Hey all! Does anyone have any recommendations for cheap, reliable dialup ISPs? I've tried dialup.world but the connection is not ideal since both my end and theirs are using VoIP ATAs.
I've also tried MSN but most of their numbers seem to be out of service, and I'm currently trying SDF.org's dialup network but I'm running into issues with PPP authentication on most of
their remaining numbers.


Regards,
VHSFuture
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I added a dialup line to my BBS a couple years ago, and I'm using VOIP service from voip.ms, and what they charge isn't business rates, as far
as I can tell. I feel like their price is fairly reasonable.

Also ATA box works better than others when using modems. I use CISCO ATA192-MPP (ATA192-3PW-K9) adapter for my VOIP line. They are very sensible to
delay (ping) on the Ethernet side, so you must use direct RJ45 cable connection to the router. Don't use wifi or Powerline technologie.

... Chemistry professors never die, they just smell that way!

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Re: Re: Dialup ISPs?
By: Gods69 to Nightfox on Mon Mar 23 2026 08:54 am

Also ATA box works better than others when using modems. I use CISCO ATA192-MPP (ATA192-3PW-K9) adapter for my VOIP line. They are very sensible to delay (ping) on the Ethernet side, so you must use direct RJ45 cable connection to the router. Don't use wifi or Powerline technologie.

Interesting - I also use a Cisco ATA192-MPP of the same model (ATA192-3PW-K9).

Nightfox
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Interesting - I also use a Cisco ATA192-MPP of the same model (ATA192-3PW-K9).

It was an upgrade for the older Cisco SPA122 that a have. I can't see to
much differences between the two...

... Try hacking in the wee hours: you will have more room.

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Hello pF!

** On Sunday 22.03.26 - 09:31, poindexter FORTRAN wrote to Dumas Walker:

My family has a cabin up in the mountains. DSL has sort of been
available for a while. We still have a POTS line up there, was shocked
to see that the bill is over $75/month!

No cellular alternative available by now?


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Re: Re: Dialup ISPs?
By: Geri Atricks to VHSFuture on Sat Mar 21 2026 10:43 pm

Modems and VoIP's have never had a good history of playing well together. You're bes bet if you're wanting to use a regular modem to to just get a POTS line.

I'm aware of this, but this is being installed at a non-profit museum and that just isn't an option for us right now.
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I'm aware of this, but this is being installed at a non-profit museum
and that just isn't an option for us right now.

I also seriously doubt it would get much use. Most new machines don't even come with a modem anymore. Just like the no longer come with Floppy drives or Optical drives. :(
Most people these days wouldn't know how to use a modem even if their machine DOES have one.

-FltCapt Dallas Vinson, SFI

... You can learn many things from children... like how much patience you have

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Ogg wrote to poindexter FORTRAN <=-

My family has a cabin up in the mountains. DSL has sort of been
available for a while. We still have a POTS line up there, was shocked
to see that the bill is over $75/month!

No cellular alternative available by now?

No, we get cell service, curiously, for around 30 minutes a day in the
morning. Just enough time to check text messages and call back on the
land line.



... Adding on
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Geri Atricks wrote to VHSFuture <=-

I also seriously doubt it would get much use. Most new machines don't
even come with a modem anymore. Just like the no longer come with
Floppy drives or Optical drives. :( Most people these days wouldn't
know how to use a modem even if their machine DOES have one.

I got rid of my external modems, but still have a little PCI internal
33.6 modem in my junk drawer. Some day...



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Re: Re: Dialup ISPs?
By: poindexter FORTRAN to Geri Atricks on Tue Mar 24 2026 07:47 am

I got rid of my external modems, but still have a little PCI internal 33.6 modem in my junk drawer. Some day...

Back in the 90s, there was a point where I started to prefer internal modems over external modems. I missed having the status lights of an external modem though. I do recall seeing something, at least for one brand/model of internal modem, where you could put a front panel on your PC (in a 3.5" drive bay, I think) with modem status lights on it. Also, toward the end of the 90s, it was increasingly possible that an internal modem would be a WinModem or similar software-based internal modem, and I always tried to avoid those.

Nightfox
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Back in the 90s, there was a point where I started to prefer internal modems over external modems. I missed having the status lights of an external modem though. I do recall seeing something, at least for one brand/model of internal modem, where you could put a front panel on your PC (in a 3.5" drive bay, I think) with modem status lights on it. Also, toward the end of the 90s, it was increasingly possible that an internal

I remember using a small applet that set on my windows desktop that showed the status lights for my internal modem.

-FltCapt Dallas Vinson, SFI

... Everyone is entitled to my opinion!

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Nightfox wrote to Poindexter Fortran <=-

Back in the 90s, there was a point where I started to prefer internal modems over external modems. I missed having the status lights of an external modem though. I do recall seeing something, at least for one brand/model of internal modem, where you could put a front panel on
your PC (in a 3.5" drive bay, I think) with modem status lights on it. Also, toward the end of the 90s, it was increasingly possible that an internal modem would be a WinModem or similar software-based internal modem, and I always tried to avoid those.

Win Modems angered me, I ended up using my high school graduation money to buy me a 33.6 modem that was not
a winmodem.
A nice US Robotics modem from that era. It was almost 150 bucks.

My last modem was a creative labs 56k external modem that was not a winmodem.


... Direct from the Ministry of Silly Walks
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Back in the 90s, there was a point where I started to prefer internal modems over external modems. I missed having the status lights of an external modem though. I do recall seeing something, at least for one

RS232 external modems are better. You can plug them into anything, PCs, Amiga, Atari, etc. Even an bare VT100 only terminal do the job.

... Don't keep doing what doesn't work.

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Nightfox wrote to poindexter FORTRAN <=-

Back in the 90s, there was a point where I started to prefer internal modems over external modems. I missed having the status lights of an external modem though.

I remember whinging because an internal modem required a power-off to
reset. Looking back, you could reboot a DOS box in, what, 30 seconds?

I lived alone in a studio apartment in the early '90s, the BBS was in a
walk-in closet not far from my bed. I'd go to sleep, wake up hearing
faint modem connect tones, hear the drives chattering at ZMH, and it'd
lull me back to sleep.



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Re: Re: Dialup ISPs?
By: Gods69 to Nightfox on Wed Mar 25 2026 10:36 am

Back in the 90s, there was a point where I started to prefer internal
modems over external modems. I missed having the status lights of an
external modem though. I do recall seeing something, at least for one

RS232 external modems are better. You can plug them into anything, PCs, Amiga, Atari, etc. Even an bare VT100 only terminal do the job.

I agree. At the time (in the 90s) though, I was only really concerned about the one PC I was going to use it with, so for me it wasn't a big deal.

Nightfox
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Re: Re: Dialup ISPs?
By: poindexter FORTRAN to Nightfox on Wed Mar 25 2026 06:58 am

I lived alone in a studio apartment in the early '90s, the BBS was in a walk-in closet not far from my bed. I'd go to sleep, wake up hearing faint modem connect tones, hear the drives chattering at ZMH, and it'd lull me back to sleep.

:) I used MFM drives for a little while in my first PCs, and based on the sounds they were making, I was able to tell when someone had logged onto my BBS and what doors they were playing.

Nightfox
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RS232 external modems are better. You can plug them into anything, PC Amiga, Atari, etc. Even an bare VT100 only terminal do the job.

I agree. At the time (in the 90s) though, I was only really concerned about the one PC I was going to use it with, so for me it wasn't a big deal.

In the 90s, i was using an Amiga500 computer so an external modem was mandatory.

... An idle mind is worth two in the bush.

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Re: Re: Dialup ISPs?
By: poindexter FORTRAN to Nightfox on Wed Mar 25 2026 06:58:08

I remember whinging...

"Whinging"?
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Nightfox wrote to poindexter FORTRAN <=-

:) I used MFM drives for a little while in my first PCs, and based on
the sounds they were making, I was able to tell when someone had logged onto my BBS and what doors they were playing.

Same here - and I ran Telegard, which didn't have a native tosser. I had
to use confmail to toss packets into individual *.msg files, then toss
those individual messages into the Telegard bases.

On an IBM AT with MFM drives, it took at least 30 minutes to complete
a mail run.



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