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Modem Success Stories With Linux?

Posted by timothy on from the external-and-pcmcia-modems-work-well dept.

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."

3 of 127 comments (clear)

  1. External Modems by duffbeer703 · · Score: 4, Insightful

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

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    Conformity is the jailer of freedom and enemy of growth. -JFK
    1. Re:External Modems by MBCook · · Score: 3, Insightful

      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.

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      Comment forecast: Bits of genius surrounded by a sea of mediocrity.
  2. Re:well.. by primal39 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "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....

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    Eschew Obfuscation