ZyXEL, read as “zai-cell,” is a networking hardware company based in Hsinchu, Taiwan. It manufactures and distributes switches, routers, firewalls, modems, mesh networking equipment, and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephones. ZyXEL Communications Corp. began in 1988 with Dr. Shun-I Chu and a rented apartment in Taoyuan. Chu remodeled the apartment into a laboratory where he engineered an analog modem. One year later, Chu officially established the company in Hsinchu Science Park. In 1990, Chu’s first successful modem came out, the U-1496. Another integrated modem with fax and voice followed in 1992. The success of these products set the pace for the next decade, becoming a staple in the business. Then the brand became responsible for powering the Taipei National Museum of History with a Wi-Fi hotspot in 1995. It made the museum one of Asia’s Top 10 Wireless Hotspots of that era. In the same year, the company released the world’s first A/D ISDN modem, Elite 2684. The company established its headquarters in the US and Europe in the following years. In 1998, the Prestige 128+, a router with built-in Virtual Private Network or VPN capabilities, entered the market. It changed the security and speed of the average consumer’s data exchange in homes and businesses, triumphantly pushing ZyXEL further into the limelight. ZyXEL partnered with commercial service providers worldwide in the subsequent years. It continued to innovate and expand its products. In the early 2000s, it released the world’s first ADSL Security Gateway with 802.11g Wi-Fi and ISDN backup – another game-changing device that brought the brand success and renown. ZyXEL traded in the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE) under the ticker symbol 2391. However, the company was delisted from the TWSE in August 2010 after becoming a subsidiary of Unizyx Holding Corp.
With such a rich history, it’s no wonder the company has so many products out there, from new to used. Finding the right documentation can be difficult, especially in the English language. This is the reason why we opened up a section dedicated to ZyXEL User Manuals, where you can view or download each PDF.