Modem Reviews

Worst thing Ive done to my computer yet (Windows Xp). In fact after 5 hours of trying to get it to work right. I threw it away and put my old modem back in.
when I finally did get the new usr pro in, the drivers were old, nothing would recognize the modem including usr software that came with the modem, Ctl, alt, delete, quit working so when it froze up and, it did a lot (thats never happened before or since putting the old modem back in),I had to unplug the computer. Then when I did get it started again nothing but a blank monitor. Once again with the power cord. took out the USR modem, got the system up and running restored to the day before, shut off the computer the right way, installed my old modem and everything is now working correctly and normal.
I will never buy another USR product.

I also had trouble with the call-waiting feature. Sometimes it would alert me to a call, sometimes it wouldn't. When it did, it did not let me "drop" my internet.
Support from USR was very poor. First, there is no toll-free phone number, so you have to call long-distance. In today's age of customer service, this is very poor. Less than emphathetic reps are on the line, and use the script. "Try this and call back if it doesn't work."
Plus their web-site does not have an updated driver for this modem. The one on the installation disk is from 8/2001. Then they say to update the v.92 software, but an update is not available either. Support is non-existent.
Very disappointed. Will try a competitor.

It seems this modem needs some encouragement from a satisifed user; and that would be me. I've used this modem for over a year now, and am very satisifed. When I first installed, it always wanted to connect at 52-52kpbs. However, that speed almost always ended in a dropped connection due to a line error. I configured the modem settings (in XP) to only connect at 48kbps. At this speed, I never, ever get dropped calls, and the stability is wonderful on V.92.

Download the latest drivers and software, and make sure you get the latest firmware. the CD installs a program that will update the firmware for you automatically. The modem-on-hold was a pain to get working, but the firmware update seem to ease this problem. MOH works perfectly.

If you are looking for a stable, reliable modem that works with Windows (and Linus and DOS), this is one to get. The more technically inclined folks will be able to tweak the modem for the best performance.

The Best Data modem is one of the worst supported modems I have encountered in the 20+ years I have been using them. Outdated drivers are sure to give you a BSOD on Windows XP or Windows Server 2003. Tech Support is a joke, and I have yet to find anyone else with any idea how to make this modem work well. Buy at your own risk.

If you like the color blue and the sound of your machine restarting over and over again, buy this modem. As previously reviewed- it DOES NOT work with Windows XP Pro. The latest drivers don't help. The enclosed disc is so poorly laid out it is reminiscent of a pig-sty. I expected this sort of pain with the old windows 95 days, but not with something that claims to be XP compliant. DON'T BUY THIS MODEM IF YOU RUN XP PRO!!

I own this modem (soon to be "owned"). It works OK under
Windows/98, but when I moved to Windows/XP pro, the drivers,
depending on how they were loaded, would either result in
a BSOD or an unrecoverable install error.

The email technical support was worthless. They did try
to get me to pay a fee, with the guarantee that they would
work with me until the problem was solved. I'm not willing
to throw good money after bad.

I "solved" the problem by loading the generic 56K V.90 drivers
that came with Windows/XP. This works OK, but I don't get the
V.92 features I paid for.

Before resorting to generic drivers, I tried changing the BIOS
settings: AUTO, COM1, COM2, COM4. None helped. Next, I tried
reloading the OS, and installing the modem first, before loading
other drivers. Nope. I even tried a second computer (which
uses an Athlon chip instead of a P4). Same problem; BSOD. And
these were the latest drivers, from their website.

I'm convinced, rightly or wrongly, that their driver has a bug.
Maybe I should go back to Windows/98.

Here is what you had HOPED to get
and is what you WON'T get:
make
Sierra Wireless
model
AirCard 750 Enterprise Edition
description and features (NONE of which you can get here):

The AirCard 750 Enterprise Edition provides a convenient way to connect your laptop or Pocket PC to the Internet or corporate networks anywhere within the AT&T Wireless GPRS 1900 coverage area or internationally on the 900/1800 GSM/GPRS frequencies. AirCard 750 fits into a standard Type II PC and functions as a wide-area wireless network card. Stay on top of e-mail, find directions fast, or simply browse the Web wherever you are. It's the best card you'll ever get.

Wireless network modem for your laptop or Pocket PC
Fits into any standard Type II card slot
Includes AT&T Wireless Communication Manager V1.0 CD

Great For:
Wireless connectivity to the internet
Wireless connectivity to your corporate or personal email
Mobility and connectivity where you are (you don't have to spend your time searching for a "Hotspot.")

"CAVEAT EMPTOR"

This is a completely deceptive listing. What is being sold is an antenna, not a working PCMCIA cellular card.

Do not Buy this if you are looking for the PC Card this is only the Antenna for the Aircard. What you see in the picture is what you get. The guy above is smoking something if he thinks you can buy this and get a $300 pccard

The quality of the modem is good, however the documentation is not as good as it should be. The appearance of the documentation is impressive (many screen saves), but the troubleshooting section is poor. The manual comes on a CD that requires a visual basic driver to get started. The paper documentation that accompanies the CD claims there is a runtime upgrade on the CD that adds the driver. My CD (Vesion 1.0) did not have it.

I retreived the driver from the Internet because I had another system with a working modem. It would have been impossible to continue if this had been my only modem.

After following all the instructions carefully, the modem still does not work. Two hours on hold to the Technical Support department (toll call), three emails, and a fax (toll call) have yet to bring any response whatever.

I would not recommend this product to anyone who thinks they may need technical support. It is most disappointing. I am currently looking for another ethernet dial-up modem to replace the Best Data.

I purchased the Best Data 56NET Internet Sharting modem recently and now have it up and running. This modem performs the best of 7 different brands and types used for my setup. I had a incredible time getting the modem to dialup, due to some misinformation in the quick start guide. The proper way to setup this modem is to read the manual that is on the CD-Rom. Also the insructions to use the New Connection Wizard did not suit my liking. It wanted to treat the connection as always on, so I had to reinstall the old modem and delete the first setup and start over. The performace once setup properly is excellent. Getting to that point was very frustrating is why it only gets 3 stars in my opinion. No tech service available toll free. 30 minutes on hold. No email response in timely manner. Give it a try, but read the complete CD-Rom setup manual first.
WC

Doesn't mention that the PC must be Pentium 266 Mhz or above.

This has to be one of the worst external modems ever made for the Mac. It is, however, still an improvement over Apple's own internal modem, in that, once the Best modem manages to negotiate a connection, it stays connected. But getting that initial connection with the Best modem is often difficult, and dealing with the necessary workarounds can quickly tire one's patience. After having consistent difficulties with this modem when I first bought it, I tried to contact Best Support, but I never received a reply. So, I returned it to Amazon.com for an exchange. After receiving the second Best modem, I had exactly the same problems, so I concluded that the defects I was experiencing were probably generic to the model. The basic issue seems to be that the modem often fails to initialize properly. To reset it requires that you unplug the USB cable and re-plug it, sometimes over and over, until the device finally responds. The modem has the same difficulty in both OS 9 and OS X; the only difference I've noted is that, in OS X, it can take up to 15 seconds after issuing the Connect command for the modem to actually start dialing. I've had to unplug and re-plug the USB cable as many as a half dozen times sometimes to get the device to work. So why do I put up with it? Because, as I mentioned at the beginning, once this modem makes a connection, it stays connected, which Apple's own internal modem typically failed to do. In that sense, the Best modem is just marginally more tolerable. It's just a shame that this Best modem appears to be the only external modem that's now made for the Mac. Caveat emptor!

Maybe I just happened to get a bad one.
Anyhow, I bought a brand new Cendyne External 56K and it died about 3 months later.
I verified it's demise with diagnostic software that ran loopbacks and such, on the modem. It failed 2/3rd's of the tests.

I run EVERYTHING connected to my PC (except the laser printer)
on an UPS unit, both to "clean up" the 110 volts incoming to the PC and to avoid over or under voltage situations.

An external modem is great. Lots easier to setup under win98.

After my cendyne died, I bought a Multitech modem (business line) and have never had any problems with connections.

Cendyne went out of business in 2003, I believe.
So if you buy one of these, do it on a credit card that will provide an externded warranty of it's own.
Since Cendyne probably can't help you if you modem dies.

I purchased this modem a long time ago and no longer use it. In fact, it pushed me over to get a high-speed Internet service through my local cable company.

The modem is sensitive to line noise, or at least picky as to what modem it talks to at the other end. Tons of dropped connections for no apparent reason. I tried it at many houses including two I lived and at several friends.

I send it in for repair with hope for a fix but it turned out to be a feature; It is worth mentioning that support was unprofessional with their responses.

Let me add that it is V.Everything except for anything after V.90, so no V.92 or other improvements added to the Sportster models and others.

After more than a decade of using and recommending USR modems, this last experience marked the end of my loyalty.

Do not buy this modem if you are interested in the modem
on hold/call waiting feature.The modem is hardware compatable with this feature but according to Global Village
tech support there is no software available for this feature.
So even if you have call waiting and an ISP with v.92 service
this modem will not enable you to receive calls while online.

I bought this Modem for the name and price. I figured Creative Labs would have no problems. When I installed the modem, I immediately had trouble with my sound card. After two days of playing around with the install, I called their tech support and got in quickly. I downloaded a new driver from their web site, but it did not fix the problem only made it worse. With the old driver I was able to back out of the install. Not so with the new one. Tech Support suggested I reload Windows(95) or try to find the references to the modem in the registry and clear them out.I reloaded Windows no luck. The sound card was an ESS1868, so I put in an Ensoniq Sound Scape and still had issues. It is going back Monday.

This modem is not true PnP. After installing in a Win 98 environment, found out that the drivers are not in Win 98 and were on a CD-rom with it only (no floppy disk driver disk). So I had to install a CD-rom in the computer, loaded in the drivers, and the computer wouldn't recognize the modem. After going through the poor technical support options in the manual, I called the technical support # and after going through "option # hell", ended up being transferred to a busy signal. Today, tried twice, busy signal twice. Have never talked to a live human being at "Digicom". I'm returning this.

Replaced a LT Winmodem a few month back. When installing I had to remove the old drivers and all files associated with it. Was able to connect at 45.333 to 48K (not bad for our rural area). With the LT modem we connected at 14.4 to 28 max. I just bought another D15665 for another computer.