Modem Success Stories With Linux?

lasindi writes "Whenever I install Linux, I have trouble with the modem (unfortunately I'm stuck on dial-up). On the first installation, I found out it was a Winmodem and when I tried the solutions and drivers offered by linmodems.org, it still wouldn't work. I finally got an Intel PCI modem, but Intel only provides drivers that work on the 2.4 kernel. I have also have a Conexant modem lying around, but I found out that the only drivers that work for it are provided by Linuxant. These drivers, however, cost money (unless you want to crawl along at 14.4 Kbps for free) and are closed-source. I've found that, although I have five modems, I can't run any of them at full speed under the 2.6 kernel. I would like to know how common such problems are and how Slashdotters have gotten around them."

Comments

External modems or pay for the linuxant drivers

[Bronster]

For my laptop, the linuxant drivers cost hardly anything compared to the price of the machine (certainly cheaper than a card modem), so I ponied up.

For a desktop box - well, apart from the fact that I use a modem about never these days, it's always broadband of some sort - what I _used_ to do was buy a decent quality external modem and not have all the problems that plague cheap crap.

External Modems

[duffbeer703]

Sell for about $15 on ebay. Buy one and stop worrying about stupid stuff like this.

Re:External Modems

[MBCook]

I agree. Get yourself a good, external, SERIAL modem. They all run the same AT commandset so there are no drivers. It should work fine. I wouldn't fuss with internal modems and PCI modems and winmodems and USB modems and all that stuff when you could get a fine modem from eBay or a local used computer shop for cheap and end all your headaches.

Re:External Modems

[erykjj]

And...
1) you can easily/quickly switch them from one box to another
2) use them with your laptop (assuming you have a serial port on it)

Re:well..

[primal39]

"I'm not going to tell you that you SHOULD get high-speed Internet access"

I'm not going to tell him that either, because I read the post and he said he's "stuck on dial-up." This most likely means that he probably lives in a location very akin to mine, i.e. where the only broadband solution available is satellite, which has a very hefty initial outlay (last I checked it was in the $600 range)

So I sympathize with the poster as to his modem woes, up until quite recently achieving any speeds over 28.8 was impossible for me, simply due to line quality.

As for a solution? I suggest the same solution I use, namely to acquire an external modem (as others above have already suggested).

I highly recommend that said external modem should support v.92, as the speed gain is quite noticeable when loading pages.
Of course, if we could only get an ISP to offer accelerated dialup software that worked under linux....

Re:cost of manufacturering a real modem v winmodem

[confused one]

Computer hardware is a cut-throat industry. Probably 90% of their modem sales are winmodems. If they can save a dollar or two by leaving out the uart, then, they have to do it to stay alive.

The real modems (with a uart) would be a lower volume business with a correspondingly lower income. They might be able to build the boards for only a dollar or two more; but, that's not the only consideration. There's also "supply and demand" and "what the market will bear" to consider. If most (90%) of the people buy the winmodem and only 10% want a real modem; and that 10% is willing to pay a premium to get a real uart, then they can charge a premium price. That's not evil, it's business.

A similar thing happens in the automotive world: GM can produce and sell a car for $16-20k. They sell SUV's for $30k or more. Do you think it's because it costs them $10k more to build the SUV? No, they sell it for $30k because the market will let them charge the premium. Profit margins on economy cars are generally small (a few percent). Profit margins on SUV's run in the 50% range.