Aside from the phone line quality your modem is the most important factor affecting the performance and stability of your connection to Wave Internet Services. A lot of our service area is rural and having a good quality modem could make the difference between connecting reliably and connecting at all. After spending hundreds of dollars on a computer, skimping on the modem makes no sense at all. As with any other purchase, buy the best you can afford but spending less than $50 on a modem is probably a bad idea.

Years of research have identified several modem manufacturers who consistently deliver a product that works well on phone lines of varying quality. We connect hundreds of customers daily and know what works well and what doesn't. Please trust our judgment on this rather than the salesperson. We do not sell modems so there is no monitory gain from recommending a particular brand. We simply know what works and want to pass that information along to our customers to save the frustration of trying to stay connected.

If you are shopping for a new computer system, check with the manufacturer regarding what kind of modem is included in the system. You should be able to specify a particular modem and if not, then you should consider purchasing from a different dealer. A better modem may add to the purchase price but it is money well spent.

We Recommend the following Modems:

• 3Com US Robotics PCI Modem Called the Hawk Model 2976 Data/Fax/Voice
• 3Com US Robotics PCI Modem Called the Condor Model 2977 Data/Fax
• 3Com US Robotics ISA Modem Model Number 5687
• 3Com US Robotics Gamer Modem
• 3Com US Robotics Courier V.Everything Internal Modem
• 3Com US Robotics Courier V.Everything External Modem
  

For Laptop Users:
(These are a few PCMCIA or Credit Card Modems in the market)

• 3Com MegaHertz XJ1560
• 3Com 3CXM756
• 3Com 3CCM756
• MultiTech MultiMobile PC LAN Modem
  (Acts as both a Modem and a Network Interface Card)

These modems did not make our Recomended List:

• Lucent Technologies LT Win Modem
• 3Com US Robotics 56k WIN Modem
• Diamond Supra MAX
• Creative Labs ModemBlaster
• Aztech
• Apache
• Telepath for Windows
• Boca Winstorm
• Anything that says Rockwell
  (Though a good chipset manufacturer in the "Good ol' Days", Rockwell is generally associated with poor quality Win Modems)
• ConexantSoft 56K
  (Typically found in Compaq Presario, HP Pavilion, and E-Machine Computers)
• MicroModem
• Motorola Modem Products
• ANY modem specified as Soft Modem, Win Modem, HSP, HSF, HCF

If you are purchasing a modem from a knowledgeable vendor, a good way to get a NON-Windows or NON-Software modem is to insist on being able to use the modem on another operating system such as Linux which does not support WinModems. Though this is a good way to get a Hardware-based Modem, some vendors may not understand what you want and will sell you a Modem that may not work under Linux -- thus being a Software or Windows Modem and not hardware-based.