Despite the lure of high-speed, always-on, cable modems and ADSL, a lot of people continue to use ISDN, or its BT Highway variant. Part of this reason is because you get a guaranteed data speed per channel of 64 kilobits per second. In theory (and, in our experience, in practice), ADSL or cable modem connections can be made to crawl should everyone in your neighbourhood be downloading huge files all at the same time. But ISDN will always be 64Kbps, or 128Kbps if you use both channels.

Elsa is a big German company and ISDN is particularly strong in that country. The Elsa MicroLink ISDN USB Connect is the latest in a long line of Elsa ISDN products. We can't help but recall a rival product from Eicon that we've seen before. Both the Elsa ISDN USB Connect and Eicon's Diva USB are compact, USB line-powered ISDN terminal adapters that offer CAPI (common ISDN application programming interface) software compatibility. They both include the German RVS-COM communications software package that offers a software fax modem, voice mail and file transfer functions.

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But from here on the two products diverge. Elsa's version of RVS-COM is a customised version of the 'Standard' edition - not quite the full stand alone package, but much more useful than the Light edition supplied by Eicon. For example, the Light edition doesn't provide remote access to, and management of, voice messages, whereas the Elsa version does. Voicemail can be an important consideration for some users, because in the UK, BT's ISDN deal excludes the BT Call Minder voicemail service.

Elsa's CAPI 2.0 driver also supports power management. This makes it more resistant to problems with PC power management systems, especially when a hard drive is spun down after a period of system inactivity. We realised after long term use of the Eicon Diva USB this could crash the RVS-COM software. We haven't yet experienced a similar problem with the Elsa package. Elsa also adds value to its offering by including the excellent LapLink Professional file transfer and synchronisation software suite.

Installation couldn't be simpler - just plug the USB cable in one end of the unit and the ISDN cable at the other end. Power is provided the via the USB cable so if you are using a USB hub, that hub will probably need independent power. The CAPI drivers load from CD in the usual plug and play fashion. Three LEDs on the unit are provided to check USB, ISDN line status and connection status.

Elsa is definitely addressing the home and office market for this product but it also expects notebook users on the move to be attracted to the USB Connect's compact dimensions and light weight. This is especially so as not all PCMCIA modems for notebooks include an ISDN option.

In conclusion, the Elsa MicroLink ISDN USB Connect has a great software bundle and works exactly as you'd expect. It's as good as, or better than, similar products we've seen in the past, and at a very fair price.