Direct COM port access
The direct COM port access allows full use of all modem
features. In case you decide to use this mode, it is critical to specify
your modem type correctly to let the program make use of all its
enhancements, because each modem type possesses its own directive set
(often incompatible with others). It is true even for modems of one
family (made with different revisions of the same chipset)! There are
tons of various different modems in the world, thus the program often
fails recognizing a rare brand correctly. As a result, the program
operation may fail.
Theoretically, one can avoid all these problems by using Telephony
Applications Programming Interface (TAPI) standard. The idea of such
an interface is not revolutionary but yet quite smart. However, this
interface implementation is yet far from ideal. For example, faxing is
not provided at all, voice operation is quite unstable, etc. But
- now a software needs not to know about modems, phone sets, etc.
(including ISDN, DSL, and modem raiser cards)! TAPI will do everything
to let a software work with all hardware brands in the same way.
Unfortunately, all this is too theoretical and academic by now. In
practice, however, modems are often supplied with wrong drivers, of
these drivers operate wrong, or the OS itself is wrong. For instance,
Windows 95 supports voice modems only
after installing Unimodem/V module you need to download from Microsoft
server.
Windows NT 4.0 does not support voice modems at
all.
Windows 98 has a complete set of drivers and is
the only OS of Windows family that operates normally in TAPI mode (provided
you install the right driver correctly).
Windows 2000 requires several updates of voice
mode drivers in comparison with '98, so voicing is still in question
here.
So if one mode does not work, select another at Properties
-> Telephone Device.
The good news for TAPI is that one great problem gets
resolved: sharing your modem between software applications. Thus, in
TAPI mode you can login to the Internet or get a FAX via any other
application - without exiting Call Corder (the direct COM access mode
prevents other programs from accessing your modem when Call Corder is run).
Current versions of Call Corder doe not support the following features in
TAPI mode:
- Monitoring handset position
- Recording from your modem mic or via handset mic
- Playing back via modem speaker