Hardware Modems

Q_Ball

I know this question was asked ages ago but i couldnt find the thread. anyway

How do you know if a modem is hardware or software?

There's a couple in work and i need a new one, but dont know if they're hardware or not

thanks

me

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It's a 106 miles to Chicago. We've got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark and we're wearing sunglasses.

HIT IT!

lampsie

Generally, if its a PCI board, its software (winmodem)
if its ISA or serial its hardware.

Other than that, check the boards themselves, if they mention Lucent/hsp/pctel they're definatly software

Lamps.

Dave

Or... does winamp stutter anytime your modem connects/disconnects, or general behaviour like that, the computer stalling for a second, if so then its software.

-Dave

chernobyl

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by irishassassin!:
Or... does winamp stutter anytime your modem connects/disconnects, or general behaviour like that, the computer stalling for a second, if so then its software.

-Dave</font>

i agree with you to a certian extent, but when i make sure my modem is not on the same irq as the soundcard then its fine.
But how can you identify a H/W modem by looking at it?

SantaHoe

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">But how can you identify a H/W modem by looking at it?</font>

I'm not 100% on this, but going on the modems I've had before... the H/W modems should be more 'bulky', with a big black box bit attached to the card... and the s/w modems should be very slim and bare looking.
And I'd agree with lampsie, PCI modems are mostly s/w.
Just get an external modem and be done with it.

Cake Fiend

Software modems are very bare compared to hardware, and are often not a full card (half-card, look like a network card). Hardware modems are generally a full-sized card covered in all sorts of crap.

JustHalf

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by irishassassin!:
Or... does winamp stutter anytime your modem connects/disconnects, or general behaviour like that, the computer stalling for a second, if so then its software.
</font>

I've got it even better. If I play an MP3, the connection dies.

Gladiator

hardware modems are usualy twice the price of software.
and Dead{o}Santa is right, big black box on them usualy

Stonemason

I dont think with the phone lines being what they are(so bad as to make the point mute) and most people having a decent spec pc these days that the hardware versus software argument hasnt as much importants as it used to.If i didnt have ISDN i would have no problem usesing a decent software modem especialy when you consider that a sotware modem is half the price of its hardware bretherin.


Stone

[This message has been edited by Stonemason (edited 23-06-2001).]

po0k

I have an internal PCi Lucent 1614 ( I think thats the model numr) 56er. Its a DSP modem so its kinda half hardwre, half software. I ahve a P3 800 and GeForce so I have plenty of cpu cycles to spare for it. It gets me a better ping (though less reliable) then my external serial Cirrus logic 56er.
As the more observant amongst you may remember I have a linesplitter on my phone line and so am restricted to 31200bps max, I'm 1mile from my local exchange and I get 3.7KB maximum average speed downloading, and a ping of anywhere between 170-240 depending on how many are on the server, which ISP, and what time of day.
I also used an old 28.8 Boca internal ISA modem. same story, thought the ping was rather crap. I might be getting ISDn soon though, so I'll leave my past behind me