CELL PHONE INTERNET ACCESS

[DanaMc]

CELL PHONE INTERNET ACCESS

This is designed to explain the basic approach to using your cell phone with your computer to connect to the internet. It is not intended to be an in depth coverage of the topic. Rather it is intended to help folks get acquainted with what is necessary and a suggested resource or two. The first step in this process would be to check with your cell phone carrier. Make sure there is no reason you can’t use your phone like a modem. Some carriers can provide this for an additional fee.

It is the most cost effective way to keep up with your email and favorite web pages from nearly anywhere. In most cases you do not need a separate or different phone plan. You will use your plan minutes and can manage it to take advantage of the unlimited nights and weekends just as you might for conversations. Regular cell phone roaming charges may apply depending on where you are and whether your carrier has an agreement with the local service provider. This is no different than any other situation.

The key components needed are your cell phone, a special USB cord designed specifically for your cell phone. It will connect your cell phone directly to your computer via a USB port on the computer. Finally you will want software to manage the connection and compress the data being sent. There are many sources for this equipment. You can check with your local cell phone retailer. Radio Shack is a good source on this topic as well. But they will only be familiar with the phones they sell. I have been using SnapDialer. I have been very happy with the combination of Verizon and SnapDialer to connect to the internet.

Once your software is installed and configured for your internet service provider, you will only need to click on the Icon to launch your internet session. What service provider you use is not part of this topic. However there are many low cost or free email services such as Google’s Gmail, Microsoft’s Hotmail, or Yahoo.

Below is some additional reading on this topic:

HOW-TO: Use your CDMA cell phone as a USB modem

Cell Phone Internet Connections

Cellular Fills Gap Between Hotspots

Looking for a boost in your signal? There are third party systems that can enhance your cellular signal and/or facilitate the use of a cell phone in your RV or your home. One example of this is Wilson Cellular Antennas & Amplifiers. Properly installed, these systems can enhance your range of coverage.

[jdwroten]

I use Verizon NationalAccess-BroadbandAccess. This gives me the slower speed in many places (1XRTT), but broadband speed around the 181 cities where the EV-DO has been rolled out. Verizon is going nationwide with wireless broadband, so coverage will get better over time.

[MrWizard]

If anyone has any ideas how I can get a new cord for my 8300 let me know.

buy the MEK ' music essentials kit' from VZW it comes with a cable and the drivers, also some music syncing software ( you may not want that )

I don't trust Ebay cables, more headaches , than the money saved is worth, the cable from the MEK for my 8100 lets me plug the charger into the cable to charge the phone while i'm hooked to the computer, stay on all night, NO battery problems

I have an 8100 replaced my 4500, and i'm online right now using it..

you just have to get into the hidden service menu and change some phone setings, to get back on the 1x bandwidth like your old phone

PM me, i'll send you the howto info

[Dave_From_AK]

narobbins wrote:
I have had three Mobile Office Kits and have used them for several years because I full time in my Winnebago Adventurer 38' and need access to the internet. My Motorola 720 needed a new battery so I decided to get a new phone. Wrong thing to do. I got a LG8300. I went to our local Verizon corporate store today to get another Mobile Office Kit to fit the 8300. I was told that they are no longer making MOK's. They were not intended to access the internet they were just supposed to be used to transfer phone numbers to your computer. We are supposed to pay $59.95 monthly fee to use the MOK. If you are using your phone without paying the fee they are going to check and see if your phone is using an unusually high amount of data time and you will be charged. I tried using a modem card in my computer and my computer would not recognize it and I had to get a new hard drive and lost all of my info and had no signal unless I drove down the road until I picked up a signal. So everyone using Verizon MOK had better hang on to those old phones. I am using mine until they catch up with me then I will decide what I will do. Maybe they will finally get enough broadband towers that we can use them. If anyone has any ideas how I can get a new cord for my 8300 let me know.

You can buy the equivalent of the MOK for any phone from online vendors. Here's one on eBay for $11 plus shipping: cable

The added value of the MOK is the software that sets up the connections for you. Checks the Links and the Files section of the CellSatWiFi forum for the QuickLink Mobile and the VZAM software from the MOK.

Hope that helps.

[hrendeavor]

When we decided to spend summers traveling we got Verizon cell phone with National access and the hoome office program so I could get on line thru the summer. This year when I tried to get on it wouldn't let me. I called Verizon and they said I would have to pay extra for the service. In the beginning I could use it with the same plan I have with the cell phone service. at no extra charge. Since the service was so slow and most of the time we were out of range it wasn't worth the extra money. I just catch up on my mail when we are at my daughters now but I'm upset with Verizon and will be changing cell phone carriers as soon as we get back home.

[narobbins]

I have had three Mobile Office Kits and have used them for several years because I full time in my Winnebago Adventurer 38' and need access to the internet. My Motorola 720 needed a new battery so I decided to get a new phone. Wrong thing to do. I got a LG8300. I went to our local Verizon corporate store today to get another Mobile Office Kit to fit the 8300. I was told that they are no longer making MOK's. They were not intended to access the internet they were just supposed to be used to transfer phone numbers to your computer. We are supposed to pay $59.95 monthly fee to use the MOK. If you are using your phone without paying the fee they are going to check and see if your phone is using an unusually high amount of data time and you will be charged. I tried using a modem card in my computer and my computer would not recognize it and I had to get a new hard drive and lost all of my info and had no signal unless I drove down the road until I picked up a signal. So everyone using Verizon MOK had better hang on to those old phones. I am using mine until they catch up with me then I will decide what I will do. Maybe they will finally get enough broadband towers that we can use them. If anyone has any ideas how I can get a new cord for my 8300 let me know.

[MrWizard]

sounds very nice, way to go

nice project

i am curious though, you thought the KR1 was pricey,

but i'm sure that the 12v embedded PC was NOT a $10 item

what was the total cost of your project,

and I have the feeling you did all the programing yourself, not something all of us could do,

i'm sure it would take me a while to get it right

if tried do it

[brain]

As I've recently changed my work environment and can now telecommute, we started the process of prepping for RV travel. One essential item was Internet access. I simply had to have it for my job.

I liked the speed of the satellite systems, and the new auto-pointing ones looked to be useful while in transit (I needed to be online while on the road), but the price was high, and I wasn't sure how the large latency would affect VPN connections to the office.

The other option was cellular modem. The prices were more reasonable, though the speeds were more modest. HOwever, they offered more portability.

It appears Sprint has a few lower cost plans, but we already had our regular phone with Verizon, so I opted for Verizon 1xRTT/1xEV-DO service. I selected a Kyocera KPC650 card, as it has a movable antenna and a jack for an external antenna. As well, online tests showed it had the best signal reception.

I installed the CD for the service on my XP box, and was running.

That's where folks on here probably stop. All is well.

However, I had some additional requirements. I wanted to ensure my wife (who has her own laptop) could access the Internet at the same time I accessed it (at night, I check on personal email and such, and she researches for the next day's or week's activities, checks the weather, etc.

Someone in here previously mentioned the Kyocera KR-1 router, which supports this function. You dump your card into the router box, and it bridges the cellular traffic to Wifi, so anyone within Wifi range can use the connection. That was a good, but pricey options. So I rolled my own.

I secured a small embedded PC from eBay (about 4"x5"x2") that runs on 12 volts DC and has two PCMCIA ports. I stuck the KPC650 into one slot, and got a bargain Prism-II based Wifi PCMCIA card for the other slot.

Then, I dumped Metrix Linux 0.9 on a CompactFlash card and put it on the PC (the PC has a CF slot in addition to the PCMCIA slots). After getting the machine to boot, and some tweaking, the system sets up a remote "WiFi hot spot" around our RV.

Specifically:

On boot, the system reads the OS from the CF card, and boots into Linux
It then dials the Verizon network
It finally configures the cheap WiFi card as an access point.

The box also has the option of using s dynamic DNS system like Dyndns.com to give it a DNS name, and it runs a small web server. I don't have it configured at present, but if you plug a GPS box into the USB ports or the RS232, it will put a Google map of where the box is located (assuming you are close to the box) on the web site, and folks can visit the web page and see where you are.

In any event, it runs all the time, redialing the connection when it goes down for any reason. Our laptops then connect to the Internet with normal WiFi cards. If the current location has a better WiFi connection, our PCs will bring up a note about the new access, and we can switch to the faster connection until it disappears, at which time we fall back to the slower Verizon service.

Although not a planned feature, when we are using the router, friends in nearby campers can enjoy some Internet access.

If I need to be more mobile, I simply shut off the router, pull the air card, and pop it into my laptop. The router OS is designed to not require a "shutdown" like a Windows PC. Just cut power, no ill effects.

One can always crave more speed, but it allows me to telecommute from anywhere (well, almost anywhere), and we've gotten a lot of use out of it outside of work (checking weather, finding campgrounds, searching for local RV dealers, etc.)

Jim

[MrWizard]

if you have t-mobile cellphone the t-mobile data plan is $29

you can get a verizon aircard and the data plan is $59 a month

if you get a verizon 'broadband phone' you can add the data plan to your phone for $59 a month and tether the phone

the advantage of this is the data plan can be added and removed as 'optional' feature on a as needed basis

so if you don't full time, you have phone year round and data plan only when you need it ( call in have it added to the account ) per month basis

[DtommyD]

OK
I've missed so much. New to here.
I started on page 1 and realized it was all from 2004 and saw prices around 80 a month.
So I assume a free wifi campground would be nice, but give me your best.
Over the road people do what?
And people in seasonal parks still do 56k?
Please tell me. I could work from internet but don't have time to check out the areas. (I do know I have cell phone coverage ((t-mobile))
Boys - Shoot me in the right direction. Minnesota if it matters.

[MrWizard]

here is the link for the latest versions of verizon's access manager
for you VZW connection

if you have a data plan & aircard

or simply want to update the version you have

here is the link

http://www.vzam.net/

[RVTRAVELERS1997]

NASAGuy wrote:
Hi DanaMc
Thanks for taking the time to address this rather complex subject. It seems the practicality of the "tethered laptop" approach depends on which wireless carrier and wireless plan a person is dealing with. In my case I have a Cingular Nation plan. I have spent a fair amount of time investigating this subject on this forum, the Yahoo forum, and the Howard forums. To make along story short it seems that a Cingular customer will be charged data by the kb when tethering to a laptop. kb usage can be very high. One report on this forum indicated a Cingular customer received a one month bill for $1500. An obvious option is to buy the Cingular Media Works package for $19.95 per month which has unlimited wireless internet. This should solve this problem-right? Nope, it seems Cingular says this is plan is only for direct cell phone internet access and anyone wanting to "tether" a laptop is supposed to buy one of their even more pricey data plans which cost up to $80/month.
I know there are people on this forum who state they are charged only air time minutes when hooked to their laptops. I have no reason to disbelieve their claims but I have no explanation either. The only thing that comes to mind is maybe these folks have an older Cingular plan that does not charge for data by the kb.
At this point I have just about decided to forget about the "tethered laptop" approach and will continue to use WiFi when it is available or find a place to use my trusty dial up connection in the campground.
Please let me know if I am in error on any of the above and keep in mind I was referring only to Cingular Wireless.
Bill in Florida

Hey there Bill,Doesn't Cingular have the 'air card' option? they have this on the other major plans for around $60.00 a month UN-limited. they have other plans that are designed to fit your budget.
I used to use the usb cord to hook-up but this new air-card is faster and the plans are nice along with the fact that I can receive calls and make them at the same time.
I've had only one problem with my air-card, it stopped working with very little notice. they replaced it for free after 7-8 months of use. If you have ever used Broadband this is close.You have two different connection options to use. One is the EVDO and dial-up.EVDO can connect anywhere from 50 to 600 KBPS. It depends where you are and the server you are connected to. The dial-up is for analog. It connects at 14.4 KBPS.Slow as dial-up on a 56K modem.I can also use my WI-FI. that gives me 3 ways to connect.
Hope this helps. Have a good trip! Dan:B

[gregbenner]

If I were in Ensenada, Mexico, and got a Mexico SIM card for my GSM phone, would I be able to have internet access at whatever the rate/minute is?

greg

[MrWizard]

savit1 wrote:
i have a motorola 325 Verizon nation access bought Motorola Phone Tools kit,It bshows the phone as a modem but it shows data #777 but cant open up a browser, Q Mobile Verizon ,says connected to internet but no browser sows verizon but N/G , I have tried everthing any ideas? does the phone have to show all the bars to work?
I guess i need cell phone for Dummies
Thanks Sal Avitabile

i am not sure what you are saying

BUT vzw dialing software OR a manual connection setup , neither one is going to open the browser for you, with a branded home page like AOL or other home/landline ISP

once the connecton is made you have to click on the your 'browsers ICON' ( IE, Firefox, etc... )

and open it

open your bookmarks/favorites or homepage link

viola you are on the internet

all the moto-tools is going to do ; IS make the connection not open the browser

BTW your ID is your phone (all ten digits )

Example 5552327777@vzw3g.com

password is VZW

the phone number to dial is #777 not data#777

[bamaram2002]

Can't remember where I was in the discussion, so I came back here to post my results...

Let me preface this by saying my results are by using Cingular service on a Motorola GPRS-enabled phone. Other providers and manufacturers may (and will) vary.

I mentioned that I had read up on using the cheaper Cingular MEdia service to get internet access through the cell phone to the laptop rather than paying for one of their expensive data plan ($19.99/mo vs. $79.99/mo for unlimited downloads).

Now, Cingular designed the MEdia plans for browsing on the phone device only, which is why they are cheaper. In fact, Cingular will say that you can't use MEdia to hook the phone up to the laptop to provide internet service. And they try to enforce that saying that you have to use their Cingular Communications software to access the internet on the laptop along with their data plan. And in that software they don't let you change the settings necessary to communicate on the MEdia network. But you can get around that by knowing the correct settings and manually configuring the modem settings and using Motorola's Phone Tools to connect.

So yesterday, DW finally returned from her playing camp nurse on a youth mission trip, so I signed her phone up for the MEdia plan (for some reason, my phone quit responding to the Motorola Phone Tools). Turns out I could choose the cheapest one ($4.99/mo) which is only supposed to give me 1MB/mo of downloads, but the first month is unlimited downloads. We are really only looking for something to give us access while on the upcoming road trip when wifi isn't available. And since I already have the voice plan with them, the MEdia plan is month-to-month - no long term contract.

Anyway, I connected it up, configured the modem settings, and was online. Speed wasn't great - 33K - but faster than the dial-up option I was considering which would have been 1/2 that speed and still cost me $3.99/mo for Cingular to grant me permission to dial-up my own internet provider using my phone and my minutes.

Anyway, for anyone interested in making this work you can read up on it here and here.

And of course, you can PM me if you have questions.

[savitbound]

i have a motorola 325 Verizon nation access bought Motorola Phone Tools kit,It bshows the phone as a modem but it shows data #777 but cant open up a browser, Q Mobile Verizon ,says connected to internet but no browser sows verizon but N/G , I have tried everthing any ideas? does the phone have to show all the bars to work?
I guess i need cell phone for Dummies
Thanks Sal Avitabile