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Ok, I organized my thoughts finally. PCTel HSP56 Modem Q.

CPU's? Motherboards? Video cards? Talk about it here.

Ok, I organized my thoughts finally. PCTel HSP56 Modem Q.

Postby StarKnightGoku on Fri Apr 09, 2004 11:58 am

Ok, I don't know if any of you are familiar with this modem, but I just got one from US-Depot.com, and at v.92 it won't connect at more than 40kbps, unlike my old Conextant that I got back in 1999 with the computer I'm using that connected at an average of 48kbps (and actually let me move around in Ultima Online, I might add..) and I was curious if any of you could assist me in getting this modem up to speed.

Thanks for any help you guys can give me, as you've always been able to solve my problems, or at least open my eyes to the obvious solution.
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Postby NoSmartz on Fri Apr 09, 2004 6:23 pm

did you bump up your speed setting to 115,200?

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Postby StarKnightGoku on Sat Apr 10, 2004 12:02 am

That's what the default was (So I'll go with a yes, on that one...sort of) and it's still at.
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Postby NoSmartz on Sat Apr 10, 2004 12:16 am

The only other thing I can tell is is the old standby,line noise.I have 2 pc's here in dallas and one connects at 49.2 and the other connects at 52.Like clockwork.I installed a new modem in my mother's pc last year and it connected at 36(rural area of texas).Went to her neighbors house to look at his connection speed on his new Dell,20.6.This is significant cause my moms pc is 3 years old runnin' WinMe.
Dial up modems,go figure.

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Postby StarKnightGoku on Sat Apr 10, 2004 1:52 am

Hm. Well, I guess I'll swap back to my Conextant, and hope for better results.

Stupid waste of time and money, this was...
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Postby NoSmartz on Sat Apr 10, 2004 10:44 am

if you ever want to spend less on a modem go to Fry's online.They have decent modems for 10.00 plus most of the time if you look carefully they will usually be a 10.00 rebate so they end up being free!!!
I would also go back to your old modem.

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Postby StarKnightGoku on Sat Apr 10, 2004 10:26 pm

*shrugs* I only spent $6.97 on this one, and got 10% back from PayPal
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Postby pranav81 on Sun Apr 11, 2004 1:39 am

I have got a Intel V.92 modem which I got with my computer.It's really fast for dial-up as it connects at 52.4 Kbps,while my friends top 45 Kbps at the max.


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Postby StarKnightGoku on Tue Apr 13, 2004 12:53 am

I just switched back to my Conextant, and I'm happy to say that I'm connecting at 46.6k, and can load TWO, yes TWO pages at the same time and not wait a long time, as well as walk around in Ultima.

Now what to do about this other modem...it'd cost more to send it back than it's worth, and I don't know anyone who needs a new modem that I can sucker into it...
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Postby LoneWolf on Tue Apr 13, 2004 10:50 am

HFS/HSP/HCF modems are inexpensive and generic, and if you're getting 40kbps, you're probably doing well.

Cheap modems from Conexant/PCTel use your computer's CPU for some of the modem's DSP functions, meaning that if your computer is at high CPU usage from other apps, modem speeds and transmission quality may suffer, or the modem may even drop connection. If you have to use a modem and want top quality, you'll need to spend the bucks and get a hardware DSP modem, such as the 3com/US Robotics Pro, or an external such as the 56k Sportster or Courier V.Everything. Even when these don't connect at top speed, they're much more resistant to line noise than others; extensive testing has proven it again and again.
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Postby wicked1 on Tue Apr 13, 2004 9:30 pm

I had a courier v.everything before I got dsl and I agree they are wonderful modems. They would connect at 48K whereas the motherboards builtin modem would do 52 but the courier was still faster. Modems can upshift and downshift speeds without changing the status on your screen.The cheaper modems may initially connect faster but quickly downshift due to their lower quality.The Courier will tend to be conservative at the initial connect stage but either stay there or go up in speed generally not down.
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Postby wicked1 on Tue Apr 13, 2004 10:44 pm

I jumped on ebay to see what the couriers were going for and found an external for $20 shipped. I bought it for my parents computer as their modem sucks.
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Postby NoSmartz on Wed Apr 14, 2004 12:01 pm

wicked1'
what was your max d'load with the dial up modem?
I just switched using from one pc to another and I went from 5.4k to 6.
The 6k one is one of those cheap PcTel's.

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Postby wicked1 on Wed Apr 14, 2004 12:51 pm

Around 6K area is what my max was.
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Postby NoSmartz on Thu Apr 15, 2004 10:53 pm

That's sounds right,thanx wicked.

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Postby LoneWolf on Mon Apr 26, 2004 1:28 pm

wicked1 wrote:I had a courier v.everything before I got dsl and I agree they are wonderful modems. They would connect at 48K whereas the motherboards builtin modem would do 52 but the courier was still faster. Modems can upshift and downshift speeds without changing the status on your screen.The cheaper modems may initially connect faster but quickly downshift due to their lower quality.The Courier will tend to be conservative at the initial connect stage but either stay there or go up in speed generally not down.


Still own my Courier V.Everything. Best doggone modem on the planet. I've had broadband for some time, but I keep the Courier, just in case I someday move to somewhere where broadband isn't available (heaven forbid).
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