Just wanted to share a little information for those who are trying to decide which modem to buy for your computer.

We (at Herb Allure) exclusively use the US Robotics (now 3 COM) "56K Faxmodem"; Model number 5686.

This is an external modem which, believe it or not, is faster than any internal ones we've ever used.

We prefer to use external modems because of the heavy lightening we have in our area (we live in one of the 2 most "struck" areas in the world) and because of their ease in installing.

In the summer, we typically lose 2 modems due to lightening. In fact, we lost 2 this summer already. Having an external modem allows us to quickly plug in a new modem without having to disassemble the computer. In fact, I always keep an extra one on hand so we don't suffer any downtime.

If you purchase this modem, you will probably need to purchase a serial cable that converts a 25 pin "D"-connector to a 9 pin "D"-type connector. This cable connects the modem to the computer. You will also find that this is one of the most expensive modems available for consumers, but, I feel it's worth it in terms of reliability and pure speed.

I've used about a dozen different 56K V.90 / X2 modems in the past 2 years and this is definitly the fastest and most reliable one.

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Russ Tanner
of Herb Allure