The latest episode published by tech channel The Serial Port began with an interesting question: Is it possible to stream YouTube via dial-up internet? As the headline suggests, the answer is a resounding yes, with our intrepid heroes managing to establish a connection offering download speeds of 668.8 kbps. The feat was eventually achieved using an era-appropriate Windows XP PC, a Cisco VoIP unit, a couple of serial port packing PCI cards, and a dozen 56K modems bonded using Multilink PPP (MPPP) technology. This is probably a world record.
success! (Image credit: The Serial Port)When broadband wasn’t so broad
The latest regulations from the FCC define broadband as 100 Mbps or higher, but in 2000, a far slower connection of 200 Mbps or higher was considered adequate to earn the designation. Back then, connectivity was slow, but by the turn of the millennium, websites and communications were simpler and had lower bandwidth. For example, downloading multimedia files like MP3s back then could tie up your phone line for 10 to 20 minutes. Thus, applications like the infamous Napster and emerging streaming video and online multimedia experiences begged for broadband.
Multilink PPP technology was one possible solution to faster internet connectivity before ISDN and ADSL connectivity became widespread. As the name suggests, MPPP tech combines the bandwidth of multiple modems to create a single logical data pipe.
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Commercial solutions like “the Diamond Multimedia Shotgun, a PCI card with two onboard modems that could be bonded together using multilink PPP,” leveraged this tech, point out the YouTubers. However, it didn’t gain traction due to the multiple lines and ISP shenanigans required.
Now, with an ISP that supports digital modems and the equipment (including a Cisco VoIP gateway) to make it happen, The Serial Port had an opportunity to see how far Multilink PPP can go. Encouragingly, the official MPPP standard doesn’t highlight any practical limits…
Cover your ears – Preparing for screeching modem broadband
Refocusing on the overarching YouTube streaming goal, our intrepid TechTubers calculated how much bandwidth would need to be squeezed out of their bonded modem array to make streaming tolerable. In brief, ~four 56K modems should be sufficient for minimum-quality desktop streaming (240p, ~200 kbps) in 2025.
The first client PC chosen was a 2001-vintage IBM desktop with Windows ME, released just ahead of the widespread availability of broadband. This setup worked with two 56K modems bonded together—a promising start.
With the proof that MPPP worked on this contemporaneous PC system, the TechTubers sought to pack more serial ports into the IBM. A card featuring an extra eight serial ports was found. However, driver clashes prevented further scaling…
Still optimistic about their project, the team moved up to “slightly newer hardware.” Specifically, an IBM Think Center from 2004 was chosen as a compromise, as we did not want to go too modern. Windows XP was pre-installed on this system, and it was hoped that it could do better with MPPP.
Using the newer XP PC, two identical serial expansion cards were installed. However, they didn’t work together, as they overlapped COM port addresses in the Device Manager. So the TechTubers switched to a different brand of serial expansion card for the second card. They ended up with 13 ports in total (including the one on the motherboard).
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(Image credit: The Serial Port)The dusty dozen
Unlike with Windows ME, where each modem was dialed in turn, it was observed that XP dialed them all simultaneously! Moreover, the team successfully scaled up from two modems to 12 after several rounds of fiddling with modem DIP switches, phone line connectors, and XP’s serial port controls. As more modems were added to the system, the TechTubers laughed joyously at the sound of multiple modems dialing and negotiating.
The dozen modems connected to the Windows XP machine achieved a combined connection speed of 668.8 kbps, offering blistering download speeds. Testing confirmed that this system was able to load and stream YouTube videos, and no buffering was observed after a slight delay (likely due to the old PC’s processing power).
Did The Serial Port achieve a world record? The TechTubers couldn’t find any accounts of people using more than four modems in MPPP at the same time. The video ends with a tease that they haven’t yet found a limit to MPPP…
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