Modems are devices that modulate analog carrier signals to encode digital data for transmission and demodulate carrier signals to decode received data. They are used for data conversion. Modems can be classified based on their range (short haul, voice grade, wide band), the type of line used (dialup, leased), and their operation mode (half duplex, full duplex, simplex). Common types include internal and external modems. Modems work by modulating digital signals onto analog carriers for transmission and demodulating the signals back to digital on the receiving end. Modem speeds have increased significantly over time from 300 bps in the 1960s to 56 kbps in 1998 and up to 8 mbps with technologies like ADS