ECSIS.NET is in the process of upgrading its digital modem network to support the new ITU V.90 56K modem standard. While all our actual access lines (phone lines) have been totally digital for over two years now, we are now upgrading all our modems to support the newer technology of 56K/V.90.  Please do not take that to mean that you now need to upgrade your modem to 56K V.90.  Our digital modems are backwards compatible with the older V.32 and V.34 modem standards used with 14,400 baud,  28,800 baud and 33,600 baud modems. 

If however you consider yourself a "power user" then you will be pleased with the speed and performance increases gained using the new V.90 modem standard, especially when you consider that ECSIS.NET does not charge any extra for the increase in speed.  That's right, 56K V.90 modem access from ECSIS.NET is the same price as the slower analog or standard access lines. ECSIS.NET will soon have all the remaining modems upgraded with the faster V.90 modem code.

2. Will I have to upgrade my modem? NO! However, if you currently have a 56K modem that uses either 56K-flex or 56K X2, you are strongly encouraged to upgrade your modem to V.90. ECSIS.NET can assist you with the upgrade, but, we suggest that you first consult with the modem manufacturer or a computer technician.  To help you find the information for your modem, we have developed a Modem Information Web Page.

3. Can I call ECS for support on upgrading my modem? Yes, we will be happy to help you find the information you need to Upgrade your modem. Unfortunately we DO have to charge to provide you with "technical assistance" with the upgrade of your modem. (telephone time is free; technicians cost money)

4. Is my modem upgradeable? You will need to contact your computer or modem manufacturer, or check out our Modem Information Web Page to accurately answer this question. 

5. Can I bring my modem to ECS and have you upgrade it for me? ABSOLUTELY. Please feel free to bring your modem, or computer and modem in for us to upgrade. We are more than happy to assist and have Technicians trained to do this for you.

6. What is the fee to upgrade my modem? We don’t know what charges you will encounter (if any) to upgrade your modem to 56K V.90 until we have had a chance for a technician to review your system/modem.

7. What is the fee to upgrade my account to 56K? ECSIS.NET charges the same per month for a 56K account, as for all other "analog" access. 

8. Will I be able to use V.90 from my house? Maybe, Rural phone lines are not known to be new, or of the highest quality necessary for 56K modem access. In fact, Phone company officials have stated that that there are no "guarantees" the local phone lines will support speeds higher than 33,600 baud. If you currently connect at 33,600 then it is likely that you will notice a speed increase with 56K. If however you never connect faster than 26,400 then you will most likely not notice an improvement in performance and may in fact notice more "problems" connecting with 56K/V.90 than you were with just 33.6.

9. Will V.90 be available in my area?  ECSIS.NET is currently offering V.90 service from all calling areas that we support. 

10. Why doesn't my modem connect at 56K? The Federal Communication Commission (FCC) has restricted the amount of voltage that the Telephone Companies can use on analog phone lines.  Therefore the maximum speed obtainable with a 56K V.90 modem is 53K.   The limitation did not surface until after several modem manufactures issued press releases stating their intentions to offer a new 56K modem technology.  Shortly there after the FCC issued their ruling to not allow the voltage to be increased on the phone lines.  Therefore when other modem manufactures threw their hats into the 56K ring, they did not want to say they had slower 53K modems so the grand misconception was adopted.  There have been a few groups lobbying to get the FCC to allow increased voltages across the phone lines...  So we will have to wait and see what transpires.

11. Why does my computer connect at 46,666 and my friends computer connects at 115,200 ? A classic example of the old saying "liars can figure but figures can't lie."  What you are actually seeing is the difference between DTE vs DCE speed.  This is a common misunderstanding of what the reported connect speed means. These speeds are the DTE (Data Terminal Equipment) speed, which is the speed of the connection between your PC and your modem (or serial port speed). The DCE (Data Communications Equipment) speed is the bottleneck. The DCE speed is the speed between your modem and the other modem you connect to. Prior to 56K modems, the best speed you could get between two modems was 33,600 bits per second. Now using 56K technology, rates approaching 52,000 bits per second are achievable.

12. How accurate is the "Connected at xx,xxx baud" that dial up network reports? It is not accurate at all.  I guess you could say it is a good bench mark that will let you know if you are connecting within reason.  But today's modems automatically adjust their speeds (speedshift) up and down with the condition of the phone lines.  Or if you are using a WinModem or Lite modem they will adjust with the availability of resources within your computer.   Unlike the more expensive modems WinModem offload a lot of the normal modem processing work to the Computers CPU.  If however your CPU is already working hard because of background applications or multimedia games or whatever then the extra processing power is not there for your modem.  Some modems are very aggressive and report a fast connect speed just to downshift right after connecting.  While others connect more modestly and upshift as the phone lines stabilize to reduce the chance of early disconnects.  The only real way to test your current connect speeds is to do a FTP or file download from a locally attached host.