Intel 537EP V9x DP PCI Modem

Elly,
First go here:

http://support.dell.com/support/downloads/type.aspx?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs&SystemID=DIM_PNT_P4_8400&category=0&os=WW1&osl=en&deviceid=5818&devlib=20

and make sure you have the latest driver for that modem installed on your system. Make sure the phone cord is tightly connected to the 8400's modem or try a different cord.

v92 only adds some extra features to the v90 standard, like modem on hold, but they don't affect the speed of the connection. You can look at this site for some general help with modem problems: http://www.modemsite.com/

And you probably don't want to hear this but the modem in your 8400 isn't very good. It's a software modem meaning it uses the Pentium 4 CPU for most of it's processing needs and "soft modems" tend to be slow and inefficient. Your older machine may have a hardware modem with it's own controller chips to handle the work and they tend to be faster, and more expensive.

You may want to ask Dell to replace the board in your PC since there's always a possibility it's a bad PCI card.

Ron

Message Edited by RoHe on 02-18-2005 05:06 PM

Thank you for the information. I did check for the driver and I have the latest version installed. This morning I replaced the phone cord, but it did not change anything.

I also noticed when I dial the ISP on my laptop it dials rather quickly, but on the 8400 it goes slower and it seems to hesitate slightly.

The 8400 is advertised as cutting edge technology, but obviously does not include the modem. I have had several Dell's in the past and always upgraded the modem, but not this time. I needed a fax modem and did not really need the answering machine capabilty in the upgraded modem.

I am still not happy but will cal Dell to see if we can replace this.

Also this new 8400 had problems from day one. The DVD drive was replaced, which did not resolve the problem, and a week later the motherboard and cables were replaced. Because of all the other problems I figured I would take care of the modem problem later.

Thanks again for your help.

 

Elly

Elly,
You're welcome. Sorry you've had so many problems. If you're still within first 21 days, tell Dell to exchange the whole system for a new one (won't cost you anything extra).

If I'd know how bad modems Dell supplies are, I wouldn't have ordered one, and instead bought something better with own built-in controller chips. They cost about $79 which is 3-4x what a soft modem costs, but probably worth it.

Also ask Dell to replace your Intel modem with the equivalent Conexant. My first 8400 had same Intel modem and it wouldn't do much better than 28K either. (My 10-yr-old PC gets 50K on this line). My first 8400 died in 9 days and the whole system was replaced by Dell with one that has Conexant modem. It gets 48-49.3K on this line. Way better than the Intel one.


Ron

Message Edited by RoHe on 02-19-2005 01:48 PM

Thanks Elly for this post, & RoHe for your response.

I had the exact same problem, almost ;=)

You are not alone - my new Dell XPS gen 4 arrived the first week of March and the voice problems still exist after Dell has replaced the modem twice. I use cable for my internet so I don't know what problems lurk there. It is not very good on FAX's either. They start at 14.4 and end up at 240. It is not my phone line. Dell insists on replacing it with the same Intel 537ep Modem that doesn't work.

I took the US Robotics modem from my old Dell  (Dimension XPS t750r running win 2000) and installed it to see if it would work - it did. That convinced BVRP and anyone else I spoke to that the modem was at fault - except Dell.

I'm sure you noted that there is no connection from the modem to the sound card - I was told that the better modems would have a connection as my old US Robotics did. Some will be internal and some now are external using 3.5mm stereo plugs (line out on modem to line in on sound card) with the mic going directly into the modem.

I have a 40 page file of e-mails to Dell with some of the craziest replies you can imagine.

Unfortunately I had to give the US Robotics modem back to the machines new owner but at BVRP's suggestion I have ordered a MultiTech MULTIMODEM ZPX INTERNAL V.92 ( MT5634ZPX-PCI-U-V ).

I expect it to arrive within a week and will post the results for you to see.

I had to pay for it myself but do plan to send my 40 pages of e-mails and a letter to Dell execs to evaluate. Hopefully they will ask for the Intel modem back and refund the amount included in my computer purchase.

I saw this thread last month when I went looking for reasons as to why my Dell Dimension 8400 with the Intel 537EP modem was consistently connecting at such a low speed (31.2 Kbps) to my dial-up ISP. I bought this machine new from Dell last fall but did not set it up until last month. One of the reasons for my delay in getting the machine up and running was the inability of Dell to help me when I contacted them with a question at the first of the year. So, I continued using my Dimension 4100 for a few months longer. The 4100, by the way, routinely connected to my same ISP over the same phone line at 45-48 Kbps.

I am not a computer savy/IT type person and figured I must have some setting wrong or did not have the latest driver for HP. Turns out neither was the case. From what I see on the forum, it appears the modem Dell put in my 8400 simply underperforms and is not satisfactory for dial-up internet service. This is very dissappointing. Dell should at the very least, inform people on their website that this modem is not recommended for those using dial-up internet service and suggest a suitable upgrade. Perhaps Dell assumes most purchasers are using higher speed internet services and this modem will perform well under those circumstances. The 537EP modem does perform consistently and connect regularly. It does not drop my connection. It just always connects at a slow speed.

I also purchased an Inspiron notebook from Dell late last year and just started it up a few weeks ago. It is my first laptop/notebook. I have only connected it to the internet once so far. It connected on the same line/same ISP account at 45-46 Kbps, similar to my previous Dell desktop.

I checked back on the Forum to see if Dell had offered any relief/assistance to those 8400 owners with this problem. I haven't found any reports of it yet. I have talked with the IT guy at work about having him replace the modem in my 8400. Do I need a hardware modem with controller or will some different winmodem work? I would be interested in learning what fixes have worked well for Dell owners?

Sorry my first post couldn't be more celebratory. Thanks.

Until I read the other posts I did not really test the data and FAX functions. You are all correct, it drops the ISP and does a terrible job FAXing.

I have installed the MultiTech Modem I purchased and the data connections are solid and fast. The FAX works correctly and while I am still tweaking the voice I expect all will turn out well there as well.

Ironically the Dell Modem Helper / Manager had a fit with the new modem and had to be uninstalled to keep it from disabling it.

A modem with a controller is always superior (and more expensive) to a soft (win) modem according to everything I have read on the subject and my own experience. This Intel 537EP is in a class with my old (pre Dell) IBM M-Wave ------ !!