Opinions sought on ADSL Modem

Laz

Laz

1
Broadband will be coming to my area in a few months and it is one area I know very little about.

What is better - A standard USB ADSL modem or..... my thinking is that an Ethernet ADSL modem may perform better like this D-Link one that has taken my fancy http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/index.html?action=c2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=43681

I have no networking requirements planned and basicaly just want the best performing modem there is. I'm running Win XP Pro on an Asus A7V333 RAID mobo.
 
VIPER_1069

VIPER_1069

1
HMMMMM my ALCATEL SPEED TOUCH u.s.b. (MANTA RAY) has served me well for about a year now bud ;) works just dandy heheh :)

its now been replaced by the RED (SQUISHED FROG) lol same sorta thing (made by ALCATEL ....different design :)

can recommend both for a good u.s.b external modem :)

just make sure that whatever you get that its compatible with the data standards used by your I.S.P check with them if you are not sure ! :)

I know some internal ADSL modems are not fully compliant and can cause problems with some I.S.P's ADSL services :(

So its best to check with them 1st :)
 
Laz

Laz

1
Thanks Viper, interesting you should say that btw.

I am getting to thinking that Pipex offers the best deal for me on 512, for £17.50 they also offer that Alcatel funny looking modem & 2 filters with no activation fee either at the mo.

It's such a minefield getting the right BB isp, last thing I want to do is get into a 12 month contract with a cr@p one. But Pipex seem to be one of the fastest and have good ratings over at adslguide.co.uk so I'm going in that direction I think.... :)
 
bertieg

bertieg

1
My brother and a few of my mates use Pipex for there ISP and have had very few problems with them.They are also very competitive with there rates.Mostly they use the Alcatel modem although one has a US Robotics.
 
S

scarecrow

1
Getting ADSL in 10 days- but cannot give any advice as my choice is not broad (in fact it's the only ADSL router/modem the line provider supports...): A Siemens ADSL modem, which fortunately works under both Win and Lin.
 
banzibaby

banzibaby

1
Hey Laz, U will love it Bud:)

I just went frim 512k 2 the 1mb line on telewest & it fassttttttttttttt:D

But i have heard good tihngs about Pipex, so best of luck Bud:)

BaNzI:D
 
ipdave

ipdave

1
Just as with cable modems, I highly suggest an ethernet ADSL - for one good reason: you can then use a cable/dsl firewall-router to isolate yourself for added protection from hackers.

Personally I suggest the Linksys BEFSX41 because it provides stateful packet inspection (spi). This ensures that no one spoofs an IP to attack you. It also provides 4 ether ports on a 10/100 switch built in so you can hang more than 1 PC without paying for addional lines. Also, you only let through the ports (services like a web server, ftp, etc) you allow to the individual machines you choose.
 
Duracell

Duracell

1
my recommendation is a Ethernet version; im' using an old ECI 08 model;
many friends have/had problems with USB variants (Alied Telesyn, Acer); mostly only one successfully connection, next trials to connect failing until next reboot;

Greetings from
Duracell
 
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L

LTR12101B

1
If you think you may want a router (or wireless), go for a combined, as the ADSL bit of it basically costs nothing that way (often cheaper than ethernet routers!)
 
Laz

Laz

1
Thanks guys for all the advice, and ipdave I was very pleased with the price of that Linskeys router, I thought it would cost a lot more with a hardware firewall included.

Cheers guys! :)
 
ipdave

ipdave

1
Laz said:
@ ipdave

A bit confused, do I still need an ethernet modem to run the Linksys BEFSX41 ?? :confused:
Click to expand...
Yes. You need an ethernet input (WAN to your Modem), and ether outputs to your PCs (10/100 4-port switch LAN built in).

The Linksys Instant Broadband™ EtherFast®Cable/DSL Firewall Router with 4-Port Switch/VPN Endpoint is the perfect solution for connecting a small group of PCs to a high-speed broadband Internet connection or a 10/100 Ethernet backbone. The Router can be configured to limit internal users’ Internet access based on URLs and/or time periods—URL filtering and time filtering. For enhanced protection against intruders from the Internet, the Router features an advanced Stateful Packet Inspection firewall.

Use the Cable/DSL Firewall Router with 4-Port Switch/VPN Endpoint to create IPSec VPN tunnels, so you can securely connect to the corporate server from your home office—or any location when you’re on the road. The Router provides a dedicated port for DMZ hosting and acts as the only externally recognized Internet gateway on your local area network (LAN). With the performance and security features of the Cable/DSL Firewall Router with 4-Port Switch/VPN Endpoint, your network will take advantage of the Internet while keeping its data secure.

See it at:
http://www.linksys.com/products/display.asp?conmap=062befsx41cmdiagram.jpg&prid=433&scid=29
 
Laz

Laz

1
Thanks for the quick reply m8, anything networking wise sounds like Russian to me m8... I have a bit of learning to do I think. lol :D

I do know that a hardware firewall is better than software so this method, though it will cost me more, seems the safest & fastest/reliable way to set up an ADSL connection. Is it all pretty easy to setup? (I know from checking it out that the ethernet modem should be.)
 
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shadoe_phantom

1
Efficient Networks Inc. also has a pretty good/simple DSL modem: Speed Stream.
It is USB based though, but my experience with them is a lot better than that of the Nokia ethernet ones. Don't get me wrong, I still prefer ethernet (NIC) based connections, but nothing wrong with the USB ones as you will not get to max out the speeds anyways lol. The downfall of USB also requires you to have enough USB ports. It might also share that USB port/IRQ. Again, not really a problem unless you have super slow machine or no available ports.
There are also some hardware routers (external firewalls, etc) that allow for you to plug in USB devices. As I heard from a technician, there are USB modems with built in firewalls also, but I haven't come across any so can't give opinion on them.
Just make sure you get something that your ISP supports/allows. *Am sure you already know that =)
 
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