Modem Basics:
A modem is a device that interfaces a computer with your telephone line. You will generally use your modem to connect to your internet service provider to get web access. When you use your modem in this way, you are using the "Data" feature of your modem. Some modems have a "voice" feature that allows the computer they are connected with to capture the voice information on the line. This is the feature of the modem that Ancyba's answering machine is going to use. Not all modems support this "Voice" feature. Please check your modem's user manual to see if your modem supports voice. It will generally say "voice/data/fax", which means that your modem does support voice.
Caller-ID basics:
Caller-ID is a signal that your phone company sends your phone letting you know who is calling you. This signal is only sent if your phone company sends it to you. You generally have to pay the phone company a nominal monthly fee to avail of this service. Once this information is sent to your modem, it is up to your modem to capture this information or discard it. There are many modems on the market that support caller-ID. That means that they capture the caller-ID signal, and pass it on to the computer to do what it wants. There are also a lot of modems that do not support caller-ID. So even if your phone company provides you with the caller-ID signal, your computer will never receive it because the modem just discards it. Unfortunately, there are many modems that claim to support caller-ID, but their internal circuitry is cheap, and they will not detect the caller-ID much of the time. Hence, your computer never receives the information, and as such, many of the features that depend on caller-ID (like custom greetings) will not work.
Troubleshooting caller-ID:
If your modem specifically states that it supports caller-ID, and you notice that it does not work consistently, you're probably seeing what I mention above. i.e. the caller-id circuitry of your modem is of poor quality. You can alleviate the problem to a certain extent by connecting your modem directly to the phone jack on the wall (with no other devices in the middle, like a phone splitter). Also make sure that you don't connect any other phone to your modem via your modem's "phone" jack. This could sometimes cause caller-ID information to be lost.
Another reason why the Caller ID feature may not work is because your modem drivers don't support Caller ID. So while the physical circuits of your modem are equipped for Caller ID, the software drivers provided to you by the manufacture do not fully utilize this. If this is the case, look up the website of your modem manufacturer to see if they have updated drivers.
Modem recommendations:
There are a lot of modems out there that claim to be voice modems with caller-id support. But to find one that works consistently is hard to come by.
Here is a list of modems I've tried that seem to work to various degrees of satisfaction.
Creative Labs DI5630-5 (about $35)This is the modem that I've used to create and test the application. I've bought a number of these modems, and each of them have worked flawlessly. You can buy this modem for about $35 from a number of retailers. Unfortunately, you have to install the drivers manually for this modem. That is, Windows XP does not install it automatically. While the Plug and Play is detected automatically, the modem driver it installs is generic, and you have to actually install the Creative Labs drivers for this modem for everything to work.
TrendNet's TFM-PCIV92I (about $11) I've done some very minimal testing on this modem, and it seems to be VERY promising. First of all, this modem is pretty cheap (about $11). Then, when I installed this modem, Windows XP immediately recognized it, and the drivers it installed were the correct ones. I didn't even need the CD that came with the modem. This is great. Both voice and caller id functionality worked. I have by no means done exhaustive testing on this, so I don't know how it works long term. However it did look pretty good. Trendnet does sell another modem with a very similar name (TFM-PCIV92) that does NOT support caller ID even though their site suggests that it does. So if you do buy a modem from Trendnet, choose the TFM-PCIV92I.
AOpen FM56-SV (about $19) When I tried this modem out initially, the Caller ID didn't work. After I contacted their tech-support, they sent me updated drivers for this modem. That seemed to make the voice and caller ID work. However the process was long and drawn out, and I'm not sure if the updated drivers have made it onto their website/CD yet. If they have, then this modem did seem promising, especially since it is inexpensive.
Here are modems that I tried that did NOT work too well for me.
Creative Labs DI5630-4 It's caller-id support was flaky, and it missed caller-ids on about 50% of the calls. Unfortunately, Creative Labs does not distinguish between these 2 models(DI-5630-5 which is good and DI5630-4), and they sell them under "DI-5630". So make sure that you get the DI5630-5 if you want things to work well.
Trendnet's TFM-PCIV92 Like I mention above, this modem sounds very similar to Trendnet's TFMPCIV92I. While the TFMPCIV92I seems to be VERY promising, this modem (without the "I" at the end of the name) does not support caller ID even though Trendnet's site suggests that it does. When I contacted a tech-support person at Trendnet, they mentioned that their documentation on this product is incorrect, and that this modem indeed does not support Caller ID. So don't buy this modem.
I would love to hear feedback though, on the modems that you tried with this program that worked well. I'd like to add that I have no affiliation with any of the companies I've mentioned above. My comments are based on trial and error. In any event, do use my Modem Checker utility to see if your modem will work well with Ancyba's answering machine.
Modem Installation:
Here are steps you will need to follow to install Creative Labs DI-5630-5 on your computer. Since many modems don't come with Windows XP drivers in the box, you may need to download the XP drivers from the manufacturer's website. Getting the correct drivers is not very simple, and following instructions can mean the difference between a few hours of frustration or 15 minutes of reading. If however, the modem does come with drivers for the OS that you have, just follow the instructions that came with the modem. Installing another modem is going to be very similar, and as such, I recommend that you read this section to get an idea of what to do.
Windows XP:
You will first need to turn off your computer, and physically install your modem
When you restart your computer, Windows XP detects the modem. In the case of the DI-5630-5, it just installs the generic modem drivers, and you will see no UI. However if you look at the Device Manager, you'll notice that the modem is installed as a generic modem. To get to the device manager, you'll need to click on the start menu, right-click on the "My Computer" icon, and click the "Manage" menu. You can then click on "Device Manager" on the left side of the window. On the right side of the window, you'll notice that there is a "Modem" item, and if you expand the "Modem" item, you will see the modem that just got installed.
Now, go the the manufacturer's website, and find the Windows XP driver for your modem. In the case of DI-5630-5, the driver file is located here . Download the file and save it to your hard-drive.
Once you run the executable that you downloaded, it will extract some files to your hard-drive. The DI5630-5 modem driver exe file that you just downloaded will only extract the files to your hard drive. Once you've run this file, you will need read the instructions to actually install the drivers. Read instructions in the readme.txt file and follow them closely. If you don't follow them, you may land up with generic modem drivers that do not have voice or caller-ID support.
After you install your modem driver software, reboot your computer. Do this even if you're not prompted to do so. This is because there are times when the windows telephony layer does not recognize a new modem until after the computer is rebooted.
Windows 2000:
Most modems do come with Windows 2000 drivers. If so, just follow the instructions that came with your modem. If however, your modem did not come with Windows 2000 drivers, you should install them from the manufacturer's website just as described above for Windows XP.
After you install your modem driver software, reboot your computer. Do this even if you're not prompted to do so. This is because there are times when the windows telephony layer does not recognize a new modem until after the computer is rebooted.
A modem is a device that interfaces a computer with your telephone line. You will generally use your modem to connect to your internet service provider to get web access. When you use your modem in this way, you are using the "Data" feature of your modem. Some modems have a "voice" feature that allows the computer they are connected with to capture the voice information on the line. This is the feature of the modem that Ancyba's answering machine is going to use. Not all modems support this "Voice" feature. Please check your modem's user manual to see if your modem supports voice. It will generally say "voice/data/fax", which means that your modem does support voice.
Caller-ID basics:
Caller-ID is a signal that your phone company sends your phone letting you know who is calling you. This signal is only sent if your phone company sends it to you. You generally have to pay the phone company a nominal monthly fee to avail of this service. Once this information is sent to your modem, it is up to your modem to capture this information or discard it. There are many modems on the market that support caller-ID. That means that they capture the caller-ID signal, and pass it on to the computer to do what it wants. There are also a lot of modems that do not support caller-ID. So even if your phone company provides you with the caller-ID signal, your computer will never receive it because the modem just discards it. Unfortunately, there are many modems that claim to support caller-ID, but their internal circuitry is cheap, and they will not detect the caller-ID much of the time. Hence, your computer never receives the information, and as such, many of the features that depend on caller-ID (like custom greetings) will not work.
Troubleshooting caller-ID:
If your modem specifically states that it supports caller-ID, and you notice that it does not work consistently, you're probably seeing what I mention above. i.e. the caller-id circuitry of your modem is of poor quality. You can alleviate the problem to a certain extent by connecting your modem directly to the phone jack on the wall (with no other devices in the middle, like a phone splitter). Also make sure that you don't connect any other phone to your modem via your modem's "phone" jack. This could sometimes cause caller-ID information to be lost.
Another reason why the Caller ID feature may not work is because your modem drivers don't support Caller ID. So while the physical circuits of your modem are equipped for Caller ID, the software drivers provided to you by the manufacture do not fully utilize this. If this is the case, look up the website of your modem manufacturer to see if they have updated drivers.
Modem recommendations:
There are a lot of modems out there that claim to be voice modems with caller-id support. But to find one that works consistently is hard to come by.
Here is a list of modems I've tried that seem to work to various degrees of satisfaction.
Creative Labs DI5630-5 (about $35)This is the modem that I've used to create and test the application. I've bought a number of these modems, and each of them have worked flawlessly. You can buy this modem for about $35 from a number of retailers. Unfortunately, you have to install the drivers manually for this modem. That is, Windows XP does not install it automatically. While the Plug and Play is detected automatically, the modem driver it installs is generic, and you have to actually install the Creative Labs drivers for this modem for everything to work.
TrendNet's TFM-PCIV92I (about $11) I've done some very minimal testing on this modem, and it seems to be VERY promising. First of all, this modem is pretty cheap (about $11). Then, when I installed this modem, Windows XP immediately recognized it, and the drivers it installed were the correct ones. I didn't even need the CD that came with the modem. This is great. Both voice and caller id functionality worked. I have by no means done exhaustive testing on this, so I don't know how it works long term. However it did look pretty good. Trendnet does sell another modem with a very similar name (TFM-PCIV92) that does NOT support caller ID even though their site suggests that it does. So if you do buy a modem from Trendnet, choose the TFM-PCIV92I.
AOpen FM56-SV (about $19) When I tried this modem out initially, the Caller ID didn't work. After I contacted their tech-support, they sent me updated drivers for this modem. That seemed to make the voice and caller ID work. However the process was long and drawn out, and I'm not sure if the updated drivers have made it onto their website/CD yet. If they have, then this modem did seem promising, especially since it is inexpensive.
Here are modems that I tried that did NOT work too well for me.
Creative Labs DI5630-4 It's caller-id support was flaky, and it missed caller-ids on about 50% of the calls. Unfortunately, Creative Labs does not distinguish between these 2 models(DI-5630-5 which is good and DI5630-4), and they sell them under "DI-5630". So make sure that you get the DI5630-5 if you want things to work well.
Trendnet's TFM-PCIV92 Like I mention above, this modem sounds very similar to Trendnet's TFMPCIV92I. While the TFMPCIV92I seems to be VERY promising, this modem (without the "I" at the end of the name) does not support caller ID even though Trendnet's site suggests that it does. When I contacted a tech-support person at Trendnet, they mentioned that their documentation on this product is incorrect, and that this modem indeed does not support Caller ID. So don't buy this modem.
I would love to hear feedback though, on the modems that you tried with this program that worked well. I'd like to add that I have no affiliation with any of the companies I've mentioned above. My comments are based on trial and error. In any event, do use my Modem Checker utility to see if your modem will work well with Ancyba's answering machine.
Modem Installation:
Here are steps you will need to follow to install Creative Labs DI-5630-5 on your computer. Since many modems don't come with Windows XP drivers in the box, you may need to download the XP drivers from the manufacturer's website. Getting the correct drivers is not very simple, and following instructions can mean the difference between a few hours of frustration or 15 minutes of reading. If however, the modem does come with drivers for the OS that you have, just follow the instructions that came with the modem. Installing another modem is going to be very similar, and as such, I recommend that you read this section to get an idea of what to do.
Windows XP:
You will first need to turn off your computer, and physically install your modem
When you restart your computer, Windows XP detects the modem. In the case of the DI-5630-5, it just installs the generic modem drivers, and you will see no UI. However if you look at the Device Manager, you'll notice that the modem is installed as a generic modem. To get to the device manager, you'll need to click on the start menu, right-click on the "My Computer" icon, and click the "Manage" menu. You can then click on "Device Manager" on the left side of the window. On the right side of the window, you'll notice that there is a "Modem" item, and if you expand the "Modem" item, you will see the modem that just got installed.
Now, go the the manufacturer's website, and find the Windows XP driver for your modem. In the case of DI-5630-5, the driver file is located here . Download the file and save it to your hard-drive.
Once you run the executable that you downloaded, it will extract some files to your hard-drive. The DI5630-5 modem driver exe file that you just downloaded will only extract the files to your hard drive. Once you've run this file, you will need read the instructions to actually install the drivers. Read instructions in the readme.txt file and follow them closely. If you don't follow them, you may land up with generic modem drivers that do not have voice or caller-ID support.
After you install your modem driver software, reboot your computer. Do this even if you're not prompted to do so. This is because there are times when the windows telephony layer does not recognize a new modem until after the computer is rebooted.
Windows 2000:
Most modems do come with Windows 2000 drivers. If so, just follow the instructions that came with your modem. If however, your modem did not come with Windows 2000 drivers, you should install them from the manufacturer's website just as described above for Windows XP.
After you install your modem driver software, reboot your computer. Do this even if you're not prompted to do so. This is because there are times when the windows telephony layer does not recognize a new modem until after the computer is rebooted.
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