What You Should Know About ISDN to Your Home -------------------------------------------- Pacific Bell ISDN service call (800) 4PB-ISDN What is ISDN? ------------- ISDN is a new way of increasing the calling capacity of your existing telephone line. This additional capacity is achieved when special electronic components are added to your telephone line - making it an ISDN line. These components digitize your voice or data and place them into special channels called B channels that transport information to the person you called. These channels can transmit information at 56kbps (56,000 bits per second). These B channels can carry voice (just like today's telephone), data (just like your modem only much faster) and video (pictures of the person to whom you are speaking). There are 2 B channels on each ISDN line and so two kinds of information can be exchanged simultaneously. In other words, you can be speaking to someone on one B channel (a voice call) and looking at them on the other B channel (a video call). Or you can be speaking to someone on one B channel and transmitting or receiving data on the other B channel. Although ISDN has various capabilities it is primarily used to transmit and receive data at high speeds. It is important to understand that these channels are not physical channels - you cannot see them as wires inside a telephone cable - rather they are 'derived' channels created by the ISDN electronic components installed on your telephone line. ISDN stands for Integrated Services Digital Network. ISDN Creates Three Channels --------------------------- In addition, your ISDN line has a third channel used for slower data speeds. This channel is called the D channel and can transport digital data at speeds up to 9600bits per second. This channel can be used for such applications as E- mail, word processing and small file transfers. This type of data is called 'packet data' and it uses a long established format entitled X.25. An ISDN line has great flexibility and each B channel can be used for different purposes. One instant the channel might be used for voice and the next instant that same channel could be used for data or video. Or, if you buy the proper equipment, both B channels can be used to transmit data simultaneously thus doubling the data capacity of your ISDN line. What is Home ISDN? ------------------ As the name implies, Home ISDN is a service offered by Pacific Bell to provide ISDN to your residence. Home ISDN offers a fully functional ISDN line with simultaneous voice and data capabilities as described above. Home ISDN is offered only with a 1MR which is a residential telephone service with a different free calling program than the one you may have in your home today. A 1MR charges for local calls from Monday through Friday 8am - 5pm at the rate of $.04 for the first minute and $.01 for each additional minute. When you add ISDN to this line, local calls are free at all other times (evenings, nights, weekends). How Much Does Home ISDN Cost? Pacific Bell charges and features for Home ISDN are: Long distance charges may apply depending on where you call. Access to a long distance company is required just like your telephone service today. Of course there are costs to purchase your terminal equipment but the price of this equipment varies greatly depending on your application and the features you need. Pacific Bell does not recommend brands of equipment but we will provide a list of known manufacturers of ISDN terminals. We suggest you shop carefully for the equipment you need by contacting the suppliers we have listed and discussing your needs with them. What equipment do I need to make my telephone line into an ISDN line? To answer this question please refer to the diagram on the next page. Each home is somewhat different but generally these steps should be followed: 1. You must decide how you will be using your ISDN line. For example, if this line will be used for data transmission (perhaps from your home to the Internet) you will need some or all of the following equipment: A computer, a printer, a fax. While Pacific Bell can show you some illustrations of how this equipment will operate, we cannot sell nor do we endorse a specific company's products and in fact, many products may work equally well for what you are trying to do. You should first discuss your needs with available suppliers of this equipment so you know exactly how your ISDN line will work. 2. Assuming you have purchased the equipment discussed in 1. above, you will need some electronic equipment designed specifically to make your telephone line become an ISDN line. a. Network Termination 1 (NT1). This piece of equipment creates the 2 B channels and 1 D channel discussed previously and transmits your voice or data call over your telephone line to the Pacific Bell network. Pacific Bell then transmits your call to the person or computer (or printer or fax) you are calling. b. Power Supply. The NT1 needs electricity to operate and it gets this from your local power company through the Power Supply. Thus, your power supply is plugged into your electrical outlet in the wall and the NT1 is plugged into the power supply. c. Terminal Adapter (TA). Usually your computer, fax, telephone etc are plugged into the TA. A TA performs two functions: first, it digitizes (puts into digital format) any information that is not digital. So your voice, which is analog, is digitized by the TA. Second, it places the information it receives into a special ISDN format (called protocol) so you can communicate with the Pacific Bell network and the person you are calling. The TA is capable of speaking ISDN toward the Pacific Bell network and speaking the special language of your computer or telephone towards you. It bridges or compensates for the language (protocol) difference between your ISDN service and your equipment. Will ISDN Work if I lose Power? ------------------------------- Your existing telephone service should not be disconnected after ISDN is installed unless your equipment has battery backup for emergency telephone service during a power outage. How do I get Home ISDN service in my house? ------------------------------------------- 1. You must first decide how you will use your ISDN line. What do you want to do or accomplish and what performance do you need to have from your equipment and your ISDN service. Then you should contact equipment sellers and discuss your requirements. Among the questions you should ask the equipment vendor are: a. What functions will this equipment perform relative to my requirements? b. What software is required to support my equipment? c. How does this equipment support or operate with ISDN? d. What additional equipment is required for my ISDN service (for example, some equipment includes the TA, NT1 and power supply in one unit)? e. What type of ISDN does your equipment support - AT&T Custom, Northern Telecom or National ISDN? f. Precisely what procedure is required to activate my equipment in conjunction with my ISDN service? g. What maintenance support is available and how is the equipment waranteed? h. Does my equipment have battery backup in case of local power failure? 2. Call Pacific Bell ((800) 4PB-ISDN) and discuss your ISDN needs before you actually buy any equipment. Discuss your service needs and proposed equipment with a Pacific Bell representative. If you decide to order ISDN service be sure you have discussed thoroughly and feel comfortable with the compatibility of the equipment you are considering with your ISDN service. The representative will also discuss the availability of ISDN in your area or the area(s) in Pacific Bell territory you wish to call. 3. Order your ISDN service. This can be done with the same Pacific Bell representative. Your service may take from 5 to 12 business days to complete depending on the complexity of your service. Pacific Bell will provide service by installing another line to the protector box (also known as the network interface or demarcation point) located on the side of your home. If your local power fails all terminals on your ISDN line will stop working until the power is restored. Thus, you should not disconnect your existing home telephone service because you may need service during emergency conditions. 4. Purchase your terminal equipment and set it up near the telephone wall jack you will use for your ISDN service. 5. Modify the wiring or telephone wall jacks if required. An ISDN line requires 2 pair (4 wires) to the wall jack from the Pacific Bell protector box. You can do this wiring yourself or engage a private contractor (see Electric Contractors in the Pacific Bell Yellow pages). The wall jack must be at least a 6-pin connector. Pacific Bell will provide free guidelines on house wiring upon request. 6. After receiving notification from Pacific Bell that your ISDN service is ready, you should connect all your terminals using the appropriate cables supplied by your equipment vendor, load all software, plug your NT1 into the wall jack and the power supply, plug in your power supply to 110V outlet and proceed to activate your service. (Although this sounds simple, this process may be quite complicated depending on your equipment type and your use of the ISDN service. Be sure you have thorough instructions from your terminal supplier before you start this process.) Who do I call if I have trouble with my ISDN service? ---------------------------------------------- If you experience trouble with your ISDN service please call Pacific Bell first at 611. Often we can perform tests to determine if your trouble can be fixed by us or needs to be fixed by your terminal supplier. But, before you call anyone you should resecure all connecting cords and check the indicator lights and displays on your terminals to see if there is an obvious problem easily fixed by you. Refer to service manuals that were provided you when you purchased your equipment. Additional Information Available from Pacific Bell. The following additional information is available from Pacific Bell by contacting us at 1 (800) 4PB-ISDN: ¥ Typical Home ISDN uses with terminal configurations: 1. Internet Access 2. Access to interactive service providers such as America Online, Prodigy 3. Occassional work at home ¥ Instructions for wiring your home for ISDN if required. ¥ A list of terminal manufacturers with phone numbers ISDN Terminal Equipment Manufacturers ------------------------------------- The communications field is one that is constantly changing thus new terminal equipment and manufacturers will continually appear. You should be aware that this list may not be complete. Pacific Bell does not endorse products and is not certifying this equipment for use. Be sure to discuss your needs thoroughly with several manufacturers so you are aware of the differences in features, performance and price. To help you understand the information provided below the following figure shows various ISDN components. ISDN lines normally contain some of the components shown below but rarely do they contain all of these elements. This diagram shows only the relative position of ISDN components or how they interconnect with one another and is not intended to represent an actual ISDN line. The components to the left of the 'telephone jack' are connected using modular cables (cords with molded connectors) provided by the terminal manufacturer. NT1s and Power Supplies ----------------------- An NT1 and a power supply are required for each line. The following companies make stand alone components although this functionality may be integrated in other terminals such as terminal adapters or ISDN telephones. Adtran (800) 788-5408 AT&T (800) 566-8658 Siemens Stromberg Carlson (407) 995-3037 Tone Commander Systems (800) 524-0024 ISDN Telephones --------------- These telephones plug directly into the NT1. In some instances they have the terminal adapter built in. AT&T (800) 566-8658 Cartelco Inc (901) 365-7774 Fujitsu ISDN Division (800) 228-4736 Lodestar Technology Inc (407) 895-0081 Motorola UDS (510) 734-8820 Northern Telecom Inc (800) 992-2303 Siemens Stromberg Carlson (407) 955-3037 Telrad Communications (516) 921-8300 Terminal Adapters ----------------- A terminal adapter 'function' is required on each line. Generally, there are two types of terminal adapters - stand alone and Personal Computer cards. Stand Alone Terminal Adapters ----------------------------- As the name implies, these are terminals that stand alone - that is they are not integrated into other ISDN components. Adtran (800) 788-5408 Controlware Comm Systems Inc (908) 919-0400 Fujitsu ISDN Division (800) 228-4736 Gandalf Systems Corp (609) 424-9400 Hayes Microcomputer Products Inc (415) 974-5544 Integral Communications, Inc (800) ICI-8234 ISCOM, Inc (301) 779-1368 Motorola UDS (510) 734-8820 Newbridge Networks Inc (201) 818-2766 Northern Telecom Inc (800) 992-2303 Racal-Datacom, Inc (305) 846-6762 TelePower (818) 587-5540 XAN Communications, Inc (315) 787-8183 Personal Computer Cards ----------------------- These are cards that are installed inside the PC or workstation usually in a vacant expansion slot. Connective Strategies, Inc (703) 802-0023 CoSystems, Inc (408) 748-2190 DGM&S, Inc (609) 866-1212 Digiboard (800) 344-4273 Eicon Technology Corp (514) 631-2592 Extension Technology Corp (415) 390-8130 Fujitsu ISDN Division (800) 946-4736 Hayes Microcomputer Products Inc (415) 794-5544 Hewlett-Packard (800) 637-7740 IBM (800) IBM-CALL ISCOM, Inc (301) 779-1368 ISDN Systems Corp (703) 883-0933 Link Technology, Inc (215) 357-3354 Mitel Corp (613) 592-2122 Motorola UDS (510) 734-8820 MPR Teltech Ltd. (604) 293-6047 NCR Network Products Division (612) 638-7685 OST, Inc (403) 817-0400 Silicon Graphics (415) 390-2522 Sun Microsystems Computer Corp (415) 336-4433 ISDN LAN Bridges ---------------- These components connect a computer at home to a LAN usually at the office. Combinet, Inc (408) 522-9020 Develcon Electronics Limited (306) 933-3300 Digiboard (800) 344-4273 Gandalf (609) 424-9400 ISCOM, Inc (301) 779-1368 Video Equipment --------------- These components support video service over ISDN lines. These are called codecs and are used for room or desktop video service. AT&T (800) 566-8658 Compression Labs, Inc (408) 428-6759 Hitachi America (404) 242- 1410 Intel Corporation (800) 538-3373 ISCOM, Inc (301) 779-1368 Northern Telecom (800) 992-2303 Picture Tel (800) 742-8351 Vitel (800) 856-8835 Pacific Bell ISDN service (800) 4PB-ISDN Personal Computer Cards ----------------------- These are cards that are installed inside the PC or workstation usually in a vacant expansion slot. Connective Strategies, Inc (703) 802-0023 CoSystems, Inc (408) 748-2190 DGM&S, Inc (609) 866-1212 Digiboard (800) 344-4273 Eicon Technology Corp (514) 631-2592 Extension Technology Corp (415) 390-8130 Fujitsu ISDN Division (800) 946-4736 Hayes Microcomputer Products Inc (415) 794-5544 Hewlett-Packard (800) 637-7740 IBM (800) IBM-CALL ISCOM, Inc (301) 779-1368 ISDN Systems Corp (703) 883-0933 Link Technology, Inc (215) 357-3354 Mitel Corp (613) 592-2122 Motorola UDS (510) 734-8820 MPR Teltech Ltd. (604) 293-6047 NCR Network Products Division (612) 638-7685 OST, Inc (403) 817-0400 Silicon Graphics (415) 390-2522 Sun Microsystems Computer Corp (415) 336-4433 Home ISDN Prices ---------------- Service Monthly Installation - 1MR $4.45* $40.00 - FCC Access Chg. $3.50 N/A - ISDN $15.00** $125.00*** Home ISDN Total $22.95 $40.00 Voice Features: - Multiple Directory Number, Primary or Secondary - Call Information Display - Time and Date Display Circuit Switch Data Features: - Primary Directory Number only - Call Information Display * Includes a monthly allowance of $3.00, applicable to voice or data Zone Usage calls. ** Two tiered price structure for Zone 1 calls (Free Calling Area). From 8am - 5pm Monday - Friday, Zone 1 calls are billed at $.04 for the first minute and $.01 for each additional minute. all other calls are not billed. *** Waived if service is kept for two years. Optional Features: Optional Voice Features Monthly Installation - Secondary Directory No. $2.00 $5.00 - Hold, Consultation Hold, $4.00 $5.00 3-way Conference and Transfer Each D Channel Packet Device (optional) Monthly Installation - 4 logical channels $4.00 $25.00 - 1 Packet Device - Fast Select Initiate/Accept - Flow control Parameter Negotiation