# Good computer. Bad modem. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 31, 2000, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-computer-bad-modem/47847 "2000-12-31T01:54:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![KeithT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e47774/32.png) [@KeithT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KeithT)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2000, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-computer-bad-modem/47847/1 "2000-12-31T01:54:25Z")
I’ve been back from school for only a week now, and I’m already in the midst of serious network withdrawal. I left behind a nice, fat, happy, 10mbps pipe to the internet for a shared, 56k winmodem. That wouldn’t too bad, except when you consider 1. The modem is installed on the family computer, and is being shared to my system through Wingate. 2. My sister is on the family system. She’s on Napster… with four uploads and downloads as I write this. 3. Hi, Opal! 4. Yahoo Messenger isn’t cooperating nicely with Wingate. I managed to make it work through HTTP proxy, but it’s laggy. Very laggy. 5. Oh yeah… I’m also downloading the Linux-Mandrake 7.2 ISO. That’s a 650MB file. Fortunately, the [tux.org](http://tux.org) ftp server supports resuming downloads, but my current rate of 1500 bytes a second, I won’t be done until 11:40pm on January 2. Maybe I’m just spoiled. Or addicted. Yeah, that’s it. I need an Ethernet Anonymous group to help me out. Oh well, 18 days 'til I’m back in the dorms… Keeping faith in the CGI, Keith ---
**Author:** ![Fonz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Fonz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fonz)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2000, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-computer-bad-modem/47847/2 "2000-12-31T02:55:56Z")
Breaks my bleeding heart. That is so sad. I’m at 33k ---
**Author:** ![Pollo\_Boyo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a4c791/32.png) [@Pollo\_Boyo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pollo_Boyo)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2000, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-computer-bad-modem/47847/3 "2000-12-31T03:13:31Z")
When I’m at work, I abuse the T1 as often as possible. The twenty bucks for a NIC was the best money I ever put into my system. You ever try downloading ANYTHING on a 26.4k connection? Man, the phone lines here are pitiful. ---
**Author:** ![kinoons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a698b9/32.png) [@kinoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kinoons)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2000, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-computer-bad-modem/47847/4 "2000-12-31T03:45:29Z")
ah, I remember the old days when my modem only connected at 20K (really piss poor lines) but now that I have seen the lught of cable, I am never going back. ---
**Author:** ![KeithT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e47774/32.png) [@KeithT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KeithT)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2000, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-computer-bad-modem/47847/5 "2000-12-31T03:56:37Z")
**Pollo Boyo** , et al: I have a friend who’s lucky if she can connect at 26.4k. I’ve seen phone wiring box in her basement- it’s such an ancient jumble of tangled wire and exposed terminals that I’m surprised basic phone system works. About a year ago, I swapped a 2400 baud modem out of an old 386 and into my system just for kicks (I hadn’t bothered buying a decent modem since I was always on a network) and played around with that for a little while. I was able to connect to the internet and check my mail, though web browsing really dragged; 240 bytes/sec is really slow! (BTW, my Linux download is up to 268811544 of 680378368 bytes… 3541 minutes remaining!) ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2000, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-computer-bad-modem/47847/6 "2000-12-31T04:06:54Z")
Just to make it clear how slow a 2400 baud modem is. 2400 **bits** per second is 300 bytes per second. A line of text on a dos screen is 80 characters, and there are 24 lines per screen. Each character is 1 byte. So each screenfull of text is 24 \* 80 \* 1 = 1920 bytes. Just to redraw the screen takes 6 seconds!!! Once upon a time they had 300 baud modems. 2 seconds to print one line of text. And to the OP, wait until you graduate. You either suffer with that modem, or you pay $40 a month for something faster. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Pollo\_Boyo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a4c791/32.png) [@Pollo\_Boyo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pollo_Boyo)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2000, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-computer-bad-modem/47847/7 "2000-12-31T04:11:30Z")
**KeithT:** Yeah, but the good thing about a 2400bps modem is that it’s not one of those oh-so-fabulous WinModems. (Sarcasm? You’re soaking in it.) I’ve been using my 28.8 for years. The one time I put in an LT Win, disconnected after three minutes and only connected at 26.4k. I’ll grant the newer modems speed, well some of them anyway, but a lot of the older models are just plain ol’ reliable. ---
**Author:** ![kinoons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a698b9/32.png) [@kinoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kinoons)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2000, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-computer-bad-modem/47847/8 "2000-12-31T04:18:03Z")
now some hardware 56k modems do exist, just good luck finding one. And they are expensive when compaired to their software counterparts, but you get what you pay for ---
**Author:** ![Pollo\_Boyo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a4c791/32.png) [@Pollo\_Boyo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pollo_Boyo)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2000, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-computer-bad-modem/47847/9 "2000-12-31T04:24:15Z")
> [@](#): > > **Posted by kinoons** > now some hardware 56k modems do exist, just good luck finding one. And they are expensive when compaired to their software counterparts, but you get what you pay for Yeah, that’s true. I know Rockwell has a pretty reliable hardware modem, because my sis has it. She never really has that many problems with it, either. Most of the time it’s our glorious phone lines. (The telco guaruntees no greater than 9600bps.) ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2000, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-computer-bad-modem/47847/10 "2000-12-31T06:29:05Z")
Want a 56k hardware modem? Just buy an external one. Sure it’ll cost you $100 and needs a power outlet, but it works without drivers (!) and you get pretty blinking lights. I loved mine before I got DSL (which is also a cute box with Blinkenlights). Now it’s reduced to the pathetic role of male-male telephone cable connector, and not even plugged into a computer. ---
**Author:** ![slowhand53](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a698b9/32.png) [@slowhand53](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slowhand53)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2000, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-computer-bad-modem/47847/11 "2000-12-31T07:39:17Z")
hey smackfu…i’ve used those 300 baud modems on an Apple II+. 4 years ago I cared about my connection for net-gaming that I actually spent the $300 for an external Courier v.everything. prob the best modem investment I ever made. when x2 was in beta i got a copy of the firmware and loaded it right up. had one of my best quake nights ever that evening. so that y’all will hate me…I’m pissed off that the company I am currently working for only has a fractional T-1 that loops through about 6 routers and 2 proxy servers before hitting the net. makes me want to run home to my cable modem just to check my mail. 😃