56K Modem

[surjer]

I really need to find a great 56K modem for a desktop. I am building a PC for a friend and they have gone through about 3 modems so far that are all crap! Some of them connect at speeds ranging from 24.4 to 48. And some just connect low. The one that connected fast all the time malfunctioned and wouldnt let the phone ring. WEIRD I know but removing the modem off the line fixed the problem through the whole house.

Please advise on a nice 56K modem...

Thanks,

Jerry

[amazon10x]

wouldnt let the phone ring

Wouldn't let it ring EVER or just when they were online? It's normal for 56K modems to not let the phone ring when they are online.

Before getting cable, I used a cheap sub-$10 soft modem from newegg with a Conexant chipset and it worked great. Connected at 53.2 all the time (53.2 is the max allowed by FCC) and it never dropped connection or anything. Only downside is getting soft modems to work in linux is a pain/impossible (at least when I was using them). Also, soft modems run all their processing on the CPU so it steals some cycles. Oh, and make sure you get a v.92 capable modem (check to see if their ISP supports v.92).

[hafa]

Back in the day, the USR external serial modems were the most reliable (and the most expensive). It looks like they're still available. (http://www.mwave.com/mwave/viewspec.hmx?scriteria=1093568)

One important factor with modems is that their reliability and performance is dependent on the clarity of the phone line. Even a small bit of static or background noise can be problematic for even the best modem. Pickup the phone, press any button and listen carefully. If you hear a hiss or any kind of crackling or popping (static), you need to :


Check all telephone cords and make sure they're in good shape.
Make sure that all connections are made properly.
Inspect the internal house wiring; it should be clean, new copper.


If all of the above conditions are met and the line still has background noise, call your local phone company and request service.

Hope this helps!

[surjer]

They ARE on a V92 line. Confirmed it with their ISP about a month ago. There is one V92 line and they are on it. They live out in the boonies so they cant get highspeed (uggh)

The one that messed up wouldnt let calls comethrough even when they were NOT connected to the internet. I know it ties up the line when they ARE online.