Is internet via Bluetooth ever free? I hope so or I'm in big trouble.

J

jenn

Guest
Somehow I got my computer to connect to the internet via Bluetooth and my Nokia 6230 phone. I didn't dial into an ISP, so it must be gprs, right?

I visited like four websites with lots of images, thinking this was only using my minutes.

Today I called Cingular and they were as clueless whether this was going to cost me as I am. One of the mentioned 1cent/k, which is gonna equal big $$ if this didn't just eat my minutes.

Was I using WAP? or GPRS? What's the difference?

Thanx guys
 
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K

Kokopelli

Guest
From the sounds of it you were using GPRS, which usually costs money. My service gives me 50 meg free a month (basically useful for pulling mail) and then charges after that.

Can you check your account online? That should tell you whether you got charged.
 
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Steel02001

Guest
To note, I think sprint is free, however, you do have to pay for its vision service.
 
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menace3054

Guest
Steel02001 said:
To note, I think sprint is free, however, you do have to pay for its vision service.


your bill is guna be like thousands! i used the internet on my cingular phone to check a phone number in the online yellow pages and i got charged $180 for data usage
 
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jessica

Guest
menace3054 said:
your bill is guna be like thousands! i used the internet on my cingular phone to check a phone number in the online yellow pages and i got charged $180 for data usage

$180? They sure saw you coming!

I've checked mail and downloaded a word doc. Spent about 20 minutes online and paid $19.00. That is what my bill said, that is what I paid. I was also connected via BT through Cingular.
 
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J

jenn

Guest
I dug deeper and determined that under my current plan, I'm paying 1 cent per k, and I used about 1mb the other day. So I owe like 10 bucks.

They told me that people establishing accounts now pay 3 cents per k, unless they pay a flat rate of at least $20mb for 5mb, which is pretty depressing (and ridiculous) after getting all excited about being able to connect over my phone.

One extra thing though: one of the cingular people (who didn't know much and wasn't very helpful) kept asking if I was dialing into an ISP. She was wondering if the call counted as a voice call, and she mentioned something about "WAP."

My big question for whoever can answer it:

Is there another (possibly much slower or less stable) way to connect via my cell phone and bluetooth that isn't so expensive? Is there another (non-GPRS) way to connect at all?

I mean, a 56k modem uses analog voice lines to connect, why can't I do it over my cell phone with speed lost to compensate for connection stability?

I am a computer illiterate moron, dammit.
 
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J

jenn

Guest
I know back-to-back posts are probably a no-no, but this thread was at the top of the pile anyway.

Here's some interesting, and partly unintelligible stuff I just found on a PC forum:

Posted: 2/22/2005 6:16pm

Quote:
...For those that haven't tried this yet, keep in mind that you cannot recieve a phone call while your phone is being used as a modem.....


To be precise, while your phone is being used like a "Dial Up Modem" (i.e. CSD or "Circuit Switched Data") you can't receive or place voice calls & your minutes are charged for all carriers as far I know. Some let you use night & weekend minutes (t-mo), some don't (Cingular's new policy).

However, if your phone is using GPRS (and, I suppose, EDGE) you can use the internet and voice features of your phone at the same time. The technology is "Packet Switched" just like DSL.

GPRS charges are for the amount of data, rather than the number of minutes. This is an important feature for most of us. I want to be hooked up all the time but most of the time I'm not actually using the internet at all; I'm reading or writing or doing nothing.

Cingular and T-Mobile use GPRS technology & also support CSD. Other providers may do so as well.

Dave


and also:

Now that dedicated data cards are down to $49 to $149, it might be worth picking one up.

Also, at least verizon is slowly expanding their broadband access service (which their $149 cards are forward compatible with) and it offers 300kbps-2mbps speeds. They'll probably have phones soon that are compatible with it too. They might already. But I'd rather have a pcmcia card in my laptop for $149 than tie up my cell phone.

$80/month is a lot, but verizon (and probably other carriers) have started monitoring bandwidth and have the right to shut down your data connection if they figure out you're using the phone as a modem tethered to your PC to avoid paying the $79/mo.

Anybody understand this stuff? I looks like there is a way to use your phone as an analog modem, but the carriers are cracking down on it. What's a "dedicated data card"?

Hmmm...

Chime in Mac gurus!
 
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J

jenn

Guest
Thanks, Steel!

I read more from that PC forum (actually a forum of mobil home enthusiasts with natural interest in mobile internet), and read that PC users have for years been able to download software that, with a data cable, enables them to connect to their dial-up ISPs the way they do over a land line.

Can this be done on PBs using Bluetooth?

I hope so!

Anybody know about this?
 
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Steel02001

Guest
Ok, for sprint users here is the deal.

If you get the Vision Premium Plan, an extra 15 dollars a month, there is no extra to connect to the internet through your phone, and it also does not count against your minutes. This also allows you 100 text messages a month and upto $10 in sprint games/ringers/apps and so on so not a bad deal really.
 
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october

Guest
I work for a cellphone company, and actually I was looking at buying a powerbook or a ibook and was checking to see if using a bluetooth phone with the pb would work for internet. Since I get unlimited internet usage for free, this is always a plus.

Most providers (att, cingular, t-mobile) use GPRS, or EDGE. But they will charge you the same for both. You are charged the same wether its used through bluetooth or usb. I know at my work they charge 3c per kb, or 1c per kb if you have a package (7.99 for 1mb) I believe Verison and possible Sprint use just wifi, and I have heard people abusing sprint by paying just the 10 or 20 dollars for unlimited internet usage.
 
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flyingpostman

Guest
The prices are insane for browsing the web using a cell phone. When are they going to learn that they are stifling any innovation whatsover. I'm bored waiting for the wife to try on clothes in a store, so I fire up the 'net on the cell phone. Do a little browsing, d/l some backgrounds, etc. $10. ***? I pay $45 CDN for broadband at home and have unlimited d/l. Then they want $10 for browsing the internet for 10 minutes using a tiny screen. I hope Wifi kills them.
 
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Steel02001

Guest
If this is a serious problem for you I would look into sprint, as much as I hate them, they seem like the only company that doesn't have huge amounts of money involved looking at all the previous posts.
 
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i used to tether my motorola v600 with a powerbook over CSD, which acts like a modem operating at 9.6K then i upgrade to the GPRS by paying 20 bucks a month which was well worth it.
 

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