ARCHIVED: What is the GeoPort?

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The GeoPort was introduced in the AV Macintoshes as a high-speed replacement for the traditional Macintosh serial port. It was similar to the 8-pin serial port available on older Macintoshes, but included an additional pin to power devices attached to it. Devices designed for the 8-pin serial ports were compatible with GeoPorts, but GeoPort-compatible devices did not work on the older ports. Apple Macintosh models that had GeoPorts included the Centris/Quadra 660av and 840av (modem port only), as well as many early PowerPC-equipped computers. Models that don't have GeoPorts include all other 68k computers, Power Macintoshes and Performas in the 5200, 5300, 6200, and 6300 series, and all newer Macintoshes that have replaced the older serial ports with USB ports (e.g., iMac, Power Macintosh G4).

The most popular device to take advantage of GeoPort technology was the GeoPort Telecom Adapter. It was sold as an external device that you could connect to an external GeoPort. An internal version was installed in some 5400, 6400, and 6360 models, and several PowerBook models had internal express modems based on the same technology. The Telecom Adapter differs from traditional modems in that it relies heavily on the computer's processor. In this respect it is very similar to a winmodem; all it takes to upgrade the Adapter is to upgrade the software it uses. Upgraded to the last software release, the GeoPort Telecom Adapter is capable of speeds up to 33.6Kbps for PowerPC-equipped computers and 14.4Kbps for 68k computers. Unfortunately, this flexibility comes at the cost of performance, especially for slower computers. Apple has ceased development of this product, but you may download the Apple Telecom 3.1.3 software from:

  http://download.info.apple.com/Apple_Support_Area/Apple_Software_Updates/English-North_American/Macintosh/Networking-Communications/Apple_Telecom/

For more information about the GeoPort and GeoPort-compatible devices, refer to the Apple Knowledge Base at:

  http://www.apple.com/support/

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