From: Vincent Poy (vince_at_victor.MCESTATE.COM)
Date: Sun Oct 03 1999 - 13:39:03 EDT
On Sun, 3 Oct 1999, Valentino Kyriakides wrote:
> I use a Xircom RealPort CardBus Ethernet 10/100 + Modem 56 in my TP 770
> under Win 9x and it works great. Another TP 770 user reported that he uses
> the same card under NT without problems. In my little LAN at home (IBM
> IntelliStation, NeXTstation and the TP 770) the card boosts very well, also
> I have no problems with it's modem part, which outperforms my Zoom desktop
> modem.
This is likely since the Zoom uses Rockwell chipsets and the
Xircom uses Lucent's chipsets. Both are not a datapump made by the modem
manufacturers. The Xircom's modem performance is actually worst than the
3Com if you read the PC Magazine review earlier this year. Xircom is good
for the Ethernet part but not for the modem side which is what Intel and
IBM PCMCIA cards are using for their cards. 3Com had the better modem but
the 10/100 combo was bad since they only had a 16bit version back then and
not until now did they have the CardBUS version of the card.
> In general I like the Xircom connector system which is compact and easy to
> use. However, the 3COM XJACK cards seem also to have robust connectors, but
> AFAIK there isn't any 3COM combo card with two XJACKS (Ethernet+Modem)
> available. On Xircoms www page there is a published (independent?)
> testreport of some card connectors and there Xircoms connectors got the
> better critism (but maybe they paid for good critism, who knows?).
I don't like the Xircom system because it takes up two slots
instead of one. I think LinkSys makes a combo card that takes only one
slot that is similar to the Xircom. What Xircom should have done is make
the connectors part extend out and then go up or down so another card can
be inserted. I think 3Com does have a card with XJacks for both modem and
ethernet but it's only 56k+10Mbps and not 56k+10/100.
> If you are looking only for a Ethernet card, then you may have another free
> PCMCIA slot when choosing a 3COM card. IMHO both, Xircom and 3COM are
> building good cards, the question here is, which one has the better device
> driver and software support for all operating systems (?).
It should be 3Com since Xircom cards don't even come with any
software. It's the most barebones of cards.
> Maybe some TP list user has experiences with both PCMCIA card vendors and is
> willing to share his experiences.
>
> Greetings Valentino
Cheers,
Vince - vince_at_MCESTATE.COM - vince_at_GAIANET.NET ________ __ ____
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