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PREFACE:
The modem allows you to connect your
computer to the internet through your Internet Service Provider (ISP) or on-line
services such as AOL, GENIE, COMPUSERVE, and the like.
The main choice here is internal or external
and I recommend external if you have a lot of lightning. An external modem
requires an external serial port, cable, and power supply. But when
lightning takes your modem, it is easy to replace.
For internal modems, the same thing about PnP
and sound cards applies here, dink with it long enough and you can get it to
work with some older motherboard BIOS's, others work exactly as advertised.
If you get an older non-PnP model, set it to COM port 2, then disable COM2 on
the motherboard or other multi-I/O devices.
STRONG ADVICE:
Beware of software Digital Signal Processor (DSP)
based modems. These modems are sometimes called "WIN MODEMS".
If it's a cheap modem, you will get cheap performance. The best modems
that I have ever had are the 3COM Courier line of modems.
Make no mistake, not all modems are created equal. Everyone has different
opinions on which is the best and there are often comparison tests performed by
several magazines. The only modem I recommend
after trying many is the US Robotics® Sportster® or
Courier® series. My personal favorite and
the modem used by all my friends including my ISP is the internal or external US
Robotics® Sportster®
28.8 or 33.6 or 56k with or without voice. These modems
have been solid performers and I have yet to run across software that does not
recognize US Robotics® Sportster®.
Some folks prefer the Courier® line,
it is a bit pricier line of modem, but built for rigorous use.
I or my friends have had Promethius®,
Zyxel®, Supra®,
Zoom®, AT&T®,
and Hayes® modems.
In every case, we had to play the 'Attention (AT) command shuffle' to get them
to work with each other and with different software. And in many
cases, it simply did not work at all. There are always supposedly better
modems coming out and even other manufacturers have been rated higher by some
reviewers from time to time. However, I strongly recommend that you buy
one of the US Robotics® Sportster®
line. In real world applications and tests, they are
solid performers.
I have bought six US Robotics®
modems all together and only one of those suffered infant
mortality and had to be returned. US Robotics®
did have problems with the early WINMODEM and voice lines of
products. US Robotics® has
a tech note on this issue. The symptom is being unable to maintain a data
connection for more than several minutes. This was do to a chip that was
overheating. But be careful, other problems can cause this symptom as
well, like noisy phone lines and the modem or computer at the other end and the
wires and electronics of the telephone company in between. The best bet is
to check your modem serial number with US Robotics®.
Click here for the US Robotics®
3COM®
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