Customer Reviews

US Robotics V.90-V.92 Internal PCI Faxmodem

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(19)

 

 

I was recommended this modem by Dell (and THANK YOU very much) and it has been a nightmare. I've done searches on the error message that I CONSTANTLY receive and have found that many other users are having the same problem! And the problem has been known for more than a year (so why DID Dell recommend?!?)

I did a lot of reading and it seems that 'there is a compatibility issue between USRobotics5699B and Windows XP Service Pack 2'. Sure sounds right to me, I have a VERY hard time staying connected to the internet: as in, hardware failures many times in a row and many times a day and, apparently, all to do with this modem.

I have tried SO many 'fixes' in the last 2 months and NOTHING has worked: I am now giving up and trying a different modem. Good Luck To Me. :^P

So, if you run WindowsXP Service Pack 2 I would really try a different modem!!!

I thought I would say something good about this fine product before I let out my true feelings: The box it comes in looks pretty.

With that said, this modem is the biggest piece of junk I have ever used. I purchased this product on brand name alone. I thought US Robotics would put out a quality product. I was wrong.

The modem refused to connect to my ISP at over 28.8 Kbps. When I could get it to connect, it would stop responding within minutes. The drivers also caused Windows XP to crash hard a good number of times while using.

I used this modem for 3 days. I then bought a cheapo generic modem for $10 that works 100% better.

I am talking about the US Robotics V.92 PCI Fax Modem USR5699B used on an IBM desktop computer with Windows XP. First the BAD NEWS and then, believe it or not, the GOOD NEWS. By sheer chance and good luck I stumbled upon a "solution".

I think the name "U.S." combined with the word "Robotics" fooled me into thinking that I might be getting a good product. Thus began a nightmare that often kept me up late at night for an entire week. Immediately after installing the "US Robotics ControlCenter" from the installation CD I tried installing the "US Robotics Internet Call Notification" feature and was rewarded with the following cryptic response:

"No U.S. Robotics V92 Modem was detected. Please install your modem before running Setup again". So I repeated the installation and back came the same error message. I was totally flaberbasted. Feeling totally helpless I called their tech support at 888-428-9450. After being guided through a seemingly endless labyrinth of Windows "Device Manager" dialogs I was able to install the "Call Notification" feature. My troubles are over, I thought. On my first attempt to connect I got speeds as low as 28.8 kbps and if I was lucky as high
as 46.6 kpbs. The generic modem that I was trying to replace consistently returned speeds as high as 52 kbps. Of course the actual connect speed may be a little lower but I had never seen anything this bad on a modem. I uninstalled and re-installed this modem between 4-6 times every day. A total of between 28-42 times since I got the modem. Things actually got even worse. When I tried to dial-up it reported "No Dial Tone" even after I could clearly hear the dial tone on my phone. I could not send faxes. I was on my last nerve and tried another uninstall,
but this time differently.

Instead of using Start .. Settings .. Control Panel .. Add/Remove Programs .. I UNINSTALLED the modem using Device Manager. I then RESTARTED the computer and allowed Windows XPs PlugNPlay detect the modem. I resisted the urge to use the installation CD. I used Start .. Settings .. Control Panel .. Network and Internet Connections to create a new Dial-Up icon .. it connected on my first try at 48.0 kbps and I was able to send faxes. It will occasionally failed to connect on dial-up but succeeded after I rebooted the computer. Whew, what a nightmare ! I am now using this horrible little piece of U.S. Robotics technology to search for a new modem online. I will order my new modem, try it out and then return this U.S. Robotics V.92 modem to WALMART. No more U.S.eless Robotics for me. Enough is enough.

It connected at different speeds, usually closer to glacial than useful. It would disconnect at will. It would, after an hour or so (at most) of use, become increasingly slower and slower and slower. As it loaded a page, the computer would often freeze for several seconds. The modem was, if I've yet to make my point, awful, awful, awful and maybe even worse than that.

Just my computer, you say? Just my dial up connection, you say? Nope. I returned this disaster and bought a Zoom modem (the PCI internal modem with on-board DSP-only a few dollars more), and I am currently getting a great connection all the time (right now, it's 46,667 bps). None of the above problems have happened in the four weeks I've been using it. Check the internet for reviews before buying and you'll find unhappiness is common when using US Robotics modems. The company's days of producing quality products are apparently long past. Zoom uses the Lucent/Agere chipset which is, if my experience is representative, much, much better than whatever US Robotics uses.

Lightning wiped out my modem this morning. Picked this up in town because of the name. Slow to connect. Keeps dropping the connection. New driver from U.S. Robotics site doesn't help. Nice box.

Gosh..

This modem is no good! I have bad phone line, that is why I purchased this modem (I heard USR makes the best of a bad line). Install was easy but I experienced these conditions:

1) The Control Center would not find the modem.
2) Connection speeds always slower than my laptop
3) Would disconnect all the time (1 to three minutes max connection)

It is going back to the store for more shelf life....

My girlfriend got this for her computer and when it didn't work I was called in to rectify the problem. I've been performing onsite hardware/software support for over 10 years and, despite every trick, common sense step, heck I even read the directions to see if they would shed light, I was unable to get it to detect the modem. Playing around with windows, bios PNP settings, drivers, IRQs..etc I was unable to get the modem to even be picked up by the computer, I thought it was a bad modem until I read a lot of the reviews/tech questions on the net related to it and found the exact same problems. My advice is to try another modem. Note: USR offers Windows XP 'certified' drivers on their site but it's kind of hard to download them when you're trying to install a modem so you can connect to the internet in the first place.

USR needs to seriously examine their QA testing if this product is any example of it.

56K Faxmodem PCI for Windows, Model 5699B, appears to be well built (China). Nowhere on the box does it say "Voice", so don't expect any connectons for a sound card. Also, doesn't have a connection to support "Wake on Call".

With Pentium 4 (Prescott--HyperThreading), WinXP recognizes the modem just fine but some of the included software, like the all-important ControlCenter does not recognize the modem. Neither v1.2 nor v1.3 of the CD fixed this. Downloading the latest drivers didn't work either. Although the box has a big sticker stating "Windows XP", note that it isn't the authentic MS Logo decal and the drivers are not "signed" Windows drivers.

Tip: get full return privledges.

This is a horrible little soft modem, that freezes the computer upon disconnecting from the ISP under W/98. Didn't bother to call tech support, returned modem ASAP for refund. Don't bother, go with ZOOM instead.

This is a good modem even on the worse telephone line the modem still performs well. Easy to install just plug in to the PCI slot and the rest its your Desktop responsible to setting the driver & find the empty COM for your PCI internal modem. But this product its to sensitive with electrical shock. Its better when you not using your modem just plug out you modem from the telephone line.