its time for me to get a new cell phone as my subscription is up... I had this wild idea that I should get one that I could use as a wireless modem for my laptop or pda.

has anyone done this yet???

I figure if I get a phone with bluetooth capability and a bluetooth card for my laptop/pda, I just have to sync the 2 together and then I could dial up my regular ISP provider and get on the net? It sounds too good to be true, especially with unlimited nights and weekends . I could p0st on here from my car while in traffic jams!!! I know that (on at&t anyway) if you use the phone to go on the net its an extra charge, but using the phone as a modem shouldn't be an extra charge right??

I'm thinking about getting the Nokia 3650 - camera phone, video taking capability, bluetooth... and only $50 after rebates

You'll want to check your TOS (terms of service) with your wireless company. Most companies charge extra for data calls and require you to buy a call package. It usually is not cheap.

As for the bluetooth thing...I'm not sure off hand, but does bluetooth support a viable bitrate for web browsing? How is packet loss? Normally you'd have better results with an airmodem card.

How about cable?

how would the phone company know that its a data call? I understand that they charge you for internet access on the phone itself since your using them as a ISP, but that really sucks if they can charge extra for just using the phone for a modem call - a frikkin call should be a call :mad:


the bluetooth thing - Nokia actually recommends it for wireless modem use

Who is your service provider? Most new data capable phones want you to use the internet capablilities of the phone and not hook the phone to the laptop. Most wireless companies have aircards which specifically work with laptops.

The phone company knows. Voice calls take totally diffent paths in the network than data calls. When you subscriber to data capablitlies with you wireless carrier, they will issue you a username and password to authenticate with the data portion of their network. This is how they bill you for your data usage.

I've got a Sony Ericsson T610 and an Apple 17" Powerbook. I my cell phone as a wireless bluetooth modem when I am out and about and can't find any free bandwidth... I got the unlimited data plan for $19 or so per month. It works great when you need it, but it's nowhere near as fast as the DSL I have at home.

I have 3 cellular based wireless connections for my work. 1XRTT, CDPD and GPRS.

Verizon's 1XRTT service, dubbed "express network" is my favorite.

All of my hardware devices (or "phones" rather) are in the form of a PCMCIA cards that plug into my laptop, although, you can get phones that act as modems too.

I've found having a separate device used exclusively for your data is better.

I know my work pays $80 a month for unlimited data calls to Verizon's 1xrtt network, $50 a month for AT&T's CDPD network (unlimited data) and $100 for the GPRS AT&T (unlimited data).

Again the Verizon product is better that both of the At&T products.

Private message me if you'd like additional details. Using all three extensively I'd hope I can point you in the best direction:)

Here are the products - I have the 710, the 555, and the 300:
http://www.sierrawireless.com/ProductsOrdering/pccards.asp

PC magazine did a comparison of several wireless modem cards recently. http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,4149,1278004,00.asp

I have an LG4400 and all you need is a usb cable that plugs into the phone. Plug that into your laptop and your good to go. I haven't played with it in a while, but here is where i got my information.

http://www.rogerbinns.com/vx4400/vx4400faq.html#Modem

-JiM

Originally posted by eccles
PC magazine did a comparison of several wireless modem cards recently. http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,4149,1278004,00.asp

This comparison is consistent with my experience. One thing noteworthy is that the first quarter of 2004 the 2.4 Mbps hardware will be released. I would want to wait until spring if I were purchasing something. It's only a few more months and the data transfer rates will be significantly faster with the 2.4Mbps.

Also, I'd recommend separate voice and data plans. If you have a combo plan you pay top dollar for your voice minutes because they are using the latest network technology. I'd just stick with a “plain Jane” phone for voice, and purchase a separate plan for DATA ONLY - and opt for the unlimited data only plan too. Then you don't have to worry about any bs overage charges. You could drop your normal ISP with the new 2.4Mbps data transfer rates.