A Modem is Modulation De-Modulation device. It converts the discrete stream of digital on-off electrical pulses generated by computing equipment into a type of continuously variable analog wave patterns, for example, used for transmission of human voice. Digital pulses cannot effectively travel long distance over the transmission network that was designed years ago for voice communications. Thus a modem is needed to modulate or convert the digital pulses into analog wave patterns for transmitting data on telephone lines. Similarly another modem is needed at the receiving end to demodulate or reconvert, or recover, the digital data from the transmitted signal.

When the I/O equipment is not likely to be moved, modem is hard-wired to the equipment. Some such direct-connect modems have built in micro processors and other specialized communication chips. These intelligent modems can automatically perform dialing, answering, and disconnecting functions. But not all modems are hard wired. Where communication network is designed for all-digital transmission, modem is not required.

A data transmission channel carries data from one location to the other and is classified as narrowband, voice band or wideband category. The wider the band, more data it can transmit in a given period of time. Telegraph line are narrowband channels with transmission rate of 5 to 30 characters per second (cps, whereas standard telephone lines are voice band with rate of over 1000cps. Broadband channels are used for higher speeds (over 100,000 cps). Coaxial cables, microwave circuits, and communications satellites are used to provide these broadband channels, Fiber optic cables and laser technology provides broadband channels, cheaper and in large numbers.

In many cases, a terminal operator at a remote station uses a regular dial-up telephone switching network, calls up a number at the CPU location and enters data. When data volume is sufficient, it is economical to acquire dedicated or leased line which can be used both for voice and date purposes by the users like Professional Web Design

Sadly as many modems are designed to work with Windows type machines, most of the electronics are replaced by emulation software that is written for Windows machines. The consequence of this is that Linux operating systems are usually unable to use such modems as the software required has not been written for this operating system.

There are two solutions to this problem. The first is to buy separate external modems that include all of the electronics that can run independently of the operating system and are not therefore dependent on a particular type of software, and naturally these are quite expensive. The typical brand here would be Zoom. The second solution is to use a broadband modem that still uses the telephone lines only with a radio frequency rather than and audio frequency (hence the broader band width), that connects to the ethernet port of the computer and is seem by Linux as a network connection that it can handle directly. Cable modems are similar but obviously use optical lights that switch on and off very fast to convey the signals.

In general if you have a telephone Dial-up modem the only obvious way to use it would be to have that on another machine and then link the Linux machine to that machines ethernet port and set it up as an internet gateway. This is quite difficult to do but I understand that it can be done. The end result is obviously very slow and these days it is actually cheaper to pay for broadband than the phone bill that results from using a 56k audio connection.

Many moons ago, somewhere around Mandrake 8 (?) I bought an external Modem. US Robotics 56k v.
I was shocked how expensive it was.

If you're in this situation, I feel for you. Maybe see if you can piggyback on the neighbor's wireless.

-RedBeard