How To Use Your GSM Cell Phone as a
Bluetooth Modem on Mac OS X

(a.k.a. the Wireless Internet you already have)

John R Chang
Modified: 28 March 2006, 2 November 2005, 10 January 2005
Created: 16 October 2003

Here's how you can get your Mac on the Internet using your GSM cell phone (e.g. T-Mobile, Cingular, AT&T). If you have a CDMA cell phone (e.g. Verizon Wireless, Sprint PCS), see instead How To Use Your CDMA Cell Phone as a USB Modem in Mac OS X. The instructions on this page assume you're using Bluetooth to connect your phone to your computer.

You need:

• A Mac with Bluetooth. Get a D-Link Bluetooth USB Adapter if your computer doesn't have built-in Bluetooth.
• Mac OS X v10.4 Tiger, v10.3 Panther, or at least v10.2 Jaguar.
• A GSM phone that supports Bluetooth (e.g. Sony Ericsson T68i or T610).
• An Internet Service Provider (ISP) dial-up account, e.g. EarthLink,
  or
  GPRS data service from your cellular provider, e.g. T-Mobile Internet option. [Previously this worked with the "t-zones" option, but now port 80 is blocked unless you're paying for "T-Mobile Internet." -jrc 1/10/05]

Dial-Up Account vs. GPRS Service

With most GSM phones, you have two ways to get online. The first is to use your cell phone as a traditional analog telephone modem. You'll use voice minutes from your existing cell phone service plan, and you'll connect using a standard PPP-based ISP dial-up account, such as EarthLink. This approach is slower and less reliable, but costs nothing extra if you already have an ISP account.

The second is to use your cellular provider's GPRS service. Since GPRS is a digital data service, you don't connect through analog modems, so both connection and data transfer speeds are faster. If you've subscribed to WAP service ("wireless web") on your cell phone, you may already GPRS enabled; however, most providers charge by the amount of data transmitted per month.

	Dial-Up Account	GPRS Service
Cost	$21.95/month (EarthLink Dialup)	$20/month (T-Mobile)
Charged By	Time (voice minutes)	Data size (MB transferred)
Speed	Slower (~9600 bps)	Faster (~33.6 Kbps)

First-Time Setup

1. Download and install a modem script for your phone if necessary.

Dial-Up Account	GPRS Service
Mac OS X ships with a number of modem scripts.	Skip this step.

2A. Use the Bluetooth Setup Assistant to set up your phone.

1. Open Applications -> Utilities -> Bluetooth Setup Assistant.
2. Select the "Mobile Phone" device type.
3. Complete the pairing process.
4. Select "Access the Internet."
   

   

   Dial-Up Account	GPRS Service
   Choose "Dial a specific access number..."	Choose "Use a direct, higher speed connection...."

5. On the next panel, enter the necessary information:

   Dial-Up Account

   GPRS Service

   Enter the Username, Password, and Phone Number for your ISP account. Choose the appropriate modem script for your phone. If one doesn't exist, try one that looks like it could possibly work. (For example, "Ericsson T39 14.4" works with Sony Ericsson T68i/T610.) Otherwise, download and install the necessary modem scripts for your phone from http://www.taniwha.org.uk/ and try again.

   If you use T-Mobile Internet: Leave Username and Password blank. Enter the GPRS CID String for your account. I personally use "*99#". According to the T-Mobile Tier2 DDC Group: The dial string is usually *99# for Nokia Phones that already have T-Mobile Unlimited Internet (APN: internet2.voicestream.com for $19.99/mo) or T-Mobile VPN (APN: internet3.voicestream.com for $19.99/mo). Settings saved as GPRS profiles in the phone, other phones have *99***1# or *99***2# or *99***3# depending on the APN's CID# of the particular (internet2/3) GPRS profile location saved. If this doesn't work, refer to Ross Barkman's GPRS Info Page for more information. You may need to download and install a GPRS modem script for your phone.

   

or

2B. Use the Bluetooth and Network system preferences to set up your phone, using the settings described above.

Usage

1A. Use Internet Connect to establish a connection.

• Open Applications -> Internet Connect.
• Select the Bluetooth pane. (On Panther, make sure the "Main Number" configuration is selected.)
• Click Connect.

or

1B. Use the Modem menu extra to establish a connection.

• If you don't see this menu, go back to the "Modem" tab of the Network preference, and select "Show modem status in menu bar."
• Make sure Bluetooth is selected in the menu.
• Choose Connect.

Troubleshooting

"Could not open the communication device." Make sure your phone is correctly paired with your computer. Make sure your computer has Bluetooth installed and enabled.

"No carrier detected. Please check phone line connection and try again."

• Use a different or slower modem script. I got the Dial-Up method working with the "Ericsson T39 14.4" script, but not with the faster 19.2 and 28.8 scripts.
• On Panther, make sure you're setting the modem script in the right place. The "Main Number" configuration of Internet Connect corresponds to the "PPP" tab of Network preference. Other configurations in Internet Connect can be set to other modem scripts.
• Make your phone rescan for networks. (On the Sony Ericsson, choose Connectivity -> GSM Networks -> New Search.) Or, just turn off your phone and turn it back on.
• You can try fiddling with the "Wait for dial tone before dialing," "Send PPP echo packets," etc. settings, but this should not be necessary if you're using a proper modem script.

"The connection has failed. Please verify your settings and try again." If you're using GPRS, change your modem script to a different CID number and try again.

"No answer from the remote site. Please verify your phone number and try again."

• If you're using GPRS, make sure you're within range of data service. Try browsing the web on your cell phone. Contact your cellular provider for support if GPRS does not work.
• Make your phone rescan for networks. (On the Sony Ericsson, choose Connectivity -> GSM Networks -> New Search.) Or, just turn off your phone and turn it back on.

Tips

Casey Z got his Motorola RAZR working over USB: "I connected my Motorola RAZR V3 to my Mac and it auto detected it as a modem. I went into the settings and changed to modem to a JRC USB Modem which was in the list. afterwards I used *99# as the phone number and it connected without a problem."

If you have a question, please re-read the above, then visit the maccellphone forum. If you have a comment, you can write to , but I can't respond to individual technical questions. Thanks for understanding.