Trying to get online... Any ideas?

[Boacrow]

I have recently bought a Macbook Pro and I need it to be online for work. I am completely new to the Mac world having switched over after years of PC abuse. I have been trying to find any information that I can but it all just serves to confuse me. I have a Motorola I760 that I would like to use for the modem but I can't find any information about this phone at all. What do I need to hook it up and what is the procedure? As I said I am completely new to this and the technical jargon has really got me twisted in a knot. I think I need a tutor to help me change my PC habits. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[PowerBookG4]

Did you do this with your pc?
I don't know much about the phone sorry, but if you did this with your pc, how did you connect, bluetooth, or usb?

Connect the phone however you would with the pc and then go to network connections in the system prefferences and set up your phone to connect to the internet (password, username, etc.) (if your phone is showing up then, if not come back and let us know.

 

[Boacrow]

No I have never used a cell phone as a modem before but it does sound easy. Thanks for the help. I guess it just takes time to unlearn all the PC stuff but I can already tell it's going to be worth the switch. Thanks again

 

[D3v1L80Y]

While it is possible to use a cell phone as a modem, it would be one heck of an expensive way to connect to the internet, not to mention an extremely slow one at that. If you are that concerned with connecting on the go, I would suggest looking into a provider that offers a mobile WiFi card.
Something like this. You still have to pay for the plan, but it is still cheaper than using a phone as a connection and you get a much faster connection to boot.

 

[PowerBookG4]

While it is possible to use a cell phone as a modem, it would be one heck of an expensive way to connect to the internet, not to mention an extremely slow one at that. If you are that concerned with connecting on the go, I would suggest looking into a provider that offers a mobile WiFi card.
Something like this. You still have to pay for the plan, but it is still cheaper than using a phone as a connection and you get a much faster connection to boot.

I have something like that for verizon.. it works very very well.. its definitely worth it

 

[avcabob]

While it is possible to use a cell phone as a modem, it would be one heck of an expensive way to connect to the internet, not to mention an extremely slow one at that. If you are that concerned with connecting on the go, I would suggest looking into a provider that offers a mobile WiFi card.
Something like this. You still have to pay for the plan, but it is still cheaper than using a phone as a connection and you get a much faster connection to boot.

Unfortunately that one uses a PC Card slot, which the MacBook Pro's don't have. Powerbooks did, but it was replaced with an express card slot on the MBPs. Last time I checked, there weren't any of those kinds of cards on the market yet in express card form, although they have been developed and are getting read to start shipping.

About using your cell to connect to the internet, if it has bluetooth, it's not hard at all. I used my old motorola V551 as a bluetooth modem and currently use my Nokia 6102i in the same way. But it can get expensive as it uses the data side of the plan which is expected to be used when browsing the web on the phone. When trying to browse the full size web pages, the megabytes start piling up rather quickly. It's really nice for "emergency" situations when I need to check something online and there's not hotspot near by.

 

[Aslain]

When trying to browse the full size web pages, the megabytes start piling up rather quickly. It's really nice for "emergency" situations when I need to check something online and there's not hotspot near by.

If you can get an inclusive, unlimited use plan, using your phone as a modem can be relatively painless (for your wallet).

 

[bishopazrael]

No I have never used a cell phone as a modem before but it does sound easy. Thanks for the help. I guess it just takes time to unlearn all the PC stuff but I can already tell it's going to be worth the switch. Thanks again

Hey,
it can SOUND easy, deceptivly so. I've done this for clients in construction. Its hard enought to get it to steadliy work on XP. On the Mac its a bit more complicated. It CAN be done, but as you've guessed though, some folks here who have done it are also a bit more technically inclined. So you need to know if you're going to be able to troubleshoot it should something go wrong, and trust me, with these things...something ALWAYS goes wrong. Not say to not do it, just know what you're getting into before hand.

That said, I'd go to sprint and see about this. They typically have the best data plan around. Since you're with Nextel you're covered on this.

Try going to howardforums.com and going to the nextel forum to ask about this. Thats where you're going to get your answer.

Good luck,
Bishop

 

[macAttack]

I don't see what all the concern is about, its quite easy, when you originally pair your phone with your computer you can select the preference to use it as bluetooth modem. From there on you just need to know your account name and make sure you have the service enabled, the bluetooth modem is accesible from the network section in system preferences.

 

[avcabob]

The biggest problem I ran into is not having modem scripts for my phones. As for things going wrong, every now and then it just disconnects for what seems like no reason but usually only when i have low signal. Usually turning the phone off and then back on fixes it. Like it lost connection to the data part of the network or something.

 

[Kubrickx]

Here's one for the express slot:

http://www.gearlive.com/index.php/news/article/verizon-v640-evdo-expresscard-review-810527/

 

[Boacrow]

Thanks for all the help. I'm sure I will be bugging you all for more answers to questions that are probably routine and I would like to appologize for that in advance. I'm glad I found this forum. Thanks again