BEST DATA 56K V.92 LITE EXT USB MACINTOSH ( 56USBPMAC )

Rating:
Summary: Good Modem When It Works
Review: The internal modem in my iMac died so I bought this one. Very simple to set up. But there seems to be an intermittant bug in the modem's software that causes problems with my computer (which is running OS 10.2.8). Without warning, the computer won't recognize the modem and I'll have to continually fiddle with iMac's network and modem settings.

Other times, when I disconnect from being online, the computer will hang in the disconnect mode and look like it's in the process of disconnecting even though it's no longer online. When this happens the only solution I've found is to reboot my computer, which is a pain.

Repeated emails and faxes to Best Data tech support have resulted in a total of zero responses from the company, so if tech support is important to you, avoid this modem.

Rating:
Summary: Better Than Apple's Internal Modem, But...
Review: This has to be one of the worst external modems ever made for the Mac. It is, however, still an improvement over Apple's own internal modem, in that, once the Best modem manages to negotiate a connection, it stays connected. But getting that initial connection with the Best modem is often difficult, and dealing with the necessary workarounds can quickly tire one's patience. After having consistent difficulties with this modem when I first bought it, I tried to contact Best Support, but I never received a reply. So, I returned it to Amazon.com for an exchange. After receiving the second Best modem, I had exactly the same problems, so I concluded that the defects I was experiencing were probably generic to the model. The basic issue seems to be that the modem often fails to initialize properly. To reset it requires that you unplug the USB cable and re-plug it, sometimes over and over, until the device finally responds. The modem has the same difficulty in both OS 9 and OS X; the only difference I've noted is that, in OS X, it can take up to 15 seconds after issuing the Connect command for the modem to actually start dialing. I've had to unplug and re-plug the USB cable as many as a half dozen times sometimes to get the device to work. So why do I put up with it? Because, as I mentioned at the beginning, once this modem makes a connection, it stays connected, which Apple's own internal modem typically failed to do. In that sense, the Best modem is just marginally more tolerable. It's just a shame that this Best modem appears to be the only external modem that's now made for the Mac. Caveat emptor!