ISDN PC Card Adapters: Tiny Bundles Of Remote Connectivity Pack A Punch
By Jeffery L. Carrell
Telecommuting. Road warrior. Small office/ home office (SOHO). These are popular terms in the business world. With many people working at sites away from the corporate office, in many types of environments, the issue of remote connectivity is paramount: How can you get fast, reliable connections back to the enterprise network?
ISDN service is one way to connect to the enterprise network. Much less expensive than dedicated data circuits, ISDN availability in the United States is becoming more widespread. However, those road warriors toting notebook computers probably don't want to lug around an external ISDN terminal adapter (TA). To address their needs
, modem and remote-connectivity manufacturers have developed ISDN PC Cards.
 To view the Report card.
We tested ISDN PC Card adapters from Angia Communications, Digi International, Eicon Technology, Elmic Systems, Interphase Corp. and SBE. We had invited IBM Corp. and Fujitsu Microelectronics to submit a product, however, they declined to participate.
To test these adapters, we configured a simulated intranet, which consisted of a Microsoft Corp. Windows NT 4.0 server with Microsoft's Internet Information Server (IIS) and with Domain Name Service (DNS). For remote connectivity we used Cisco Systems' AccessPro router configured with an ISDN port and SBE's RouteMan with an ISDN PC Card. Our remote nodes, 486DX4/100- and 486DX50-based laptops, ran Windows95.
Awarding top honors to any of these products was a difficult task, since many offer t
he same features and options. But when testing was complete, Digi International's DataFire GO! Series PC Card came out ahead because it supports all U.S.-based ISDN switches and all basic protocols and, most important, offers both ISDN and V.34 technology in a single PC Card.
ISDN PC Card Basics
All of the ISDN PC Cards tested are Type II, which means they use the same slot as a standard modem or network PC Card. Some of the dongles are very small-nothing more than a connector and cable; others are much larger and bulkier-more than 2 square inches. Some dongles included LED indicators that can assist in determining the status of the adapter, ISDN line connection and line activity.
All of the units shipped with the appropriate drivers and, if required, included Microsoft's ISDN 1.1 Accelerator Pack. Our goal was not to rate these cards based on how quickly they could pass bits, but rather to determine which cards are easy-to-use and feature-rich and which can be installed with a minimum of hass
le. Unfortunately, not all of the products tested met this goal.
ISDN and V.34 Modem Combinations
Providing a 64-Kbps or 128-Kbps link, ISDN is currently faster than all analog technologies. However, you may no
t always have access to an ISDN line-we have yet to find a hotel that offers ISDN in rooms. Therefore, you still may need to use a standard modem. Some of the products we tested offer built-in V.34 modems and provide two communication cards in the same package. Additionally, many products can send faxes via ISDN, and a few will let you connect to remote analog dial-in systems over the ISDN link.
Digi International DataFire GO! Series PC Card
 Digi's DataFire GO! was one of the easiest cards to install and configure. Its quick-start guides and detailed user manual (with installation information on Windows95 OSR2) were very helpful. In addition, the included software offers
just about everything needed to perform Internet connectivity, basic communications services and faxing.
The versatile connection capabilities of DataFire GO! is one of its best features. It can connect to a remote ISDN device over ISDN, to an analog device over ISDN or, with a dongle, change to an analog device using the built-in standard V.34 modem.
To download an Adobe Acrobat .pdf format version of the ISDN PC Card adapter Features chart, click here.
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