advice on a modem

I had a v9x USR/3Com VoiceModem that worked well enough, but my phone lines wouldn't let me get above ~ 30k connections. Be aware that there are some subtle incompatibilities between modems at times - you're best-off getting something that your ISP is happy with (e.g. if they have USR hardware, you're probably OK going with USR).

External modems are less problematic than internal WinModems because you don't have to worry about driver issues. Internal real modems take a slot that you might want to use for something else. External modems will need a cable that you might not have, adding to the cost. Externals take desk space. There are lots of tradeoffs that you need to consider. They're all the same speed (if they use the same protocol) when things are working properly.

If you don't want to spend ~ $10 for an external off of [link|http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?cgiurl=http%3A%2F%2Fcgi.ebay.com%2Fws%2F&fkr=1&from=R8&satitle=external+modem&category0=|ebay], just make sure you get an internal one that has Linux support. Some WinModems do, some don't. See the [link|https://wiki.ubuntu.com/DialupModemHowto|Ubuntu FAQ], and elsewhere, for pointers.

Oh, check this [link|http://z.iwethey.org/forums/render/content/show?contentid=71343|thread] from 2002, too.

HTH.

Cheers,
Scott.
(Who greatly appreciates his ~ 5.7 Mbps cable-modem connection speed.)

As to the veracity of his statements of the US Robotics Courier V.Everything (v.92 and previous standards).

I have been using that line of Modems for as long as I can remember, period. I started with a US Robotics Courier/HST Dual-Standard 4800. The reasons I switched to it were two fold. I worked with a company that did Credit Union stuff. It was called GEAC. Not the GEAC of today mind you. But at the time, they used ONLY the USR C/HST DS modems for the leased lines(dedicated pairs to each location) they had from the central Office.

Only thing that EVER happened was Lightning taking them out. Usually it was the HUP Relay that was welded closed. They could still use the modem, but could not Hang Up and re-init the connection, so they would use the Permanently off-hook modems as backup devices. Which they never needed. BTW, the early USR Courier/HST Dual Standard 4800 modems were about $1400 each. When I had to replace my 9600 I was personally using, the cost had come down to about $880, but was V.32bis (19.2K) was the fastest available. It was upgradeable, but at a cost of $119 per new supervisor chip. That was until, I bought a daughterboard upgrade ($119 again). From then on it was a firmware update. Infact the Courier I have downstairs at home is now a V.everything. I paid the $49 for the privilege to D/L firmare from the old USR BBS (long distance only to the Chicago number) at a Whopping 19.2K (at the time 14.4K was still vastly prevalent).

After that, the Local Fidonet BBS I was a part of, They had a 24 modem bank setup from US Robotics, that was donated to them but USR. I was the only one to get 28.8K after the first Firmware update. And then 48K, then 52K. But, alas I bought a Courier ISDN (and POTS) after that. So I could browse and D/L at a blazing 128Kbits (you know Dual-B connections).

Well, If I had to go back to Dial-up(((((shudder))))), I'd only use my Courier modem(s).

Post #252,224 by lincoln 4/14/06 4:06:45 PM Reply	advice on a modem The modem that came with my main box used for email has failed. So I'm asking the community for advice on its replacement. Internal or external? 3Com? Creative? Other brands? It will have to handle Windows right now and Ubuntu in the future. lincoln "Chicago to my mind was the only place to be. ... I above all liked the city because it was filled with people all a-bustle, and the clatter of hooves and carriages, and with delivery wagons and drays and peddlers and the boom and clank of freight trains. And when those black clouds came sailing in from the west, pouring thunderstorms upon us so that you couldn't hear the cries or curses of humankind, I liked that best of all. Chicago could stand up to the worst God had to offer. I understood why it was built--a place for trade, of course, with railroads and ships and so on, but mostly to give all of us a magnitude of defiance that is not provided by one house on the plains. And the plains is where those storms come from." -- E.L. Doctorow Never apply a Star Trek solution to a Babylon 5 problem. I am not merely a "consumer" or a "taxpayer". I am a *Citizen* of the United States. [link\|mailto:bconnors@ev1.net\|contact me]
Post #252,230 by bepatient 4/14/06 4:28:09 PM Reply	Internal and make sure it doesn't rely on windows for speed. Needs to be a hardware modem. I actually bought one at BestBuy long time ago from Zoom Tech. [link\|http://www.zoom.com/products/dial_up_internal.html\|http://www.zoom.com/..._up_internal.html] Model 2920 advertises working with Linux. If you push something hard enough, it will fall over. _{Fudd's First Law of Opposition} [link\|mailto:bepatient@aol.com\|BePatient]
Post #252,338 by lincoln 4/15/06 4:22:45 PM Reply	Newegg doesn't carry the 2920 neither do Best Buy CompUSA OfficeMAx Office Depot Circuit City Staples Fry's Any suggestions on where to get it? lincoln "Chicago to my mind was the only place to be. ... I above all liked the city because it was filled with people all a-bustle, and the clatter of hooves and carriages, and with delivery wagons and drays and peddlers and the boom and clank of freight trains. And when those black clouds came sailing in from the west, pouring thunderstorms upon us so that you couldn't hear the cries or curses of humankind, I liked that best of all. Chicago could stand up to the worst God had to offer. I understood why it was built--a place for trade, of course, with railroads and ships and so on, but mostly to give all of us a magnitude of defiance that is not provided by one house on the plains. And the plains is where those storms come from." -- E.L. Doctorow Never apply a Star Trek solution to a Babylon 5 problem. I am not merely a "consumer" or a "taxpayer". I am a *Citizen* of the United States. [link\|mailto:bconnors@ev1.net\|contact me]
Post #252,343 by Another Scott 4/15/06 6:20:29 PM Reply	Some vendors... [link\|http://zoom.links.channelintelligence.com/pages/prices.asp?sSKU=2920-00-00\|Zoom Links]. ~ $77 lowest price. [link\|http://froogle.google.com/froogle?btnG=Search&q=zoom+2920+modem&lmode=online&scoring=p\|Froogle Links]. ~ $45 lowest price. HTH. Cheers, Scott.
Post #252,234 by Another Scott 4/14/06 4:35:38 PM Reply	I'd get an external myself. I had a v9x USR/3Com VoiceModem that worked well enough, but my phone lines wouldn't let me get above ~ 30k connections. Be aware that there are some subtle incompatibilities between modems at times - you're best-off getting something that your ISP is happy with (e.g. if they have USR hardware, you're probably OK going with USR). External modems are less problematic than internal WinModems because you don't have to worry about driver issues. Internal real modems take a slot that you might want to use for something else. External modems will need a cable that you might not have, adding to the cost. Externals take desk space. There are lots of tradeoffs that you need to consider. They're all the same speed (if they use the same protocol) when things are working properly. If you don't want to spend ~ $10 for an external off of [link\|http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?cgiurl=http%3A%2F%2Fcgi.ebay.com%2Fws%2F&fkr=1&from=R8&satitle=external+modem&category0=\|ebay], just make sure you get an internal one that has Linux support. Some WinModems do, some don't. See the [link\|https://wiki.ubuntu.com/DialupModemHowto\|Ubuntu FAQ], and elsewhere, for pointers. Oh, check this [link\|http://z.iwethey.org/forums/render/content/show?contentid=71343\|thread] from 2002, too. HTH. Cheers, Scott. (Who greatly appreciates his ~ 5.7 Mbps cable-modem connection speed.)
Post #252,271 by broomberg 4/14/06 6:58:47 PM Reply	Agree on external Internal are a bitch to troubleshoot.
Post #252,272 by Andrew Grygus 4/14/06 7:35:56 PM Reply	Internals are cranky even if supported, even if . . . . . they are "real modems" (yes, some are still available). External modems are not only predictable they have the unsurmountable advantage of a row of blink'n lights so you can see what's really happening. I've put in banks of 24 external modems without a hitch, and fought single internal modems for hours. [link\|http://www.aaxnet.com\|AAx]
Post #252,313 by jbrabeck 4/14/06 11:33:36 PM Reply	Concur completely I've yanked the internals and replaced with externals. A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort. (Herm Albright)
Post #252,353 by a6l6e6x 4/15/06 7:24:57 PM Reply	Besides, there are those pretty lights to look at! :) They can be so comforting. If you take the trouble to learn what they mean, they can even be helpful! Alex When fascism comes to America, it'll be wrapped in a flag and carrying a cross. -- Sinclair Lewis
Post #252,452 by CRConrad 4/18/06 3:18:31 AM Reply	So would Rick. You know, [link\|http://z.iwethey.org/forums/render/user?userid=336\|Rick Moen]. Here's [link\|http://linuxmafia.com/~rick/faq/index.php?page=modems#internalmodem\|Rick on internal vs external modems]. [link\|mailto:MyUserId@MyISP.CountryCode\|Christian R. Conrad] (I live in Finland, and my e-mail in-box is at the Saunalahti company.) Yes Mr. Garrison, genetic engineering lets us correct God's horrible, horrible mistakes, like German people. - [link\|http://maxpages.com/southpark2k/Episode_105\|Mr. Hat]
Post #252,459 by Steve Lowe 4/18/06 5:13:00 AM Reply	ICLRPD (new thread) Created as new thread #252458 titled [link\|/forums/render/content/show?contentid=252458\|ICLRPD] -- Steve [link\|http://www.ubuntulinux.org\|Ubuntu]
Post #252,465 by folkert 4/18/06 9:34:24 AM Reply	I'd also agree with Rick... As to the veracity of his statements of the US Robotics Courier V.Everything (v.92 and previous standards). I have been using that line of Modems for as long as I can remember, period. I started with a US Robotics Courier/HST Dual-Standard 4800. The reasons I switched to it were two fold. I worked with a company that did Credit Union stuff. It was called GEAC. Not the GEAC of today mind you. But at the time, they used ONLY the USR C/HST DS modems for the leased lines(dedicated pairs to each location) they had from the central Office. Only thing that EVER happened was Lightning taking them out. Usually it was the HUP Relay that was welded closed. They could still use the modem, but could not Hang Up and re-init the connection, so they would use the Permanently off-hook modems as backup devices. Which they never needed. BTW, the early USR Courier/HST Dual Standard 4800 modems were about $1400 each. When I had to replace my 9600 I was personally using, the cost had come down to about $880, but was V.32bis (19.2K) was the fastest available. It was upgradeable, but at a cost of $119 per new supervisor chip. That was until, I bought a daughterboard upgrade ($119 again). From then on it was a firmware update. Infact the Courier I have downstairs at home is now a V.everything. I paid the $49 for the privilege to D/L firmare from the old USR BBS (long distance only to the Chicago number) at a Whopping 19.2K (at the time 14.4K was still vastly prevalent). After that, the Local Fidonet BBS I was a part of, They had a 24 modem bank setup from US Robotics, that was donated to them but USR. I was the only one to get 28.8K after the first Firmware update. And then 48K, then 52K. But, alas I bought a Courier ISDN (and POTS) after that. So I could browse and D/L at a blazing 128Kbits (you know Dual-B connections). Well, If I had to go back to Dial-up(((((shudder))))), I'd only use my Courier modem(s). -- [link\|mailto:greg@gregfolkert.net\|greg], [link\|http://www.iwethey.org/ed_curry\|REMEMBER ED CURRY!] @ *i_wethey* Freedom is not FREE. Yeah, but 10s of Trillions of US Dollars? SELECT * FROM scog WHERE ethics > 0; 0 rows returned.
Post #252,360 by boxley 4/15/06 8:27:11 PM Reply	/me rummages thru boxen have a external smart link 5634TS V.90Xx2, let me see if it lights up, yup, send me an email if you want it. thanx, bill Any opinions expressed by me are mine alone, posted from my home computer, on my own time as a free american and do not reflect the opinions of any person or company that I have had professional relations with in the past 50 years. meep
Post #252,750 by lincoln 4/20/06 10:33:49 AM Reply	Find anything yet? if so, write me; if not, time to go to the store... lincoln "Chicago to my mind was the only place to be. ... I above all liked the city because it was filled with people all a-bustle, and the clatter of hooves and carriages, and with delivery wagons and drays and peddlers and the boom and clank of freight trains. And when those black clouds came sailing in from the west, pouring thunderstorms upon us so that you couldn't hear the cries or curses of humankind, I liked that best of all. Chicago could stand up to the worst God had to offer. I understood why it was built--a place for trade, of course, with railroads and ships and so on, but mostly to give all of us a magnitude of defiance that is not provided by one house on the plains. And the plains is where those storms come from." -- E.L. Doctorow Never apply a Star Trek solution to a Babylon 5 problem. I am not merely a "consumer" or a "taxpayer". I am a *Citizen* of the United States. [link\|mailto:bconnors@ev1.net\|contact me]
Post #252,798 by boxley 4/20/06 2:19:20 PM Reply	reread the post, I described what I HAVE :-) Any opinions expressed by me are mine alone, posted from my home computer, on my own time as a free american and do not reflect the opinions of any person or company that I have had professional relations with in the past 50 years. meep
Post #252,807 by lincoln 4/20/06 2:57:32 PM Reply	That's what I get for posting before morning coffee I'll send you my address tonight. lincoln "Chicago to my mind was the only place to be. ... I above all liked the city because it was filled with people all a-bustle, and the clatter of hooves and carriages, and with delivery wagons and drays and peddlers and the boom and clank of freight trains. And when those black clouds came sailing in from the west, pouring thunderstorms upon us so that you couldn't hear the cries or curses of humankind, I liked that best of all. Chicago could stand up to the worst God had to offer. I understood why it was built--a place for trade, of course, with railroads and ships and so on, but mostly to give all of us a magnitude of defiance that is not provided by one house on the plains. And the plains is where those storms come from." -- E.L. Doctorow Never apply a Star Trek solution to a Babylon 5 problem. I am not merely a "consumer" or a "taxpayer". I am a *Citizen* of the United States. [link\|mailto:bconnors@ev1.net\|contact me]

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