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Share modem or COM port over network?

apriest

apriest

Senior member
I don't know if this should go in networking, tech support, or software, but here's what I'm looking for: I have a workstation on my network with a US Robotics PCI 56K modem in it. I use a laptop around the house, usually wirelessly. All computers are WinXP Pro or MCE 2K5. I'd like to use that modem remotely, via a virtual COM port or something, so I can use it to autodial contacts in Outlook for example, or so that caller ID will work with my media center computer without having to run another phone line to that computer, etc. Is there a program out there that will let you have a virtual COM port or something to that modem so that it fools these other computers into seeing a local physical modem that they can dial out or accept dial in calls? I don't care if it can only do one computer at a time. I'd like it to be free or lower cost, I don't need a several hundred (or thousand) dollar enterprise modem pool solution! Everything I've found so far has been on an enterprise level, or it is fax or Internet only, or will share COM ports but not a PCI modem. WinFax and similar programs that are fax only won't work, and I don't need to share the Internet since I have DSL and my firewall/router is already doing that. Any suggestions?! Thanks!
 
The Orinoco RG <500, I think> was an Access Point with a built-in modem which was sharable throughout the network.

It could be set up as a dial back-up or usesed as a dial-on-demand primary link.

I don't know if this (or a newer replacement) is still available .... but you can probably find one on eBay or other electronic flea market.

Another possibility (I use this at home) is a software client from Tactical Software that provides a TCP/IP link (RFC2217 ... something like that) between a group of clients and a Cisco router (usually one of their Terminal Servers).

The Tactical Software client does COM port redirection to the router (with a modem on the Router (async) serial port), making the modem appear to be local to the client (usually as ~COM3 or higher number).

I piloted this at work using a Cisco AS5300 and a couple PRIs for use as a "modem bank" for our engineers. As far as the PC (and communication software) was concerned, there was a modem connected to the local serial port ... permitting full peer functionality via PPP to our customer's networks ... tunneled through our local LAN.

You could probably set it up as a (Microsoft) shared network interface too.


Good Luck

Scott
 
I was looking more for software. This device is more for sharing the Internet isn't it? Not actually useable for autodialing contacts from Outlook or displaying Caller ID on a WinXP MCE computer by remotely controlling the modem?
 
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