Zoom v.92 Serial Modem
4. Conclusion
When the good folks over at Zoom contacted me about reviewing this modem, I was overjoyed. Zoom was one of the names I’d grown to trust over the years and a chance at seeing what new tricks they had up their sleeves was one I had to jump at. The inclusion of v.92 and v.44 protocols, ZoomGuard lightening and power protection, and a sleek new design make this modem an eye-opener from the very beginning.
The added features brought to the table by v.92 and v.44 were nice, but not exactly revolutionary. Zoom’s implementation of Modem-on-Hold, with the included NetWaiting software, was a delightful experience that I wish more ISPs would allow for with a simple upgrade. The Quick Connect ability was an enjoyable addition, as the faster login saved quite a few minutes each day (especially during the modem testing).
Performance was a mixed bag. While the numbers went in the U.S. Robotics modem’s favor, there really wasn’t that much difference when it came to real life. Pages loaded around the same time, no added wait or extra speed to account for. I still believe that hardware compatibility may account for the Performance Pro’s extra speed in the v.90 tests. Like 3DMark, user results may vary from the staged benchmarks.
There’s nothing glaringly bad, or even mildly upsetting, about this modem. It has a sleek look, great features, and acceptable performance. The modem has an easy to learn diagnostic light display, hooks up easily to a serial port without taking up another IRQ, and doesn’t hamper overclocking like some PCI cards have been known to do. The only issue is one not even involved with the modem itself – lack of widespread v.92 connection options. When you take all of this into account, from design to performance to features, this modem is definitely a value for those that live in range of v.92 enabled ISPs.
Thanks to Larry over at Zoom for making this review possible. If you’re looking for a controller-based modem with good features and don’t want to break the bank, take a look in Zoom’s direction. The 3049C will stand up to the test no matter what you throw at it.
What Works
- No need to open the computer case
- Stylish design update
- Fast, stable connections
- Good included extras
- Quick Connect
- Modem-on-Hold lives up to billing
What Doesn't
- v.92 has been slow to adopt
- v.44 showed no noticeable improvement in page loads
- Fast, but not the fastest out there
- v.92 has been slow to adopt
- v.44 showed no noticeable improvement in page loads
- Fast, but not the fastest out there
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Review Navigation
- Introduction
- Hardware and Features
- Testing
- Conclusion