Broadband -> Remote Modem?

November 7, 2006 11:54 AM

One Computer with cable modem. Second computer far away with POTS modem. Can they talk?

I'm almost embarrassed to ask this question, but it's been bothering me for some time. Is there any piece of software that will allow a broadband connected PC--whatever OS--dial across the Internet, into and through a PBX, and into a remote modem for management? I'm thinking something like Skype for data, but I can't find anything with Google.

posted by quite unimportant to Computers & Internet (9 answers total)

Not exactly, no.

If the remote modem is dialed in to the internet and left online, there are pieces of software that can connect to it and let you do remote management.

Dialing into and through a PBX, in and of itself, seems like an unlikely proposition. If you know of a way to do this with a modem/phone line (i.e. it's your PBX and you know you're capable) then that's a start, but you still have 2 problems:

1) the PC with the modem needs to be configured to "answer", and then act as an internet server.

2) There's really no programs out there that I'm aware of that will translate over POTS like that. Skype and other similar IP telephony protocols use compression so even if you posed the theory that the modem sounds would still get across, it's highly unlikely the quality would be sufficient to sustain a modem connection of any reasonable speed (especially to do what you want).

The only solution I can see here is to leave the PC with the modem always on the internet, and get in that way.

What exactly is the purpose of wanting to do this? The only situation I can imagine would be breaking all sorts of company rules (and then some). If you work for a company and want to be able to get to your work computer from home, you should ask about "VPN" access.
posted by twiggy at 12:04 PM on November 7, 2006

The guy with the POTS modem has to find an ISP with dialup support. Then he gets online using it. Once he's connected, having the two computers talk to one another is no different than it would be with any other kind of connection.

But he has to be the one to initiate it, because dialup ISPs strongly discourage using them for 24-hour connections.
posted by Steven C. Den Beste at 12:41 PM on November 7, 2006

Can't you just dial in with PC Anywhere? We used to do this to do remote support on pcs in North Dakota. It made us suicidal at times, but it worked.

You obviously need someone to install the software, and hook up the wires, but you get a remote desktop.
posted by mrbugsentry at 1:45 PM on November 7, 2006

Response by poster: I'm a network engineer. We have a lot of modems on servers and equipment as backup lines in case on site primary access drops. I was just wondering what would be possible if my home office Internet access stayed up while remote office access dropped and I had to dial into the backup modem access.
posted by quite unimportant at 2:24 PM on November 7, 2006

Can't you just put a plain old modem in the local computer, and dial out to the remote one?
posted by knave at 2:46 PM on November 7, 2006

Not that I've ever tried, but you could try running a modem over a VOIP service that offers remote dial-out. If you use a low enough baud rate (and start low - 300 baud?) the modulation might survive the compression (and I imagine tones compress quite well.) The idea being that you'd take an old analogue modem and loop it's output back into your soundcard, and thence over the internet to your VOIP provider's dial-out, and thus into your POTS-bound PC.

If you were particularly cunning you could use said VOIP bodge to instruct the remote PC to disconnect and then dial itself up on a faster connection.

An incidental poke of Google reveals this, which suggests there may be a standard in the pipes (T.38?) which might do what you're after, if anyone ever implements it. The almighty oogle also googes out various other relevant looking websites.
posted by Luddite at 3:37 PM on November 7, 2006

If you don't want to do it the way knave suggests, you're going to need to do something a little hinky. You could set up the remote computer in such a way that anytime it gets a call from a certain number (or without caller-id, any number), it simply waits until the ringing stops, and then initiates a regular dial-up connection to the local ISP. Then you could either use dynamic dns on the remote computer, or some other remote management s/w, to intitiate a data connection to your local computer.
posted by mzurer at 4:31 PM on November 7, 2006

Response by poster: This is really more or less a thought experiment. Of course I can use a modem to dial out, but where's the fun in that?

I never thought of looping a modem into/out of a sound card, but that sounds like a neat hack I might have to try, Luddite.

And mzurer, that was on my drawing board almost exactly, but it's kind of cheating.

I'm actually pretty happy this is as hard as I thought it was. I was fearing a answer like, "You idiot, this readily available piece of software does exactly that."
posted by quite unimportant at 10:17 AM on November 8, 2006

Although of course the modem wouldn't get a dialtone from the VOIP service, so you'd have to get dirty with the Hayes command set to make it connect over an established link...
posted by Luddite at 5:27 PM on November 8, 2006