Troubleshooting: Broadcom ModemXtreme V.92 PCI Modem User's Guide

The modem RJ-11 connector is located on the rear of the computer. The RJ-11 jack is a modular plug with four wires. Insert the RJ-11 phone cable into the plug.
*Note: some computers may be equipped with networking cards that contain RJ-45 ethernet jack. Make sure that you only use your modem RJ-11 connector to plug telephone cable. RJ-11 connector is narrower, and has four wires. RJ-45 connector is wider and has eight wires.

ModemDiagnostics

Your modem driver CD contains modem board hardware diagnostics utility. This utility is called HWDIAGS and comes fully configured to test modem board(s) installed in your system. The diagnostics utility can be executed under DOS or Windows®. The utility performs a set of comprehensive tests on modem hardware. Please note that some of the tests require that the modem is plugged to the telephone line.

When running diagnostics from Windows close all 3rd party applications that may use the modem. These could be fax applications e.g. WinFax, ProCom Plus, MS Windows Fax Service, etc., online services e.g. AOL, Prodigy, banking applications, etc. Make sure that MS Windows Fax service or RAS service is not running in auto answer mode.

To run the tests please locate the hardware diagnostics package on your modem driver CD, change the directory to the location of the package and execute HWDIAGS.EXE from DOS or Windows command prompt.

If you have more then one modem installed in your system you can test all of them with a command line switch:

HWDIAGS.EXE MULTI_DEFICE=n. where n is the number of modems installed in your system.

Hardware diagnostics utility will abort if any of the tests fails. To run the full set of tests you can use command line switch:

HWDIAGS.EXE STOP_ON_FAILURE=N

No Dial Tone

Ensure that the phone line is not already in use by other phone extension.
Ensure that the phone cord is firmly pressed into the phone jack.
Test the phone line by using an ordinary telephone to make a call from the same jack.
If the problem persists boot the system in DOS mode and run Modem Diagnostics application to ensure that the modem is operating properly.

Troubleshooting Modem on Windows Systems

Modem Not Responding/Unable to open modem COM port

Ensure that the application is using the correct modem name or COM port. Make sure to choose BCM V.92 56K Modem from the list of available modems and COM ports. Close all Windows or 3rd party applications that may use the modem. These could be fax applications e.g. WinFax, ProCom Plus, MS Windows Fax Service, etc., online services e.g. AOL, Prodigy, banking applications, etc. Make sure that MS Windows Fax service is not running in auto answer mode. If the problem persists use Task Manager to close all applications. To do that hit Ctrl-Alt-Del, then select "Applications" tab and use "End Task" button to terminate each application in the task window. Another computer device such as networking card, DSL modem, etc. may be interfering with the modem. If you have installed a new device recently uninstall it according to the manufacturer's instructions and try again. If you cannot access the modem after multiple attempts, run the modem setup program to reinstall the modem.

Modem Dials but Does Not Connect

Verify that the phone number is correct. Test the phone number by using an ordinary telephone to call it. You should hear electronic noises when the remote modem answers. If dialing from an office or hotel system where a prefix is required (such as "9"), ensure that the proper prefix is part of the dial string.

A connection can fail due to a number of reasons. The authentication process may fail, or the ISP may be experiencing an outage. Ensure that your username and password are correct, and that they match the ISP to which you are connecting. Enable the modem speaker and check that you hear a dialstring, and an answer, and a connect attempt. Verify that your modem can connect to the number using simple terminal application like HyperTerm.

To run HyperTerm on the computer:

Select [Start] from the task bar and then select [All Programs].
Select [Accessories] from the pop-up menu.
Select [Communications] from the pop-up menu.
Select [HyperTerminal] from the pop-up menu.
Enter "Modem Test" in the Name field.
Click "OK".
Select Your Country, Area Code, Phone Number.
Enter the Phone Number for the ISP you are calling.
Select Connect using BCM V.92 56K Modem.
Click "OK".
Click "Cancel".
Type ATE1 in the HyperTerm window. You may not be able to see echo when you are typing.
Press [Enter]. Modem should respond with OK.
Type ATDT <your ISP number>
Press [Enter]. You should hear electronic noises as modem connects.
Once connected modem should print "CONNECT XXX" response, where XXX is the connect speed. There could be other responses indicating negotiated error correction protocol and data compression.

If you hear modem connection sounds but the modem responds with "NO CARRIER" there could be a compatibility problem with your ISP server. Try disabling higher speed V.90 modulations to find out if the modem would connect to the ISP at a lower speed. To do that type the following commands in the HyperTerminal Window (above):

Type AT+MS=V34B in the HyperTerm window.
Press [Enter]. Modem should respond with OK.
Type ATDT <your ISP number>
Press [Enter]. You should hear electronic noises as modem connects.

If the modem connects (prints CONNECT response) then there is a compatibility problem with your telephone line or ISP modem server.

Selecting lower modem speed for Dialup networking

Select [Start] from the task bar and then select [Control Panel].
Click on [Phone and Modem Options] icon.
Select [Modems] tab.
Click on BCM V.92 56K Modem.
Select [Advanced] tab.
Enter ATS50.4=0S51=31 in [Extra initialization commands] field.
Click "OK".

NT 4.0 RAS Server Doesn't Work Properly

Make sure that any RAS service packs are correctly installed. If you have removed and reinstalled the RAS package, any service packs that were previously applied must be applied again to the new installation.

Troubleshooting Modem on Linux Systems

Modem Device not Present

Boot the system in DOS mode and run the Modem Diagnostics application to ensure that the modem is operating properly. Ensure that your Linux application specifies the correct modem device name. The device name should be /dev/ttySM0 (with /dev/modem being a soft link to /dev/ttySM0). If you have more than one modem card installed, the devices for these modems are /dev/ttySM1, /dev/ttySM2, etc.

Check that the modem device exists. At the shell prompt, type:
ls -l /dev/ttySM[0-9]
You should see one device for each modem card installed in your system. If you do not see the correct number of devices, and you are running the Linux kernel that came preconfigured with your system, you may need to re-install the modem binary rpm.
If you are running a Linux kernel other than the one that came preconfigured with your system, you may need to re-install and compile the modem source rpm.

Modem Not Responding

Boot the system in DOS mode and run Modem Diagnostics application to ensure that the modem is operating properly.
Ensure that your Linux application specifies the correct modem device name.
Ensure that the modem device has read and write permissions for your user and group.
Ensure that the modem device is present, and not in use by any other application. To determine if the modem is in use, type:
/sbin/lsmod
at the shell prompt. It returns the list of modules loaded by the system. Locate the modem module, BCMSM, and check its usage count. If the count is not zero, then some other application is using the modem. Locate the application by typing
ps -elf
at the shell prompt, and terminate the application.

Modem Dials but Does Not Connect

Verify that the phone number is correct.
Test the phone number by using an ordinary telephone to call it. You should hear electronic noises when the modem answers the call.
If dialing from an office system where a prefix is required (such as "9"), ensure that the proper prefix is part of the dial string.

A connection can fail due to a number of reasons. The authentication process may fail, or the ISP may be experiencing an outage.

Ensure that your username and password are correct, and that they match the ISP to which you are connecting. Enable the modem speaker and check that you hear a dialstring, an answer, and a connect attempt. Verify that your modem can connect to the number using simple terminal application like minicom. You may need to be logged in as root to change minicom's configuration.

To run minicom on the computer:

Type minicom -s from the shell prompt. You will see minicom configuration menu.
Scroll down to "Serial port setup" and press [Enter].
If Serial Device is not /dev/modem or /dev/ttySM0, Press "A" and change Serial Device. Hit [Esc].
Scroll down to "Exit" and press [Enter].
Type AT in the minicom window.
Press [Enter]. Modem should respond with OK.
Type ATDT <your ISP number>.
Press [Enter]. You should hear electronic noises as modem connects.
Once connected modem should print "CONNECT XXX" response, where XXX is the connect speed. There could be other responses indicating negotiated error correction protocol and data compression.

If you hear modem connection sounds but the modem responds with "NO CARRIER", there could be a compatibility problem with your ISP. Try disabling higher speed V.90 modulations to find out if the modem can connect at a lower speed. To disable high speed modulations, do the following:

Type AT+MS=V34B in the minicom window.
Press [Enter]. Modem should respond with OK.
Type ATDT <your ISP number>.
Press [Enter]. You should hear electronic noises as the modem connects.

If the modem connects (prints CONNECT response) with V.90 modulations disabled, then there is a compatibility problem with your telephone line or ISP. This issue can be addressed by adding the string "ATS50.4=0S51=31" to your modem's initialization script for the application you are using to connect.

Modem Will Not Connect at High Speed

Many variables effect the modem connect speed, and full 56k rates cannot be guaranteed. The quality of telephone line, as well as your ISP's configuration, may lower the maximum rates you can achieve. Your home's distance from the telephone company's Central Office will also impact connect speeds. Ensure that you are connecting directly to an analog phone line rather than a Private Branch Exchange (PBX). PBXes are often used by hotels and offices. Some PBXes do not support V.90/V.92. Disconnect other communication equipment, such as phones and fax machines, that are connected to the same phone line. Some equipment, when connected in parallel, can adversely affect modem transmission resulting in lower speed. Some older telephone lines may not support V.90/V.92 data rates.

Modem Cannot Go Off-Hook to Dial or Cannot Answer

Make sure that you are using the correct modem connector to connect the modem and telephone line. Ensure that the modem is connected to an analog line rather than a digital line. Digital lines are not usually used in home phone connections, but may be used in an office environment or in hotels. If you phone has special "Data Port" connector, use it to connect your modem istead of the wall outlet. The modem may report "ERROR" if you attempt to dial using a digital line.

Modem Volume Too Loud

Add the "ATL0" command to the extra settings in the modem control panel. If you want to turn off the modem sound, use "ATM0" command.

Screen Displays Double or No Characters on Screen

If the modem displays double characters, send the "ATE0" command to suppress local command echo. If the modem does not display any characters, send the "ATE1" command to enable local command echo.

Screen Displays Random or Garbage Characters

Make sure that your modem settings (speed, data parity etc.) match that of the remote system. Make sure call waiting is turned off or the modem is configured to respond to call waiting signal. Make sure your line is not excessively noisy. Disconnect other communication equipment such as phones and fax machines that is connected to the same phone line.

Errors Occur in Fax Transmissions

Make sure that you have selected BCM V.92 56K Modem as the modem option in your fax application. Try to change modem class option from Class 1 to Class 2.0 and visa versa. Make sure call waiting is turned off or the modem is configured to respond to call waiting signal. Make sure your line is not excessively noisy. Disconnect other communication equipment such as phones and fax machines that is connected to the same phone line.

Please read all restrictions and disclaimers.

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