Actiontec electronic 56K V.90 User Manual

56K V.90 PCI Voice/Fax

Windows Modem

Table of Contents

Proprietary Notice and Disclaimer .................................................................1

Introduction.......................................................................................................

Contacting Actiontec Customer Support ..................................................

Do This First ......................................................................................................

For Windows 95 and Windows 98 Installations ............................................. 3

For Windows NT 4.0 Installation ....................................................................4

For Windows 2000 Professional Installation..................................................5

Installing The Modem......................................................................................

Hardware Installation..................................................................................... 6

Connecting Devices to the Modem................................................................8

Configuring Windows 95................................................................................9

Configuring Windows 95B ...........................................................................11

Configuring Windows 98..............................................................................13

Configuring Windows NT 4.0 .......................................................................18

Configuring Windows 2000 Professional.....................................................22

Installing Communications Software .......................................................

The Modem’s Voice Features ......................................................................2 9

Troubleshooting .............................................................................................

Windows 95/95B/98.....................................................................................31

Windows NT 4.0 ..........................................................................................34

Common Problems ......................................................................................3 5

Uninstalling the Modem ...............................................................................3 7

AT Command Set ...........................................................................................

AT Commands .............................................................................................40

AT Commands for Testing and Debugging ..................................................64

S-Registers Reference ................................................................................67

Notices..............................................................................................................

9
2
3

6

29

31

40

77

Proprietary Notice and Disclaimer

Unless otherwise noted, this document and the information herein disclosed are proprietary to Action-
tec Electronics, Inc. Any person or entity to whom this document is furnished or who otherwise has
possession thereof, by acceptance agrees that it will not be copied or reproduced in whole or in part,
nor used in any manner except to meet the purposes for which it was delivered.

The information in this document is subject to change without notice and should not be construed as
a commitment by Actiontec. Although Actiontec will make every effort to inform users of substantive
errors, Actiontec disclaims all liability for any loss or damage resulting from the use of this document or
any hardware or software described herein, including without limitation contingent, special or inciden­tal liability.

Note: PC is a trademark of IBM Corporation. Windows 95 and Windows NT are trademarks of Microsoft, Inc. K56flex is a trademark
of Lucent Technologies, Inc. and Rockwell International

1

Introduction

Thank you for purchasing the Actiontec PCI Pro 56K internal modem. The PCI P ro
incorporates the latest technology in controller-less V.90 modems for the PCI bus.
This technology improves the performance and capabilities of personal computer
fax/modems. The use of the PCI Bus frees the user from having to use an ISA slot
which is most likely already being used by another peripheral. Almost every PC has
at least one free PCI slot.

Host-based or “Windows” modems utilize your computer’s internal Central P rocess­ing Unit, or CPU to perform some of their functions. The modem’s onboar d digital
signal processing circuitry handles the most processor-intensive functions such as
V.90 and V.34 modulation, while the CPU handles more routine communications
tasks like data compression. This allows for fewer parts and greater reliability without
taxing the overall system speed. It also allows the modem greater access to memory
and disk storage space. As personal computers advance in speed and capabilities,
controller-less modems can take advantage of these improvements. Simply download
the new driver, follow the installation instructions, and reboot your system. In this
way, the performance of your modem improves as your PC hardware improves.

Contacting

Actiontec Electronics prides itself on making high-quality , durable, high-performance
products. If you should need assistance, the Actiontec T echnical Support Department
is available from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM Pacific Coast Time, Monday through Friday
to provide professional support.

Actiontec Electronics, Inc.
Technical Support
760 N. Mary Avenue
Sunnyvale, CA 94086
Phone: [phone] (choose option 7)
Fax: [phone]
BBS: 408-732-0112
Email:[e-mail]

New drivers are released as need arises to insure maximum compatibility and opera­tion of your new Actiontec PCI Pro 56K internal modem. Find out about these and
other new Actiontec products at the Actiontec web site:

Action

http://www.actiontec.com

tec Customer Support

2

Do This First

Please read the following tips carefully before attempting to install your new modem.

For Windows 95 and Windows 98 Installations

Be sure to remove all other modem drivers from your operating system. To do this,
right-click M y Computer, choose P roperties from the menu that appears, then click
on the Device Manager tab. Double-click the Modems icon in the list of devices to
show the modems installed. Click once on the icon next to any modems in this list to
select them. When all of the modems are selected, click Remove.

T urn off the computer and physically r emove your old modem from the system. Once

you remove the old modem and its drivers from your system, you will need the old modem
driver diskette if you wish to reinstall it at a later date.

Restart the computer. On the taskbar, click S tart. On the Start menu, click Settings,
then click Control Panel. Double-click on the M odems icon. Select any and all listed
modems and click Remove. Shut down (rather than restart) the computer. Wait 5
seconds before turning it back on.

Figure 1: Windows 95/98 Modems Properties P anel

3

If you are going to use the Telephone Answering Machine (TAM) functions of the
modem and you are running Windows 95, you need to install a software component
called Unimodem V. If you have Windows 95 OEM Service Release 2 (Version

4.00.950 B, hereafter referred to in this manual as Windows 95B) or a later version
of Windows, this component comes standard as part of the operating system.

To find out which version of Windows 95 you are using, right-click the My Com-
puter icon on the desktop, and choose Properties from the menu that appears. If the
version of Windows 95 is 4.00.950 or 4.00.950A, go to the UNIMODEM directory
of the CD-ROM that came with your modem and right-click on the UNIMOD V .INF
icon, (this may be named UNIMODV) then click on Install.. Restart your computer
to enable the drivers.

In order to support older software, the modem will always be assigned to COM 4.
This port assignment is made by Windows based on instructions contained in the
.INF file supplied with the modem. Check Device Manager and verify that COM 4
is not listed.

Right-click on the My Computer icon, choose Properties, and select the Device
Manager tab. From the device tree, double-click the Ports [COM & LPT] icon to
expand the list of ports. COM 1 and COM 2 should be listed. If COM 4 is listed, it
is in use, it must be made available as the modem will be automatically assigned to
this port. Highlight COM 4 by clicking once on its listing in device manager, then
click Remove. Click Refresh. If the COM 4 listing returns, you have a hardware
device using the port. Reinstall the device on another COM port.

For Windows NT 4.0 Installation

Before installing your new modem, be sure to remove any modems and their drivers
from your operating system. On the taskbar, click Start. On the Start menu click
Settings, then click Control Panel. Double-click the Modems icon. Highlight the
modem you wish to remove and click Remove. Turn off the computer and physically
remove the old modem. Do not install your new modem at this time. Follow the
procedures below to help insure a trouble-free installation. Once you remove the old

modem and its drivers from your system, you will need the old modem driver diskette if
you wish to reinstall it at a later date.

Determine that your installation of NT 4.0 is current. Service Pack 3 (or greater),
from Microsoft, should be installed. On the Start menu, click Settings then click
Administrative Tools then click Windows NT Diagnostics. Select the V ersion folder .
Service Pack 3 (or greater) should be stated. If you do not have the latest service pack
upgrade installed, it must be obtained from Microsoft. The latest upgrade can be
downloaded from the Microsoft web site: www.microsoft.com.

4

For Windows 2000 Professional Installation

Important

Once you remove an old modem and its drivers from your system, you will need
the old modem’s driver diskette if you wish to reinstall it at a later date.

Before installing your new modem, be sure to remove any modems and their drivers
from your operating system. On the taskbar, click Start. On the Start menu click
Settings, then click Control Panel. Double-click the Phone and Modem Options
icon. Click the Modems tab to bring it to the front. Highlight the modem you wish
to remove and click Remove. Repeat this process for as many modems as you would
like to remove. Turn off the computer and physically remove the old modem. Do not
install your new modem at this time. Read and use the installation procedures that
follow.

5

Installing The Modem

Always discharge static electricity before handling your modem. You
may discharge static electricity by touching a grounded metal structure
or by using any commercially available grounding strap.

Make sure the expansion slot type is 16-bit, which has two slots to fit
the ISA card. 8-bit slots have only one connector. If you use an 8-bit
slot, the modem will not have access to the higher interrupts (IRQ 9-

12).
The position of the expansion slots in your computer may differ from

the illustration shown but the installation procedure should be the same.

Hardware Installation

1. Turn off the computer and all peripheral devices connected to it.

2. Unplug the computer power cord from the wall receptacle.

3. Remove the computer’s cover. Refer to your computer owner’s manual for in­structions.

4. Remove the screw securing the expansion slot cover behind one of the computer ’ s
available PCI expansion slots. Lift the expansion slot cover out as shown below.

Figure 2: Removing the Bac kplate

6

5. Firmly but gently insert the modem into the available PCI expansion slot. En­sure that the card is seated properly before securing it with the screw removed in
Step 4, as shown in the following diagram:

Figure 3: Installing The Modem

6. Put the chassis cover back on the computer.

7. Be sure that all power switches are in the OFF position, then reconnect the
power cables to the computer and its peripherals.

8. Connect the telephone line cable to the Line (Telco) jack as shown in Figure 7.

9. Turn on the computer and proceed to the following sections to configure your
modem to the operating system you are using.

7

Connecting Devices to the Modem

Figure 4: Connecting Devices

On the rear panel of your modem are input jacks to connect devices to the modem.
As shown in the diagram, there are jacks for connection to a “ phone ” and to a phone
“line.” The connector labeled Line (Telco) is meant to be connected to a standard
analog phone line. To help reduce the load on your phone line, it is recommended
that the modem be the only device connected. You should remove all other devices
from your telephone line while the modem is in use.

8

Configuring Windows 95

Step 1 Upon startup Windows 95 detects the modem and displays the New Hard-

ware Found dialog box. Click “D river from disk provided by hardware manu-

facturer” to select it, then click OK.

Step 2 If Windows asks for an installation disk, insert the modem’s installation

CD-ROM, and wait ten seconds so that windows can r ecognize the CD has
been inserted. Type the drive letter of your CD-ROM drive in the dialog
box that appears, and click OK.

9

Step 3 After the installer has copied the .INF files to the hard disk, another New

Hardware Found dialog box will appear prompting for the “Wave Device

for Voice Modem”. Click OK. (See “Do This First” for information on
UNIMODEM.INF if the following screen does not appear.)

Step 4 Click OK to copy the Wave Device .INF file from the CD-ROM Drive.
Step 5 T o determine what COM port and IR Q is assigned to the modem in Win-

dows 95, click on the Modems icon in Control P anel and select the Diag-

nostic tab. Click the COM port icon next to the modem and then click
More Info to view the modem properties. Take note of the COM port and

IRQ—these will be needed when you configure your communications soft­ware.

10

Configuring Windows 95B

Step 1 Upon startup, Windows 95 detects the modem and launches the Update

Device Driver Wizard dialog box. Insert the modem’s installaiton CD-

ROM, wait ten seconds so that the CD can be read, then click Next.

Step 2 After Windows 95 has found the updated drivers for your modem, click

Finish.

Step 3 If Windows asks for an installation disk, click OK and type the drive letter

of your CD-ROM drive in the dialog box that appears and click OK.

Step 4 After the Wizard has copied the .INF files to the hard disk, it should detect

“Wave Device for Voice Modem” and prompt for its driver. Click N ext.

11

Step 5 Click Finish to copy the Wave Device .INF file from the CD-ROM drive.

Step 6 T o determine what COM port and IR Q is assigned to the modem in Win-

dows 95, click on the Modems icon in Control P anel and select the Diag-
nostics tab. Click on the COM port icon next to your modem and then
click More Info to view detailed diagnostic information.

Step 7 Remember this COM port number. Y ou may need this information to con-

figure your communications software.

12

Configuring Windows 98

Step 1 After you have installed the modem hardware in your computer, turn on

the power and allow the system to boot normally.

Step 2 Windows 98 will immediately display the Add New Hardware Wizar d and

identify the modem as a “PCI Communications Device”. Click the Next
button.

Step 3 At the next dialog box, make sure that “Search for the best driver for your

device. (Recommended)” is selected, and then click Next.

13

Step 4 Next the wizard will ask which drives or folders it should search for the

drivers. Click to select the CD-ROM drive. A check mark will appear in the
appropriate box. Make sure that all the other options are deselected, click­ing them to deselect, if necessary. I nsert the modem ’ s installation CD-R OM.
Wait about 10 seconds, so that the CD-ROM drive can read the disc, and
click Next.

Note: After inserting the CD-ROM, make sure to wait a few seconds before click-

ing Next. Otherwise, the Wizard may report that it was unable to find the
drivers. If this is the case, click Back and then click Next, repeating this
process until the CD-ROM drive has read the CD-R OM and Windows has
found the drivers, displaying the dialog box shown in step 5.

Step 5 The Wizard will find the correct driver on the CD-ROM and identify the

modem as “V.90 PCI Windows Modem (LHT)”. Click Next.

14

Step 6 After Windows has finished copying the drivers to where they belong in

your system, it will announce the end of the installation process. Click the
Finish button.

Step 7 The Wizard will now search for drivers for the Telephone Answering Func-

tions (TAM), also known as the “Wave Device for Voice Modem”. Click

Next.

15

Step 8 At the next dialog box, make sure that “Search for the best driver for your

device. (Recommended)” is selected, and then click Next.

Step 9 Next the wizard will ask which drives or folders it should search for the

drivers. Click to select CD-ROM drive. A check mark will appear in the
appropriate box. Make sure that all the other options are deselected, click­ing them to deselect, if necessary.

16

Step 10 The wizard will find the correct driver on the CD-ROM and announce it is

ready to install. Click Next.

Step 11 After Windows has finished copying the drivers to where they belong in

your system, it will announce the end of the installation process. Click the
Finish button.

17

Step 12 Next, find out if the modem has been properly installed and configured for

use with your operating system. On the task bar, click Start. On the Start
menu, click Settings, then click Control Panels, then click Modems. Click
the Diagnostics tab. Click on the COM port icon next to the modem to
select it, then click More Info. Windows will communicate with the mo­dem for a few seconds, and then report back with the information shown
below. (The COM port being used may vary.)

Configuring Windows NT 4.0

Step 1 Install your modem into an available PCI slot. (See “Do This First” for

important pre-installation information.)

Step 2 Insert your modem’ s installation CD-R OM into your computer’s CD-ROM

Drive.

Step 3 On the Start menu, click Programs, then click Windows Explorer. Navi-

gate to your CD-ROM drive. Double-click the drivers folder , then double­click the Pciwin folder . In the window that appears, double-click setup.exe.

18

Step 4 The installation utility will show a welcome panel. Click Next.

Step 5 The next step in the installation process offers an install or remove option.

Select Install new modem drivers and components. Click Next.

19

Step 6 After the installation utility has finished installing the drivers, restart your

computer to enable the drivers.

Step 7 Click on the Modems icon in the Control Panel. Verify that Windows NT

has correctly found the modem.

Step 8 If you wish to dial into a Windows NT Remote Access Server or wish to

connect to the Internet, you will need to configure Dial-up Networking. In
Control Panel double-click the N etwork icon. Click on the Services folder
and select Remote Access Service. If the Remote Access Service option is
not listed click on the Add button. Scroll-down the menu and select Re-
mote Access Service. Click the OK button. Windows NT may ask for its
CD-ROM for some files. Insert as required. After you have installed Re­mote Access Service add the appropriate protocols as directed (e.g. T CP/IP
for Internet Access).

Step 9 At the Remote Access Setup dialog box, click on Add. Select the RAS De-

vice you wish to add and Click OK.

20

Step 10 Click Continue to finish the Installation.
Step 11 After Windows NT has completed the binding process, allow Windows

NT to shut down and restart the computer.

21

Configuring Windows 2000 Professional

Step 1 Install your modem into an available PCI slot. (See “Do This First” for

important pre-installation information.)

Step 2 Insert your modem’ s installation CD-R OM into your computer’s CD-ROM

drive.

Step 3 On the Windows Desktop, right-click the icon for My Computer. On the

menu that appears, click Properties. The system properties dialog box will
appear. Click the Hardware tab to bring it to the front, then click the De-
vice Manager button.

Step 4 In Device Manager, click the plus (+) sign next to Modems to expand that

section of the listing. A listing for LT Win Modem should appear.

Note: Windows did not display anything when you started up your computer to

acknowledge the fact that you had installed a new modem. This was be­cause it recognized the modem as one corresponding with one of the ge­neric drivers that come as part of Windows 2000, in this case the “LT Win
Modem” driver . In the steps that follow we will effectively tell Windows to
use the Actiontec driver instead, which will allow you to take full advantage
of the modem’s features and capabilities.

22

Step 5 Double-click on the listing for L T Win Modem. An LT Win Modem Prop-

erties dialog box will appear. Click on the S tep Driver tab to bring it to the
front, then click Update D r iver.

Step 6 This will start the Update Device Driver Wizard. Click Next.

23

Step 7 In the dialog box that appears next (shown below) make sure “Search for a

sutiable driver for my device (recommended)” is selected then click Next.

Step 8 In the dialog box that appears next, make sure that “Specify a location” is

the only option selected, then click Next.

24