Saturday, July 28, 2007

My new modem

Hi all,
This is Leo again. It has been quite awhile since I last posted :)

Today I will write about my new modem - the Thomson Speedtouch ST536.
Here's picture to go along.


Its wonderful how advancement in engineering allow device to become smaller and smaller, taking up less space at home with a pack of punch.
However, taking a look at the AC/DC transformer. Its a question, why (many) companies constantly loves to supply big, bulky adapters. :S

Its has a good design on the exterior while having features like command line interface(CLI) as well as routing features. Yes, it is a gateway actually and not as claimed - a pure modem. Firmware well written.

However, there are quite a few downsides.
Firstly, like most small devices, it runs HOT - despite many ventilation holes. Heat is a bad thing for electronics, so watch out!
Second, not only is the adapter big, it has a funny output of 18V 1A to the modem. Seems to consume more power than others.
Lastly, despite it being one of the well known ADSL2+ capable modem, it has poor ping times compared to other models. Mediocre...

Seems like too much hype that I got it even, ehhehe.

For those interested in seeing the PCB - lets compare it with the Siemens SpeedStream 4100
Just maybe, I'd post more on modems and information.

See ya soon!

EDIT: Its a AC/AC adapter instead