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What To Look For
Recommendations

Already know what a Modem is and what to look for? Then skip to the Recommendations. 

What To Look For:

• First of all, you need to consider what type of modem you would like, partially dictated by what is available in your area.  For most rural areas, cable and DSL modems are not available. Since most cable and DSL services include a modem in the package, I am not going to focus on cable and DSL modems here; only dial up modems. However, I strongly suggest you go with cable or DSL service if it is available in your area and you can afford the expense. If you do a lot of Internet surfing, play online games, or do a lot of uploading / dowloading of files, then either of these services are appropriate for you. The reason I'm not discussing the modems here is that they are generally provided by your cable or DSL provider.
• For dial up modems, look for modems that support either the K56 Flex protocol OR the 56K protocol AND fit the V.90 standard. I'll quickly define all these terms.  K56Flex and 56K are two different formats for transferring data over a modem at high speeds. They were competing, but now the two companies have come to an agreement on a standard format, called V.90. 
  In general, you may want to get a modem that supports K56 Flex as it will work better if you don't have clear phone lines.  My 56K modem won't connect at high speeds because my phone line is not very good. Of course, make sure it supports V.90 on top of that. 
• Internal modems are usually a little harder to configure than external modems, so you may want to consider that.  Of course, external modems take up more space, cost more, etc. USB external modems are usually a good choice, particularly if you are low on PCI or ISA modem slots.
• If you want it to be able to carry voice or speakerphone, look for one with those capabilities as well.
• Make sure you do not get a "WinModem" as they are only compatible with Windows and they rely on the CPU for much of the work.  If you plan to play Internet games, then the WinModem will slow down your Internet gaming.  Non WinModems do the processing on their own.  If a modem says that it is only for Windows operating systems, then it is probably a WinModem.
• I would also advise avoiding most small name companies, since many of them will be low quality and unreliable (I know from experience).

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Recommendations