Modem Basics

buy an ethernet router with an inbuilt ADSL modem

USB modems dont work well with linux and if you get it working it will never work as well as it did in windows

you will need to make sure that linux sees your ethernet card with is usually fine. The advantage with this is that you can wire up lots of computers and share the net connection with as many computers as you like with no extra cost to you internet bill and tend to be more stabler than USB modems and the like. make sure that your router has an in built ADSL modem

if you need dial up the a serial modem will do that job remember
that they are all hardware modems with an easy interface that is easy for linux and windows to command

the reason for these silly USB modems and many if not all PCI cards is that they use computer programs to take a way electronic hardware that cost the consumer letting the computer doing some of the work and tend to be smaller to and cheaper [ some times they may say hardware modem PCI or USB, just ignore them ] often called
winmodems

here are such models UK web site.

http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/index.html?rb=17093338682&action=UFNQcm9kdWN0U2VhcmNoUmVzdWx0cw==&subcat_uid=1146&order=ASC&order_col=sell_price&show=stock

it's probly usless to you

I've read others state that USB dial-up modems don't work well, but my experience contradicts that. I bought a Actiontec EX560LKU modem from the Geeks for $10.50 and it was plug-n-play. Granted, it is a serial/USB modem, but my HP Media Center has no DB connector serial ports, only USBs. The modem appeared in KPPP as /dev/ttyUSB0 and has worked flawlessly since install.

While I have heard that there exist both Juno and AOL dialer applications that will achieve the goal of landline (dialup) access to the respective ISPs; I'll generally agree with anyone who says that going with a local net and routed broadband access is the way to go. I, myself, will do nothing but broadband, as I anticipate the advent of fiber to SNI/NIB, in our neck of the woods.

The flip-side of the coin is that modems, per se, cannot be so easily dismissed.

A good hardware-based DSP, internal modem is going to set you back at least $70.00 (US); and one should only consider the better manufacturers of same. (See: http://www.mepis.org/node/7703 )

Consider picking up a copy of the latest edition of "The Complete Modem Reference", by Gilbert Held (a text I used when I was teaching a segment on analog data comm), if you'd really like to understand the devices a bit more fully.

IIRC, Winn L. Rosch Hardware Bible also gave good treatment to the 'expanson slot to UART' considerations for Mod-Dem devices. The Scott Meuller references will cover modems in far less technical detail, and are best avoided except to achieve the most rudimentary understanding of 'melding' a modem to PC architecture.

In terms of serial line protocols between DTEs and DCEs, both RS-232C and USB interfaces can be used with equal ease and equal success--provided one speaks through the correct synlinks to the correct port hardware. An external modem, sporting a USB interface, is not necessarily condemned to the scrap heap; yet, it is more likely if it's no larger than a key fob.

As always, 'Caveat emptor.'

Home of the Point-N-Click Help Files
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html