WhereIsAtlas · US Robotics
What Happened to US Robotics?
The modem giant that put the world online at 56k — the brand survives, still selling networking gear.
US Robotics was the modem company that defined dial-up internet in the 1990s. After being bought by 3Com and passing through other owners, the brand still exists selling modems and networking equipment, though on a much smaller scale.
The age of the modem
US Robotics was founded in 1976 and by the 1990s had become the most famous name in modems. Its Sportster modems were the standard way to connect a home computer to the internet, and the company's products were everywhere.
The sound of getting online
For a whole generation, USR modems defined the online experience. The screeching and beeping of a connection being established — often from a USR Sportster — was the sound of dial-up internet. At its peak, US Robotics was a household name in personal computing.
The 3Com deal and the broadband crash
In 1997, US Robotics was acquired by 3Com, which later sold off parts of the business and the brand itself. Meanwhile the spread of broadband made dial-up modems increasingly obsolete, and the market that had built US Robotics shrank dramatically.
Where US Robotics is now
The U.S. Robotics name still exists, now focused on modems and networking equipment for business and specialist use. It is a much smaller company than the giant of the 1990s, but the brand that once brought the internet into millions of homes is still making products today.
Entries in this story
Sources
- USRobotics - Wikipedia — Wikipedia (2026-09-05)
- About us — U.S. Robotics (2026-09-05)