2600.network Dialup Service
Enthusiasts are celebrating 2600.network, a new dial-up BBS-style service that lets people relive (and technically experiment with) classic modem-based networking over today’s largely VoIP and mobile infrastructure. Commenters dive into the practical challenges of running analog modems and fax over modern codecs and SIP, explore workarounds like ATAs and software modems, and share deep technical details on standards such as G.711, T.38, and CSD. The conversation also revisits the history and cultural legacy of 2600 Hz phone phreaking and related hacker publications, highlighting how much of the old telephone network’s spirit survives in niche projects like this.
Dial‑up over modern networks (VoIP, IMS, cellular)
- Several comments explore running analog modems over VoIP or VoLTE/IMS.
- Consensus:
- Works best with G.711 (µ‑law PCM) because it’s essentially uncompressed 8 kHz audio, like legacy PSTN.
- Predictive/lossy speech codecs (G.722, AMR, GSM full/half‑rate, EVS) degrade modem signals; lower baud rates (2,400–9,600 bps) may still function.
- Jitter and packet loss are usually bigger problems than bandwidth; short, low‑speed exchanges (e.g., card terminals, short faxes) succeed more often than long 56k sessions.
- Fax over VoIP is often stabilized via T.38, which bypasses audio; an analogous solution for general modems is mentioned (V.150.1), but is rarely deployed.
- GSM Circuit‑Switched Data (CSD) once allowed digital‑to‑modem bridging in the network, but is now mostly unavailable; some experimentation continues where 2G still exists.
Using 2600.network and BBSes today
- To connect without POTS, people suggest:
- Using an ATA (analog telephone adapter) with G.711 and a real modem (expect 2,400–14,400 bps).
- D‑Modem (software SIP modem) as a VoIP‑native option.
- ATAs solve the line problem but not the need for an actual modem.
- For those unfamiliar with BBS: it’s a text‑mode, single‑ or multi‑user system over a terminal‑like connection, often similar to telnet BBSes today.
History and meaning of “2600”
- 2600 Hz was a control tone in older long‑distance networks, signaling an idle trunk.
- Phone phreaks used 2600 Hz and multi‑frequency (MF) tones (“blue boxes”) to seize trunks and route unauthorized calls, exploiting in‑band signaling.
- The 2600 Hacker Quarterly zine, some Cisco routers, and various hacker groups and meetups take their name from this tone.
- The phreaking era, payphones, red/blue boxing, and early hacker culture are reminisced as formative and largely gone.
Dial‑up in appliances and out‑of‑band access
- Past enterprise gear (e.g., search appliances, IBM tools, telecom equipment) often embedded modems for out‑of‑band diagnostics, avoiding firewalls but raising theoretical trust concerns.
- Similar patterns still exist (e.g., appliances with reverse‑shell “diagnostic modes,” or dial‑up‑like email relay systems).
Related niches and nostalgia
- References to 2600, Phrack, YIPL/TAP, C*Net, and war‑dialing/war‑driving communities.
- Debate over whether POTS still exists vs. landlines now being mostly VoIP‑backed.