Zoom/HomeLAN PCI Network Interface Card
About the Zoom Embedded Modem Family

Features

• Creates an affordable Local Area Network without running wires
• Installs easily using existing home phone wires
• Does not disrupt normal phone use
• Share Internet access, printers, and files
• Plugs into PCI slot
• Home Phoneline Network Alliance certified

About Zoom/HomeLAN

Networking your computers at home has never been easier. The Zoom/HomeLAN family of products plugs into standard phone jacks for fast, affordable networking without the cost and inconvenience of running cables. Households with more than one PC can now swap files, share a printer or other equipment, play networked games and share Internet access.

Zoom/HomeLAN does not disrupt normal phone use. Your telephone or fax machine plugs into a phone jack on the Zoom /HomeLAN PCI and can be used normally even while computers are actively networked on the same phone line. The jack is filtered to improve network performance and guard against noise and interference.

Zoom/HomeLAN transmits and receives data at a fast 1 Megabit per second rate. That's about 30 times faster than a modem and nearly as fast as a heavily trafficked office network.

The Zoom/HomeLAN PCI card is shipped with a two-user version of SyGate. This software allows shared Internet access over a Zoom/HomeLAN network using a single Internet account. The SyGate software's Network Address Translation (NAT) feature supports the broadest range of Internet application software, including NetMeeting, ICQ, InternetPhone, Net2Phone, and VPN (PPTP). And, unlike other Internet sharing software, SyGate enables any PC on the Zoom/HomeLAN network to initiate a dialup connection to the Internet using America OnLine's AOL 4.0 browser. SyGate can also be used to prevent access to undesirable Web sites or restrict access to approved sites.

Zoom/HomeLAN is certified by the HomePNA (Phoneline Networking Alliance). So, Zoom/HomeLAN will talk to any other computer equipped with HomePNA compatible network devices. A Zoom/HomeLAN PCI card can also be used as a 10BASE-T network interface card, which provides flexibility should networking needs change.

Zoom/HomeLAN PCI is simple to install. The card plugs into a computer's PCI slot and is connected by a normal phone cable to a residential phone line. Included software makes wizard-assisted setup and configuration quick and easy. Zoom/HomeLAN works on nearly any computer, even older 486-based models. All that's required is an available PCI slot, a CD-ROM drive (for software installation) and a hard drive. One Zoom/HomeLAN card, or compatible card, is needed for each computer on the network.

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Questions & Answers

What is a LAN and how can it be useful in my home?

A LAN is a Local Area Network. LANs are used in most offices to connect computers together so that all computer users can work together and share Internet access, files, and equipment (like printers). In a home with more than one computer a LAN can be put to the same uses. Until now, however, traditional LANs have required special cabling and technical expertise that have made them unsuitable for the average home user. Zoom/HomeLAN solves this problem.

How do I install Zoom/Home LAN?

Zoom/HomeLAN is an easy-to-install plug-and-play PCI card. Just install the card in any available PCI slot and plug it into a phone jack. Zoom/Home LAN has a second phone jack built-in so you can still plug in a phone or fax machine at the same location.

What is shared Internet access?

With Zoom/HomeLAN, it is possible for all computer users in your home to share one Internet connection. Zoom/HomeLAN works regardless of the type of modem (or other access device) that you're using. In fact, any connection that works with a standard Web browser will work with Zoom/HomeLAN. Zoom/HomeLAN includes software that lets more than one PC share an Internet connection.

Zoom/HomeLAN's data rate is 1 Megabit per second (1 Mbps). How fast is that?

Fast! About 30 times faster than a modem. Even though the data rate on an office network is rated theoretically at 10 Mbps, the practical speed is slowed relative to the number of users connected to it. On average, your Zoom/HomeLAN will be almost as fast as an office network.

I bought a computer that has "HomePhoneline Networking" installed. Will Zoom/HomeLAN network to it?

Yes! Zoom, Compaq, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, 3COM, Intel and other manufacturers are shipping products that are HomePNA (Phoneline Networking Alliance) certified, so they can talk to each other or any other HomePNA compatible or certified product.

Won't Zoom/HomeLAN interfere with my phones?

No! Zoom/HomeLAN is designed to transmit its signal on a completely different frequency band than a normal telephone, so you can use Zoom/HomeLAN to communicate between your computers and use your phones for voice calls at the same time. Of course, to be connected to the Internet on a modem and make a phone call simultaneously, you need two phone lines.

Specifications