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FGC_Felix
16-06-1999, 01:08
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Ok I have asked this before to no avail but I'm gunna try again now. I have a a nearly new P.C. very powerful and I love it to bits. But the problem is the modem. I have a 56k V90 PCI internal modem. It is very annoying piece of eqiupment as games (and web surfing) ability is very poor compared to it's potential (of the computer). I usually have lags of about 400 at best on wireplay. I am a faily decent player at games (especially Half-Life) but playing against the better players is very difficult due to the lag. Most over ppl have 300 or less lags so as you can see I struggle . I have done so many things. I have downloaded drivers even though I can't find out who it is made by (modem info revels PcTEL, ATI, Drivers at tiny (where I got the P.C.) say Etech)and there are currently no further updates. I have added init strings to the modem which "proclaimed" that speed had increased when actually is was no different. I have unplugged phone lines changed software compression, I have fiddeled with all the things in modem Properties but still no speed increase. PLZ I'm am begging for help. Any additional information you need I will provide. I will monitor this thread and hope for lots of help. I thank anyone who does respond in advance. The only avenue open to me at the moment is to ring BT and tell them to up my Gain and turn DACS off which I will try but I get the feeling ut will not work. Thx for any help.
Felix

Slime
16-06-1999, 15:15
Felix,

I hate to be like the grim reaper now, undoing all the love you have for your spanky new PC......but......

I too bought a new PC (from Time), great spec, DVD, huge hard drive etc etc etc Mine also had a built in E-Tech 56k autosensing modem. Sounded goodt i thought, it supported K56 and V.90 and would give me a cool 44000-46000 connect to the net.

Then i tried to play Half Life on the net....and things started to look bad. I too could'nt understand why everyone else had pings of 150-250 (using 28.8 modems !!) and i was on 500-800 using a 56K modem. Eventually i dug out an old steam driven 28.8 modem and !BINGO! i had a ping of 200-300.

The long and the short of this is that the E-Tech modem i had (and you probably also have) is a PCI version. It's a software modem relying on the CPU for a lot of the comms.
Therefore, it's so busy running the comms and keeping your connection going that it has'nt any power left to run the game.

No amount of twiddling, new firmware or adjusting will get that particular modem running good enough to play games with.

(I bought a Diamond Supra Express 56e PRO eventually and lived happily ever after).

Sorry for the bad news.
Cheers
Slime

FGC_Felix
16-06-1999, 18:31
lol. Thx for the help. The problem is I have an old 33.6k modem but when I try to use that I get ATI 6-7 command errors. So I guess I'll get the same problem with any other modem I buy. It's a vicous circle isn't it. http://www.wireplay.co.uk/ubb/frown.gif

Felix

Slime
17-06-1999, 10:09
Felix,

Try the 33.6 if you can. Not all modems respond to all the ATI1-10 commands.

It would be interesting for you to see how much difference a non PCI/Winmodem might make
(presuming that your 33.6 is'nt another
one !)

Cheers
Slime

FGC_Felix
17-06-1999, 19:08
But when I try to use the modem I get "can't find dial tone even though the phone is plugged in and the properties are set to that modem nnnnnnnggggggggghhhhhh!

Thx though. Keep trying. Maybe I should remove the modem off the properties so I don't get any ATI errors. Wad da reckon?

Felix