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Speed Touch USB FAQ

I've heard that the Speed Touch modem can draw too much power?

The Alcatel USB modem is USB 1.1 rated, i.e. max power of 500mA. Unfortunately some modems may draw a little more than this, or some motherboards may not supply this full current. If the modem draws too much power it may trigger a self protection mechanism on the motherboard, that shuts down the USB ports – a reboot will correct this. To avoid this situation an external powered USB hub can be used.

What do the flashing LED’s mean?

There are a number of sequences:
(a) USB LED is red or flashing RED, indicates USB port congestion, try removing some USB devices, e.g. scanner
(b) both LED’s are solid Amber, the modem is POST failed, i.e. not detected or configured incorrectly. Check the driver version
(c) Two solid green LED’s you are sync’d with the exchange
(d) USB LED green, ADSL LED flashing, the modem is syncing with the exchange.
(e) USB LED green, ADSL LED flashing green continually, and occasionally flashes red, you have lost sync to the exchange. First check cabling between USB modem and wall socket. Then try rebooting. If still flashing green then contact your ISP as it could be a problem at the exchange.
(f) When using the connection the LEDS’s will flash to indicate traffic, one LED is downstream the other is upstream, if doing fast downloads, the LED’s may go out this is normal.

The Speed Touch modem stops working after a while?

This is usually due to a PC powering down the USB ports while going into power save mode. Try upgrading the Modem’s drivers and/or disabling all the power saving options both in Windows and in the BIOS settings. To confirm if it’s a power saving problem keep a ping –t command running which will keep the USB port active, if it does not stop working then power saving looks very likely.

Can I use a USB to Ethernet adapter to connect the USB modem to my network?

With the current adapters you cant, the USB modem is the DSL equivalent of a WinModem and requires some processor power to perform the modem functions and convert the ATM data into TCP/IP for presentation to the PC. There is a Draytek device however which can effetively act as a router and presents ethernet to the user side. See details here.

I have had the installation done but it doesnt work. What next?

Did you see the connection working on the BTignite engineers laptop, if not then you should complain to the ISP since it should be demonstrated as working to the customer by the BTignite engineer. Otherwise there are several things to check. Did you install the drivers before plugging the modem in? If not unplug the modem uninstall the drivers and start again, installing drivers first, then plug the modem in. Does the modem settle down to two solid green LED’s a few seconds after it is connected? If not your are not syncing with the exchange, check the leads are plugged in, if they are phone the ISP to report the fault. If no LED’s show at all on the modem, check it is plugged in to a USB port and that this port is actually working.

I get Error 650 all the time?

This means the “Remote Network is Not Responding”, if you have being able to connect previously and have not changed anything, try logging in as bt_test@startup_domain with no password and then browse to www.bt.net If this works contact your ISP, as your username may have being changed, or they have a problem with their Radius authentication servers. If you still get error 650 with the test login, check the lights on the modem, are they sync’d (i.e. both LED’s solid green)? If so perform a re-install of the drivers to make sure that these are not corrupt ( early versions had a tendency to overwrite their registry settings with the wrong values ). If a re-install does not help, it’s likely that there is a fault at the exchange or in the routing for your connection, so contact your ISP.

I installed the drivers from the CD the BT engineer left but I get Error 650?

Check the CD, it should say AC02 v 1.2.2 on it. If the CD is AB04 then you were given a coffee coaster, to get the connection working you must download AC02 v1.2.2 from our downloads page.

How long should the Speed Touch USB take to connect?

Around 1 to 5 seconds is average, but it could vary depending on ISP. Some users report up to 30 seconds, this may be a fault at the ISP end, if you consistently get long connection times report it to your ISP or visit the forums to discuss.

Win2000 crashes in a Blue Screen of Death?

BSOD can have many causes, a fairly common one linked the Alcatel USB modem is when running Norton Internet Security or Norton Personal Firewall, the blue screen shows the message "IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL."

The solution is to install the latest Live Update, also the issue was resolved for Symantec Desktop Firewall 2.0 and 2.01 with build 12 for 2.01.

Which Network protocols does the Speed Touch modem use in DUN?

Only TCP/IP should be selected, selecting other options may expose your PC to hackers.

Does the Speed Touch USB modem support compression?

No. The Enable Software Compression check box must be un-checked.

How do I create the Dial Up Networking (DUN) connection for this device?

Some ISP’s will provide a CD with software on that will do this for you, all you need to enter is your username and password. The procedure is not hard though, on the Alcatel driver CD there is a comprehensive manual describing how set the DUN icon up.

When should i plug the Speed Touch modem in?

You MUST install the driver software for the Alcatel USB modem before connecting the modem to your PC for the first time. This is because the Windows Plug and Play system does not have built in drivers for the modem and will incorrectly identify the device otherwise.

Do drivers work on XP?

The v1.4 drivers are the proper Alcatel XP drivers, but v1.3.4 may work as well. There is a verion 1.4 update available from the Alcatel website, here.

Microsoft have published a tech note on using the Speedtouch modem with XP and is available here.

What are the correct drivers to use for the Alcatel Speed Touch USB modem?

You can find the latest drivers on the SpeedTouch support pages

As and when new drivers are announced we will post news articles and place an item in the announce forum (hint: you can get our news in your email by asking for the Announce forum to be emailed to you).

Will the Speed Touch USB modem work on my Computer?

You will require a machine with working USB ports and Win98, Win98SE, WinME, Win2000, WinXP or Mac OS. Linux support is available from Alcatel, and there is also an open source version of the drivers available. Check our links page for more information.