I’m in the market for a new phone and considering moving up to 3G as Cingular has good UMTS/HSDPA coverage in my area. I understand there is one capability called bluetooth DUN that would be very handy and not too slow, but since I have cable internet access at home, I don’t have a number to dial up. Is there a way to access the internet directly through a 3G cell phone using bluetooth?
Yes. You have to sign up for a data plan through your provider. It can be expensive, though. The Bluetooth DUN profile refers to the phone’s ability to present a modem interface to another device, not the Internet access in and of itself. Pretty much every Bluetooth-equipped phone supports that profile.
Typically this is very straightforward and all providers support it. How much is it going to cost you that’s a different question. It used to be that AT&T Wireless before it became Cingular would charge $24.99 a month flat for unlimited internet access and even though there was supposed to be a per KB surcharge for using it on a laptop rather than the phone itself, that surcharge did not apply for use via Bluetooth for some reason. I would just pair my phone and my laptop, create a Dial-Up connection and dial some special # (99**2# or somesuch) with no username or password. It would connect and I’d get GPRS/EDGE speeds (~ 256Kbps). This was before 3G roll out and before Cingular taking over AT&T. I’m sure it is still possible but I don’t know how – my current phone pretty much replaced the need for a laptop.
Not exactly what you are looking for, but perhaps an Aircard solution might fit your needs. It’s a card that plugs into your laptop and accesses the wireless phone network directly, no need to involve your phone. I’m pretty sure some if not most support 3G.
may i suggest a samsung phone for sprint although this is for an a900 (which i have and it works perfectly) it seems to work for all the newer samsung phones for sprint (example the new 610 can have it’s NAI turned off. also my wifes 920 has the NAI turned off and i use both hers and my phone for internet access for my laptop). total cost is $15 a month for the power vision basic plan that includes unlimited data usage.
Many thanks for the responses. Let me see if I understand correctly: I can access the internet directly through my cellphone with bluetooth by setting up DUN with a special code (no actual phone call) and obtaining a data package from my provider, correct?
Second question. I use a bluetooth mouse also. Can I use both at the same time?
Most likely, yes. I just tried it with my T-Mobile Blackberry Pearl and my laptop and I am posting this via the cell phone connection. It required one tricky advanced setting but then connected like a charm
However,
a) I do not know if this is taking advantage of EDGE or if anything special would have to be done for 3G
b) I do not know if they will charge me extra on top of my $19.99 unlimited data plan (which is supposed to be for the phone only). I’m guessing they won’t since it’s a major pain in the ass for them to differentiate cell from tethered traffic with a 100% certainty
You should be able to use up to 8 bluetooth devices simultaneously.
I have a Cingular/HTC 8125 and use it to provide internet connections to isolated systems to download drivers and such fairly regularly. I use a cable to create the connection most of the time but i have bluetooth adapters as well.
The service is IIRC $39.95 for the laptop/pda unlimited data plan.
There is a CD that comes with my phone that contains all the drivers to associate my smart phone with a PC.
While it does include unlimited data usage that does not apply to when you tether your phone to a computer. I have Sprint and I’ve heard a number of horror stories about people who assumed that because it was unlimited data usage they could hook their laptops to their phones and browse the internet all day. Sprint will usually get wind of this and then charge you the exorbitant amount of like $0.02 per kb, which can really add up. Consensus among most folks is that you can only tether your phone to your comp to very briefly check email on the run. It’s not for heavy usage.
I have a BlackBerry Pearl with T-Mobile, and the main reason I signed-up with T-Mobile is that they didn’t charge any more money (over the $19.99 data plan) for me to use my Blackberry as a modem. Apparently, I get the same speeds as people that pay the fee for the separate air card access. Cingular in contrast, does charge extra if you use your BlackBerry as a computer modem.