- Bluetooth-enabled cell phone (mine is a Motorola Razr V3, but a 3G phone is much faster when it comes to Internet data transfers)
- Bluetooth-enabled laptop, or a laptop with a Bluetooth adapter.
- Internet data plan or a dial-up Internet account.
1.
Pair your Bluetooth phone with your laptop
Configure
your phone's BlueTooth settings to make it visible to your PC or Mac. On a Razr
phone use the following menu options:
Settings --> Connection -->
BlueTooth Link --> Setup --> Find Me
This will tell your Bluetooth phone
to broadcast a Bluetooth signal to your laptop for about 60 seconds - plenty of
time for your laptop to recognize the signal and "discover" the
device.
For Windows Vista on a PC laptop,
follow these steps:
- Click the Start button, click Control Panel, click Printers and Other Hardware, and then click Bluetooth Devices.
- Click Add, and then follow the instructions.
For OS X on a Macbook, follow these
steps:
- Open Applications --> Utilities --> Bluetooth Setup Assistant.
- Select the "Mobile Phone" device type.
- Complete the pairing process.
Your laptop will now be paired with
your Bluetooth-enabled phone, and will be able to use the phone as a wireless
internet modem. Once paired, you won't have to go through the setup steps each
time - it'll remember your device for future connections.

If you don't have a Bluetooth
adapter, you can get one from Amazon for about $15.
2.
Connect your laptop to the internet
Next you'll connect to the internet
using your cell phone as a modem. Bluetooth has a 30-foot range, so you can
leave your cell phone in your pocket (or laptop bag in my case) and never have
to touch it.

You can use a program like Motorola
Phonetools to handle the Internet connectivity, or you can try to
set it up manually using the instructions below if you're fairly technical.
For a PC running Windows Vista:
- Click the Start icon and then select the "Connect To" menu.
You'll see
the "Connect to a network" screen where your phone should be listed.
You can select "Dial-up and VPN" from the dropdown to only show your
cell phone in the list.
- Select your phone from the list, and click "Connect". You'll be prompted to enter your dial-up account user name, password, and phone number.
For a Mac running OS X:
Getting my Bluetooth phone connected
was a little harder on the Mac, and involved loading some customized modem
scripts that I found from Ross Barkman's Home Page.
The scripts I used were the Motorola GPRS Scripts, which I saved to the
/Library/Modem Scripts folder. The scripts download contains detailed
instructions in the Read Me.rtf file that's zipped up with the drivers - and
they really work.
- Set up PPP:
A. Open Network Preferences
B. Optional: Create a new location - call it "Mobile" .
C. Select "Show: 'Bluetooth Modem Port'"
D. Select the PPP tab and enter your network name in "Service Provider".
E. Enter in "Telephone Number" - the APN for your network or "None" (without the quotes)
F. Enter the Account name & Password (if required) - Set up the cell phone modem:
A. Select the Bluetooth Modem tab in Network Preferences.
B. Set 'Modem: "Motorola GPRS "' - I used the Motorola GPRS CID3 script. - Connect to the Internet:
A. Open Internet Connect (in Applications)
B. Select Bluetooth Modem Port (or the equivalent USB or IrDA port name)
C. Click "Connect"
Please refer to the Read Me.rtf file
contained in the zip file for more detailed instructions and some helpful
trouble-shooting tips.
If you're using the AT&T
MediaNet account (a GPRS plan), then you'll enter WAP.CINGULAR for the phone
number. Here's a comprehensive list of numbers to use for other GPRS internet
service providers: http://home2.btconnect.com/Taniwha/gprs.html
Once you connect to the internet
using your Bluetooth cell phone, you'll be able to browse the web, chat, check
email and do all the other things you do with a regular internet connection.
Download speed won't be fast though
unless you're using a 3G phone. Internet browsing speed with my Motorola RAZR
phone reminded me of about a 28.8k dial-up modem, which was fine for websites
containing more text than images - and certainly fine for IM. And it made the
bus commute home much more enjoyable.
If your phone is 3G-enabled, it will
give you speeds similar to a DSL home network, which is much faster than a
regular dial-up account.

For this reason, I eventually switched to using a Sierra Wireless AirCard 875u, which plugs into a USB port and provides blazing fast 3G broadband speeds. If you're a speed freak like me, then check out the article I wrote: Aircard 875u provides blazing fast connection speeds for your mobile laptop.
The Aircard makes me feel like I'm
sitting in my office with a fast internet connection. I can download large
files, and fly through web pages much faster than with a tethered cell phone
connection. For the serious road warrior, the Aircard is the way to go.
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