Laptop connection via mobile...?

[Thoroughly Nice Bloke...]

Can anyone please tell me if it is possible to connect to the internet with a laptop via a mobile phone…?

If so what do I need and where can I get it...?

Many thanks in advance

[BOAC]

It would help if you said what you had already!

Answer is yes

[fobotcso]

Yes, but it is usually very slow; standard is 9,600 mbits/sec unless you're going WAP.

If both your laptop and mobile have IR, then it is very straightforward. The mobile acts as the modem and there are no additional costs.

Better but much more expensive in hardware is to have a cable connection (£70) between mobile and the PC card Modem (£70-100). You have to have a Modem and Phone that support each other. PSion and Motorola go together.

I've used both methods. The IR was sufficiently unreliable to make me spend the extra on the cable.

Okay for e-mails but too slow for browsing.

[Thoroughly Nice Bloke...]

Thanks for the swift response’s,

I am about to purchase a laptop and change my mobile (Nokia 6210), so I thought I’d get some recommendations on what to buy from this very helpful forum. I am not too concerned about cost but am more interested in speed and would if possible like to stay with Nokia.

Oh, and what does IR and WAP mean…?

Thanks again

[BOAC]

Can anyone recommend an elementary technical definitions site for this guy?

IR Infra-red
WAP Wireless Application Protocol

The new generation of phones work at a much higher speed making browsing far more practical, although I have looked successfully at PPrune at 9600.

[nasib]

Nokia 6310 and bluetooth connection.

Works very well. Only problem is with most(if not all) mobile connections you cannot use freephone numbers and will be charged for the call.

I am very impressed with the 6310.

Good luck

[All Systems Go]

I use my laptop when out and about with my Ericcson T68 via IR and it works fine, as long as you don't move either of the devices as you lose sync between phone and laptop. Ericcson have a little bit of software that you load onto your computer and are the modem drivers that turn the phone into a proper modem. It even has the option for HSCD (think that's the acronym - stands for High-Speed Circuit Switched Device as far as I know) which basically means you get 33k6 as oppised to 9k6 data connection. your network has to support this technology however.

The best way to go would be to use GPRS (General Packet Radio Serivce) which is an always on high-ish speed wireless connection technology. I believe the Nokia you have/want supports both HSCD and GPRS. Bluetooth is certainly the way to go for local connectivity between a laptop and mobile phone cos it's wireless and is very reliable and more than quick enough. It is quite expensive however if your laptop isn't Bluetooth compatible. Your looking at maybe £100 for a PCMCIA card which makes your laptop Bluetooth compatible. You still, of course, need an onward connection to the internet via either standard dial up for GPRS.

[Mishandled]

An excellent site that I use for tech definitions/descriptions is

www.whatis.com

It usually has what I'm looking for.

[Thoroughly Nice Bloke...]

Thanks for the info guys/girls

Fobotcso,

The idea of the cable connection sounds good but I’m having difficulty in finding a retailer that fully understands my requirements, if you (or anybody else for that matter) have any more information that might help I would be very grateful.

Thanks again

Ps, more info on Bluetooth would also be helpful

[fobotcso]

This is a fast changing area of the datacomms world.

If you put these five lines togther as a link and scroll to the bottom when you get there where it refers to Data products it will take you to the part of the Motorola on-line shop where they are selling the complete kit from PCMCIA Modem to cable connection for the L7389 Timeport phone.

h--p://www.direct.motorola.co.uk/is-bin/

INTERSHOP.enfinity/eCS/Store/en_GB/-/GBP/

ZDetermineAccessoriesForPhone-Categories;%24sid%

24PWv1aj0plpRD7uhw22yoeCbUCvkP1Uyn?

ProductSKU=2041&CategoryName=GB_PRO_ACC_PHO

You may have difficulty communicating with the shop people as they are minimally trained but the people who man the telephone sales are better.

I had bought my tri-band Motorola Timeport from CarPhone Warehouse in 2000. I already had the Psion modem card for landline use with the laptop; so all I wanted was the cable.

This is badged "Startec" was efficiently supplied by Stardem in Wokingham after a talk-through with the sales people. It cost £97.53 inc PP/VAT! At one end it plugs into the card Modem and at the other it plugs into the bottom of the mobile 'phone where the charger goes. PC and 'phone work together beautifully.

http://www.stardem.co.uk

Bluetooth? probably won't be around in a year or two but no harm in typing "Bluetooth" into a search engine and browsing through the 1,320,000 results.

[dusk2dawn]

nasib, what kind of PCMCIA (or..) are you using in the other end ?

[nasib]

A TDK Systems PC Card.
It was a Present, but I believe just over £100.00
Ufortunately, at the time I got the present, I did not have a mobile that could use it. I therefore had to treat myself to one that does:D
As I said I am very pleasede with the Nokia 6310.

[All Systems Go]

Bluetooth, a wonderful creation. Are you sitting comfortably?

Bluetooth is a wireless technology created by Ericsson a good few years back to enable them to create what they called "personal networks". That means a network around your body. It works in the Medical and Industrial frequency band, about 2.1GHz I believe, but could be wrong, and as such is an unlicenced part of the frequency spectrum. The max. bandwidth available to one channel is around 720kB/s, but this is dependant on distance and power of the transmitting device. The personal network side comes from the need to have computers, communications and music type devices that you would normally connect using a cable of some description, and would get all tangled up. Bluetooth replaces this gubbins with the ability to have many devices using the same bit of bandwidth to talk to each other. The major applications it has at the moment are for connecting a mobile phone to a computer, and a wireless hands free kit to your mobile phone. There are such things as Bluetooth keyboards and mices in the pipe line, as well as MP3 players and the like. Its basically good for short distances (upto about 10 meters for a normal "client" device which uses a lowe power output, up to about 100 meters for "Wireless Access Points", such as for connecting your phone line at home to a wireless network. They have unlimited battery life as they are powered by the mains, and so can output bigger powers forever.

I have a Bluetooth headset which I use with my mobile phone, for when I'm in the car, and it works a treat. I intend, when I can justify it, to get a bluetooth PC card for my laptop so I can use both my ADSL connection at home anywhere in the house, and my mobile phone when I'm out and about. I currently have a good old fashioned bit of twisted pair running under the carpet at home to allow me to use the laptop on the internet else where in the house.

Hope this helps.

[Thoroughly Nice Bloke...]

Many thanks for the information guys/girls...

Very helpful

TNB

[RomeoTangoFoxtrotMike]

TNB,

I use a Nokia 6210 to connect up with my Toshiba Satellite with a cable connection (both the phone and the cable came from the Carphone Warehouse, who I generally find to be helpful and knowledgeable.)

This work pretty well, albeit a little more slowly than you'll be used to but is fine for the wemail interface that I run for myself ;) .
Occassionally the phone and the PC will get confused about the state of the connection, but a quick reboot of the phone sorts that out.

Feel free to get back to me if you want more info.

HTH