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Re: [Sheflug] Linux modem and broadband/ Redhat 9
J Simpson V21 wrote:
Hi All,
I have asked for a quote for a newer second hand machine from my computer
man. I am also considering going broadband as it is now a lot cheaper. I
am presently using an external dial up modem that someone loaned to me as my
internal modem doesn't work with Linux.
I will probably still dual boot as I have to access my old emails in
Microsoft Outlook.
He is just going to fit a 56k internal modem (probably a soft modem). I
think I may as well have what I want, but my computer man doesn't know a lot
about Linux.
Please can you recommend an internal modem that works with Linux? Can you
also recommend exactly what I would need to use broadband.
I have had several previous conversations about modems and routers? I still
don't understand, so anything that I plug in and goes would be wonderful? I
would need make and models. Thank you.
Hi Janet
If I were you I'd stick to the external modem for a 56k dial up. I had
a Lucent chipped winmodem
which I never got working when I was using SuSE 7.3. I've still got
that lying around somewhere as well as the serial modem I replaced it
with to use under SuSE 7.3
I also have an Alcatel Speedtouch 330 modem here which is going through
the early stages of decommisioning. It's USB and can be an exercise in
trial and error actually getting it working with Linux systems but the
support is out there if you know where to look for it. I have had that
working successfully under SuSE 8.2 and Ubuntu - but interestingly not
SuSE 9.2.
However I have a spare box and am building an OpenBSD based machine to
face the Internet.
I was advised not to try the Alcatel with OpenBSD because if it's
USBness and got a D-Link
300T. This is a simple ethernet modem which on one side connects up to
my ISP and on the other connects to an ethernet card (NIC) in the
machine. By comparison the Alcatel connected up to the ISP on one side
and my machine via a USB port and is hence called a USB modem.
It works and is very simple to set up. D-Link do other ethernet modems
which have more than
one ethernet port on them. This means that you, hubby and the children
can use the ports on the modem to connect up to the internet, each
machine having its own physical connection to the modem. They are very
easy to use but either (a)hubby might find himself laying cables so that
you can have internet connections at certain points in the house without
unsightly (and possibly dangerous) cables strewn across the place! or
(b) you might want to look at WiFi so that you don't
have to install cables all over the house.
NIC cards are quite cheap too. I have recently bought a D-Link 528TX
and that is fine under XP and SuSE 9.2. I also have two SMC cards
(SMC1244TX) which work with OpenBSD, SuSE and XP. Both the D-Link and
the SMC cards use the Realtek 8139 chipset.
So the advice is:
1. Steer clear of the internal modems. These are usually winmodems and
they expect to communicate with the Windows operating system. They
aren't much cop because they use the CPU to do a lot of modem work and
can slow your system down considerably. It is very difficult
to get them to work with Linux and some won't work at all. If your man
insists then refer him to http://www.linmodems.org/ and perhaps
http://users.ox.ac.uk/~mert1313/ltmodem.html . Unfortunately this site
http://www.idir.net/~gromitkc/winmodem.html appears to be gone now but
it was a bit of a bible in the heady days of the winmodem effort.
2. Stick with the external modem you have for your dial up account but
if you are going
broadband get an ethernet or WiFi modem/router with enough ports on it
for all the family!
Regards
Lesley
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