This is an interesting thread. I as an ISP have grown from very humble
beginnings, with very limited funds. I made a decision early, mostly from
lack of capital, to go with standalone modems. I started with some pretty
high performance modems, and have sort of slowly backed off.
I guess when I started I was very cautious, and wanted to make sure I had
the best. Then I realized the "best" wasn't necesarily "better". Usually
they had features that I didn't need, like advanced voice mail stuff,
etc... What I need, really, is a modem that:
1. Can negotiate protocols well at handshake.
2. Can give decent throughput.
3. Can handle noisy reasonably well.
4. Is backed by a company with excellent support.
5. Is inexpensive.
I found that Multi-Tech fit that bill perfectly. I use their ZDX line of
modems, and got a decent deal through their BBS program ($175.00 for the
2834ZDX). The odd thing is, they have their "ISP" program for all of
their rackmount models. These rackmounts are absolutely gorgeous. I would
LOVE to have them. They have amazing features, BUT they end up being 2X
more than the ZDX's, and I just can't afford it.
So, I end up having to flick a modem on and off every couple days, and
having a rats nest of cables under my shelving.
Drew