Curious if there's demand for a VoIP BBS Network? reddit / bbs ---------------------------------------------------------------------- marrold-the-second · 2022-01-28 15:32 I've started dabbling in the world of BBSs and love the idea of encouraging people to connect via modems rather than telnet. I suspect those with physical modems are put off by call charges and barrier to entry. Additionally many countries will be turning off their tradional POTS access over the coming years. ​ I'm a "Voice Engineer" by trade and wondered if there would be any demand for a VoIP network that could carry these calls free for the user. SysOps would register for an extension number but anyone with an ATA could connect without signing up by just entering the server details. I understand there can be some issues running modems over VoIP, but with POTs going the way of the dodo it might be the only option. ​ Edit: I've just discovered the Cisco VG202s are quite cheap. Cisco gear supports "modem passthrough" and "modem relay" which improves reliability over VoIP, which might make it more workable ​ Anyone got any thoughts? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- UCN_cyberstrator · 2022-01-28 17:47 In the world of cyberpunk there is this concept of a videophone. it's a low res grainy video phone call. I'd love to make a website that has this on it. I have a cyberpunk website right now on a small VPS server and it would be so damn cool to have this feature. linux has Camus if you'd like to help me get something like that going that would be awesome. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- orion3311 · 2022-01-28 17:52 I've already seen this done in some cases - here in Philly there's a dialup number that takes you to a menu of BBS options, most of which are actual telnet BBSes, so its providing the dial-up experience. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- FutilePancake79 · 2022-01-28 18:19 I've been gathering up the necessary hardware to build out modem access for my bbs - there are a couple of retro computer groups out there that are into this sort of thing. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- [deleted] · 2022-01-28 18:19 [deleted] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- dmine45 · 2022-01-28 21:53 I've actually put my BBS on dial up about a month ago using VOIP. And it works rather well. And a very nice person in Houston who works for a CLEC has created a VOIP to Telnet system where there are a number of phone numbers in the US that route to a system where you can choose a BBS to telnet to once you dial in. :) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- marrold-the-second · 2022-01-28 22:57 Sounds cool. Unfortunatly I'm stretched for time at the moment so shouldn't take on additional stuff - that and I don't do much with video ---------------------------------------------------------------------- marrold-the-second · 2022-01-28 22:58 Asterisk supports a "soft modem" but the fastest it'll go is 2400b/s and as I understand it its not super reliable. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- marrold-the-second · 2022-01-28 22:59 Nice. What modem did you go for ? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- marrold-the-second · 2022-01-28 22:59 But in that scenario users would have to pay for calls (Or they'd come out of some allowance) - this would be free ---------------------------------------------------------------------- marrold-the-second · 2022-01-28 23:00 Heh nice ---------------------------------------------------------------------- orion3311 · 2022-01-28 23:15 It is free ---------------------------------------------------------------------- marrold-the-second · 2022-01-28 23:21 Are they toll free numbers? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- dmine45 · 2022-01-28 23:57 Free if it's a local call for you. And there is one BBS out there that is using a toll free number. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- marrold-the-second · 2022-01-29 00:03 Ah ok. We don't get free calls to local numbers in the UK unless you have a bundle and a lot of people don't bother with those as they just use their mobile / cell ---------------------------------------------------------------------- stlalphanerd · 2022-01-29 00:10 I’d be into this ---------------------------------------------------------------------- encee222 · 2022-01-29 04:36 And after years of fax over g.711 I can tell you anything faster will only work if latency is really good. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- kevinb361 · 2022-01-29 06:32 I would be interested to check it out and I am sure I know a few other sysops that might be interested as well... ---------------------------------------------------------------------- lucidphreak · 2022-02-01 18:37 reminds me of telephreak.. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- xe3to · 2022-02-06 07:03 > I've actually put my BBS on dial up about a month ago using VOIP That's awesome, would you mind sharing your process for setting this up? Did you use a physical TDM400P card or are you using a softmodem? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- dmine45 · 2022-02-06 14:32 Neither. I used a Cisco ATA (that took forever to find the proper settings), a USB to RS-232 adapter (the good kind), and a USR Sportster 56K external modem. On the BBS side I run Synchronet, Mystic, and WWIV using SEXPOTS as the modem to BBS interface. It's a Rube Goldberg contraption but it works! :) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- jfalcon206 · 2022-03-26 03:21 I'm sure there are demands for it on both indial and outdial cases. Think alarm systems, faxes, HVAC, dialup internet or bbs... Think C-Net for analog dialup. Now if there were more TDM/ISDN over IP service providers... can put all those modem pools to work with a T1/E1 card for the local loop to Asterisk which provides the gateway for the backhaul... at the same time one could go use it to link together other modem systems as long as the circuit can be established. Cisco Routers take care of that piece as well.