They're all 56k, right? What's the difference?

[scourge]

I am going to finally upgrade from a 14.4 modem to 56k. pricewatch has 56k's for as low as $12+shipping (total~$20-$25?). Why do USR modems cost 2/3x as much. Is there really that big a difference? What should I look for in a modem? If they all connect at 56k (I know, you only get 48 or 53 or whatever), what's the difference? Thanks for the input.

[AuraEdge]

I have a diamond supraexpress
Cheezy thing only gave me 44000...
and ever since about 3 weeks ago its crappin out on me...only letting me get 40000
i wish i could reach 53666
i really do
*sighz*
there might be a difference right there
if i got a USR i might just reach that great 53666

[Ed_S]

Difference is mainly reliability. Also they won't all connect at the same speed, or consistantly. Have Diamond 56iSP (ISA) which works great every time, consistant 44k, few if any errors. A friend has generic cheapie (PCI) which gets 48 - 53K - if & when it works!! Disconnects and failed to connect messages are common on his. Same ISP, BTW. Another friend has low end ISA Atlas, paid $10, works great. You just never know with the cheap stuff. USR, on the other hand, has bad rep among my group. Wouldn't own one.

[DavidX]

I spent £45 on a Rockwell PCI modem some months ago and was smug when I connected to AOL with no trouble whatsoever. Then I decided to try a couple of the free ISPs in the UK. Not so smug anymore! My neighbour connected to Freeserve with my old 28.8 ISA modem easily but I couldn't connect with my new 56K. Couldn't connect to Screaming ISP either.

A couple of weeks ago I bought a used Rockwell ISA 56K modem for £5. I tried that and - voila! - connects every time. Only around 44-46K but as stable as a rock.

I have absolutely no idea what the moral is but it just goes to show http://www.sysopt.com/forum/smile.gif

[Ed_S]

Davidx - Moral is, ISA modem beats PCI modem.
Read between the lines of my previous post! http://www.sysopt.com/forum/wink.gif

[Roy]

Like Hayes (R.I.P.) in the early days, 3Com/USR invents the standards and makes the gear that best applies them. I seldom hear of problems with their products - ISA or PCI.

[reboot]

You want to see troubles, go to www.56k.com (http://www.56k.com) and read all about USR/3com. They are not the best modem. Try getting an upgrade, especially if you live outside the US. Long distance charges to download a file? Bull Sh*t.
The biggest difference is between winmodems and "hard" modems. Not all ISA modems are hard modems, and not all PCI modems are winmodems. Do some research!
A good "hard" PCI modem is ~$95 and winmodems can go as cheap as $10 for a reason. Winmodems just don't run on anything slower than a 233 (mfg recommend 166 or higher, HAH!), and forget online gaming with a winmodem. Retrains and ping latency will kill you.
Spend good money now, and you'll be a lot happier in the long run. Beware of Motorolla (they don't make modems any more, and have no support), Cirrus Logic (they never were any good), and USR (unless you really want to pay that much for the name).
Get a good Rockwell chipset hard modem (Zoltrix, Zoom, Diamond, Acer (Aopen), Askey, GVC to name a few).
Happy surfing, Jim

[DavidX]

Jim (reboot)

Perhaps you can tell me . . .
I understand that merely because my modem is ISA doesn't necessarily mean that it's a 'hard' modem. I bought it used and have no idea who manufactured it (tracked down some drivers - firmware and inf files - from the Radicom site that seem to suit it fine though). It uses the Rockwell RCVDL 56 ACF/SP chipset and has flash ROM. Can you confirm that it is a 'hard' modem from that information?

Does it support SVD? Any other comments?

DavidX

[Ed_S]

Generally, a hard modem has to be configured with jumpers for IRQ and COM port usage, but a Winmodem is pure plug-and-pray.

[DavidX]

Ed_S, it's Plug&Play. There is a section on the PCB where a jumper part was intended to go (jumper settings are even silk-screened on the reverse of the PCB) but the points are simply soldered - presumably a later modification by the manufacturer, perhaps on certain models.