Contacts: Munira Brooks COMPANY MILESTONE

ZyXEL

714/693-0808

Donna Clinard

Lages & Associates

714/453-8080

ZyXEL

MODEMS NEVER SAY DIE

A ZyXEL user from Massachusetts put his ZyXEL U-1496E modem to the ultimate high-

speed test when it flew off the roof of his car at 55 mph.

James Pennock of Marblehead, Mass., a Certified Network Engineer, was headed to a

client visit on Monday, September 26, when he heard a rumble on the roof of his Cherokee

Jeep. He looked in the rear view mirror just in time to see the box of his networking

equipment that he accidently left on the roof fly off and crash on the highway. The

equipment was strewn across Route 114, a four-lane highway in Middleton, Mass., and car

after car drove over the debris. Pennock saw his ZyXEL modem take a direct hit from a

vehicle which broke the case and sent the modem skidding down the road, shedding

pieces.

Pennock quickly threw his Jeep into reverse and stopped on the side of the road. He

began dodging cars on the highway in order to salvage the remaining equipment. The

ZyXEL modem was the only recognizable piece with its serial cable still attached -- and

it was hardly recognizable. The AC adapter was just a transformer dangling on the end of

its wires. Even though the circuit board was still fastened to the bottom of the case, the

top of the modem was in another lane. Pennock spotted the chip on the double yellow

line.

The damages from the accident were amazingly small. The motherboard did not have a

scratch, each one of the RJ-45 connectors on the ends of the wires were intact, the AC

adapter only had a small scrape where it hit the road, the ZyXEL manuals were fine, but

the ZyXEL U-1496E Modem/fax as a whole was, as Pennock says, "roadkill."

However, Pennock did not give up on his ZyXEL modem. He began piecing the modem

back together by fitting the chip in with a little bending of the pins. He took the AC adapter,

which only had the remaining "prongs," and straightened it out, then he twisted the wires

of the transformer back together. When he reconnected the equipment, Pennock was

amazed to see the green lights blink as the modem powered on and tested itself. To

confirm that the modem was back in working order, he sent a test fax to his wife, which she

received and sent back successfully.

-more-

Pennock contacted ZyXEL immediately after his successful repair job to share his story.

ZyXEL will be replacing the enclosure case and providing a thorough check-up to make

sure the modem continues to live a prosperous life.

Company Background

ZyXEL is a leading supplier of high speed modems and compatible products including

V.32bis/V.42bis modems with voice and cellular capabilities. Since its inception, ZyXEL

has been building a reputation as the price/performance modem leader by providing high

quality products at affordable prices.

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