Modem Reviews

This modem needs extremely good ventilation to work properly. For it to work reliably, I actually had to attach a fan to it. If it gets hot at all it drops the connection and needs to be reset. It works fine when it is cool but I can't keep it cool enough for long enough periods of time.

Well, reading most of the reviews, i am pretty surprised that people are having so many problems with this thing. I've had it over a year now of which i used it for about 7 months without a hitch. i disconnected from Adelphia since SBC was giving me a cheaper DSL deal and now Time Warner is rotten enough not to give discount to consumers who own a modem. Anyways, it has been nice to me all along and with easy setup. i bought it for about 35 bucks with discounts and rebates so cannot complain. I'd agree that it needs a restart once in a while but I figure that's the ISP's problem since they don't keep connections live after some days and reset it or something.

I have att broadband and instead of leasing the modem ... per month, I was thinking, why not purchase a modem, where you can keep it. This modem comes out to be ... after rebate which if you are planning to have broadband for more than 7 months, this would pay for itself. I wish I had done it earlier because I have already paid for 5 months worth for the cable modem, I could have already own the modem. Setting it up was a piece of cake. I simply installed the driver as the instructions said, called at&t and gave them my modem's product number, plugged in my new modem and waalah, my modem was working. This modem comes with USB connection also, but I can't seem to get that to work, but I'm happy with the ethernet connection. Before buying this modem, check your broadband internet company's website to see if it is compatible with their system. Also, I heard that some companies charge you to pick up your old modem, mine said that they didn't but I didn't want to take the chance so I returned it to my local office myself. Also comes with a 5 year warranty, the nice looking linksys one comes with only a 1 year warranty, something to consider.

...I guess if enough people complain... :-)

I was originally very excited about this product and purchased two, one for myself and one for my brother. The CardScan will enable you to scan most of your business cards and save them in your system, thus having it all at your fingertips. The software is great, allowing you to assign categories to all the contacts, to search for contacts in various ways, and allowing export/import/transfer of data to and from PIMs, utility programs and even to PDAs. I use Outlook at work but I find the CardScan software to be more powerful for contact management.

The scanner works well most of the time. With the Auto Scan feature you can set your cards down and, if all goes right, come back later to verify the information. Cards are rapidly read and the images stored until you verify the accurate placement of the card information into the software fields.

This leads me to one of the major problems with the CardScan. Understandably it's difficult to account for all business card formats, with the contact info. being placed in all possible ways. Corex has not fully figured out how to ensure placement of the card info. into the software fields. Only about 50% of the time was most of the info. properly placed. Otherwise you'll have to go through and cut and paste into the correct fields.

The CardScan does not always cleanly scan the business cards. The software is designed to allow you to compare the scanned image of the card to the fields to which the info. was assigned. Good idea but doesn't work so well. To verify that the card was read properly, you'll have to keep your scanned cards with you. Of course, once it's verified you can put the cards away for good.

Two great features of the CardScan: (1) it allows you to scan the back of the business card and (2) you can make your own entries for those cards that are too difficult to read.

The Corex Card Scanner is a must for anyone going to a trade show or conference where you might come home with an unmanageable number of new contacts' business cards. Everything about the setup was a piece of cake, even on Windows 2000. Hardware connects with a USB connection and all was up and running in minutes. Once set up, you just slip a card into the scanner and watch it convert the graphic information to text. You do have to be careful in this process as the character recognition is not perfect and will often mistitle a field or just read the data incorrectly, but overall, quite accurate. When you verify the information as correct, it keeps the card in the desktop program, both graphically and in labeled text fields. From there, you can seamlessly trasfer data to other programs (including Outlook) with the click of a button. I don't know how I lived without this.

Sys: PII/375mhz/128mb/Windows 98SE. Utterly pathetic. The instructions tell you to cancel the Windows hardware wizard and use their installation CD. Using the CD, the driver installation takes 5 minutes. It just hangs there saying, "Please wait awhile." When you "finish" and try to exit the install via the Exit button, it attempts to register online, starts to install some registeration (?) program, fails at that, and freezes. Ctrl-Alt-Del, demoshield not responding. Hmmm? End task. When you go to Windows and check the device manager the modem is listed, shows no conflicts, so it must have worked, right? You make a dial-up connection and give it a try. It dials out and, after giving you enough time to go and make a sandwich, eat it, and brush your teeth (perhaps floss), it logs in at laughable 19,200 bps, receives a few bytes, and promptly disconnects. I checked for updated drivers, IRQ conflicts, swapped PCI slots, etc., etc. Same thing. This card sucks. This card was supposed to replace a 6+ year old USR 56k external, which worked on the same system just fine up until it died (electrical storm I think). How do you pronounce Broadxent anyway?!?

Simply stated, this is the worst modem money can buy.
Consistant very low connection speeds and downloads.
I replaced it with another brand and got back the speed.
It's not the phone line Broadxent.
Don't buy this modem.

I agree 100% with Jackcrow-fool's review. I bought this modem as a replacement for a failed Conexant modem on my 3-year old Dell desktop computer. I looked over the box very carefully; it said nothing about being a Winmodem (i.e. not controller-based). As soon as I opened the box I realized from its size that it was not controller-based, but since I had opened the box I installed it. It installed easily and works well. But, I wanted a controller-based modem, so I plan to exchange it at Office Depot. I'm a little reluctant to do so since it works well, and I might be exchanging it for something that doesn't work well. Why do manufacturers hide essential info from buyers, such as the controller issue.

This is supposed to be a wireless device that let's you serf the web, when in actuality it is nothing more than a pager. You send web inquirys, and it sends back a reply, then you have to send another... get the point. An absolute worthless device, with the limitation of 100,000 characters a month you run into the maximum rather quickly. If you have a cell phone just get a cable to connect it to a modem and your off. It's cheeper...

This springboard module is pretty good, but you've got to check which paging service your specific module will work with. For instance, since I own a Skytel module I am only able to use Skytel service. That means you can't price shop for service at all. You are limited to whichever company your module is preprogrammed for. Hopefully this is some useful information if your considering buying one. It only costs about [money]/month for email service on your PDA which is a pretty good deal, considering I can use my email service pretty much where ever I like.

Works great. Haven't owned any other messaging modules so can't compare them. This does exactly what it says it will do.

You found it!.I bought this modem about one year ago mostly because it worked under Linux,the modem worked properly for 2 months and then suddenly quit working,all i got was a "NO DIAL TONE" error,of course i did check all the connections but still no luck.
Again about 2 weeks ago i installed it on my new home built computer running Windows XP and it worked flawlessly for an hour and then i get disconnected,now when i tried to log on to my ISP i get the NO DIAL TONE error again every time(again my phone line and cable connections are OK.).The USR.COM web site offers no help,they do not even have a driver for Windows XP available yet(Sept./2002!),so i went to Best Buy and bought this [$$$]Diamond SupraMax PCI Winmodem and i am back on the net again,my connection speed seems a bit slower(44.0 Kbps) but for a cheap Winmodem is OK.My advice(based on my own experience): stay away from U.S.Robotics,Best Data and Creative modems regardless their prices.Good luck.

I bought this hardware modem a few weeks ago after a bad experience with a software modem. On my Windows XP system, installation was a snap. I inserted the card and turned on the system; the system recognized the card and automatically installed the necessary drivers. I didn't even need to open the enclosed CDs. Since installation, I've consistently connected at 52 kbps. (I can't vouch for similarly trouble-free installation under Linux, DOS, NT, etc.)

My problem: upgrading the modem to support the V.92 standard. If your ISP also supports the V.92 standard, the upgrade provides your modem with a few neato features, none of which I've tested. However, I did try to upgrade, and that was a pain. You have to know the product id (3CP5610A) rather than the product name to download the upgrade, and you have to use U. S. Robotics' Control Center software to install it. I had no luck with Control Center, so I tried to install the upgrade manually. Eventually, I succeeded, but without the help of U. S. Robotics: their website provided no useful information. This may not be representative of their software and technical support in general, but I took it as a bad omen.

In short, in my experience, the hardware is good, but the software and the technical support are bad. Buy this only if you're willing to rely on your system (or your wits) to perform the installation.

This is an excellent modem for a power-user. I have
a complex system with both win95 and Linux. The modem
installed, got configured and worked right away with no
hitch whatsoever. And I've tried about 5 others which
would fail to work properly even in Windows.

This modem is a great performer and saps no processing
power from the CPU. It's a real hardware modem not like
the cheap, windows-only ones which unfortunately have
flooded the market and make finding a good hardware one
very, very tough. Be glad that this modem still exists.

Any time you replace an internal modem you are asking for
hassles. So most people's comments in that regard are
completely unjustified. Buy an external modem if you want
a slacker's life. Buy this one if you want the best
possible internal modem that works with any operating
system.

If you are planning on using a USB keyboard that has multi-media buttons or a USB mouse with a scroller wheel, it may not work with this KVM.

I got my KVM and it worked great until I plugged a Microsoft Natural Pro keyboard into it. Windows XP would not recognize the keyboard and Hawking tech support said this KVM does not support non-standard 101 keyboards or mice with scroller wheels.

this switch isnt all too bad, words fine with my 2 button wheel mouse, only thing is, i have to use two keyboards, but much better than having to use two mice two monitors, etc etc. not a bad price for it either

I had PS2 switch and now for my new USB mouse and keyboard, I bought this switch.The description to me clearly suggested that it is fully USB compliant. After buying it I read Customer reviews. The reviews scared me as it seemed the hot keys on my keyboard will not work and my MS 4 button optical mouse with scroll wheel will function only like a two button mouse and no scrolling. I also read the data sheeet from Hawking website. There they mention that this switch works with most keyboards and mouse. This made me feel that I had bought the wrong thing. However on receipt of the switch, I found that with proper connections, most of the hot keys work and all the 4 buttons plus the scroll wheel work. I am happy having bought this at a discount at Amazon Marketplace.

I purchased it on Ebay for 40 bucks and thought I was getting a good deal. My condo doesn't have a phone jack in the spare room so this was better than running a phone line from one room to the next. Unfortunately I haven't been able to connect any faster than 28.8. Yikes!! My place is only 5 years old. Price was right, quality was wrong. I'll stick with the long phone lines.

I've used the RCA RC930 Wireless Modem Jacks to create a poor man's wireless network in my home. It works! And I love it! I can now sit in any chair of my house, surf the web, and print (across the room) to my wireless HP 995 Bluetooth printer.

My system consists of two sets of RCA Wireless Modem Jacks (a sender and receiver unit in each set) -- one set for the upstairs and one set for the downstairs (which appear to be on separate circuits and are not connected); a 3Com Bluetooth PC card for my laptop; and a HP 995 Bluetooth printer.

I now use my laptop in the following manner: first, I plug the RCA receiving unit into the wall outlet nearest where I want to sit; then I turn on the printer; and finally, I extend the little blue tooth-shaped antenna (how cute!) on the laptop's PC card -- and I'm all set to go!

The RCA Modem Jack is good up to 56k, which is ok since I don't have internet cable or DSL service in my area. But I'll gladly trade-off mobility for speed any day. Here's why.

My desktop computers (old and new) are in my upstairs bedrooms -- where I can't use them when my family is sleeping. They are also far away from where my family spends most of its time -- and that's downstairs by the TV's.

With the RCA wireless modem jacks, I can now access the internet --- while watching TV with my family; and I can surf the net long after everyone has gone to sleep -- when internet speeds are fastest. The connection is fairly clean (free of static); and the transfer speed is nearly as fast as if I had accessed the phone jack directly.

I've gotten very used to sitting in my favorite chair and surfing the net. When cable or DSL eventually come to my neighborhood, I guess I'll have to set up a wireless network in my home (for a lot more money) -- in order to maintain my mobility.

Until then, I'll use the next best thing -- RCA's Wireless Modem Jacks. They're great!

Using it for a DSS system and is very dependable. Works as advertised, beats wiring thru the walls. Just used for a satellite system for pay-per-views etc. Only took 10 minutes to hook up 1 transmitter and 2 receivers (One for each sattelite receiver). Yes it is cheaper to wire phone lines, but this way is A LOT easier and faster by far. Highly recommend for sattelite systems. Like I said I NEVER made a call on a "phone" with these units, I only use for sattelite's.

Sep. 2003 Actiontec shipped V90 driver.inf files for all OSs except WinXp. XP driver worked with WinME for me. Modem on hold is NOT V92 compliant and disconnects on all incoming calls. CallWaiting utility reports settings successful but testing in hyperterminal reports ERROR This is a problem with the firmware. Tech support shipped me NEW driver disk, same as old. Kept me on the phone forever, Toll call.

I've had this modem for about 1 1/2 years and I regret having bought it and that I didn't return it.

First, my connection speed was much worse than my old Winmodem. The Actiontec modem IS a Winmodem, but their sofware hasn't been updated in very long time, and you can't just use the generic drivers because of the call waiting feature.

Next, every time I would get an incoming call when not online, I would have to reboot the computer to get the modem to work. And occasionally when I would get a call when online, the call would disconnect as I picked up the phone. I contacted Actiontec customer support numerous times and followed all of their suggestions but most of what they suggested made things worse, not better.

The last straw: I just attempted to upgrade from Windows 98 to XP and I can't get the modem to work at all! I just contacted Actiontec customer support and was told that the modem has been out of production for some time, that no software upgrades are anticipated and that it is NOT SUPPORTED in Windows XP!

If your ISP supports v.92 then you don't need a call waiting modem, just any v.92 modem. Take my advice and don't get this one!

I bought this modem 1 year ago and have had great success with it with windows, dos, and linux. As I prefer dos and linux I never had a problem with setting it up with both of these OS's.
I never used any of the software and I don't use the call waiting feature so I can't rate them. This modem worked out so well that I bought 2 more. 1 external and 1 internal and I would buy it again.

Buy the PalmConnect USB kit and you will get a full-time job trying to troubleshoot this little thing. Apparently there are a lot of issues (mainly for windows XP users) and palm does not provide you with good support nor information.

There are many bad reviews about this USB kit, but I decided to try it anyway. I have a laptop that has not serial port and a Palm IIIxe. Well, I went through the installation and everything went well but at the last step, it would not synchronize. I contacted Palm support and in a few hours (yep, not one day, or two days, but just a few hours) they sent me an email with the solution. And IT WORKED!.

Here are my suggestions to others who want to give this USB kit a try: (My laptop runs Windows 98SE, btw)
-Don't use the CD for the installation of the drivers... Look to the right and choose the PalmConnect USB kit software for your O.S.
-On the download page, they include installation instructions that vary a little bit from those included in the CD. Make sure you follow the installation instructions on this Web page.
-Before you synchronize, make sure that the HotSync software has Local USB and Local Serial checked. (This was the solution to my problem). To make sure, these options are checked, right click on the HotSync icon on the System Tray, and see if Local USB and Local Serial have check marks next to them. Now synchronize.

This should do it! :) It worked for me! Everything runs a-okay. :)

I bought this item when it was 3.99 and it was new. Than I installed it. On my computer I had palm desktop 4.0. Than Ihooked it up and it worked for the first time I hot synced it. Than I would do it again and it froze. I brought it in to bestbuy. They said install the software it came with and delete palm desktop 4.0. I did what they said and it worked fine.

Without a picture I can't be sure we are all talking about the same thing. I have a Belkin USB Bluetooth Adapter (Model #F8T001). I've used the adapter on both my laptop and PC with good results. The laptop went much more smoothly because I ran the installation CD first before inserting the USB. If you plug and play, Windows recongnizes something, but cannot find the drivers easily. The 100m range seems optimistic, but I have been able to access my Sony Ericsson t68i phone while it is sitting in my bag, in the corner of the office.

i picked this up for the same reason several other readers did: i wanted to be able to move pictures, sound, and my phonebook from my phone to my laptop and back. i use a thinkpad x31 using windows xp for this task.

use the supplid drivers from the cd, they're much better than anything windows will attempt to do. and it will just work, unlike what windows may create.

browsing with the supplied belkin software is clunky and ackward, not nearly as fluid as it could be. it's most definitely not as smooth as it is under Mac OS X, but hey, that's what you get. it works, i get to move pictures around on my phone and my contact list without a cable. but it's prone to fits of delays and ackwardness.

i'm wishing there was better integration with windows xp right now, xp sp2 supposedly has smoother bluetooth software and browsing. i wish the belkin sofware worked as nicely. as it stands, this isn't the convenient device i hoped it would be, but i'll keep using it.

I was an early adapter of the version-1 of this product which was unstable and lacked many of the bluetooth functionality, but was adequate to sync my T68i. However, when I upgraded my phone to T610, along with a bluetooth headset, I realized I am missing a lot of functionality with the old adapter and learned that the V1 model can't be even upgraded to Bluetooth 1.1. So, instead of throwing it away, I just thought of checking with their customer service about a possible exchange, and they were very kind to agree immediately (I should say I am impressed with the customer service). So I got a free upgrade to the version-2 of this model and I am glad I did that. So far the product has been very stable and installation and setting up was a breeze. I was able to successfully synchronize T610 (I use an old verion of PDASync for that as the built-in sync doesn't support PalmDT), copy images from and to the phone, dial-up to ISP through it, and even used it as a headset for the phone (could occassionally substitute the the missing speaker phone functionality in T610). I could also successfully use the Jabra BT200 headset with this adapter, very useful to do voice chats at home.

The range seemed good, however I couldn't verify the claimed 100m, as I need another device which gives that much range. Over all I am impressed and recommend it. However, I have no knowledge of other adapters so I am not really comparing with other adapters (except the V1 of itself). To comment about the size, I would say it is average (a little longer but slimmer than V1). The DLink adapter does seem smaller, but the highly rated Linksys adapter seemed much fattier than this one. If size is important, I recommend checking it out and compare with others in a local store.

PS: I am pretty sure that all the -ve comments about this product actually belong to the version-1 of this product. Since Amazon didn't put up any image for some time, many must have mistaken this for the version-1 and must have rated it based on that. You should really ignore all the old reviews.