[nmglug] Modem,

[Will Pearson]

Hello,

The problem lies in cost. External Modems have inside them what's called
a DSP (Digital Signal Processor). Much like CPU's being one of the most
expensive parts of the computer, the same holds true in a modem. The DSP
'is' the most expensive part of the modem. Many internal modems do 'not'
have a DSP these days and the manufacturers have written the modem
drivers to offload the processing the modem does to the computers CPU,
thereby making the modem cheaper. This has the effect of slowing down
the computer while it is online because of the extra load that the modem
produces upon the CPU. Like any piece of electronics, the modem produces
heat and contributes to the temperature inside of the computer. Also, as
long as the computer is on, the modem is always on, whether or not you
are actually using it.

External modems don't contribute to heat inside of the computer, just
using the hardware doesn't slow down your computer the way internals do,
and you can power cycle the modem any time you like. If the modem's
firmware crashes (this happens to all modems), you can power cycle the
modem and your good as new, you don't need to reboot your computer.

External modems are better in almost every category. US Robotics
external modems are in my opinion the best in terms of reliability,
other peoples mileage may vary. But, US Robotics doesn't really exist
any longer as they were bought by 3Com. If you happen to find one, hold
on to it like your life depended on it, because while being exceptional
hardware, they seem to be rather rare these days.

I have an old US Robotics 56K modem that I love, I don't use it much
these days since the advent of DSL, but I keep it around because I know
that someday I'll probably be on dialup again and I'll need my fantastic
external modem.

On Mon, 2004-05-03 at 11:11, Andres Paglayan wrote:
> Thanks for the recommendation,
> I am curious on why external might be better than internal.

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