*BSD News Article 73048


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From: brian@awfulhak.demon.co.uk (Brian Somers)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc
Subject: Re: Modem Recommendations for IJPPP and HylaFax?
Date: 6 Jul 1996 00:07:59 -0500
Organization: Coverform Ltd.
Lines: 58
Distribution: na
Message-ID: <4rksbf$ca@anorak.coverform.lan>
References: <kientzleDtxG58.3ss@netcom.com>
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kientzle@netcom.com wrote:
: My old 14.4 modem gave up the ghost recently, so now I'm shopping for
: a new one.  Unfortunately, I'm rather dubious that any computer store
: is going to know whether the modems they sell satisfy my requirements:

: * Works well with IJPPP on FreeBSD

USR 28.8

: * Works well with HylaFax (Class 2.0 support?)

Apparently.  I've never been satisfied.  I can receive class 2.0 - no
problem.  I can receive data - no problem, but I can only send class
1.  I have an impossible situation.  If I set everything up for class
1, the modem isn't capable of doing an AT+FAA=1 (answer fax/data on
the fly).  If I set it up for class 2.0, AT+FAA=1 works but I can't send.
In practice this hasn't really been a problem to me 'cos FreeBSD doesn't
have a word processor that I want to send faxes from (although there may
soon be a possible candidate...) anyway.  I use a Win95% box to do this
(with a physical serial switch in between).

: * Doesn't crash when you drop DTR during a failed negotiation
:   (annoying bug with my current modem)

This has never happened to me with the USR.

: * Passes through the second telephone line, so I can use my two-line phone
:   (my current modem does, but one I "borrowed" from work doesn't)

I don't know that I understand what a "two-line phone" is.  Do you mean
that you want to connect a phone to the "out-jack" on the modem ?  If so,
the only failure I've seen in this respect is with a Rockwell chipset.
However, a lot of external modems don't have an out-jack (mine doesn't),
but I think most internals do.  Don't worry about this.  Having a socket
in the back of your modem that doesn't work as advertised is grounds
to get your money back IMO.

BTW, I think I may be unfair in saying it was Rockwell - it was a
Rockwell clone.  The modem in question couldn't recognise a BUSY tone
either (that was my grounds for getting my money back - the out-jack
not working was my backup).

: * Adaptive data/fax answering a plus, but not required

Works for the USR, but under the above conditions.

: If I can find a sufficiently reliable modem, I'd prefer an internal
: one (less clutter, lower price), but if I'm going to have to do silly
: things like power-cycle the modem to reset it, I'd obviously prefer an
: external one <grin>.

I reckon your best bet is a USR.  It's cheaper than most, and you can
now get a 33.6k version with voice for a price comparable to most
28.8k's.

--
Brian <brian@awfulhak.demon.co.uk>
Don't _EVER_ lose your sense of humour....