US Robotics external modem $80 with ad

[KF]

No rebate at CompUSA. Print out the ad and take to store to get $20 off $100.

This may be OK since people brag this modem up. I'm thinking of taking a chance to see if I can get a connection over 28800. I never see anything above that here.

The unadvertised specials ad.

The product description

This outfit has the same model in bulk pack for 54 + 7 fed ex = 61:
OEM model 5686
but it may not be the lastest version, since it is described as V90 instead of V92. Does it matter?


bulk V92 model for 63 + 8 = 71

You BVGs can hop on this.

 

[MrBond]

but it may not be the lastest version, since it is described as V90 instead of V92. Does it matter?

I don't think USR is making modems anymore, so this is probably their latest version. Either way, they make excellent modems, I have two Courier v.Everythings and one sportster like this.

 

[klein297]

Nice deal on a great modem.
If you dont mind used,
save $40 more by buying Tweeky's on the For Sale/Trade forum.

 

[KF]

Originally posted by: klein297
Nice deal on a great modem.
If you dont mind used,
save $40 more by buying Tweeky's on the For Sale/Trade forum.

Thanks for the tip on the Sale/Trade item, but it was sold. Apparently he has another item for sale in the same topic.

I saw a few _internal_ (5687, not Winmodem) V.90 modems on closeout for $30 at an OfficeMax, marked $84. People may have missed them. They were in a kind of junkpile on a separate table. Very old looking boxes. It looks like a PCI version from the pic on the box; nothing on the box says if it is ISA or PCI. I can't use ISA since mobos have dropped it. I am unsure if the internal and external really are the same.

In stores where the have the 5686, next to the old modem boxes there are new boxes with a different looking modem in the picture and different model numbers for both the internal and external. So I think USR is still making modems. Did 3COM maybe sell off the USR brand?

 

[hakadate]

I have 2 ea 5687 USR ISA modems. Originally I could connect at 43k or above consistantly. Then one day about 2 months ago I could only connect at 30 to 38k. I ran a check on USR test phone line and the test said the signal to noise on my line was about 33db and to connect at 56k the signal to noise should be, as well as I remember 50db or above.
Also the phone company only guarantees that you can be able to talk on the line.
Before buying a $100 modem you should see if you can get the seller to promise that you can use the modem at the connect rate you want.

 

[Fritzo]

Originally posted by: hakadate
I have 2 ea 5687 USR ISA modems. Originally I could connect at 43k or above consistantly. Then one day about 2 months ago I could only connect at 30 to 38k. I ran a check on USR test phone line and the test said the signal to noise on my line was about 33db and to connect at 56k the signal to noise should be, as well as I remember 50db or above.
Also the phone company only guarantees that you can be able to talk on the line.
Before buying a $100 modem you should see if you can get the seller to promise that you can use the modem at the connect rate you want.

There's no way they can promise that. Your connect rate is based on line noise, call routing, and compatibility. If you're a long way away from your central office (more than 5 miles), don't have copper lines, or your call gets switched more than twice, you're going to get lower connect speeds. It's silly to make a seller of a modem guarantee you'll get certain speeds. It's like saying "I wanna buy this sports car, but you have to guarantee that the roads around my house are smooth enough for me to go 120 MPH."

 

[KF]

hakadate,

Obviously everyone hates to pay a huge price premium and get nothing to show for it. I don't think anyone will guarantee me anything though.

I used to connect at 33,600 here a few years ago using a USR WinModem (which I bought when the going price was about $150 and 56K did not exist.) I now use an external Zoom modem. (the lights tell me if the data is still flowing so I'm not always wondering if IE crashed, or a window is locked up, or what.) For the heck of it, I put the old WinModem in to see if it would go above 28800. No. The best I got was 26400. In other words, the phone lines have gotten worse, or at least the number I dial into is worse.

Once every few months I'll connect at 14000 or so and wonder why everything is going super slow until I check the speed down in the windows "tray".

However the connect speed is not everything. If I understand correctly, the later standards will renegotiate downward if errors are excessive, so your speed could go lower after you connect. I don't know if they ever go up. I sometimes wonder if modems are set up to connect at speeds they can't sustain just to keep the customer happy. Sometimes while downloading I can see by the modem lights that there are constant retries. When that is happening, it usually can be fixed by hanging up and redialing.