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Zoom ADSL USB Modem
Price: £80

Features
Performance
Ease of use
Value for money
Overall

Reviewed By: Andy Shaw

This review updated: 06/07/2003
Featured in magazine:
Issue 49, page 50
Manufacturer Contacts:
Supplier: Hayes
Tel: 01276 704400
Web Address: www.hayes.co.uk


If you're looking for an attractive peripheral to plug into your computer, you're going to have to look elsewhere. This particular grey slab certainly isn't going to win any beauty contests, so it's a good job it has so many other good points.

All the cables you need to hook it up to a computer and your telephone line are included, as are two filters for converting a standard phone socket to accept both your modem and a regular telephone. You will need a filter for each phone you want to plug into the wall once your line has been upgraded, so the two available here will get you off to a good start. Should you be installing this device onto a line that doesn't carry any regular phones – perhaps because you already have a second line installed for internet access – it includes a converter to allow you to plug your modem straight into the wall.

Installation is made simple with a thorough manual. It isn't the simplest of procedures to get this modem going, but the supplied information is good enough to ease you through it. Once installed, it has a useful control panel with all the information you might need to provide to technical support staff if you run into problems. You'll have to hunt this down through the Start menu – it doesn't automatically appear in the System Tray like many of its rivals.

This modem is a good all-rounder that comes with everything you need included, is easy to set up and use, and performs perfectly once you've got it going.

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