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TICKET ARCHIVE -> Internal Modem - Upgrade?
nahavandi - Jun 4, 2005 - 12:15 am
The internal modem on my iBook(G4 1.33 GHz + OS X 10.3.7) is a Motorola SM56 SoftModem with the following configuration:
Driver: MotorolaSM56K.kext (v1.2.0)
Hardware Version: Version 1.0
Interface Type: I2S
Country: B5 (United States, Latin America)
Modem Model: Jump
Modulation: V.92
It works well for surfing the net, however, for 'telephony' applications it has serious deficiencies and is inadequate: the speech quality is poor (< 40 dB), it does not provide Caller ID function, also that it only supports the old Fax Class 1 standard.
Given that it is a 'Soft Modem', I'd be interested to know whether there are any software or firmware upgrades &/or drivers which might improve the function and capabilities of this internal modem?
I'd be grateful for any advice and information.
Driver: MotorolaSM56K.kext (v1.2.0)
Hardware Version: Version 1.0
Interface Type: I2S
Country: B5 (United States, Latin America)
Modem Model: Jump
Modulation: V.92
It works well for surfing the net, however, for 'telephony' applications it has serious deficiencies and is inadequate: the speech quality is poor (< 40 dB), it does not provide Caller ID function, also that it only supports the old Fax Class 1 standard.
Given that it is a 'Soft Modem', I'd be interested to know whether there are any software or firmware upgrades &/or drivers which might improve the function and capabilities of this internal modem?
I'd be grateful for any advice and information.
Saxphile - Jun 4, 2005 - 12:40 am
Hi Hama,
Apple actually uses that modem in most, if not all, of its products. It's admitted a cheap and low-quality modem, but nowadays few people actually use their modem on a regular basis so it doesn't make sense for Apple to use expensive parts (dedicated digital signal processor).
The only way I know of to upgrade your modem's firmware is to update your OS. Here on my girl friend's iBook G4 1.07G with 10.3.9, the driver version is 1.3.1. Try updating to 10.3.9 first and see if the situation improves. I don't have access to my PB running Tiger, but I'll let you know its firmware version later.
Cheers,
Charlie
--------
Computers are useless. They can only give you answers. -- Pablo Picasso
Apple actually uses that modem in most, if not all, of its products. It's admitted a cheap and low-quality modem, but nowadays few people actually use their modem on a regular basis so it doesn't make sense for Apple to use expensive parts (dedicated digital signal processor).
The only way I know of to upgrade your modem's firmware is to update your OS. Here on my girl friend's iBook G4 1.07G with 10.3.9, the driver version is 1.3.1. Try updating to 10.3.9 first and see if the situation improves. I don't have access to my PB running Tiger, but I'll let you know its firmware version later.
Cheers,
Charlie
--------
Computers are useless. They can only give you answers. -- Pablo Picasso
nahavandi - Jun 4, 2005 - 2:35 am
Hello Charlie,
Thank you for the prompt attention.
I have checked your advice and the Motorola driver version on Tiger 10.4 happens to be 1.3.2
Now, my question is whether it is possible to simply obtain the updated driver version and use it on my present OS 10.3.7? Do I really have to change the whole computer system simply to have access to one updated modem driver?
Thank you again.
Thank you for the prompt attention.
I have checked your advice and the Motorola driver version on Tiger 10.4 happens to be 1.3.2
Now, my question is whether it is possible to simply obtain the updated driver version and use it on my present OS 10.3.7? Do I really have to change the whole computer system simply to have access to one updated modem driver?
Thank you again.
Saxphile - Jun 4, 2005 - 6:07 am
Hi Hama,
The 10.3.9 update is a free one. You can install it by running Software Update. Unless under very special circumstance, installing individual system extension by hand is not recommended.
Let me know if you need to know more.
Charlie
--------
Computers are useless. They can only give you answers. -- Pablo Picasso
The 10.3.9 update is a free one. You can install it by running Software Update. Unless under very special circumstance, installing individual system extension by hand is not recommended.
Let me know if you need to know more.
Charlie
--------
Computers are useless. They can only give you answers. -- Pablo Picasso
nahavandi - Jun 5, 2005 - 7:27 am
Hello Charlie,
I would like to thank you for your assistance. Macosx.com is a very useful site and you provide an excellent service; the best I have experienced in the past 5 years of using Mac computers.
But I take exception to Apple's 'justification' in incorporating cheap low-quality internal modems in its laptops. I used PCs for 10 years before switching to Macs and there are enough inherent advantages to prevent me from looking back, but I am greatly disappointed in this policy regarding modems. I appreciate that there are trends of change in the use of computers, but modems are still one of the most important items on any computer. More importantly, they also happen to be one of the least costly; hardly tipping the scales of computer price considerations...
Also, it is very clear that I am not alone in this view and not just limited to my own application of interest (telephony software). In forums, discussion points and correspondence portals throughout the web I have come across a whole host of problems and complaints faced by users, hardware and software developers concerning a range of serious deficiencies in this new generation of Apple internal modems.
You don't have to go very far, since it even exhibits some incompatibility with the very Mac OS X within which it operates: its 'connect automatically when needed' option does not function properly (unlike in the Mac OS 9 configurations) in tandem with applications and is virtually useless, if not a nuisance.
The internal modem in my 1999 iBook (300 MHz) had more advanced capabilities than the present model! In this respect at least Apple has taken a step backwards, in fact regressed. Good business for external modem manufacturers though, since I am clearly one of a multitude of Mac users who are desperately trying to find a good compatible external modem to use with our computers. It needn't have been like this.
Somehow the cost factor does not appear to be sound either. Apple sell the most expensive personal computers on the market with perhaps the cheapest lowest- quality modems available. Honestly, what additional costs would have incurred for Apple to have included a more proficient modem on my US$1400 iBook?
Thank you again and best wishes in your endeavours.
I would like to thank you for your assistance. Macosx.com is a very useful site and you provide an excellent service; the best I have experienced in the past 5 years of using Mac computers.
But I take exception to Apple's 'justification' in incorporating cheap low-quality internal modems in its laptops. I used PCs for 10 years before switching to Macs and there are enough inherent advantages to prevent me from looking back, but I am greatly disappointed in this policy regarding modems. I appreciate that there are trends of change in the use of computers, but modems are still one of the most important items on any computer. More importantly, they also happen to be one of the least costly; hardly tipping the scales of computer price considerations...
Also, it is very clear that I am not alone in this view and not just limited to my own application of interest (telephony software). In forums, discussion points and correspondence portals throughout the web I have come across a whole host of problems and complaints faced by users, hardware and software developers concerning a range of serious deficiencies in this new generation of Apple internal modems.
You don't have to go very far, since it even exhibits some incompatibility with the very Mac OS X within which it operates: its 'connect automatically when needed' option does not function properly (unlike in the Mac OS 9 configurations) in tandem with applications and is virtually useless, if not a nuisance.
The internal modem in my 1999 iBook (300 MHz) had more advanced capabilities than the present model! In this respect at least Apple has taken a step backwards, in fact regressed. Good business for external modem manufacturers though, since I am clearly one of a multitude of Mac users who are desperately trying to find a good compatible external modem to use with our computers. It needn't have been like this.
Somehow the cost factor does not appear to be sound either. Apple sell the most expensive personal computers on the market with perhaps the cheapest lowest- quality modems available. Honestly, what additional costs would have incurred for Apple to have included a more proficient modem on my US$1400 iBook?
Thank you again and best wishes in your endeavours.
Saxphile - Jun 5, 2005 - 8:00 am
Hi Hama,
Actually, the retail price of a product doesn't always have much to do with its manufacturing cost. For example, a BMW 3 series sedan actually doesn't cost much more to make than a VW Jetta does, yet it sells for almost twice the price. Apple is a premium manufacturer, and it charges dearly for its industrial design. This doesn't justify Apple's choice of cheap modem, however, since Macs are supposed to work better than PCs. Yet you can't compare what Apple does now to what it did before. The valid comparsion is between what the computer makers do now, and I'd be very, very surprised if Dell uses better modem components than Apple. The truth is, most people don't use their modem anymore. I can't even remember the last time I did dial-up, and a lot of teenagers doesn't even know that Internet is possible without DSL or cable. This is also reflected on the lack of progress in dial-up modem technology. Its golden era was in the mid 90s, and it served well in introducing internet as part of our lives.
This is just another angle to look this issue. On the up side, external modems nowadays are both cheap and loaded with premium features, so you shouldn't have problem getting one.
Cheers,
Charlie
--------
Computers are useless. They can only give you answers. -- Pablo Picasso
Actually, the retail price of a product doesn't always have much to do with its manufacturing cost. For example, a BMW 3 series sedan actually doesn't cost much more to make than a VW Jetta does, yet it sells for almost twice the price. Apple is a premium manufacturer, and it charges dearly for its industrial design. This doesn't justify Apple's choice of cheap modem, however, since Macs are supposed to work better than PCs. Yet you can't compare what Apple does now to what it did before. The valid comparsion is between what the computer makers do now, and I'd be very, very surprised if Dell uses better modem components than Apple. The truth is, most people don't use their modem anymore. I can't even remember the last time I did dial-up, and a lot of teenagers doesn't even know that Internet is possible without DSL or cable. This is also reflected on the lack of progress in dial-up modem technology. Its golden era was in the mid 90s, and it served well in introducing internet as part of our lives.
This is just another angle to look this issue. On the up side, external modems nowadays are both cheap and loaded with premium features, so you shouldn't have problem getting one.
Cheers,
Charlie
--------
Computers are useless. They can only give you answers. -- Pablo Picasso
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