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Amazon return process is great.Spend a little more and purchase a USR USB external modem. USR modem worked like a champ on the first try. I returned the modem and purchased a USR USB external modem.
It would not generate DTMF when ATDT commands where given. Same results. Modem would not go off hook.
Winmodem worked perfectly on the same phone line. No external power supply to deal with. It would not pickup when ATA set.
Tried it on both a Ubuntu Linux and Windows XP computer.
It works better than the internal ever did. Works Great, always connects at the highest speed, easy to install. Was having problems with my pci modem, so I ripped it out and got this external.
The support is the best I've ever had, and the easiest to use website. This company makes about everything you would ever need as related to computer hardware. Works great on my XP computer but for some reason my Vista machine itdoesn't work as well. The modem is well designed and built. No question in my mind it will last forever. On that computer, I use a TUS9 adapter (trendnet also)to make it a usb external modem. I need to tweak the settings.
Only one air-filled, plastic packing pillow was included as protection. (Still within the promised shipping time however)The first thing I have to say is, I was a little surprised when, upon arrival, I opened the box from Amazon to find my modem (albeit, in a shrinkwrapped box from the manufacturer) flopping about inside the larger Amazon box with about 2 inches of empty space around it. Now, since I was using this external serial modem with a Linux OS and not Windows, it did take a few days of research and entering code into a terminal to get this thing recognized and working. And just like that I was online and able to start browsing. I opted for the free shipping. And as I said earlier, it is inexpensive and enables anyone to be able to get online cheaply. Only problem is, due to finances at the moment, I have to use dial up for my internet access. I've seen other external modems for twice the price, which I think is unnecessary.If you find yourself limited to dialup, and like me are using a Linux OS that won't recognize your internal winmodem, save yourself the headache and purchase this TRENDnet modem.
*sigh*Amazon recommends that if an item arrives with a defective part, that you try to contact the manufacturer for a replacement. I also came across several good reviews online of this product, and it was well within my price range, so I decided to give it a try.I have never ordered anything through Amazon before, but they do make the process extremely easy and painless. After a nasty bit of malware rendered my computer useless, I had to wipe the hard drive, and there went my Windows XP right along with it. Looked like it was included as an afterthought. I was surprised by that, but in this case it worked out because TRENDnet's headquarters is located within driving distance of where I live.
Research on the Ubuntu forums suggested an external modem would solve my problem, and the TRENDnet 56K External Data/Fax/TAM Modem (V.92,Kflex56) was recommended by several different forum members as being compatible with any Linux distro. (I have to reiterate: The defective, damaged AC adapter was NOT the fault of Amazon, as the modem and its contents came in a box shrink wrapped by the manufacturer). I was a bit peeved about that, but thought I'd let it slide as long as the item arrived in working order,(but knew it would definitely merit a mention in my review).I carefully opened the inner box from the manufacturer and gave every item a good looking over. Decided after some thought to give a Linux OS a chance, and settled on Ubuntu 8.10.
Not difficult once you know what to do).So, after I entered in a few lines of code, I heard the modem click on, come to life and start dialing out. It's something you have to download - when your online. This TRENDnet 56K external serial modem works very well, and plays nice with Ubuntu. I have to say that TRENDnet has superior customer service, and they replaced the damaged adapter immediately and without question. But if you're trying to GET online, well,.THAT's why you have to enter the code in the command line interface, terminal window.
The AC adapter had a large nick in the wire, exposing the copper strands within. Yay.So far, so good. In my case it was a life saver. I'm using it right now to write this. But, it was a pain getting my internal winmodem recognized by Ubuntu.
(By the way, all the tutorials for Ubuntu say to use Network Manager to configure the modem, but Network Manager doesn't come already installed with Ubuntu. There was no way I was going to plug THAT into an outlet. A tentative shipping date was given, but the actual arrival date was a few days later. And what do you know.
Works perfectly, and its performance is surprisingly good. No tricks, no driver, no funky configuration, no worries. For bonus points, lots of blinkenlights (all red).I'm very satisfied. Buying any networking hardware for a Linux computer can be nerve-wracking, as you can never be QUITE sure of the compatibility. This external modem was the easiest configuration and set up I've ever had, and I was up and running in under 5 minutes, even with an old distro (SUSE 8.0 and 8.2 from years 2002 and 2003 respectively).
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