[RESOLVED] Just Curious... "good" modems?

[Ruahrc]

I have always thought that a modem was a modem. The no-name $10 modem was just as good as the $60 brand name one when it came right down to it (Providing they were of equal protocal like v.90, etc.)

Am I correct? I mean when my phone lines only permit 28.8k/sec, a "better" modem doesn't do crap?

What about the diff between PCI and ISA? I had to buy a new modem because I lost my ISA slots in an upgrade, so I got a Diamond SupraMax PCI because it was the cheapest one. What does PCI Actually do for the modem?

Ruahrc

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I understand that sh!t happens, but when it comes to computers, it happens an awful lot.

[SiCkNuT]

The difference in price seems to be reliability. I've had problems before with the cheaper modems, dropouts & slow speeds. I suppose that if you are lucky you may find a cheap modem that does just a good of a job as a more expensive one. The difference between ISA and PCI isn't much. There is no difference in speed as the communication speed between both ISA and PCI slots and the modem card is well above the speed of the phone line. PCI modems are all plug and play whereas the not all the ISA ones are.

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[ i N S A N i T Y 2 0 o 1 ]

[StevePorter]

So called "winmodems" are software modems intended to integrate into the Win9x environment. The more expensive hardware modems (some internal modems and all external modems) have all the necessary hardware and firmware to act independently. Many have discovered that W2K simply ignores everything but a good quality hardware modem. In summary, you get what you pay for...

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Sometimes computer problems require extreme measures. Our hero, the Intrepid Spaceman Spiff, sets his blaster on "deep fat fry..."

[ReBoot]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">all external modems</font>

Careful here. Some external modems are winmodems. They are USB externals, and there's at least two I know of, both with Rockwell/conexant HCF chipsets.

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Who needs a life, I have Internet!
Jim & Sue's Free Files | Jim's Modems

[Eagle PC Diagnostech]

I've always used and trusted US Robotics modems.
Haven't had to replace many in 7 years, (3 at most).

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An obstacle is something you see when you take your eyes off your goal.

[parning]

I do tech support for a software that uses a modem interface, so I've had to deal with thousands of modems. Of all of them, I've found that anything by US Robotics (except their Winmodems ) are good, strong workers that maintain stable connections and don't cause excessive grey-hair growth.

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Required Disclaimer: The opinions expressed herein are my own and not those of my employer.

[iccrmman]

Phone lines limited to 28.8? That's a weird one. A family member of mine had a rockwell type winmodem, wouldn't connect higher than 38.3. Switched to a U.S. robotics 56k and now connects consistently at 53.3k. Also some ISP's(like mine)have compatability issues with rockwell type winmodems(ie. forcing lower connection speeds).

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When in doubt, use a bigger sledgehammer

[MacGyver]

USRobotics (now owned by 3com) makes the best modems out there, save their winmodems which suck your CPU. If you can get your hands on a USR Courier, you'll never go back!

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sHIFT hAPPENS11

[jfesler]

We use the Diamond modems all the time. They are inexpensive and very reliable. We have been using them for over a year. We tested them quite a bit before selling them. They generally connected faster than 3Com. Averaged about the same amount of drops. When buying them in bulk, we have received the wrong driver CD with the particular model we received. We simply download the driver and go about life.

[WebJedi_Master]

My recommended list:

1. USR/3com (I've had no problems with USR winmodems but avoid all others like the plague)
2. Diamond Supras are good.
3. Global Village teleports.

My Avoid list.

1. Anything that has HSP or Conexant in the name.
A clue will be on the package or requirement that the modem requires either a P166MMX or faster or requres windows 95 or later. A hardware modem will not require either of these.

Basically, what you money you save buying a cheap modem you spend ten times over with your own time and frustration.

You will get a LOT of dropped connections and failed connections, as well as poor overall performance with a software driven modem. I make an exception with the USR "winmodems" as they seem to have no impact on the CPU, and in my experience they work just as reliably as the hardware USRs.

But I took a risk when I got mine, so I recommend sticking completely with a hardware modem.

I'm glad you asked before you bought, as at the ISP I work at clients will buy a $30 modem (cdn) and then expect us support fellas to fix it.



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BREAKFAST.EXE Halted...
Cereal Port Not Responding

[parning]

Update:

My ever-loving sister has an LT Winmodem. It used to work fine when she lived in the city, but now that she's moved to a relatively rural area, it doesn't stay connected to her ISP.

My suggested cure: a USR 56K modem. Her solution: buy the cheapest modem she could find at Costco. An Award something. Guess what? It didn't work any better than the LT!

So guess who's driving up to his sister's house and installing a USR?

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Required Disclaimer: The opinions expressed herein are my own and not those of my employer.

[captpackrat]

I had a Diamond something or other modem a long time back, and it was terribly unreliable. It would freeze up, and nothing I did would reset the modem, short of powering off the system. I finally got fed up and went out and bought a USR external modem, specifically so I could power it off if it locked up. Never had any problems with it. I don't use it anymore, now that I have cable modem. My Sony laptop had a Winmodem, but it actually seemed to be pretty decent. I haven't used the modem on my new HP laptop yet, it's an ESS Winmodem, should be interesting to see how well it'll work.

At work, I specced out 3COM hardware modems, both ISA and PCI, for our product. I wouldn't settle for anything less, even though LT Winmodems would have cost 1/4 as much.

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Captain Troy D. Pack Rat
`akbar Press

If you're furry and you know it, hug the mouse!

[Ruahrc]

I guess I made a good choice then: My Diamond Supra has Conexant chips on it. I'm pretty sure it's a hardware modem because it has that big square thing on it, right?

I used to have an ActionTec ISA Modem that I got for free after rebates. It actually worked just fine, it dropped a lot but I think that was the ISP's fault because for a while before I upgraded I didn't notice it dropping as much.

One thing though: The PCI modems I've worked with seem to respond slower than the ISA ones I've seen. (Both Cheapo brand and Brand names like USR) For instance: My Supra PCI modem will take longer to pick up (access the dial tone) and hang up than the ISA USR I have in a diff. computer. Also, when the Supra PCI picks/hangs up it will freeze the mouse for a split second as it uses the modem (PS/2 Mouse) I also noticed this on a friend's PCI Modem. All the ISA's I've seen don't do this. Any input? It's not a problem just wondering why it does that.

Ruahrc

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I understand that sh!t happens, but when it comes to computers, it happens an awful lot.

[iamyourtech]

us robotics is by far the best out there(not the winmodem) always connected with a strong connection never less than 50,999
diamond supramax also was very good had one on the same connection and always pulled a 49,999...and both actually loaded pages quick ..i find these 15.00 winmodems sometimes say they connect at high speeds but you can tell the difference...TIME they slow down your whole pc ....time is money and you don't live forever
cable and dsl are the way to go

[Emerald Knight]

Another thing that can have effect on Dial-ups is distance from sub-stations. I'm several hundred yards from mine and I have a USR and connect at 38,666. A friend in the next town over lives right off the main street and has a very consistant 50+ connection. Not sure what his Dell has in it but I'm sure for what they billed it isn't a LT Win modem. Aside from the faster connection I have with my 3Comm (had a LT before) seems like i get droped just as much but I attribute that to the phone lines. Hurry up cable !!!!!!!! (can't pass the loop back for DSL:-(