Direct-Connect Modem

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What Does Direct-Connect Modem Mean?

A direct-connect modem is a network device that is connected directly to telephone lines without the use of an acoustic coupler. Nearly all modern modems are direct-connect modems in that they have no acoustic coupler.

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Techopedia Explains Direct-Connect Modem

Some modems with acoustic couplers are still used by world travelers where electrical connections to the telephone system are illegal or not available. Moreover, many models of telecommunications devices for the deaf (TDD) still have acoustic couplers built-in to them. This is intended to give the user universal use with pay phones.

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Margaret Rouse
Technology Expert
Margaret Rouse
Technology Expert

Margaret is an award-winning technical writer and teacher known for her ability to explain complex technical subjects to a non-technical business audience. Over the past twenty years, her IT definitions have been published by Que in an encyclopedia of technology terms and cited in articles by the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine, and Discovery Magazine. She joined Techopedia in 2011. Margaret's idea of a fun day is helping IT and business professionals learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages.