South Florida Final Cut Pro Users Group

Double Your Internet Access Speed!

By Doug Noble  - Miami, FL -  February 15, 2003

A while back, I wrote about the 3Com ISDN LAN Modem, which permits from 1 to 10 computers (Mac or PC) to access the Internet by sharing a single 64 Kbps or 128 Kbps ISDN line. The computers connect to the unit via Ethernet and enjoy easy and quick Internet access . I have been using one for almost a year now and it's an excellent product. Recently, I was asked for a similar solution by a client in the Florida  Keys, who wanted to connect his four PowerMacs to the Internet for email and surfing. He had been using individual phone lines and modems for each computer. Unfortunately, ISDN lines are not available in his area. 

However, I found another 3Com product which fits the bill, and may be cheaper to use. It's called the 3Com Dual Analog Router, and instead of an ISDN modem, it incorporates two internal 56K modems. By merging two 56K lines together, it gives you a theoretical 112Kbps link. In my tests, I could not get more than 44Kbps per modem, but a total of 88 Kbps is worthwhile if you download a lot of files. Your ISP must allow you to make two connections simultaneously, sometimes called Multilink PPP, and usually they will charge you for two accounts. So for $40/month plus the cost of two regular phone lines, you can put up to 10 computers on the Internet.

It works like this; you connect the Dual Analog Router to your Ethernet network. It has a built-in Ethernet hub with has four 10BaseT (RJ-45) ports. If you need more ports, you can daisy-chain another simple Ethernet hub to it, using either straight-through or crossover Ethernet cables. You then connect the modem ports to two regular analog phone lines. Next, set your Mac's TCP/IP control panel to connect via Ethernet rather than PPP, and enter the router address.

You can now connect to the unit via your Netscape or Explorer browser by typing in an IP address, and configure it though a number of menus. First, you tell the unit the phone numbers for your ISP, your logon and password. You can also set the load threshold that you want the second line to dial. This is useful  if the second phone line is also used for a fax or other purpose, it will only be used for surfing when there is heavy Internet activity.

On a negative note, the first unit I installed was DOA, one of the modems did not work. I also had problems making my unit dial the second phone line, and was about to give up after three support calls when it finally started working. The unit has a serial port and comes with a DB-9 cable for connecting to a PC, and the support guys wanted me to connect and use its "command line interface" to debug it. Since I have a Mac, I could not use their cable.

An alternative way to get into the command line interface is to use a telnet program, NCSA Telnet comes on the Apple Internet Connection kit CD or can be found on the web. By entering archaic DOS-like commands I was able to delete the configuration and start from scratch, which eventually cured the problem. Hopefully  mine was an isolated incident.

The unit I installed has the older X2 modems installed, so you should use it with an ISP that supports X2. 3Com support  say a flash upgrade to the new 56K V.90 standard will be available. The 3Com Dual Analog Router costs about $550. A version with just one internal modem is available for about $250. Netopia/Farallon and WebRamp also offer similar products. The WebRamp unit uses external modems, so if you already own two V.90 modems it might be a good choice.

Doug Noble is co-owner of ADWEB a South Florida web design and hosting service specializing in Filemaker Pro database driven websites. He is also the founder of MacTalent. He has written technology articles for several trade publications and is a contributor to the Gold Coast Mac User group newsletter, Tropical Mac.

Copyright 1998 Doug Noble Contact
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