Info Canda - The Voice of
Personal Computing in the Enterprise
Ositech's Trumpcard a master of many trades
Ositech's Trumpcard is one of those easy devices to review: it always seems to work no matter what the circumstances.
With the Type II PC Card called the
Trumpcard, Ositech Communications of Guelph, Ont., has built a triple hitter. The card combines a 28.8Kbps Modem, a 14.4Kbps fax, and an Ethernet LAN connector using either BNC or Ether jack connectors.
This unit is versatile. Trumpcard has separate connectors for modem and Ethernet adapters. You can run both connections at the same time (and I did).
This can be a godsend in LAN environments where sharing of modems can still be a ritualistic art. The Trumpcard meant I never had to break out of the session to use my modem.
Ositech supplies all the hardware and software to get the card up and running in various circumstances. There is a modem-to-telephone-jack cable, which only needs a this-side-up label on the modem plug to make it perfect. Like its Ethernet jack counterpart, the cable is more than six feet long.
The Trumpcard unit I was supplied with had only the twisted pair connector, not the combo BNC and twisted-pair connector. This was the only missing hardware link to making the Trumpcard a perfect connection.
On the software side, Trumpcard supplies all the PC Card drivers required to get the card up and running, with QuickLink II as the chosen Fax and telecommunications application.
For the Ethernet LAN operation, Ositech supplies drivers for Banyan Vines, DEC
Pathworks, IBM LAN Server, Microsft LAN Manager and Windows for Workgroups, plus Novell's NetWare. The software works with DOS, Windows and OS/2 workstations.
I had an opportunity to test the modem for its ability to match to other different modems. Dial in to Internet and I should, and do, get 28.8Kbps connections. Dial a client with 9,600bps fax and get same. Dial a 14.4Kbps, no problems. No problems can make for boring reviews.
On the LAN side, the first connection test on a NetWare 3.11-based network was uneventful. Following the script in the manual was easy. In contrast, getting the Trumpcard to work with Windows for Workgroups was much more difficult.
After two hours of fruitless effort, I realized I had mistakenly left some lingering Xircom card settings in the NET.CFG file. Upon removal of said offending lines, presto, we have connect. I like PC Cards that combine a lot of functionality onto one card. Two is good, and three is better.
I like a card that is absolutely boring on use -- no problem on the modem side; my mistake on the LAN connection.
I like a product that has simple and effective documentation.
I like to be able to work with a product straight out of the box -- QuickLink II makes the fax/modem eminently functional in Windows.
But most of all, I like the value. At a street price of about $720, I get all my modem, fax and LAN connection problems answered in a net, easy-to-use and compact package.
