kelvin@im4u.UUCP (Kelvin Thompson) (03/23/88)
This is a summary of some netters' evaluations of inexpensive 2400-baud
modems.
First, thanks to everybody who replied to my query. Your repsonses will
make me feel a lot more comfortable about buying a modem in a few days.
My query concerned two cheap modems I saw in the April 1988 MacUser,
plus a third, suggested by two of the respondents:
Practical Peripherals $189 p. 125 MacUser (MacConnection)
Anchor $169 p. 158 MacUser (STF mail order)
Qubie ~$169 Byte Magazine
I got the most responses about the Practical Peripherals modem. Everybody
that had used one was happy with it. People liked the modem's speaker,
multiple status lights, and good Hayes compatibility. 'ECKCC@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU'
noted it comes with trial subscriptions to OAG, CompuServe and the Source.
'macak@lakesys.UUCP' said he did a lot of looking around before deciding to
get the PP modem.
On the down side, 'edmoy@violet.Berkeley.EDU' said he had some trouble doing
file transfers with CompuServe -- but not GEnie -- with the PP modem.
Two people warned that the MacConnection price for the modem does not
include a "cable" (to the Mac? to Ma Bell? I don't know).
Nobody had used a 2400-baud Anchor, but 'ECKCC@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU' had used
a 1200-baud Anchor modem and found some gaps in its Hayes compatibility
(and that it didn't have a speaker). He said the Anchor 1200 never gave
him any trouble over years of use, though.
Two people recommended the Qubie, which does not advertise in Mac-related
magazines, but which seems to work okay with the Mac. 'Gegel@DOCKMASTER.ARPA'
said the main drawback of the Qubie was its loud, unadjustable speaker.
'chrisj@cup.portal.com' said the reason these modems can be so cheap is that
they don't have sophisticated noise-handling features. To use cheap modems
on noisy lines, you have to switch them to 1200 baud, while the more
expensive ones can correct some errors and negotiate slowdowns with other
smart modems.
I certainly hope this summary has helped to promote world peace.
--
-- Kelvin Thompson, Lone Rider of the Apocalypse
kelvin@im4u.cs.utexas.edu {ihnp4,ctvax,seismo,ucbvax}!ut-sally!im4u!kelvin edmoy@violet.berkeley.edu (03/25/88)
In article <2618@im4u.UUCP> kelvin@im4u.UUCP (Kelvin Thompson) writes: >I got the most responses about the Practical Peripherals modem. > ... >On the down side, 'edmoy@violet.Berkeley.EDU' said he had some trouble doing >file transfers with CompuServe -- but not GEnie -- with the PP modem. Actually, I had suspected the software, since it did work fine on GEnie. I have a new version of the software I use for CompuServe, and I'm happy to say file transfers work fine now at 2400 baud. Edward Moy Workstation Software Support Group University of California Berkeley, CA 94720 edmoy@violet.Berkeley.EDU ucbvax!violet!edmoy
geb@cadre.dsl.PITTSBURGH.EDU (Gordon E. Banks) (03/28/88)
I got the one Heathkit has for $149 on sale in their current flyer. It isn't fancy (no data/voice switch), but has the status leds and works ok (Hayes compatible).