Suggestions for Inexpensive, External Dialup Modem [SOLVED]

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Sky Aisling
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Location: Port Townsend, WA. USA

Suggestions for Inexpensive, External Dialup Modem [SOLVED]

#1 Post by Sky Aisling »

Hello, :)
I am searching for an inexpensive, external, dialup modem for a Toshiba 1415-S115, RAM 515MB.
I'm using Lucid Puppy-520 upgraded to Lucid Puppy-525-retro, full install on HDD.


(See my thread at http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=75707 for background.)

I found this advertised at WalMart. Anyone had experience with this modem?
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Wintec-FileMa ... A+Exchange

Does anyone have a suggestion for an inexpensive, external, dialup modem that works with Linux and Pupdial and lupu-520 or lupu-525-retro?

Thank you in advance of your response.
Last edited by Sky Aisling on Fri 24 Feb 2012, 05:09, edited 2 times in total.

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Amgine
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Location: Washington State

Re: Suggestions for Inexpensive, External Dialup Modem

#2 Post by Amgine »

Sky Aisling wrote:Hello, :)
I am searching for an inexpensive, external, dialup modem for a Toshiba 1415-S115, RAM 515MB.
I'm using Lucid Puppy-520 upgraded to Lucid Puppy-525-retro, full install on HDD.


(See my thread at http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=75707 for background.)

I found this advertised at WalMart. Anyone had experience with this modem?
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Wintec-FileMa ... A+Exchange

Does anyone have a suggestion for an inexpensive, external, dialup modem that works with Linux and Pupdial and lupu-520 or lupu-525-retro?

Thank you in advance of your response.
Nothing on brand, but keep your eye out at the second hand stores. I have seen a lot.

aarf

#3 Post by aarf »

Cable connect your 3g mobile phone is what quite a few of us use.

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nitehawk
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Location: West Central Florida

Re: Suggestions for Inexpensive, External Dialup Modem

#4 Post by nitehawk »

Sky Aisling wrote:Hello, :)
I am searching for an inexpensive, external, dialup modem for a Toshiba 1415-S115, RAM 515MB.
I'm using Lucid Puppy-520 upgraded to Lucid Puppy-525-retro, full install on HDD.


(See my thread at http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=75707 for background.)

I found this advertised at WalMart. Anyone had experience with this modem?
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Wintec-FileMa ... A+Exchange

Does anyone have a suggestion for an inexpensive, external, dialup modem that works with Linux and Pupdial and lupu-520 or lupu-525-retro?

Thank you in advance of your response.
I can't see anywhere if that modem (from Walmart) supports linux. Some USB modems do,...and some don't. There's a thread on this Puppy forum (somewhere,...I don't know exactly where just now) but it was about USB modems that support linux. Try searching for it.

Anyhow,...I'm not sure what kind of dialup (or ISP) you have,...but I'm on just regular (plain vanilla) type of dialup. But (in your other thread) you mentioned that your modem was on ttySL0. Would that be one of those horrible conexant modems? I have one of those on my HP Pavilion laptop. (eeeek)! Wary 5.1.1 actually recognized it,..and had the driver for it. There's also a discussion thread over on the http://www.freedomlist.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=34809 forum (under the "linux" section) about which USB modems support linux. Maybe it could help,....

As for myself,...I have several used external modems. A "Trendnet" I got for only $1.00 at a local thrift store,...and the others (US Robotics) came from good ol' Ebay. All work fine.

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nitehawk
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#5 Post by nitehawk »

http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewto ... 5&start=90

..here's a thread discussion that also might help you,..

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Sky Aisling
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Location: Port Townsend, WA. USA

Suggestions for Inexpensive, External Dialup Modem

#6 Post by Sky Aisling »

Thank you nitehawk,
Your post is helpful and timely.
I'm in the process of searching out a modem today.
FYI - the WalMart modem is Mac compatible, but, I think it is a *conexant* device.
I had errors about *conexant* show up in my dmesg checks.
I'm fixing this machine for a friend who lives rurally.
I check the Forum for the strings you suggest.
Then I'm heading to our two local thrift stores today.
News at 11.

Sky

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TheAsterisk!
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#7 Post by TheAsterisk! »

It isn't tremendously cheap- just shy of $50- but this one from USR ended up being the cheapest sure thing I could find at the time back when I needed a dial-up modem for Puppy.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/USRobotics-56 ... m/10073738

I used it from Puppy 412 through an early Lucid version- 501, maybe. It worked quite nicely for my last days on NetZero. The PupDial utility set it up without issues and everything.

EDIT: Ah! I see the same USR model is is also linked to right away in the thread nitehawk linked to above. :roll: In that case, reconsider my post as more of a reiterated recommendation of the model in question.

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tech_jnke2
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#8 Post by tech_jnke2 »

sky, try a roswill rnx-56usb modem, it works well with puppy but make sure its the one that is a hardware modem. it has the conexant chipset but it works well . i just bought one from newegg and i cant complain at all.

by the way i am using 4.3.1 and i just plug it in and puppy configures it automatically so that is a plus for newbies as well as experts. jsut check it out and see what you think , but i read somewhere on the forum that one or more members have one of these modems and they use them quite regularly. it must not be too bad if they use it.

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Sky Aisling
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Suggestions for Inexpensive, External Dialup Modem

#9 Post by Sky Aisling »

Thank you, tech_jnke2 and TheAsterisk!
I've finished a week of checking the local Goodwill store for a second hand dialup modems.
So far nothing in the daily junk boxes.
My friend went ahead and ordered the Walmart Wintech Filemate.
I'm not holding out much hope for it, but, we'll see. He picks it up over the weekend (in another town).
We live in a village far, far away in another galaxy.

aarf, thank you for the suggestion:
Cable connect your 3g mobile phone is what quite a few of us use.
The legacy laptop I fixed for him will be his first ever adventure into anything tech at age 70. One simple step at a time.

Note: The US Robotics modem keeps getting good press whenever I quiz local dialup users.
I'll keep you posted as to the results. :)

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Sky Aisling
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Suggestions for Inexpensive, External Dialup Modem

#10 Post by Sky Aisling »

Good News!
My friend and I picked up the Wintec-FileMate-56k-Modem-CX today. (see original post)
The modem is working with no issues.
I did have to do one *automatic* probe for *Pupdial* to identify the new, external modem in addition to the not-working, built-in modem. But, that was the only adjustment I needed to make.

Because of the slow transfer rate of the dailup, only emails can be comfortably downloaded and read. Forget browsing the web. But, the goal was to receive and send email and we achieved that. :D

A big *thank you* to all for your assistance in solving this situation. :D
Hopefully, this post will help someone else in the search for a dialup modem.

In summary: the Wintec-FileMate-56kModem-CX worked on a Toshiba Satellite 1415-S115 with 515 MB of RAM running Puppy-520, full install on HDD. Note: I said in my original post that Puppy-520 was upgraded to Puppy-525-retro. On second look, I don't think that upgrade took. So, I'm saying that Puppy-520 is the OS.

Sky

jpr
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Not working in Puppy-421

#11 Post by jpr »

Please also see this post:
http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?p=615941

@Sky Aisling
What is your initialization string for the modem?

Thanks.

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Sky Aisling
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Suggestions for Inexpensive, External Dialup Modem

#12 Post by Sky Aisling »

jpr

Hi, I no longer have the machine at my place. I fixed it up for a friend. Next time I'm over to his house I'll try to remember to check the string numbers for you.
edit: I copied your string numbers. I'll email them to him. See if we can get them that way sooner. We can see if they are same. My friend is just learning to use a computer, cut and paste and all those fun things we take for granted is a new marvel to him.

Sky

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