HCF modem is working, but only connecting at 9600 baud
 

Hello everyone!

I've downloaded and installed the driver for my HCF 56k Modem (Conexant); and it works like a charm.

However, when I connect (via KPPP), it only connects at 9600 baud. Any suggestions?

THANKS!

(Oh, I'm running Vector SOHO 5 w/ KDE)

umm , have you paid for that driver ? If you're talking about a Linuxant driver , then it's probably speed-locked and you can't connect at high speeds without paying something like 10 or 15 dollars for registration and getting a registration key ...is that the case here?

I'd say you're better off with a hardware modem , only you need to do some search before buying it . I did , god knows I did , and I still ended up with a modem that still doesn't work under linux , so I recommend you buy something that *specifically* supports linux , even cheap stuff , not that it'll make much of a difference ..there was a Diamond SupraMax external that I considered , and it sold for the equivalent of 20$ , now I'll probably end up buying it , because they say it supports it supports linux , unless I get the external I have to work first...so , specifically , buy an external modem ,that supports linux ..

Good advice. Oh well... So much for my FREE system. :P

by the way , by external I meant serial , not usb , the usb ones are no different from your pci hcf modem , or my old pci hsf modem , for that matter, they might even have the same chipset inside , and need a driver ! if you're going to buy an external , buy a serial one , Erics S raymond , in his "the unix hardware buyer's guide" recommends a U.S robotics Serial External V.92 , and thatr got me into the trap , because the one he's talking about is a u.s-and-canada-only model , that happens to specifically support linux , and is said to be the best around , but if you don't live in north america , and buy a u.s robotics like , say , 5668b or 5630 or something , you'll end up with one that they won't support under linux , I don't know whether it will work or not , but they certainly won't help you get it to work ..

About the Diamond Supra , or any other cheap external serial , you might want to check on the advice in that how-to I just mentioned , because he's got three pages of stuff on v.90 , class 2.0 and how that is different from class 2 and class whatever , so you might want to compare these spces to the ones of the modem you're eying , and then there's the modem compatibilitly list , which lists all modem that work with linux based on user expereice with them , so you might want to go there and see , and of course the linmodem site , and the modem how-to , and the linmodem how-to ...you know, don't fall in the same trap I fell into .

Really appreciate the well thought out post, it was much appreciated.

I think what I'm going to do, is almost can the whole modem thing. I was making this linux box for my 10-yr old daughter for school... I think I'm just going to put a wireless adapter in this machine.

Today I'm going to install that new Mandrake on a Dell GX150... this should be fun. :P

Thanks again, and I still think I may pick up a serial modem.. .just in case.

a good hardware modem is the Hayes model 15328 v.92 modem (pure hardware), it is blazing fast :), they cost about $69.00 but they come with all the extras (RS 232 serial cables,phone cord ect) this thing supports Unix,Mac, all windows products.

i got mine at Microcenter today, replaced my winmodem (conextant trash), with this thing i am able to surf and use xmms at the same time to listen to music on streaming ogg without a hiccup (just had to wait for the 32k buffer)

good luck, hope it works out for you in the end.

Russ

Hi,

just my two cents' worth...

i tangled with a conexant modem on my brother-in-law's computer. for one reason or another, buying a separate serial modem wasn't an option - the internal conexant item had to be used...

there is an old, non-speed locked version of the linuxant driver out there (which linuxant don't advertise, understandably..) - a bit of searching is required.. sorry, i can't remember the details, but try google.

but, in the end, i paid the 15 dollars (it's still cheaper than buying a new modem, after all) - the linuxant driver works well and is relatively easy to install.

basically, it's your call. those blasted winmodems are a pain!

yeah the beta driver you speak of is only good for 2.2 or 2.4 kernels, it won't support SMP at all and the winmodem drivers you buy will give you full speed but they are still 'Emulating' hardware that is not there and so are slower than a hardware modem. Also i have never come across a comuter that was not equipped with a serial port at all, maybe your brother inlaws serial port was turned off in the bios maybe. but as far as i know all computers have a serial port in them as a basic standard.

Russ

hi Rusty_L,

Ah yes, no k. 2.6 support - that was why I didn't go with the beta drivers, memory coming back now!

on the install i did, we did have a serial port available, and i even had a decent hardware modem that i could have given away, but the machine was for my bro-in-law's father, and, politically, it would have looked bad for linux if extra kit had to be tagged on just to make an internet connection work. crazy, perhaps, but i wanted a direct substitute for windows 98 that was on the machine before..

and yes, software modems do incur extra processor overhead, but i was pleasantly surprised by the performance of the machine and the internet connection - in real use, it didn't seem to suffer.

Hello Kevinatkins,

I understand now, sorry about that was not trying to start a flame war , yeah your right when setting up a computer for others that you know will be less than happy with buying extras they feel they won't need is a bad idea :). but in that case i would say yeah buying the Linuxant driver was a wise move to keep the peace. :)

Russ

no probs Rusty_L...i was actually in agreement with your original post, and from personal choice, i'd go with a proper hardware modem any time, from both a performance standpoint, and the fact that they're a cinch to set up... it was just one of those situations where my hands were tied somewhat.

i use broadband now, but when i used to dial up, i used a cheap jetway external serial modem - it worked well. it's sometimes worth finding a decent, independent computer store - from experience, i've found that the staff often actually know what linux is. it helps!