Linux/laptop/winmodem solution

Well, they say that even a blind hog finds a few acorns.

When I bought my laptop, I didn't think I'd ever need the modem so I didn't care that it was a WinModem. I also didn't care that there were no serial ports, everybody uses USB anyway, right? Well, now I only have dialup, and I haven't been able to get the integral winmodem to work reliably with any version of Linux I've tried. It's hard to find a USB modem that isn't also a winmodem, unless you've got $100 to spend.

Then I found an ActionTec "Dual PC Modem", I paid about $45 for it. It's actually a two-port router with an integral full-featured dialup modem. Plug a cable into your Ethernet port and this gizmo, type in the gizmo IP address in your browser, and you can use the firmware to control the modem. It doesn't care what OS you use, as long as you can communicate with a router you're in business.

I've tried it with XP (just in case), Slackware 12.0, Mepis 6.5, Wolvix 1.1, and Ubuntu 7.04 and it worked fine with all. Odd thing is that XP says my winmodem is connecting at 45k, and the ActionTec says it connects at 31.2k ... but the ActionTec is noticeably faster.

If you're stuck like I was, maybe this will work for you.

 

I have not had to deal with a dial up modem for awhile, but it was a pain when I did. Now I have a router and have to say you are right. Regardless of what you use, connecting through a router is a good idea. Not only does it make it easier if you change OS's but it also adds another layer of security.

 

Thats cool.

The Apple Airport wifi router has a dial-up and an Ethernet feature on it. You can get wireless dial-up, lol.