From owner-freebsd-isp Mon Jan 13 19:15:40 1997 Return-Path: Received: (from root@localhost) by freefall.freebsd.org (8.8.4/8.8.4) id TAA29117 for isp-outgoing; Mon, 13 Jan 1997 19:15:40 -0800 (PST) Received: from whizzo.transsys.com (whizzo.TransSys.COM [144.202.42.10]) by freefall.freebsd.org (8.8.4/8.8.4) with ESMTP id TAA29095; Mon, 13 Jan 1997 19:15:30 -0800 (PST) Received: from localhost.transsys.com (localhost.transsys.com [127.0.0.1]) by whizzo.transsys.com (8.8.3/8.7.3) with SMTP id WAA20489; Mon, 13 Jan 1997 22:03:25 -0500 (EST) Message-Id: <199701140303.WAA20489@whizzo.transsys.com> X-Mailer: exmh version 2.0alpha 12/3/96 To: richard@pegasus.com (Richard Foulk) cc: freebsd-isp@FreeBSD.org, freebsd-hardware@FreeBSD.org From: "Louis A. Mamakos" Subject: Re: reliable modems? References: <199701131953.JAA01010@pegasus.com> In-reply-to: Your message of "Mon, 13 Jan 1997 09:53:23 -1000." <199701131953.JAA01010@pegasus.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Date: Mon, 13 Jan 1997 22:03:25 -0500 Sender: owner-isp@FreeBSD.org X-Loop: FreeBSD.org Precedence: bulk > I'd recommend against rack-mount modems. I've used them in the past > and always wished I hadn't once they get older. Once they get outdated > single modems can be spread around and used in other places -- rack-mounts > become large expensive boat-anchors. :-( Certainly not if you take into account the cost of operating whatever it is you built. What you pay for the modems is a one-time event (or depreciated over 5 years depending on your pursuasion), but the on-going operational costs are forever. > Rows of single modems may not look as cool, but they usually make more > sense. In my personal experience, this has never been the case if you're running more than a handfull. And I've been involved in running tens of modems up to (now) in excess of 50,000 - the prospect of all those individual power bricks, RS232 cables, and analog POTS lines is too frightening to contemplate. On the original question, I've had pretty good succeess with standalone ZyXEL modems. It's been a few years since I've really used it at home (actually, before V.34 modems), but their customer service was pretty good. USR modems (especially the sportsters) are cheap. And you get what you pay for, I'm sure. You'd be surprised to find how much grief the Rockwell folks have been through to accomodate the USR sportster flavor of "V.34" louie