I. Introduction

Buying and using a modem used to be relatively easy. Not so long ago, almost all modems were 1200- or 2400-bps units and they were all compatible with the Hayes Smartmodems (although some were more Hayes-compatible than others). How time have changed.

Today, modems not only run faster, they are also loaded with features like error control and data compression. Suddenly, you are confronted with all the buzzwords: V.32, V.32bis, V.42, V.42bis, MNP5, LAP-M, etc. What do they mean? And what do they mean to you?

To make the most of a high-speed modem, you need to understand three different kinds of protocols and the relationships among them. They are the modulation protocols, error control protocols and data compression protocols.


Copyright (c) 1991-92 Patrick Chen. All rights reserved.