which modem should I buy?

Pippin · 10-12-2005, 11:02 PM

Hello, I am considering buying an external modem (I haven't had much luck with my internal one), and I was wondering what would be a good one. Anybody had any experience in this area?

aaa · 10-12-2005, 11:22 PM

Any serial modem (not usb) will work. I have an Actiontec that works pretty well for me. Take a look at the HCL

Pippin · 10-13-2005, 11:43 AM

Why not usb? Wouldn't that be faster?

michaelk · 10-13-2005, 12:20 PM

An external hardware modem that connects to the serial port is the most compatable since they do not require additional drivers. Speed isn't an issue since the computer is much faster then the serial data stream.

I do not know how well USB modems are supported in linux.

aaa · 10-13-2005, 04:08 PM

USB not make much difference, it's a 56k modem. Serial more than enough. The advantage of usb is that they get power from the computer as opposed to serial modems where an external power source is needed. The disadvantage of usb is that not all of them are linux compatible, and it's hard to tell. If I knew that a usb modem were linux-compatible I would probably get it over a serial one.