Does anyone know what the different protocals are that are used w/ different
manufacturers modems ? I want to buy one but I know very little about this...
The USR model I was considering uses HST but my telnet provider says this
isn't compatible. Also, I think the old Hayes series V 24/96 smartmodems used
a proprietary system that is (now) non-standard. Is there a current standard
that I should look for ? Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated by a
raw newbie.

14 responses total.

I think you'll find that you can't buy a 9600bps modem new anymore.  The
current standard is V.32bis, which is 14,400bps.  You can get a V.32bis modem
for around $100 these days, so it's probably not worthwhile to try to save
money by buying used.  A newer standard is V.34, which transmits data at
28,800bps (twice as fast as V.32bis).  Of course, you can only go as fast as
the modem on the other end, so you should talk to your provider and find out
what speed they support.  A decent V.34 modem will probably run you $250-$300.

It might be worth mentioning that these fast modems will also connect at
slower speeds.

When I was at MCRS Computer on Monday of this week, they had 9,600 baud
internal FAX modems going for $20 new.  MCRS is at 2308 S. industrial in
A^2.  (663-3646)

Thanks everyone. I was trying to save $ and find a new

Sorry about that. I was going to say: Thanks everyone. I was trying to save
$ and find a used 9600 primarily because my crusty paleocomputer (286) has
a maximum line speed of 9600. However, it appears that external 9600's (it's
a laptop w/o exp. slots) are pretty hard to come by... looks like 2400 until
I can afford the 14.4... thanx again.

What's your budget?  External 14.4 modems are around $100 these days.

I saw an external 14.4 for $63 mail-order (1-800-831-8808).

In Cdn $ it's a bit more than 100$. Too much.

        Your ancient computer might have a terminal program with a maximum
line speed of 9600 baud, but your serial port itself can support higher
speeds.  Just get another terminal program.  There are a lot of good
shareware programs out there, including Telix (my choice), Procomm 2.4.3,
and Qmodem.  A 286 makes a fine terminal; aside from loading the program,
there's no reason it should be noticeably slower than a Pentium if you
just want to connect to Grex or other BBSes.

Does that mean it will run at 14.4? If I connect an external to my serial port
I mean? Is there a theoretical maximum ? This is great news because my server
supports 14.4. Thanx.

The newer modems (*all* 14.4, unless you get a weird industrial one) will 
run at whatever speed they can negotiate with the other modem, but they have
an internal buffer and will connect with the computer you are using at the
speed the computer's serial port is set at.  Since most computer software
does not have as 14.4 spped, you can use 19.2 and have the modem run at
14.4 with the other modem.  You might also be talking to your modem at 9600
and it could be connected at 14.4, or 9600, etc.

Thanks very much Scott (and everyone) that clarifies things a great deal.

It's my understanding that even the oldest serial boards, which use 8250
UARTS, can run at 56,000 bps.  The only problem is that there is no
buffering, so you may lose data if you run a multitasking system, like
windows. 
        If I'm wrong, someone can tell me. :)

Yes and no. They can run at 57,600baud but the 8250's had bugs in their
hardware implementations that cause problems at higher speeds.

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