Off topic recommendation

[sketchydave.livejournal.com]

Not a tech question, but I'm wondering what DSL modem would people recommend, or better yet, what modem should I avoid like the plague? I think my DSL modem is getting ready to punt and I'm not sure if my ISP will replace it. So in case I have to go and buy one myself I would rather not get a POS by mistake. I haven't done DSL support in years so I don't know who is using what chipset and such.

Thanks in advance to anyone who responds and apologies in advance for posting off topic.

Comments

modem

[lackland.livejournal.com]

My ISP uses the Zoom X5 and seen few calls about it being bad most like it.

Re: modem

[sketchydave.livejournal.com]

good to know, good to know, thanks!

[jecook]

The Actiontec ones are hit n miss. Some work very, very well, others do not.

I have a ZyZel Ethernet/DSL bridge at home and it seems to work ok. it was supplied by the ISP, and there is no end user configuration abilities on it, though. (it may be capable of routing, but not that I'm aware of at this time.)

[sketchydave.livejournal.com]

Thanks! My needs are pretty simple, I have a Linksys router at home that does everything I need it to.

[raina.livejournal.com]

I like the visionnet modems. Im working as an outsourcer now. ( i know i know, OSers.) but across the board its a good modem with all of my ISPs. not like the modems i was used to teching when i was still at mindspring / earthlink. You can use this modem with or without PPPoE. It does also use Nat for added security.

[zig-mover.livejournal.com]

NOT an efficient.

[solradia.livejournal.com]

Urgh, no NEVER an Efficient! I Second this wholeheartedly.

[zig-mover.livejournal.com]

The Cisco 678s we sent out for a while almost never have problems.. the Efficient 5861 die often. I have a big pile if someone wants a broken one.

Now MCI sends out 5861s with "updated" firmware that do not work at all.. it's the ones with the purple sticker around the DSL port, if anyone's interested.

[gholam.livejournal.com]

I've been using an Alcatel SpeedTouch Home for over 3 years by now, hacked into Pro (full-fledged router), haven't had any problems with it. ECI B-Focus 270 is also quite good, although I have no idea on their availability in US.

[shadowheel.livejournal.com]

I'm using a Netopia 3347W lately - it's pretty slick. It's not complicated if you don't want it to be, but has routing capabilities and 'unlockable' vpn, stateful firewall, etc.

[abstrak-tokatl.livejournal.com]

avoid 3com

[sketchydave.livejournal.com]

Personally, I think thats always a good rule of thumb. It seems whenever I am having an isue with a network card, modem, switch, its always a 3com.

[abstrak-tokatl.livejournal.com]

ya... they tend to be specifcly deraived.

[dmsalem00.livejournal.com]

Avoid all DSL modems, get a cable internet account with one of those cute, low-profile Motorola Surfboards, and be done with it.

[sketchydave.livejournal.com]

Cable is better, yes, its also an extra $20 in our area. The hell with that, thats good beer money going to waste!

[geekgrrl-ca.livejournal.com]

I had good results with Alcatel. not so good results with efficient networks.

[jahbulon.livejournal.com]

Stay away from the D-Link 302g if you value your sanity. The D-Link 504 however, is a fantastic 4 port router which never seems to fuck up.

We use the Alcatel speedtouch 530 at home and support them at work. We almost never have a problem, when we do it turns out to be a network issue. It's hard to describe how to reset them over the phone, but its easy to do. Its a solid piece of hardware and we likey.

[the-s-guy.livejournal.com]

When it came time for me to go broadband, I called all the broadband ISP helpdesks in my area, and asked the techs (instead of someone in sales) which models were the least trouble to support. I then compiled a list of suggestions, matched it up against the features I wanted and the system I would be running, and chose the most common model from that short-list.

Not the cheapest. Not the most featureful. But the one which every ISP could troubleshoot, which millions of other people had already tested to hell and back, and which I could get quickly repaired or replaced in any city and most countries.

It'll also probably be all over the second-hand market, in case I want to pick up a couple of cheap drop-in replacements or take a spare along when I troubleshoot other people's setups.

And while the exact answer to this process will vary according to your needs and locality, it's not a bad way to get a first approximation.