3Com OfficeConnect External Cable Modem

Other products by 3Com

Product Details

Product Manual [1.06mb PDF]

• Item Weight: 2 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B00005RG4N
• Item model number: 3CR29210
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (53 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #72,059 in Electronics (See Bestsellers in Electronics)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: October 26, 2001

Product Description

From the Manufacturer
The 3Com OfficeConnect external cable modem delivers more ways to stay connected, with both Ethernet and USB connectors built in. And this two-way-over-cable modem screams at up to 42 Mbps downstream throughput and up to 10 Mbps upstream. It's a powerful choice for your network and your subscribers.

The OfficeConnect external cable modem is part of 3Com's complete cable access system for integrated cable-return broadband communications in one powerful platform--and part of the OfficeConnect family of easy-to-use products for small office and home office users. The stackable design allows for the addition of hubs to connect multiple PCs, Internet firewall/VPN solutions, and new MTA devices to support Internet telephony.

DOCSIS compliance provides interoperability and peace of mind as your network grows. And because this modem is designed for tiered service levels, including Committed Information Rate, it lets you create multiple service options to expand your market and revenue opportunities.

Built-in security and protocol filtering protect the privacy of your users' data. The modem supports baseline privacy with a 56-bit security key.

The external cable modem features a rugged, proven design and patented convection cooling system for a long, trouble-free life. A 10Base-T Ethernet interface plus USB capability make it compatible with virtually any network-ready computer.

Note: Be sure to check with your Internet Service provider before making a cable modem purchase. Some providers require that you use their modems, and even those that don't generally don't offer technical support for modems the company doesn't supply. Every cable modem has a unique MAC address that serves as an identifier for the ISPs, and if your MAC address doesn't match up to the one they assigned to your account, the modem simply won't work.

Product Description
With most homes in Europe and North America and Europe within easy reach of cable television services, a new era in high-speed Internet and intranet access is at hand. All you need is a 3Com cable modem to tap into standards-compliant network services offered by your cable provider. This versatile cable modem family - available in a range of form factors and interface types to meet the needs of every user environment - function superbly on both traditional cable television and newer hybrid fiber coax (HFC) networks. Now that TCP/IP networks are able to offer integrated, "rich-content" media combining real-time voice, video, and data, you'll want 3Com cable modems for the fastest and most productive remote networking available today.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rocks with @Home / ATT Broadband, November 8, 2001

By A Customer

This is the 3Com 3CR29210. A sticker on the modem says to use the 3Com 3CR29220 settings for @Home service. 3Com has discontinued all their consumer cable models but they are still honoring the 5 year warranty according to their website.

This modem uses the Broadcom chip used in high-end models like Motorola, Nortel but it's half the price.

I read a review saying that there are still engineers in 3Com who are still working on their discontinued cable modem products and these should not go outdated any more than the other cable modems.

It "locked" in about 3 seconds the first time I plugged it into my cable outlet, which is probably really good because the cable guy was telling me to wait for 15mins to an hour. I get a max downstream bandwidth of 3800 Kbps with it and my ATT Broadband service.

(...)

40 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Buy this modem to avoid renting one from the ISP, December 14, 2001

By A Customer

I was very pleased to obtain this modem (3CR29210) and installed it without any problems. I transferred the cables from the previously installed modem and the new modem picked up the cable connection in less than 5 minutes.

The only negative is that the package had a sticker on the outside that indicated a different model (3CR29220)should be used for installation on the ( @home ) cable setup.

I called the 3Com installation number, listed in the "getting started guide" and a very capable person informed me that for home use the models were interchangable. That turned out to be the case and I highly recommend this as a replacement for an ISP supplied rental modem. The manufacturer also has a 5 year support warranty for this modem.

31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great If It Worked but not on AT&T in ST PAUL MINNESOTA, December 14, 2001

By	Jonathan Stierwald (ST. PAUL, Mn.) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is probably a very fine modem on systems that support it . After reading the other reviews and noting that the "shark fin" modem I was leasing from At&t in St Paul, Minnesota was also the 3COM 3cr29220 I decided to call At&t tech support and see what was up . They wrongly informed me it should work great . When I installed it it went through the whole locking on process and appeared to work because all the status lights say okay . After 51/2 hours tier 5 tech support admitted it was not provisioned with the proper firmware at the head end . If I sound like I know what that really means , well don't be fooled , I don't .

The bottom line is that The 29210 and 29220 are not usually interchangeable . The 3com tech said he'd seen a few cases where it could be made to work if configured as a 29220 but that the downstream rate was slowed to 10% of what it should be . The maddening thing about this ordeal was I did call my local service provider prior to purchase and they said the 29210 would work fine. Even today when I was calling in the new serial number for the Toshiba 1100/1100U modem replacement the tier 1 tech I spoke to couldn't see why it hadn't worked . I figure they wiped out 6 months profits on this one case not counting my time , The Toshiba by the way was online almost as fast as I could plug in the various cables.