How can dial a modem phone number from an IP connection?

Question

I have Cisco router in a remote location. I have attached a modem to the aux port of the router. The problem I am facing is how do I dial the modem's phone number from my computer in my house that uses a cable internet connection?

I do not want the modem connected all the time since the phone line will be used for calls also.

Are you saying you don't have a phone line at home. And are you saying you don't want the modem to be always connectected at the remote site or at your home? — CrazyCasta, Feb 17 '13 at 00:26
Oh sry, I mean I don't want the modem at the remote site to always be connected. — AtomicPorkchop, Feb 17 '13 at 00:32
@MichaelHampton I assume he's looking for some sort of VoIP solution. Not that I have any clue what service offers such a modem over IP capability. — CrazyCasta, Feb 17 '13 at 00:43

score 1 · Answer 1 · answered Feb 17 '13 at 02:55

If you have IP connectivity from home to the router in question, (via VPN, etc), you could do this without any phone lines on either end. If the aux port on your router is like the one in this document: Cisco Description of Aux Port, then it appears you can just use it like an RS232 serial port by means of an adapter. In that case, adapt it to an RS232, and then get one of the many products that come up when you google for 'RS232 to IP Converter'. Most of these products basically act like telnet servers that you can connect to remotely and then your telnet commands get proxied back and forth to the serial device. You would just telnet into the attached converter and find yourself at the Cisco prompt. You could also skip the converter and hook the serial console right to a PC and then remote into that PC via ssh or RDP or whatever to access it.

If for some reason, serial won't cut it and you are forced to use a modem connection, you can purchase a 2 port telephone line simulator, connect the cisco modem to one side, and an old fashioned serial modem to the other side and then use the RS232 to IP Converter on the side of the 2nd modem. Then when you telneted in, you'd have to do an 'ATDT' command to dial the number configured for the other port in the line simulator to get to a prompt.

Alternatively you could leave out the old serial modem and IP to RS232 converter and instead use a normal external USB Modem (or internal modem even) hooked to a PC, and then remote into the PC via remote desktop or ssh or whatever to control the modem to dial the aux port.

score 0 · Answer 2 · answered Feb 17 '13 at 00:42

0

As a partial answer to your question, you may be able to handle the far end not always picking up the connection. Your phone company will likely offer a service (for a charge) where you get a second phone number for the same physical line and when this other number is called an "alternative ring" is provided. This is generally something like a double ring where it goes ring-ring...ring-ring...ring-ring instead of ring...ring...ring. Assuming your modem supports it you could set it up to only pick up on the alternative ring. This feature is common on fax machines but I'm not sure about modems.

answered Feb 17 '13 at 00:42

CrazyCasta

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That does not really solve my problem. What I need to do is dial a modem phone number from a computer without a modem in it. – AtomicPorkchop Feb 17 '13 at 01:01
Yes, but it does solve the "I do not want the modem connected all the time since the phone line will be used for calls also." portion of your question. Hence the "As a partial answer" caveat. – CrazyCasta Feb 17 '13 at 01:03

How can dial a modem phone number from an IP connection?

2 Answers2