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-   -   ADSL modems: drivers req'd? Are they all compatible? (https://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/linux-networking-3/adsl-modems-drivers-reqd-are-they-all-compatible-232911/)

johnMG 09-20-2004 09:10 AM

ADSL modems: drivers req'd? Are they all compatible?
 
1. Are any special drivers required to plug into an ADSL modem, or can I use any ADSL modem as long as my NIC is working?

2. Are all ADSL modems compatible? My ISP wants to sell one for $150 USD, but I see them at BestBuy/CompuUSA for much less... Will any ADSL modem do?

3. I've heard of PPPoE (PPP over ethernet) -- is that required to use an ADSL modem? Is PPPoE a "driver"? A kernel module?

I'm getting ready to get off of dialup and onto something better, so any help is much appreciated. Thanks.

Bruce Hill 09-20-2004 09:28 AM

Re: ADSL modems: drivers req'd? Are they all compatible?
 
Quote:

Originally posted by johnMG
1. Are any special drivers required to plug into an ADSL modem, or can I use any ADSL modem as long as my NIC is working?
No drivers if it's a normal ADSL modem where the phone line plugs into the modem, and a CAT5 cable goes out of the modem to another device, such as a nic card, router, switch, hub, etc.
Quote:

2. Are all ADSL modems compatible? My ISP wants to sell one for $150 USD, but I see them at BestBuy/CompuUSA for much less... Will any ADSL modem do?
Some work better than others, but that's all technical stuff - $150USD sounds high - when I lived in the US I had cable, and they gave us a cable modem with the account. Here in China they give me an ADSL modem with the account. Maybe check another ISP, and also check www.pricewatch.com for ADSL modem prices. Newegg is a very reliable online dealer.
Quote:

3. I've heard of PPPoE (PPP over ethernet) -- is that required to use an ADSL modem? Is PPPoE a "driver"? A kernel module?
You need rp-pppoe in your kernel. Slackware comes with it supported with the default install. After you plug your modem in you'll need to login as root and issue "adsl-setup" and then to start it issue "adsl-start" and to stop it issue "adsl-stop" and to check the status issue "adsl-status"
You can get some more reading in the man pages for those commands by issuing ->
$ man pppoe
$ man adsl-setup
$ man adsl-start
$ man adsl-stop
$ man adsl-status
Quote:

I'm getting ready to get off of dialup and onto something better, so any help is much appreciated. Thanks.
It will be a lot nicer to have some speed in your internet connection, especially for downloading - something I seem to do a lot more of in Linux than I did in Windoze...

johnMG 09-20-2004 10:40 AM

Wow Chinaman, thank you.

I'll have a look at NewEgg and see about their ADSL modem prices.

The other option here for me is, of course, getting a cable modem. I'm pretty sure PPPoE is not required for using a cable modem (though I don't yet understand why). It looks like using a cable modem is even simpler -- just plug it in and it works (?). Is that the way it worked for you?

Glad to hear Slackware supports rp-pppoe out-of-the-box. I'm still running bare.i at the moment. I'll check those man pages (and poke around for rp-pppoe) when I get home in front of my slack box.

Bruce Hill 09-20-2004 11:04 AM

When I lived in America and used cable I was running Windoze,
and I don't even remember how it was setup. I'm sure you can
get plenty of help here if you choose cable. I would - it's much
faster than ADSL. One of the only things I miss about America. ;-)


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