V.90 FAQ

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V.90 Frequently Asked Questions

All of On-Site / SurfNJ's pops, except West Milford, support V.90.
V.90 Is a protocol that will allow X2 modems to connect at 56k* speeds to a V.90 POP.

On-Site / SurfNJ does not guarantee 56k* speeds..

What is V.90?
Why should I upgrade to V.90?
If I upgrade my KFlex modem to V.90 will I see higher connection speeds?.
If I upgrade my X2 modem to V.90 will I see higher connection speeds?
My modem is a KFlex/V.90 and it does not connect at 33600+ speeds.
My modem is a X2/V.90 and it does not connect at 33600+ speeds.
OK, so how do I upgrade my modem to V.90?
What V.90 modem should I buy, what modem does On-Site / SurfNJ recommend?
I upgraded my modem to V.90 (or my modem is a V.90) and it keeps on dropping my connections.. why?

What is V.90?

Before the V.90 standard was established there were two ways to connect at 56k* speeds, KFlex and X2. The V.90 standard was a agreement between major modem manufacturers which allows X2 modems to connect to KFlex/V.90 POPs at 56k* speeds and vice versa.

Why should I upgrade to V.90?

If you have a X2 modem, then a V.90 upgrade should show you better connection speeds. This will enable you to access and download information on the internet faster.

If I upgrade my KFlex modem to V.90, will I see better connection speeds?

If you are currently using a KFlex modem, and are connecting at speeds higher than 33.6k, you probably will not see any improvement. You are welcome to try using V.90 to see if you do see any improvement. If you do see improvement, please report your success to us (support@surfnj.net) be sure to include the modem brand and model number when writing.
If you are not connecting at speeds higher than 33.6, then there is a slight chance that you will see faster connections. Connection speeds are mostly restricted by the quality of the line from your location to your phone company's central office.

If I upgrade my X2 modem to V.90, will I see better connection speeds?

If you are using an X2 modem, upgrading to V.90 should increase your connection speeds allowing you to surf the net faster. If you do not get a faster connection speed after upgrading to V.90, it is probably due to the quality of your phone line. Connection speeds are mostly restricted by the quality of the line from your location to your phone company's central office. Your X2 modem may also be insisting on using X2 instead of V.90. An 'init' string will usually solve this problem. We recommend writing an email to support@surfnj.net with this problem. If you do write to us, be sure to include your modem brand and model!

My modem is a KFlex/V.90 but it wont connect at higher speeds.

The solution to this problem is to disable V.90, to do so you must put in an init string for your modem. Please write support@surfnj.net for instructions on how to do this. Please be sure to include your modem brand and model, and if known the chip set your modem uses.

My modem is a X2/V.90 but it wont connect at higher speeds.

Connection speeds are mostly restricted by the quality of the line from your location to your phone company's central office. Your X2 modem may also be insisting on using X2 instead of V.90. An 'init' string will usually solve this problem. We recommend writing an email to support@surfnj.net with this problem. If you do write to us, be sure to include your modem brand and model, and if known the chip set your modem uses!

OK, so how do I upgrade my modem to V.90.

In order to upgrade your modem to V.90, you must obtain a firmware upgrade from your model manufacturer. Most manufacturers supply this upgrade free. A good web page to look for V.90 upgrades is at http://www.56k.com. Upgrading your modem is as simple as downloading a program from your modem manufacturers web site and then running that program.

What V.90 modem should I buy, which modem does On-Site / SurfNJ recommend?

We recommend buying modems only from the leading modem manufacturers. We experience a lot of problems with inferior and 'no name' modems.

My V.90 modem keeps on dropping connections.. Why?!?

Your modem may be dropping connections because it is connecting at a higher speed than your phone lines can support. The solution to this problem is to limit the speed your modem connects at. This is usually done with an init string... write an email to us for instructions on how to do this.. be sure to include your modem brand and model when writing!

* Although 56K modems are capable of download speeds of up to 56k, due to FCC regulations, the speed is restricted to 53K. The speeds are further restricted by a number of items such as the quality of the phone line and the manufacturer of your modem.