Customer Reviews

Pretec 56k Compact Flash Modem for PDA/ Pocket PC & portable devices w/ CF slot

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

When you're buying a modem for a pocket computer, you're probably not interested in bells and whistles; you want something that's as small and as reliable as possible, that will let you connect to the Internet and check your email or surf the Web.

The Pretec modem fits that need perfectly. There's no flashing LEDs, no driver discs; the box contains nothing but the tiny modem, a phone cord and a brief instruction manual. (There's not even an AOL disc. They must be slipping.)

I was able to get connected in less than ten minutes, without touching the instruction manual. Just slip the modem into the slot, plug in the phone cord, set up a few basic connection settings, and you're off and running. If your ISP supports WIndows dialup networking, it will very probably support this.

The manual is the weak spot; the installation settings it describes on page 7 and 8 may well not match up with those needed. Since the dialogs used to configure the Pocket PC are quite similar to the dialogs used to set up Windows dial-up networking, you'll want to have your ISP's setup instructions available.

In conclusion, this product is certainly more than worthwhile; it gives you full-featured dialup capabilities in only a few cubic inches of space.

One final caveat: This product is also known as the "Pocket PC Email Expansion Pack". If you've just purchased a Pocket PC, you may find that there's a special offer included for this expansion pack, and you'll want to check out that offer's pricing and terms before deciding where to buy.

i got the HP 545 and Pretec modem and I'm sitting in bed right now writing this review. this is great......

Initially I had some problem setting up ISP configuration on my Casio E-115 with Pretec CompactModem. I called up Pretec, 510-440-0535 as listed in the "Company" on their Website, and asked for tech support. I found that there is actually a direct tech support line at 510-580-8339. The guy that helped me was pretty knowledgeable and walked me through the steps of setting up ISP for my email account. They put a little "ISP Configuration guide" on their Web, under "Tech support" and "CompactModem" area. It's pretty comprehensive. The modem card is working pretty well.

I have been waiting for Pocket PC for a loooooonnng time and it finally arrived. I got a Casio E-115 and it's beautiful. I sync up with Outlook on my Desktop on a daily basis to get an update of all my daily appointments, tasks, contact info. I bought a Pretec modem at a great price and it worked just fine on my Casio E-115. It took me about 15 min to get all my ISP settings done. The instruction is not bad and I set up my AT&T worldnet account just fine. Got my emails in the Inbox and I can browse around on the Internet. The letters are really tiny though. Wish there is a Zoom-in utility that I can magnify the screen display while browsing the net. I use the modem card to check emails mostly. Definitely will recommend to my friends.

I bought this modem about 3 weeks ago for my HP 548 Jornada Pocket PC and it works great...flawless. I know there are other reviews mentioning tricky connections and such; however, I have encountered absolutely zero problems. I would recommend this product to anyone, at least anyone with an HP 540 series (as that is what I have tested it on).

I bought this modem the same day that I bought my HP Jornada 548. When i got home I tried to go onto my internet connection. When I got on i was suprised to see how fas it actually was. It has great looks, great download and sign on speed, and its small and compact. One thing the bothers me is that it eats the Pocket PCs battery but that is just like all other modems for Pocket PCs. In the end this is a great add on for your Pocket PC. All Pocket PC users if you need or want to get on to the internet, check your mail do anything that a normal modem can do you can do it and much more with the Pretec Compact Flash Modem.

I purchased the Pretec modem for my HP Jornada 545 and was amazed at how simple it is to use. By simply popping it in the unit, Windows automatically recognized it and no drivers were required. I did have a configuration problem and Pretec support had me the answers I needed in under a minute! I recommend this product for anyone looking to take full advantage of their Pocket PC. It's a must.

I travel frequently on business and used to take along my 7.1 lb Dell laptop. In general, however, when on the road I really only need e-mail access and light word processing. When I recently upgraded from an old Palm III to the Compaq iPAQ pocket pc, I picked up the Pretec modem as well. It is tiny, so that it fits easily into a small case that also carries the AC adapter and a few other odds and ends. But it works great. I have had no difficulty accessing my AOL e-mail, using the AOL Anywhere software. I had a bit more trouble configuring the software to get access to my network, but that is up and running too now. Granted, the manual didn't help much. But the software is pretty intuitive and any Windows 9x user who set up dial-up networking on their PC will have no trouble setting up dial-up networking on their Pocket PC.

The Pretec is remarkably tough. I have dropped it 3 feet onto a hardwood floor, banged it into a wall, and generally abused it. No problems. Like the old Time watch ads...it takes a licking and keeps on ticking. Download speed is great. The only major problem is that it is a real power hog. Keep that AC adapter handy. Recommended.

Very simple, just plugin configure the telephone of your ISP and you are connected. I live in Mexico city and the speed is very nice. As a fact I'm writing this usign my pocket PC

If you already know how to set up a dial-up connection on your Windows 9x machine, then connecting to the Internet with your PocketPC using this modem is a no-brainer; you'll be up and running within 5-10 minutes of taking it out of the box.

I orginally bought this modem to use with my Cassiopeia E-105, I have used it many times on my freind's Cassiopeia E-115, and now I use it regularly on my Cassiopeia E-125. Despite some of the other customer reviews for this product, please note:

THIS MODEM WORKS PERFECTLY ON THE CASSIOPEIA E-105, E-115 AND E-125.

If you have one of the units mentioned above and you can't get this modem to work, something is wrong: either you received a defective modem, a defective PDA, or you have some program installed on your PocketPC that is preventing the modem from working correctly.

I agree that the manual that comes with the modem is pretty spare, but I didn't need it to use this modem. The modem itself is a no-brainer, just plug it in. It's PocketPC Dial-up Networking that's the hard part, and if you already know how to do it on your Windows 9x system, then it's a piece of cake.

The modem is hot swappable, meaning that you don't need to do anything special before using it each time. Just open up the compact flash port on your device, remove any other devices or cards you have plugged into the port (if any), plug this modem into the port, open up your ISP connection and hit connect. You don't even need to turn the device off and on or anything like that.