Using the P800 as a Wireless Bluetooth Modem on a PowerBook
I recently made the jump from Cingular to
T-Mobile as my cell phone service provider in order to take advantage of
T-Mobile's $20 per month, all-you-can-eat internet/data services. The move was
smooth and flawless, with my cell number getting transferred over to T-Mobile
within 24 hours -- a time that surprised even the T-Mobile sales reps I spoke
with! Configuring my phone for voicemail and internet browsing was a snap, and
now I can browse the web and do e-mail on my phone without worrying about
exceeding my monthly "data limit" and having to pay exorbitant, per-kilobyte
data charges. And of course, now that I have this low-cost, wireless pipeline
to the internet, I want to use my P800 as a wireless modem, connected via
Bluetooth to my 12" PowerBook G4. That's where things got a little
tricky.
I already had my P800 paired with my PowerBook so
that I can synchronize it with iSync, and I had selected the, "Use for dial-up
networking," checkbox in the Bluetooth Setup Assistant as part of the pairing
process. So I figured that I was already half-way to where I wanted to be. My
next step was to register as a new user on T-Mobile's customer web portal, and
then to check their Help section for help with T-Mobile-specific settings. I was
delighted to find a "configurator" (who dreams up these words anyway?), that I
could use to setup the phone, and the PowerBook. The URL for the T-Mobile
configurator is, http://us.t-mobile.mywds.com/.
I used the option to "Build a solution around a T-Mobile phone," not really expecting it to be able to deal with my P800, since T-Mobile doesn't offer this model. But when I chose "Sony Ericsson" from the Manufacturer pop-up menu, I was delighted to find that the P800 was listed in the Model pop-up! After identifying my phone, the configurator then displayed a screen of computing devices that are compatible with my phone. Again, I was skeptical that I would find a Mac in the bunch, but lo and behold, buried in the center, near the bottom, was a small picture of an older model PowerBook labelled, "Apple Mac OS X Series" -- I selected it.
The next screen showed connection types between the phone and the laptop, and my budding optimism in the magical configurator was quickly dashed when the only connection type presented was IrDA (built-in infrared port). The 12" PowerBook G4 doesn't have a IrDA port, but I clicked the option anyway.
The next screen showed a summary of my selections so far, and provided two links: one for setting up a dial-up connection between the phone and computer, and the other link for setting up T-Mobile internet on the phone and computer. The instructions produced by these links are essentially the same, except that the "set-up T-Mobile internet" link gives you the instructions for also configuring the phone, while the "dial-up" instructions assume that your phone is already configured to access the internet and just covers the infrared set-up and computer configuration.
I skipped the infrared instructions, since my PowerBook doesn't have that port, and instead I set-up a Bluetooth port named, "T-Mobile GPRS," in System Preferences > Network. I set up this port according the instructions generated by the T-Mobile configurator:
These setting almost worked. When I chose "Connect" form the modem menu item, the status displayed "Connecting...", then "Authenticating...", and then nothing. I eventually had to manually "Disconnect" from the modem menu. So it was back to the drawing board on the modem configuration.
Given the little bit of dangerous knowledge I know about these matters, the unchecked options having to do with dial tones, compression, and what-not seemed to make sense to me as they were, so I concentrated my troubleshooting efforts on the modem type and the telephone number. As it turns out, the problem was a combination of the two. I searched Mac OS X Hints for "bluetooth modem" and found some interesting info and tantalizing hints on solving the problem, but no clear-cut solution. Then I searched Google for "powerbook bluetooth modem." Again, tantalizing info including: Ross Barkman's Home Page, which includes Sony Ericsson modem scripts and a comprehensive list of GPRS settings for worldwide service providers; and Blog^2, which provides instructions for setting up a PowerBook G4 to use a Sony Ericsson T610 via Bluetooth with T-Mobile.
After trying several of the different Ericsson modem scripts that come already installed in Panther, and then trying some of Ross Barkman's Sony Ericsson GPRS modem scripts, all without success, I finally decided to concentrate on the telephone number. I decided to try the number listed in the instructions on Blog^2, since it was the only one I found that was credited as actually coming from T-Mobile tech support.
The new telephone number, "*99***2#", didn't work at first, but then I began switching modem scripts again. When I finally selected the "Ericsson R520 28.8" script, I was suddenly able to get a good connection. So the final Network Preferences settings to make my Sony Ericsson P800 act as a Bluetooth modem for my 12" PowerBook G4 are as follows:
I'm using these settings in Northern California, in the San Francisco Bay Area, so if you're located in another geographic region, then your mileage may vary. I'm a happy camper though. Now I take my "hot spot" wherever I go!
I used the option to "Build a solution around a T-Mobile phone," not really expecting it to be able to deal with my P800, since T-Mobile doesn't offer this model. But when I chose "Sony Ericsson" from the Manufacturer pop-up menu, I was delighted to find that the P800 was listed in the Model pop-up! After identifying my phone, the configurator then displayed a screen of computing devices that are compatible with my phone. Again, I was skeptical that I would find a Mac in the bunch, but lo and behold, buried in the center, near the bottom, was a small picture of an older model PowerBook labelled, "Apple Mac OS X Series" -- I selected it.
The next screen showed connection types between the phone and the laptop, and my budding optimism in the magical configurator was quickly dashed when the only connection type presented was IrDA (built-in infrared port). The 12" PowerBook G4 doesn't have a IrDA port, but I clicked the option anyway.
The next screen showed a summary of my selections so far, and provided two links: one for setting up a dial-up connection between the phone and computer, and the other link for setting up T-Mobile internet on the phone and computer. The instructions produced by these links are essentially the same, except that the "set-up T-Mobile internet" link gives you the instructions for also configuring the phone, while the "dial-up" instructions assume that your phone is already configured to access the internet and just covers the infrared set-up and computer configuration.
I skipped the infrared instructions, since my PowerBook doesn't have that port, and instead I set-up a Bluetooth port named, "T-Mobile GPRS," in System Preferences > Network. I set up this port according the instructions generated by the T-Mobile configurator:
Bluetooth Modem
PPP
- Modem: "Ericsson Infrared"
- Uncheck: "Enable error correction and compression in modem"
- Uncheck: "Wait for dial tone before dialing"
- Service Provider: "T-Mobile GPRS"
- Account Name: blank
- Password: blank
- Telephone Number: "*99#"
PPP OptionsTCP/IP
- Uncheck: "Send PPP echo packets"
- Uncheck: "Use TCP header compression"
- Configure IPv4: "Using PPP"
These setting almost worked. When I chose "Connect" form the modem menu item, the status displayed "Connecting...", then "Authenticating...", and then nothing. I eventually had to manually "Disconnect" from the modem menu. So it was back to the drawing board on the modem configuration.
Given the little bit of dangerous knowledge I know about these matters, the unchecked options having to do with dial tones, compression, and what-not seemed to make sense to me as they were, so I concentrated my troubleshooting efforts on the modem type and the telephone number. As it turns out, the problem was a combination of the two. I searched Mac OS X Hints for "bluetooth modem" and found some interesting info and tantalizing hints on solving the problem, but no clear-cut solution. Then I searched Google for "powerbook bluetooth modem." Again, tantalizing info including: Ross Barkman's Home Page, which includes Sony Ericsson modem scripts and a comprehensive list of GPRS settings for worldwide service providers; and Blog^2, which provides instructions for setting up a PowerBook G4 to use a Sony Ericsson T610 via Bluetooth with T-Mobile.
After trying several of the different Ericsson modem scripts that come already installed in Panther, and then trying some of Ross Barkman's Sony Ericsson GPRS modem scripts, all without success, I finally decided to concentrate on the telephone number. I decided to try the number listed in the instructions on Blog^2, since it was the only one I found that was credited as actually coming from T-Mobile tech support.
The new telephone number, "*99***2#", didn't work at first, but then I began switching modem scripts again. When I finally selected the "Ericsson R520 28.8" script, I was suddenly able to get a good connection. So the final Network Preferences settings to make my Sony Ericsson P800 act as a Bluetooth modem for my 12" PowerBook G4 are as follows:
Bluetooth Modem
PPP
- Modem: "Ericsson R520 28.8"
- Uncheck: "Enable error correction and compression in modem"
- Uncheck: "Wait for dial tone before dialing"
- Service Provider: "T-Mobile GPRS"
- Account Name: blank
- Password: blank
- Telephone Number: "*99***2#"
PPP OptionsTCP/IP
- Uncheck: "Send PPP echo packets"
- Uncheck: "Use TCP header compression"
- Configure IPv4: "Using PPP"
I'm using these settings in Northern California, in the San Francisco Bay Area, so if you're located in another geographic region, then your mileage may vary. I'm a happy camper though. Now I take my "hot spot" wherever I go!
Posted: Thu - February 12, 2004 at 11:02 AM
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