# ubuntu compatible modem



## danb98577 (Dec 16, 2005)

Sounds simple enough, doesn't it? I thought so...jeez, what a quagmire. All I am looking for is a modem that will work with Ubuntu Linux, version 7.04-Feisty Fawn. Bought a new tower complete less modem-my Christmas present to myself. I have wanted to get away from the Micro folks for a long time.
I am on dial up-not remotely interested in dsl or any thing else. I have looked at the big computer outfits such as Newegg, Fry's, Tiger Direct, etc. Even sent queries to which I receive no reply, except for Fry's which, in effect said,"Yes, we carry modems." Well yes, I kinda figured that...
I tried ubuntu forums, etc. and get circuitous replies like"you need a beagle with a leash kernal" and blah, blah, blah. I am happy these folks are enthused about their operating system, but all I want is a modem, not someone mumbling in tongues. I have been told to get a winmodem, not to get a winmodem, get a linmodem, not to get a linmodem, get a serial modem, get a hardware modem, get an external modem, get an internal modem, stand on my head and rub olive oil on my face.... 
At this point, I am ready to remove Linux and put in my good copy of 98se and say the heck with it. If anyone has any suggestions, such as a name and model of a modem that is not a million dollars, I would appreciate it. I would like to find an internal modem, but I can live with an external if need be. Thanks.


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## backwoodsman7 (Mar 22, 2007)

The problem is that most modems made in recent years are winmodems, which offload some of their functions to the operating system instead of doing them in hardware. So the manufacturer saves maybe $0.25 per modem, and you get a big headache if you want to use a modem with anything but Windows. It would be great if Linux had better modem support, but modems are pretty low on the priority list for developers these days.

The easiest thing you can do is get an external serial modem. Most will work fine, but stay away from Actiontec -- I haven't had such good luck with them. And get a _serial_ modem, not USB, because many USB modems are winmodems. Of course, Ebay is the best place to find such dinosaurs.

Internal hardware modems (non-winmodems) are around, but hard to find. I don't know whether any are currently being made. You pretty much have to find out the modem's model number and chipset, then search the web to find out whether it's a hardware modem or winmodem.

If you really want an internal modem and can't find a hardware modem, a winmodem with a Lucent chipset is about the easiest to make work in Linux.


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## OntarioMan (Feb 11, 2007)

External modems work fine - however, many external modems are serial modems and require a com port - and many newer computers will not have a com port. There are USB to serial converters, but some of those are flakey. A PCI serial card may be required.

If you have a com port (or will install one) - one of the best external modems is the external US Robotics Courier modem - 5 or 6 years ago they cost about $500 new - now they can probably be had on Ebay for under $25

As mentioned, not much emphasis is placed on modems lately - since most folks don't use them.


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## Gary in ohio (May 11, 2002)

danb98577 said:


> I am on dial up-not remotely interested in dsl or any thing else.


I find this an interesting statement? WHY not DSL, it uses the same wires as your dialup line and in many areas cost as much as a dialup ISP does. ON top of that a slow speed DSL is 4times as fast a phone line tied up when your online and often the same cost or less.


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## danb98577 (Dec 16, 2005)

Thanks backwoodsman7-at last an answer that I can deal with. I am confused, Ontarioman-if no modem how the heck do you connect?? 
Gary-DSL is a non working nightmare out here. The phone lines and equipment are ancient and the phone company is not too keen on doing anything beyond patching them together. But they sure will be glad to sell you DSL for $20.00 a month-more if you want "fast" DSL. What a joke. There are FEW options out here-three DSL as I remember and they all have to run through the same tired old equipment. Dial up is $7.95 a month, a lot faster than I am, and I am reaching the point in my life where a lot of "new and wonderful" just does not impress me.
I know people who have the DSL here and they have a love/hate relationship with it. The service center is in Texas somewhere and they act like it is ALWAYS the user's fault if there is a problem.


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## HermitJohn (May 10, 2002)

There are now external HARDWARE modems that can be connected either with serial cable or with a usb cable. I experiment with variety of operating systems and one of these will work with any operating system on any computer. Gave less than $9 shipped price for new Actiontec one on ebay and it came with both a usb cable and a serial cable.

Saying that, for day to day I use a winmodem with Puppy Linux. Its an older SmartLink pci card. The linux SmartLink driver that is included in Puppy Linux works fine with it and no problems. Puppy comes with 3 or 4 softmodem drivers built in and there are more available as precompiled downloads. No idea if Ubuntu is nice enough to pre-compile the available linux soft modem drivers or not. The drivers for connexant modems for 2.6 linux kernal are not free, there is some company that will give you a crippled one for free but wants money for full speed version. (there is a free full speed version for older linux 2.4 kernel) Frankly unless you have a connexant built into a laptop, its cheaper just to go buy a different modem that works with free driver.

There are also a few hardware modems that come as a pci card. I have used these in past with no problems, they are just rather rare. For laptops there are hardware pcmcia/cardbus modems. And if you really want to be different there are pci cards that let you use a pcmcia modem on a desktop computer.....

Very, very rare to find a usb only modem that is a hardware modem. I tracked one down once but wasnt easy. USB modem manufacturers also lie so be wary. Unless a particular USB modem is known to either be a hardware modem or known to have a linux software modem driver that works with it, I'd avoid USB-only modems.


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## OntarioMan (Feb 11, 2007)

- you need a modem to connect
- many external modems use a cable which goes from the modem to the computer com port (this cable is called a serial cable)
- many newer computers do not have a com port
- if the computer does not have a com port, there is nowhere to connect the modem cable
- if your computer does not have a com port, you can buy and install a PCI com port card, which means you'll then have a com port and somewhere to connect the modem cable



danb98577 said:


> Thanks backwoodsman7-at last an answer that I can deal with. I am confused, Ontarioman-if no modem how the heck do you connect?? ...


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## HermitJohn (May 10, 2002)

Geesh, here is the modem I have: http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=EX560LKU&cat=MDM

Here is another place: http://www.unitedsale.com/product_info.php?cPath=25&products_id=17119

I bought mine new off ebay for total shipped price cheaper than this but this is the exact model. Its an Actiontec USB/Serial 56K External Modem EX560LKU. It works either through usb port or a serial port. Your computer will have one or the other. It is a HARDWARE modem so you wont need any extra drivers. This will work on any computer with any operating system. At least any operating system capable of accessing the internet via a modem and that covers nearly anything out there.


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## OntarioMan (Feb 11, 2007)

Years ago, when modems were in widespread use, we worked with many of the cheap $15 modems - and for 90% of the folks using them, they worked fine.

When things did not work fine because of dirty/poor lines, odd ISP hardware, odd software using the modem, etc. - we'd either use a USR external Sportster or USR external Courier. Why? Because they proved themselves to be the most compatible and most reliable modems out there. If a Courier wouldn't work, nothing would.

Its been years since I've even touched a modem - so perhaps things have changed.


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## HermitJohn (May 10, 2002)

OntarioMan said:


> Years ago, when modems were in widespread use, we worked with many of the cheap $15 modems - and for 90% of the folks using them, they worked fine.
> 
> When things did not work fine because of dirty/poor lines, odd ISP hardware, odd software using the modem, etc. - we'd either use a USR external Sportster or USR external Courier. Why? Because they proved themselves to be the most compatible and most reliable modems out there. If a Courier wouldn't work, nothing would.
> 
> Its been years since I've even touched a modem - so perhaps things have changed.



Dialup modems arent getting much attention at all and the number of companies manufacturing them is shrinking big time. People are telling me that new desktop computers arent even coming equipted with a cheapo dialup software modem anymore. Those selling computers think everybody had broadband anymore when thats far from the truth.

As to linux, the linux gurus apparently dont use modems and never did. Little to no effort going into making modem use easier. Go on most linux boards and you get same "go get a serial hardware modem". Yep thats real handy with your laptop or your new desktop with no serial port. Many of the linux distributions dont even come with the software modem drivers that do exist for linux. 

For wifi cards there for long time has been ndiswrapper where you can use it along with XP driver for that card to use that card under linux if no native linux driver. One of the people responsible for ndiswrapper said with about 50 modifications that ndiswrapper could support software dialup modems. Neither he nor anybody else with the expertise has done anything about it though. Our own moderator, "KUNG", said he did it, but now couldnt remember how he did it..... Too bad he didnt bother to make his efforts known/available/repeatable and collect his 15min of fame as it would have helped lot people.


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## OntarioMan (Feb 11, 2007)

There was a time when there were consumer based routers equipped with com ports - which would be very handy. Since the modem would be controlled by the router, all you'd have to do is connect to the router via ethernet. 

I _think_ I had an SMC router with a com port - again, its been a long time.



HermitJohn said:


> Dialup modems arent getting much attention at all and the number of companies manufacturing them is shrinking big time. People are telling me that new desktop computers arent even coming equipted with a cheapo dialup software modem anymore. Those selling computers think everybody had broadband anymore when thats far from the truth.
> 
> As to linux, the linux gurus apparently dont use modems and never did. Little to no effort going into making modem use easier. Go on most linux boards and you get same "go get a serial hardware modem". Yep thats real handy with your laptop or your new desktop with no serial port. Many of the linux distributions dont even come with the software modem drivers that do exist for linux.
> 
> For wifi cards there for long time has been ndiswrapper where you can use it along with XP driver for that card to use that card under linux if no native linux driver. One of the people responsible for ndiswrapper said with about 50 modifications that ndiswrapper could support software dialup modems. Neither he nor anybody else with the expertise has done anything about it though. Our own moderator, "KUNG", said he did it, but now couldnt remember how he did it..... Too bad he didnt bother to make his efforts known/available/repeatable and collect his 15min of fame as it would have helped lot people.


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## backwoodsman7 (Mar 22, 2007)

OntarioMan said:


> There was a time when there were consumer based routers equipped with com ports - which would be very handy. Since the modem would be controlled by the router, all you'd have to do is connect to the router via ethernet.


I have one of those, and use the modem connected to it when my broadband wireless goes down, which has been quite a bit the last month or so. It's nice to still be able to run the laptops on the wireless network even when we're on dialup. These routers can be had pretty cheaply on Ebay these days.


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## danb98577 (Dec 16, 2005)

Thanks for all the help-think I can see some light at the end of the tunnel...appreciate all your thoughts and advice. Dan


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## HermitJohn (May 10, 2002)

I remember seeing those old routers with built in serial port. I never particularly saw the point except in emergencies when everything else was down. Having more than one computer sharing a dialup account at same time is a big exercise in frustration.

There are other workarounds also such as using an old windows computer to connect and then networking it with the linux computer. Some did this where their household had a dialup account with say AOL or other company that required windows only software be run in order to connect. Well until that French group came out with Penggy that mimicked the proprietary AOL connection and allowed linux computer to connect to an existing AOL account on its own. Where there is enough will, there is a way I guess, though I cant really see running two computers just to get a dialup connection. 

But the Actiontec modem I mention in above post is hardware modem, is available new from multiple sources (do a google) and can connect to computer via serial port or usb port. And its realtively cheap. Wholesale in large quantities I think its less than $4 a piece. Retail around $10 and definitely less than $15 unless somebody is really gouging. With some linux distributions, it can be a bit of an adventure to get it working via usb. Mainly cause its unexpected for a hardware modem to connect via usb. PClinuxOS 2007 recognizes it with usb connection and very easy to get working. Doing a google, seems some folk have got it working with Ubuntu via usb, but its not automatic for it to happen. And I tried usb with Puppy today and still havent got it working right. (I still have a serial port on my computer so hadnt really cared until this came up today) Using serial cable, its just like any other external serial modem and no hassle at all. Again the main hassle with usb connection is the distributions arent expecting a hardware modem to connect that way.


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## HermitJohn (May 10, 2002)

Ok, I have the Actiontec modem working in Puppy via USB and using it now. Simple as opening terminal and typing command modprobe pl2303 then doing a simlink so /dev/modem refers back to /dev/usb/ttyUSB0 or else referring dialer to /dev/usb/ttyUSB0 directly. I am using Puppy 2.14 so who knows, maybe newer puppy (latest official release is 3.01) has support to recognize usb port for modem automatically, but I doubt it. I still dont need anything newer Puppy offers so sticking with super stable 2.14 version on this computer. And I may have to edit startup file so everytime Puppy is booted, it automatically runs command "modprobe pl2303". 

If you try this in Ubuntu, you have to run as root or I think in Ubuntu, you do sudo to get into root mode.

Ok, google to rescue again, here is link to how to do this in Ubuntu: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=220173 Its late for me 
and I just dont have energy to boot Ubuntu and get it to work right now.

Edit: Yes add line "modprobe pl2303" (without quotes) into file /etc/rc.d/rc.modules in Puppy 2.14. This is the module loading part of startup script when Puppy boots.

Been reading this and got to be confusing for newbie. Only having to do this with usb connection to modem cause as I said most linux distributions arent looking for a hardware modem on usb port. These combination usb/serial external hardware modems are relatively new and not that common. As I said, if you connect this modem with serial cable it acts just like any other external serial modem and will be recongized without this extra hassle. But many newer computers no longer have a serial port.


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## danb98577 (Dec 16, 2005)

thank you, HermitJohn-just caught this-we are expecting another big windstorm out here so have been battening down. I appreciate your taking the time. Dan


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## MyHomesteadName (Dec 2, 2006)

May I suggest an alternative?....seeing as how linux is free and all.

I tried ubuntu for the 1st time as a linux n00b and destroyed one of my hard drives and played heck trying to get helpful answers. The ubuntu forums are great and they have one of the best communities around, but I ran into a bunch of linux snobs and got turned off to it after a few weeks. I eventually restored my drive after a deep restore and gave up on trying to install ubuntu.

Well, I was still sick of Microsoft and I didn't want to get stuck with a mac. I've had a mac and it was a nice experience overall, but also frustrating for various reasons...which is another story. Anyway, I decided to give linux another go around and tried several different flavors and found one that I LOVE and had great success with. Not only did it recognize my WIRELESS modem right away, but it was also very simple to get my dual-monitors going and start the user experience in a very positive way. The winner by a long shot, in my book, is PCLINUXOS.

http://www.pclinuxos.com/

http://www.pclinuxos.com/index.php?option=com_ionfiles&Itemid=28

You can get either the Gnome or KDE version...I personally prefer KDE, but for a total n00b, Gnome might be easier.

I tried:
ubuntu
kubuntu
mint
mepis
SUSE
knoppix 
redhat
pclinux

pclinux was, by far, the easiest to use and set up.

let me know if you have any questions.

~~ Danny ~~


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## HermitJohn (May 10, 2002)

I agree PClinux is nice, maybe the nicest linux distribution for noob with reasonably modern home pc. The creators of it have put lot effort to make sure stuff just works. And for most part it still allows you to tinker. I remember another distribution, Xandros, that also worked nice for a noob, but its scripts were very anal/authoritarian and made making changes challenging as the scripts had to be changed so they wouldnt revert to original configuration on reboot.

I still disagree with most distributions limiting desktop choices to KDE and Gnome. There are myriad of linux window managers and file managers to choose from and most if not all the alternatives load much faster and work just as KDE and Gnome. Some quite nice ones off top of my head are Xfce, iceWM, and enlightenment. Plus some other very minimalist ones. And nothing beats ROX as a file manager. Try one of those and you will be amazed how quickly you get to your desktop. If the creators of the distribution arent totally clueless you can still have a complete and easy to navigate menu.

You can say install PClinux or Ubuntu or any other distribution and then change window manager, but it can be interesting/tedious to make all menus and such work when you do it. Ubuntu (Gnome desktop) by way also comes as Kubuntu (KDE desktop) and Xubuntu (Xfce desktop). That might be interesting for somebody wanting apples to apples comparison as all three are live cds and no modifications necessary.

As you suggest, since linux is free, try several distributions, at least the live cd distributions and then make a choice. 



MyHomesteadName said:


> May I suggest an alternative?....seeing as how linux is free and all.
> 
> I tried ubuntu for the 1st time as a linux n00b and destroyed one of my hard drives and played heck trying to get helpful answers. The ubuntu forums are great and they have one of the best communities around, but I ran into a bunch of linux snobs and got turned off to it after a few weeks. I eventually restored my drive after a deep restore and gave up on trying to install ubuntu.
> 
> ...


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## MyHomesteadName (Dec 2, 2006)

I forgot I had tried that one too...

Also tried Mandriva & Xandros....both are good...still prefer PCLinux.

I haven't tried any of the other window managers as HermitJohn has....but I'd be willing to try them later, as I get more comfortable with Linux....as it is though..I'm pretty happy with KDE and its integration into the system.

Oh, that reminds me.....as soon as you install PCLinux, update KDE through synaptic, some of the newer programs break the window manager if KDE isn't updated.....just FYI....thats really the only major glitch I ran into.


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## Kung (Jan 19, 2004)

IMHO, Mandriva works on fewer PCs than PCLinux (or Ubuntu) does. I'd agree - if you're a 'noob' or just want it to work, usually PCLinux is best. If you don't mind some small amount of work (AND you try out the live portion of the CD first), Mepis or Ubuntu are often best if you want a lot of stuff.

If you like fast, smaller installs like DSL or Puppy Linux are best.


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## danb98577 (Dec 16, 2005)

Thanks for all the info-as this area is in the midst of cleaning up after the destruction of Dec2nd/3rd storm, the new computer is low on list of things to do. I have worked till I am bleary fixing roofs, barns, general storm damage. I need to deal with the Ubuntu with a clear head and some rest, so it will be a while.


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