2-2 Netopia ISDN Modem User’s Guide
About ISDN ISDN uses digital technology to connect to the public telephone
network. Using the existing copper wire and public telephone
network infrastructure, ISDN provides for existing voice services
and high-speed, dial-up data service.
Networks using ISDN communicate more efficiently than those
using analog lines. This is due to the relatively low cost of ISDN, the
fact that digital lines are relatively free of the random noise
associated with analog lines, and the high communication speeds
that can be achieved. ISDN Basic Rate Interface (BRI) lines can
reach speeds of up to 128 thousand bits per second (Kbps). A
typical high-speed modem can only send data over an analog line at
up to 28.8 Kbps.
You can convert almost any existing regular telephone line to ISDN
by ordering ISDN service for that line. In most cases, no rewiring is
necessary for the conversion and no special equipment is needed
to use the converted line with your Netopia ISDN Modem. (Keep in
mind that if you convert an analog line to an ISDN line, you will not
be able to directly connect analog devices to the ISDN line in most
cases.)
ISDN and the Netopia ISDN Modem If you’ve been using an ordinary modem to dial into analog data
services, such as a corporate LAN or online service, you can
continue to do so with your digital ISDN line. Simply connect your
analog modem to one of the analog device ports on the Netopia
ISDN Modem and continue to use your analog devices in the same
fashion as before.
The Netopia ISDN Modem will convert the analog signal to a digital
signal for transmission over the ISDN line in such a way that it can
be retransmitted by the public switched network to an analog
device.