Abstract: An applications program is provided for permitting a user of a host processing system to dynamically control a modem having forward compatible and expandable functionality. In a preferred embodiment, the applications program is designed to run on a personal computer running the Windows.RTM. shell, and the modem is compatible with ADSL promulgated standards. As part of such program, initialization and detection routines determine the capabilities of an ADSL modem, including whether the same has been upgraded to have enhanced data throughput. A calibration routine measures the computing power available to the host processor, and based on this information and other relevant parameters determines nominal setup parameters for the modem. These parameters are stored in a Device Parameter Table so that they can be accessed by various application programs that may make use of such modem.

Abstract: A high speed modem is provided which targets the use of a selectable, desirable portion of the total available bandwidth of a channel for achieving a data rate which nevertheless far exceeds that of conventional voice-band modems. In a preferred embodiment, the invention is implemented in an Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Loop (ADSL), and the nominal data rate is achieved using an analog front end (AFE) with subband filtering which causes an upstream transceiver to use only a selected number of available sub-channels for downstream data transmission and allows slower sampling rate for the AFE. The data rate of the modem is increased in a multiplicative fashion through modular expansion of a bank of AFEs to increase the number of transmitted downstream sub-channels.