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.

[1775]

RV Student wrote:
Hi, is anyone currently using Sprint for their 3 or 4G services? I'd be interested in your feedback. I have used the virgin 3G, $10 at a time USB dongle, and it's worked well.

thanks for any hard learned experience.

thanks, GP.

Sprint owns Virgin Mobile (and Boost). If you have used Virgin's plan then you were on the Sprint data network.

I have Sprint for voice and data (old plan) and it has worked just about everyplace that I have gone on the East Coast. The Sprint map when you look at it is sparse. Voice roams on Verizon which has heavy coverage but data does not.

[sheriffav8r]

With 3G I get about 400-500kbps. With 4G I'm getting close to 1MBps. With my MiFi I was getting less than the 3G numbers. I bet with 4G you can do anything you want. The only small downside of this setup is the long ping times, upwards of 150ms. Not a stopper, but just something to consider. Happy Surfing!!!!

[RV_Student]

Thanks SherrifAV8er. 'good to hear that Sprint works.

Anyone else out there had good or bad experiences with Sprint?

If t-mobile gets eaten up by AT&T, there will only be 3 major carriers left.

take care, GP.

[thefivers]

sheriffav8r: what kind of upload speed are you getting. If you can get a good upload speed you can use an internet phone like google voice.

My verizon phone tethered can use google voice, problem is I can hear the party I call perfectly but my voice is broken up when speaking to them. My upload speed is too slow.

Thanks

[sheriffav8r]

I've got a Sprint EVO 4G with PDANet. I get about 800-900 kbps download with 3G and up to 4MBps on 4G! My Sprint MiFi got about 700kbps download at best. Canned the MiFi, sticking with EVO/PDANet.....

[RV_Student]

Hi, is anyone currently using Sprint for their 3 or 4G services? I'd be interested in your feedback. I have used the virgin 3G, $10 at a time USB dongle, and it's worked well.

thanks for any hard learned experience.

thanks, GP.

[nbargolf]

tomman58 wrote:
After reading some of your response I'm as confused as ever.
I currently just have a cell and I also have an ATT air card (I bought the air card on EBay for 30 used).
I costs me 30 bucks to activate and then 60 a mo. I use it for the times we go snow-birding for 3 or 4 mo. I have the fastest Internet at home also from ATT.
I am at a loss as I want to move to a better phone but would think they would have a plan to tether it to the laptop thus eliminating the air card. Cost and good Internet are the goals here.I spend enough on ATT to have something for the road without another monthly fee.

Any comments???

If cost is a goal move up to a smartphone and tether it with free software(don't have to hack anything). The normal data plan for email etc is 29.99 1/2 the price you are paying a month. Then tether the phone through this connection. Also the is plan at this time has unlimited data. The problem is this isn't on AT&T

[MrWizard]

4G phone

or 4G usb data modem service

the pantech modems are available

AFAIK the first Verizon 4G-LTE phone the HTC ThunderBolt is set for release soon POSSIBLY on Thurs the 17th

the announcement has been made & retracted twice before so WHO KNOWS

but has not been seen in a BonaFide customers hand YET

[RockieMtMom]

Just bought Verizon 4G phone service and am running my internet with it right now, very fast and great connection. I am in the Denver 4G area so traveling with this will be,for now, useful only in those cities who have the 4G capability. I can use the 3G coverage for all other areas in the Verizon access cell usage. RockyMt.Mom

[phitur]

golden4077 wrote:
Hacking your phone in order to get free tethering is breaking the terms and conditions of your contract. It is like unscrambling your cable in order to get free HBO. I just wanted to clarify this for folks. If caught, the carrier may back bill you or kick you off their network.

Tethering is a great feature and i encourage people to consider it as a viable option for internet access. However, carriers expect people to pay for the service. Just because there are ways to steal the service, does not make it right.

While it violates the terms, the terms are not legally binding and not enforceable in court. Basically, the terms infringe on your rights that go beyond what is legally allowed. In a court ruling against Apple this was made clear. Apple was suing the company that made the Jail Breaking software for the iPhone. The judge ruled that once purchased, the phones become the legal property of the customer and Apple no longer has any rights to what software runs on the phone.

That said, if you hack your phone to enable tethering that does not infringe on another type of service, you "may" be in violation of the terms. But those terms may not be legally binding regardless of the agreement. Just because it says so doesn't make it legal. And there is legal precedence that says otherwise.

Using services through that tethering, different story. Depends on what service you use with it.

[anchor]

Tomman--I may have originally started this subject(?). As I mentioned we have used Verizon for about 15+ years both during our Gulf and ocean sailing and also RVing. Naturaly on the water we would only be able to connect when we were near shore, etc. We tether our cell to our laptops and off we go. Before we leave we notify Verizon to put us on that plan ($60 month). That's all we do and it seems to work for us. You do need to download their "Access Verizon" I think it is called.

[tomman58]

After reading some of your response I'm as confused as ever.
I currently just have a cell and I also have an ATT air card (I bought the air card on EBay for 30 used).
I costs me 30 bucks to activate and then 60 a mo. I use it for the times we go snow-birding for 3 or 4 mo. I have the fastest Internet at home also from ATT.
I am at a loss as I want to move to a better phone but would think they would have a plan to tether it to the laptop thus eliminating the air card. Cost and good Internet are the goals here.I spend enough on ATT to have something for the road without another monthly fee.

Any comments???

[talonhead]

I just turned off my verizon aircard for my laptop, While I turned off the "phone #" for the unit Ican still use it as a wi-fi card. I had a 5G plan ad I never ran over and I lived away from home for up to 4 mo.s at a time it worked very well. I can't have a camera on my phone if I want to take it to work. Try to find a bluetooth cell ph. w/o a cam. Then one that works well. Haven't found one yet. So I have a simple clamshell that regularly takes a beating and has not failed me yet in 3 yrs. I spent some real $$ to get my wife a new laptop (desktop replacement class) with as many bells and whistles as I could get. HUGE HD screen, BD burner, wi-fi, bluetooth, hell I even have an antenna to pick up TV or an cable adapter to hook into cable. I now have to build a mount for the passenger side of our trucks so it can be used underway.
I still haven't learned everything about it, but it's fantastic.
Bottom line: find a method that fits and a plan fits. Aux antennas and boosters/extenders are available.
I don't have my rig yet (picking up in apr/may) but will be planning my 'Commo Suite'.
MikeH

[xctraveler]

golden4077 wrote:
Hacking your phone in order to get free tethering is breaking the terms and conditions of your contract. It is like unscrambling your cable in order to get free HBO. I just wanted to clarify this for folks. If caught, the carrier may back bill you or kick you off their network.

Tethering is a great feature and i encourage people to consider it as a viable option for internet access. However, carriers expect people to pay for the service. Just because there are ways to steal the service, does not make it right.

Yup, absolutely. And the phone companies are very generous with their offerings, take a look at the charges for tethered use vs data on the phone itself. PDAnet has been around for a lot of years and while I used it back when I had a phone that V would not permit tethered using their software I have held it in reserve for the day when I need more than 2 gb of "tethered" data in a month and V wants the full cost of 2 gb for the next 1 gb. Then I will use PDAnet and the large corp can come and find me.

[golden4077]

Hacking your phone in order to get free tethering is breaking the terms and conditions of your contract. It is like unscrambling your cable in order to get free HBO. I just wanted to clarify this for folks. If caught, the carrier may back bill you or kick you off their network.

Tethering is a great feature and i encourage people to consider it as a viable option for internet access. However, carriers expect people to pay for the service. Just because there are ways to steal the service, does not make it right.