on 1/18/01 12:09 AM, Marcus Wigan at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
>
> The grey box is the authourised connection/isolator required in Australia
> [Canada?] and UK for connection to the PSTN network. In Australia this is
> AUSTEL who authorised and tests such devices. The US has very low standards
> (by wordl standards) for protection of the PSTN network, and has therefore
> very undemanding tests for devices to be connected to PSTN.
>
> I have north Australian (ie serial port connector+ grey box) and direct (ie
> RJ11 connector on the duo) modems as a result of my motherboard serial
> wipeout disaster experience.. as well as a 'gray box'...
>
> The low stadrad RJ11 mounted modems wok in all countries I have been in
> (dare I say it also did in UK and Australia when tried), but the dongled
> version is the approved and authorised connector which is required in
> countries such as the UK. In Australia the entire machine can legally be
> confiscated if non approved connections are made (the tests are for safety
> of the workers on PSTN networks, and requires stringent tests to ensure no
> high voltages or intermittents can be transmitted from the modem down the
> PSTN line)
>
> I hope is helps
>
> marc WIgan
>
>
Anybody care to further explain this?? Protect the PSTN network???? From
what?? The high voltage thing is bull, since its hard to see how anything
dangerous could be transmitted OUT of the modem w/o zapping it and breaking
the circuit. The big problem is ensuring that high voltages don't come IN
from the outside line, not the other way around. And just what are these
standards? Last time I spoke w/ someone who'd spent a lot of time in
Europe, I was told that basically this was all just a means of increasing
the income of the state-run telephone monopolies, which in return provided
lower quality service (in terms of noisy lines, ability to support higher
speed modem connections, etc.) than is typical in the US. But, since that
was just one person's experience/opinion, AND since this is an issue that
clearly impacts a number of Duo owners, it would be good if someone
knowledgeable could educate us all.
- Eric.
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