Re: flexfax: FAQ: Modems

[Andreas Kostyrka <andreas@mtg.co.at>]

On Sat, May 13, 2000 at 09:33:41AM +0200, Peter Stamfest wrote:
> * 3com - all models (still rather to be assumed unusable, I guess). They
>   are easily available, and most sites I know already have them, so the
>   question if they are usable occurs quite often.
> 
> * ELSA  Microlink Office, ext.
> * ELSA MicroLink[tm] 33.6TQV
The MicroLink Modems are nice. We've been using them with mgetty+sendfax for
years, and the first Hylafax based ones seem too work quite well too.
(I'm not yet sure how the "cheap" Microlink 56k Internet will behave, but
 I'll know, as I've got one sample to check if it's acceptable :) )

> How about internal modems to be used for faxing under linux? (minus
> win-modems)
Well, not so well :(
ELSA says their non-win-modem PCI Microlink doesn't work with Linux. And most
cheap PCI modems happen to be Winmodems and nobody knows if it is a winmodem.
(Till you tried at least one piece ;) )

> I also think that there should be some better way to get information like
> this. Wouldn't it be possible to write some tools that come with hylafax
> and that gather statistics for used modem along with the used
> configuration and that generate reports to be sent to some modem-list
> maintainer. These reports could then be used to keep the FAQ reasonably
> current. 
Well, yes and no. The problem is the identification between model and hardware.
Especially bad modems tend to have multiple names and/or multiple hardware and
firmware combination that are only difficult to distinguish for buyer.
(Example: USR Sportster did that for me ;) once)

Good modems OTOH are more or less well known. ELSA Microlink, ZyXEL1496E, etc.

Andreas
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Andreas Kostyrka                     | andreas@mtg.co.at
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