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Rating: 
Summary: Don't Bother!
Review: I bought this modem after reading some positive reviews around the web (unfortunately I didn't read the reviews here). I heard a lot of people had problems with USR modems so I decided to go with this.What a MISTAKE! There are two Zoom 3049 v.92 modems out there. One is the 3049L (based on the Agere/Lucent chipset), and the other is the 3049C (the one I'm referring to) (based on the Conexant/Rockwell chipset). I just got the 3049, not knowing what was in the box. I wouldn't care, except that this modem is totally unreliable. First, the one I got didn't come with a serial cable so be careful - some do and some don't. The serial cable cost another $15. Second, the previous reviewer is absolutely correct - DON'T use this modem with WINXP and HT. The "real drivers" just crash WinXP upon installation. I emailed Zoom tech support, and they told me to get the beta drivers. These are beta drivers for Win NT and are grossly outdated, not supporting all of the v.92 features. They're beta, but they haven't been updated in a couple years. I tried them anyway. I connected at about 40k, and on special occasions, even 45k. Now I'm using the generic WinXP modem driver. It only supports v.90, but at least I can connect at speeds up to 49.2k. Overall, connections are stable during good conditions, but when conditions get worse, it totally chokes. Sometimes it won't connect, connects at 23-31k, disconnects, or just stops downloading while remaining connected. Could be my phone line. BUT, this is replacing an old v.90 (originally a 33.6k modem before upgrading driver) USR winmodem. I thought hardware-based modem would be better than a softmodem :( The old USR consistently connected at 50.6k though, and it could hold a connection better. Doesn't look like the silly driver will ever be updated. If you're a gambling man/woman, give it a shot;)
Rating:
Summary: WARNING: Not For WinXP Users :(
Review: I bought this modem to replace my Viking V90 USB modem because I was "upgrading" to WinXP Pro from Win98se. Viking didn't feel like releasing any drivers for WinXP (Stay away from Viking' products, they don't support their products) so I was forced to buy another modem. When I received this modem the first thing I notice was that it didn't look like the one advertised here at Amazon.com, it was black not beige. It was a model 3049c (Conexant chipset), the beige one is the 3049L (Agere chipset). I installed this modem while I was still using Win98se and I never had a problem, always connected (49.2 - 50.6 kbps), never hanged or disconnected after a few minutes. In fact I once stayed connected for over 24 hours downloading a movie on Kazaalite. After two weeks of bliss with this modem on Win98se I "upgraded" to WinXP Pro SP1. I downloaded and installed the latest drivers (3048-9C.exe) restarted and booted up again with no problems. I connected to my isp (MSN) at 50.6, I then started to download some new drivers for my video card (18.8mb file). Here's where this modem earns it's one star, after about 30 minutes it just stops downloading. It didn't disconnect, it just stopped. I paused my download and tried to surf the web to test the connection and was unable to. I then disconnected and restarted the computer, turned the modem off then on again, checked the settings. Gave it another try with another isp (Netzero) and the same thing happen over and over again. I searched for help online and was told that for external modems, sometimes you have to lower the FIFO settings one notch each for both receive and send. Unfortunately I wasn't able to find the FIFO settings because this modem doesn't have access to the "Advanced Port Settings". I have tried to get this modem to work on other people's WinXP computers to no avail. I'm still looking for a new modem that actually works in WinXP... Pros: Comes with a modem cable (6ft long), works great on Win98.
Cons: Doesn't work well on WinXP, WinXP drivers are unsigned, included CD comes with out of date software that's weak and [very bad], no support from Zoom.
Rating: 
Summary: Works Great!
Review: I purchased this modem because it is controller based and it is not a WinModem. This means it works more efficiently with computers because it doesn't tax system resources. In addition, I'll be able to use this with Linux. Installation went off without a hitch. I installed the drivers for Windows 98, rebooted, Windows recognized the modem and now I'm up and running. Much easier than opening the case and installing a PCI card. I'm connecting at 48k currently. The new v.44 compression is excellent. I notice a significant difference in the downloading of web pages. It's great. Looked at US Robotics & Creative. This seemed like the right one for me. Enjoy!
Rating: 
Summary: Beware if using with hyperthreading processor computers
Review: If you buy this modem for the modem on hold feature (call waiting) be warned that this feature does not work in computers with Hyperthreading (HT) processors with windows XP. The drivers included will not work at all and you will have to install a beta driver available from Zoom's website to get the moden to work but without the call waiting capability.
Rating:
Summary: I wish I could go lower than 1 star......
Review: Please do not buy this modem. The constant disconnects are driving me absolutly crazy! Zoom couldn't figure out the problem and suggested I pay them $15 dollars to send it to them. Sigh, look elsewhere. Save yourself the trouble.
Rating:
Summary: When it works it's "like WOW". When does not. IT SUCKS!!
Review: Yes the Zoom USB 3090 modem is a fine piece of crap in a small container when it comes to Hyperthreading CPU's. When it is hooked up and connected to the internet I get 50k+ bps connectivity almost everytime. But, whenever the line dies for whatever reason, you have three possible outcomes/solutions: 1) unplugged the little [item], and throw it across the room, which I have done numerous times out of shear frustration, or 2) reboot the computer, which have had to do nearly every time the little [item] quits a connection, and you forget to use the Microsoft "Safely Remove Hardware" utility available as a tray icon, or 3) hope that you remember to use the tray icon mentioned above, and that it actually works as sometimes the computer hangs onto the connnection and refuses to let it go, and you are again left to reboot the computer just to logon to the internet again. If you do get the tray icon to work, then you need to also unplug and plugin the USB connection each time to power down the modem -- the whole process is drag! One would think that you should be able to logon and logoff the internet without having to reboot the computer nearly every damn time. The people at Zoom Telephonics do not seem to realize that they have a little [item] of a modem here, and they don't seem to care either. I was duped into buying this modem which does not mean you should either. Don't buy this one ever unless you like squeeze toys that you can throw across the room. On second thought, I rescind the single star and post a null instead.
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