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 modem with dhcp

[dr_leviathan]

CompUSA used to sell an external modem that would do the dialing for you and provide ethernet on your side (2 ethernet port hub built in that provided DHCP). You would just have to set up ethernet on your linux machine (easy, compared to setting up stupid winmodem crap) and then configure it via its internal web page.

I can't remember the name, but it cost about $50 - $65 a year ago.

The best thing about it was that it ran embedded linux on the inside, and was hackable. I couldn't find the article where I first heard about it, but I'll look a little harder and will post it if I find it.

Re:well..

[drkich]

And of course this is no slam upon you, however this is no answer. I have attempted many times to get my modem running, with no success. I eventually gave up and went back to Windows. I have since got a high-speed connection, but I just have not bothered going back.

Re:Modem router?

[Anonymous Coward]

Well it wouldn't be too hard, there's just no motivation for doing it. With DSL/Cable and now even wifi in some areas, it wouldn't really be economically worthwhile for a company to produce something like that. I don't know, MAYBE, but I doubt it.

If you were really inclined, you could do this. Find a PC/104 board with some type of disk-on-chip thing and slap linux on it. Then if this board doesn't have ethernet, buy a PC/104 ethernet card. Now also buy a PC/104 modem. Strip linux down conciderably so that it only has what's needed for a simple firewall with DHCP on it or something. Minus a powersupply, that'll all probably fit into something about the size of an 8" cube. Maybe if you make it a bit bigger, but a small 4-port hub/switch, strip the internal board and mount the hub inside the case, you could really have this modem/router device. If you wanted to add DSL capabilities to this, strip the case off of a DSL modem and put it inside this case too. You'll just need to write some software to handle it all, but I imagine it wouldn't be too hard.

If DSL/Cable wouldn't have been as cheap as it has been, something like you describe probably would have come about. Hell, there could be or could have been something like this in existance.

cost of manufacturering a real modem v winmodem?

[walterbyrd]

I have heard that the cost savings of taking the UART off the modem is almost nothing. UART's have been around a long time, they would only cost the HW manufacturer about an additional $1 per modem.

So it would only cost about $1 to build a real modem, instead of a winmodem - so I've heard.

If that's true, then it does it even make sense to make winmodems? Unless:

1) Msft is influencing the HW manufacturers.

or

2) The HW manufacturers like selling winmodems for $20 and real modems for $80.

Re:you could try...

[Carnildo]

My solution was to use a Hayes-compatible ISA modem. Of course, since my computer didn't have an ISA slot, this meant that I needed an older computer to run the modem, and a cable to network the two computers together.