Konexx, Inc.
Unlimited Systems Corp.
5550 Oberlin Drive
San Diego, CA 92121-1717
Ph: 800-275-6354
Web site: www.konexx.com

Price: $500-$2,500 per seat

RATINGS (0-5)
Installation: 5
Documentation: 4
GUI: 4
Features: 5
Overall: A-

The DWInt2, a small, one-pound device, easily hides under a desk or perches inconspicuously on a shelf or wall, doing the one thing it has a mind to do: It lets analog telephony devices work over a digital PBX while it keeps the line free for simultaneous voice calls. The current versions work with Nortel Norstar and Meridian models; Lucent and Siemens models are due soon.

INSTALLATION
Installing and configuring the DWInt2 is simple, even for a non-technical person. Like an answering machine connected to an analog unit, the DWInt2 plugs in between the wall jack and your telephone. Another RJ-11 cord attaches to your preferred analog device, and the unit's small AC adapter plugs into the wall.

You can configure the unit for either line pools or prime lines. For line pools, you program which pools the unit should use and which specific lines the analog device should use. For prime lines -- or, if you're not sure which you have -- you program the beginning and end of the range of lines available to your digital phone. (For example, if you have three lines available, you'd program "1" and "3.") In this option, you also program which line the analog device accepts incoming calls from, and (optionally) how many rings the device should answer after.

We assumed that many users take the second option, since many users don't know which type of telephone system they have. Data entry was simple. We just punched in the appropriate numbers on our phone's keypad.

DOCUMENTATION
We were fortunate that our setup was more or less intuitive because the manual, while appropriately brief, is sometimes too brief, except when it's being redundant. And what's not redundant is sometimes confusing. The manual certainly could have benefited from a few more screen shots. (Specifically, more shots showing how your phone's LCD screen should appear at various points during the DWInt2's configuration.)

And here's another problem we encountered while testing the DWInt2: If you do nothing for 30 seconds between steps, the unit automatically resets itself to the "ready" state, making you start, from the beginning, whatever configuring gave you pause in the first place.

The reset time wouldn't necessarily have caused us a problem, except that reading the explanation between steps consistently took us more than half a minute. We'd do one step, read the manual to see what to do next, and go back to perform that step, only to find that the unit had reset itself again. Very annoying! Instead of relying on a 30-seconds-to-return feature, the unit should wait for some form of data entry to indicate a step has been completed. A press on a button, whether on the unit or the keypad, should suffice.

FEATURES AND OPERATIONAL TESTING
Basically, the DWInt2 has one feature. It's an analog converter/digital line doubler. And while that may sound ungainly, we suppose that you would have an easier time getting your boss to approve such a device than a personal, dedicated analog line installed at your desk.

While that pretty much sums up what the DWInt2 is all about, we can point out a couple of operational details. We liked being able to change the number of rings allowed before the analog device would answer, and we liked the unit's portability and straightforward physical setup. The DWInt2 is the kind of product that usually works on the first try, and if it doesn't, it's easy to troubleshoot.

Finally, connecting to a local Internet service provider while using a Nortel digital phone was easy. The DWInt2 is v.34 compliant and connects at speeds up to 33.6 Kbps.

ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT
Although our instruction manual purported to be for version 1.25, our phone's display insisted that it was using version 1.3. A call to Konexx yielded an explanation: Version 1.3, which debuted in December of last year, includes a fix for a software bug from version 1.25, but it doesn't cause any change in the documentation. Perhaps a note of some kind could save users the confusion we experienced.

Also, we urge Konexx to eliminate the 30-second return feature in favor of a manual return, and we'd like to see a more detailed and better illustrated manual. We'd also like to see the cost come down.

CONCLUSION
We really like the DWInt2, and we plan to add one to our stable of laboratory equipment. The initial cost and initial setup may discourage a few potential users, but most will appreciate how quickly the savings can add up when you use such a device. Just consider the monthly cost of having an extra analog phone line brought to your desk. The DWInt2 is a good solution to a tough problem.