Win modems (software-controlled), generally cannot initiate, establish and maintain a consistant connection to credit card processing companies. Hardware-based modems must be used. Financial institutions (credit card processors) require that modem communication must occur at 1200 baud (some go as high as 9600) and that data compression and error correction are disabled. Software modems use the Windows operationg system and the computer's processor to manage data transfer. This data transfer is usually compressed by the modem driver software and thus cannot be passed back and forth between PCCharge and the processor.
This is not a deficiency in PCCharge but the inability of the software-based modem to pass the transaction information using the protocol prescribed by the credit card processor.a lack of ability for the modem to pass the transaction information in the required format of the processor. Hardware modems rely on the actual modem to handle the data transfer between PCCharge and the processor. This hardware handling of the data by the modem does not require the software compression associated with Win/Soft modems. Thus, the data can be sent uncompressed in the proper format.