 UART, as then you get a bigger FIFO (64 bytes) which
will help prevent overruns at 230,400bps.

> Look out for MODEM/ROUTER combinations which for about �300 allow upto 128k
> connections, four machines to be plugged in via NICs and will automatically
> switch one of the channels over for phone calls and then back to data when
> the call has been finished - not having had a chance to try this on an Acorn
> yet I can't say if they do work for us, no reason why they shouldn't though!

Zyxel do one of these, no limit to the number of machines on the router,
and does NAT (IP translation) allowing all the machines to use a single
user account at the ISP end. Yes, they do work on an acorn, but you'll
obviously need network cards for the machines on the local network.
The zyxel IP-only (no IPX) one is around 300 quid - try www.seg.co.uk

Hugo

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