Please Help: using my cellphone as a dial-up modem.

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Here's what I found out:

  • There are free dial up internet providers all over north America.
  • It is possible to connect your mac to one of these, through a cellhpone via bluetooth. (check the Network settings)
  • Which essentially means free on-the-go internet EVERYWHERE. (at 56k, granted).

Here for example, you put in your area code, and you get a local number that provides free dial-up!

***

Problem is I have no idea how to set this up. I've connected my phone and my computer via bluetooth, have changed every setting imaginable, and it won't work. I keep getting:

could not open the communication device.

Can someone PLEASE walk me through this, step-by-step?

I'm on an LG phone, using Fido as my network (I don't know if this makes any difference).

I've just started an online business, which means that I spend a lot of time online; and I'm sick of being indoors. I would love to be able to go work in a forest somewhere by a stream. — I have no money at them moment for wireless internet service.

Thanks everyone!
 
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2019 iMac 27"; 2020 M1 MacBook Air; macOS up-to-date... always.
Here's a complete walkthrough on how to do this. Your error code is addressed briefly… nothing specific other than to make sure everything is connected correctly.
GSM Phone as Mac OS X Modem

EDIT: That walkthrough was made for an older version of OS X, so some details may have been moved around a little, depending on what version you have.
 

Slydude

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M1 MacMini 16 GB - Ventura, iPhone 14 Pro Max, 2015 iMac 16 GB Monterey
I ran into a problem last summer which frustrated me and the Sprint tech rep for at least a half hour or more. I had already looked up the appropriate codes but kept getting a dropped connection. He couldn't get the mac side working so he insisted I try my XP partition. He eventually hung up and i got it working on my own. Never did get the Win side working.

Couple of things that might be an issue:
1. Double check the appropriate code used for your phone by your provider.
2. Some phones, like my Centro, require a separate piece of software on the phone to kick it into data mode.
3. I also had to purchase a "phone as modem" a.k.a. PAM plan from the cell phone provider despite having been assured I already had that. Once I had that done the problem went away.
 

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