Re: [gentoo-user] Re: Cell phone as modem
Has anyone attached their cell phone to their Gentoo system to act as a modem? Would this work? http://homepage.mac.com/jrc/contrib/tzones/ Or, would there be driver issues? That kind of thing would work, the tricky part is making it work while traveling internationally. You basically can't bring a cell phone to a place like Costa Rica (for example), you have to buy/rent one there. Did you read the fine print when you signed up for the temporary Costa Rican cell service at the corner store? Do you have a Costa Rican ISP you can dial up to? What are you being charged for international calls home? Is there good cell reception where you're staying? What is this costing all together? $50/week and $7.95/MB for work-pretty-much-anywhere satellite service which weighs less than 1kg doesn't sound so bad. The same satellite company will mail you the setup whenever you need it. All in all, I think it makes sense to pick one of the five options whenever traveling to a specific destination (dial-up, wireless, GSM, CDMA, satellite) based on what you know will be available. Do yourself a favor and don't hope it will work out when you get there. That has ended in disaster for me. If you aren't sure, get the satellite. Otherwise, maybe you know the hotel has wireless, or you can dial up a local ISP from your room, or you know GSM service will be solid and they sell SIM cards in that country, etc. - Grant -- [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailing list
Re: [gentoo-user] Re: Cell phone as modem
On 5 Dec 2007, at 08:53, Grant wrote: That kind of thing would work, the tricky part is making it work while traveling internationally. You basically can't bring a cell phone to a place like Costa Rica (for example), you have to buy/rent one there. Did you read the fine print when you signed up for the temporary Costa Rican cell service at the corner store? Do you have a Costa Rican ISP you can dial up to? What are you being charged for international calls home? Is there good cell reception where you're staying? What is this costing all together? Sounds more like a Costa Rica problem than a gentoo/gsm/gprs/etc issue.. When I'm in Barbados on business I can happily use my Rogers (Canadian GSM) SE W880i as a GPRS modem. Though that requires being happy to pay the rather expensive data roaming charges. So although I have it with me, it's the backup option. 802.11 wireless is the primary connectivity. It used to be a huge pain finding a wireless signal but then I built a WokFi antenna. A wifi USB adapter, mesh cooking utensil, tripod and usb extension cable can be sourced for the price of a day or two of satellite access. It all collapses down nicely and hasn't failed me to date. YMMV -- Christopher -- [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailing list
Re: [gentoo-user] Re: Cell phone as modem
That kind of thing would work, the tricky part is making it work while traveling internationally. You basically can't bring a cell phone to a place like Costa Rica (for example), you have to buy/rent one there. Did you read the fine print when you signed up for the temporary Costa Rican cell service at the corner store? Do you have a Costa Rican ISP you can dial up to? What are you being charged for international calls home? Is there good cell reception where you're staying? What is this costing all together? Sounds more like a Costa Rica problem than a gentoo/gsm/gprs/etc issue.. When I'm in Barbados on business I can happily use my Rogers (Canadian GSM) SE W880i as a GPRS modem. Though that requires being happy to pay the rather expensive data roaming charges. So although I have it with me, it's the backup option. 802.11 wireless is the primary connectivity. It used to be a huge pain finding a wireless signal but then I built a WokFi antenna. A wifi USB adapter, mesh cooking utensil, tripod and usb extension cable can be sourced for the price of a day or two of satellite access. It all collapses down nicely and hasn't failed me to date. YMMV That sounds interesting. I had a look at the WokFi wikipedia page. So you have always been able to find an unencrypted signal when you're traveling? How many times has this worked? If you're on business you must be staying in hotels in the middle of town right? - Grant -- [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailing list
Re: [gentoo-user] Re: Cell phone as modem
On 5 Dec 2007, at 15:56, Grant wrote: 802.11 wireless is the primary connectivity. It used to be a huge pain finding a wireless signal but then I built a WokFi antenna. A wifi USB adapter, mesh cooking utensil, tripod and usb extension cable can be sourced for the price of a day or two of satellite access. It all collapses down nicely and hasn't failed me to date. YMMV That sounds interesting. I had a look at the WokFi wikipedia page. So you have always been able to find an unencrypted signal when you're traveling? How many times has this worked? If you're on business you must be staying in hotels in the middle of town right? - Grant -- [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailing list I've used the GPRS modem twice during all the trips to Barbados. The WokFi has worked well at various hotels and an apartment complex along the island's west coast so none of the use was in the middle of town in the traditional sense. It's not a panacea, but I can connect to networks that don't even show up on my Eee's built-in wireless. It's inexpensive to build your own and a handy tool to have in your arsenal. -- Christopher -- [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailing list
Re: [gentoo-user] Re: Cell phone as modem
On Tuesday 04 December 2007, Grant wrote: I was looking for a relatively easy way to get online in most places around the world, but maybe GSM isn't it. I swore off WIFI hunting after visiting the Greek island of Corfu, and from jiwire.com it looks like there is still nothing there. Check this out though: http://www.geofone.net/bgan-sale.htm These are lightweight, plenty fast, USB, Bluetooth, ethernet, and the page even mentions Linux. $20/day and $7.95/MB doesn't sound so bad. How can I figure out how much data I send/receive right now during minimal operation? Don't know how long you intend staying connected each day, or how much data you need to up/download, but $20 a day doesn't exactly hit me as a deal . . . That's well more than what I would expect to have to pay a month, even when I am on international roaming charges away from home. From what I can tell, there just isn't a good solution for staying connected while traveling around the world yet. I think a lightweight, fast satellite connection like the ones in that link would be perfect, but they are a bit expensive. Not as expensive as the last time I looked though. That's right, they are along with satellite cell phones slowly reducing in price. Connecting via GSM sounds like a cheaper solution but I wonder how it would end up after phone rental charges, There may be no need to rent, unless you're off to Costa Rica. A lot of PAYG deals throw in a phone for free over here. SIM cards, SIM cards are usually free (again I am only speaking for the UK market - YMMV), or cost no more than $20 and you get some free calls for that. international voice charges, OK, this can be a sting in the tail, some providers were charging too much for roaming abroad. The telecoms regulator has brought this under control lately by capping the charges. When I roam around Europe I can still ring my ISP's UK dialup number for a reasonable cost. however they charge you for local data, local dial-up charges, getting ripped by the fine print because you're likely dealing with a different company every time, gas and time spent looking for a good signal and power outlet, etc. I know what you're saying, but WiFi coverage is increasing, even in rural areas. OK, Corfu may still be an exception although the Starbux monopoly is spreading its wings across the globe. Sometimes the local council may compete for WiFi provision. I saw tens of kids with laptops hanging around and browsing obsessively in a central square in Athens, Greece, a couple of months ago. I was told that this is a free WiFi hotspot offered by the Mayor to promote new technologies. You could also find that a lot of hotel lobbies (my favourite option) offer peace quite, a drink and a few hours of uninterrupted Internet usage. Some of the hotels may charge for WiFi usage, but many more do not. With a satellite connection it's straightforward. You always deal with the same company and it works right from your hacienda on the beach. In my experience, staying connected on the road is really hard. A satellite system would make it really easy, but somewhat expensive. Sure, but satellite reception and bandwidth is not always as good as it sounds. I remember seeing a comparison between different Internet access media and the satellite Internet access did not exactly come on top. Reception was patchy (can't recall where they were trying it out) and at times throughput was no higher than a fixed line dialup connection. Depending where you are you may have to wait for Uncle Sam's sat to fly above before you can hook up. Notwithstanding the above your needs do no doubt vary from mine and a satellite may well be the best solution. for you Getting your company to pay for it may be the best option. Trying it out from a retail place, or the next local electronics show could give you a taster under optimum conditions. Good luck. -- Regards, Mick signature.asc Description: This is a digitally signed message part.
Re: [gentoo-user] Re: Cell phone as modem
With a satellite connection it's straightforward. You always deal with the same company and it works right from your hacienda on the beach. In my experience, staying connected on the road is really hard. A satellite system would make it really easy, but somewhat expensive. Sure, but satellite reception and bandwidth is not always as good as it sounds. I remember seeing a comparison between different Internet access media and the satellite Internet access did not exactly come on top. Reception was patchy (can't recall where they were trying it out) and at times throughput was no higher than a fixed line dialup connection. Depending where you are you may have to wait for Uncle Sam's sat to fly above before you can hook up. Notwithstanding the above your needs do no doubt vary from mine and a satellite may well be the best solution. for you Getting your company to pay for it may be the best option. Trying it out from a retail place, or the next local electronics show could give you a taster under optimum conditions. Check this out: http://www.satphonestore.com/index.cfm?page=rentals $50/week and $7.95/MB sounds affordable. I'll have to do some testing to see what kind of data charges I might incur at that rate but that sounds pretty good to me. - Grant -- [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailing list
Re: [gentoo-user] Re: Cell phone as modem
Grant wrote: If both Sprint and Verizon offer it, there is probably a good chance that ATT and/or T-Mobile do too. Neither Sprint nor Verizon offer GSM, they use CDMA, thus you can't travel anywhere (that I know of) with those phones. If you are looking for a world phone, get a quad-band GSM phone, Cingular/ATT or T-Mobile carries them in the US, in Europe everyone carries them. I'm talking about the free dial up service above, not GSM. - Grant Ahh, ok, sorry, I miss understood. I use my cell (GSM) to go on the internet, and if I don't use UMTS and GPRS (turn it off), I just get charged local (per minute) rates to connect to the internet, but maybe it's diff. with other carriers. -Gabriel -- [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailing list
Re: [gentoo-user] Re: Cell phone as modem
On Monday 03 December 2007, Grant Edwards wrote: On 2007-12-03, Grant [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: What I do is use Verizon CDMA (far better coverage than any of the GSM networks) in the US and I have a GSM phone that I use internationally. You can get good used unlocked tri and quad-band GSM phones for $20 and up. You can get brand new ones for $30 and up. I got nearly new used Noka candy-bar phone that's US-only for $18 off craig's list and a brand-new quad-band Motorola V190 off ebay for $40. Just for giggles I have a ATT pre-paid SIM for my GSM phones so I can use them as backups in the US. Speaking of SIM cards. Could I buy a local SIM card in a different country and use it for official data access while I'm there? Maybe. In the US, data plans aren't usually available for pre-paid SIM cards. I've never tried to get data service outside the US -- only prepaid voice and text messaging. In Europe GSM is synonymous with cell phone (as far as I know analogue cell phone networks are no longer available to retail customers). You can buy Pay-As-You-Go SIM cards for less than $20 dollars equivalent. If you want a new phone with that, you may have to pay a bit more, but not much. I wouldn't be surprised if these days you can get a phone for 'free' as long as you buy say, $50 equivalent of Pay-As-You-Go minutes. As long as your phone is not locked by the provider (or you are prepared to unlock it yourself) it will work with any provider's SIM card. Also in Europe there are many ISP dial-up numbers, which will just cost you the price of a local call. These in the UK start with 0845- and for some/many of these you do not have to register as a user. Google for 'anonymous free dial up number UK' and you'll get a long list of 0845- numbers with username passwds. You can use your PAYG phone and SIM card to ring any of these numbers. I have not found yet any dial up numbers which are barred by cell phone providers in the UK or in Europe (at least Switzerland, France, Germany, Norway, Spain and Greece), but YMMV. To avoid paying international call rates between different countries in Europe it would make sense to search and find ISP dial up numbers for each country that you intend to visit. All of the above deals with numbers which are dialed up using plain GSM (TDMA or 2G technology). That's slw but cheap if you only intend to stay on line for short periods of time (e.g. downloading a couple of plain text emails) since charging is structured around the period of time that you stay connected. For larger downloads you need more bandwidth which in (most/all? of) Europe means a GPRS connection (FDMA, or 2.5G) and charging structure: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Packet_Radio_Service With this you can stay connected as long as you want - you only pay for the kb of data that you up/download. As always Google should be able to show you loads of deals that are available these days to choose between providers. PAYG top-up cards containing the necessary codes that register your SIM with the respective cell phone network are available widely from corner shops and kiosks. Any GSM cell phone sold today can access both GSM GPRS services. More recently 3G technology (W-CDMA) has been made available in Europe and along with 3G enabled cell phones, cardbus, or USB 3G modems are being sold as the latest best gadget to get your laptop online (Internet). There's even 3G cell phones sold by Nokia with a Skype button on them. This allows you to make Skype (free) calls to other Skype users. More on 3G here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3G With regards to the mechanics of placing a call, you can use a USB cable (assuming one comes with the phone), bluetooth, or irda. Just like dialing a dial-up number with your desktop, you load up the relevant driver, identify the new interface and connect to it using e.g. kppp. You will need to set up your phone to accept connections over the relevant interface/ act as you would with a PCI modem. Hope this helps to fill in the picture for Europe. Googling for relevant mobile services deals in UK will get you price plans and what not. HTH. -- Regards, Mick signature.asc Description: This is a digitally signed message part.
Re: [gentoo-user] Re: Cell phone as modem
In Europe GSM is synonymous with cell phone (as far as I know analogue cell phone networks are no longer available to retail customers). You can buy Pay-As-You-Go SIM cards for less than $20 dollars equivalent. If you want a new phone with that, you may have to pay a bit more, but not much. I wouldn't be surprised if these days you can get a phone for 'free' as long as you buy say, $50 equivalent of Pay-As-You-Go minutes. As long as your phone is not locked by the provider (or you are prepared to unlock it yourself) it will work with any provider's SIM card. Also in Europe there are many ISP dial-up numbers, which will just cost you the price of a local call. These in the UK start with 0845- and for some/many of these you do not have to register as a user. Google for 'anonymous free dial up number UK' and you'll get a long list of 0845- numbers with username passwds. You can use your PAYG phone and SIM card to ring any of these numbers. I have not found yet any dial up numbers which are barred by cell phone providers in the UK or in Europe (at least Switzerland, France, Germany, Norway, Spain and Greece), but YMMV. To avoid paying international call rates between different countries in Europe it would make sense to search and find ISP dial up numbers for each country that you intend to visit. Sounds pretty good. Is this a connection in the neighborhood of 14.4k? Will it will work anywhere a GSM signal is had? I searched for free dial up in the US and all I could find was Netzero and Juno which are Windows only. Do you happen to know of a dial up ISP that has numbers all over the world? I wouldn't mind paying for something like that. All of the above deals with numbers which are dialed up using plain GSM (TDMA or 2G technology). That's slw but cheap if you only intend to stay on line for short periods of time (e.g. downloading a couple of plain text emails) since charging is structured around the period of time that you stay connected. For larger downloads you need more bandwidth which in (most/all? of) Europe means a GPRS connection (FDMA, or 2.5G) and charging structure: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Packet_Radio_Service With this you can stay connected as long as you want - you only pay for the kb of data that you up/download. As always Google should be able to show you loads of deals that are available these days to choose between providers. PAYG top-up cards containing the necessary codes that register your SIM with the respective cell phone network are available widely from corner shops and kiosks. Any GSM cell phone sold today can access both GSM GPRS services. I got this from a page about bringing a cell phone to Costa Rica: If you bring it, remember that you will have to see if it is on the ICE list of approved phones, then you will need to pay someone to convert it, then you will have no warranty in either country. Why bother I guess certain phones only work in certain countries? I thought a GSM phone with a local SIM card would work anywhere there is a GSM network. Actually, wikitravel.org says: Prepaid Sim cards are not available in Costa Rica. I was looking for a relatively easy way to get online in most places around the world, but maybe GSM isn't it. I swore off WIFI hunting after visiting the Greek island of Corfu, and from jiwire.com it looks like there is still nothing there. Check this out though: http://www.geofone.net/bgan-sale.htm These are lightweight, plenty fast, USB, Bluetooth, ethernet, and the page even mentions Linux. $20/day and $7.95/MB doesn't sound so bad. How can I figure out how much data I send/receive right now during minimal operation? - Grant -- [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailing list
Re: [gentoo-user] Re: Cell phone as modem
I got this from a page about bringing a cell phone to Costa Rica: If you bring it, remember that you will have to see if it is on the ICE list of approved phones, then you will need to pay someone to convert it, then you will have no warranty in either country. Why bother I guess certain phones only work in certain countries? Sort of. Not everybody outside the US uses GSM. Japan and Korea don't. In Australia there are GSM carriers, but coverage is better using their older CDMA networks. I thought a GSM phone with a local SIM card would work anywhere there is a GSM network. That'll work for Europe and parts of Asia. Actually, wikitravel.org says: Prepaid Sim cards are not available in Costa Rica. I was looking for a relatively easy way to get online in most places around the world, but maybe GSM isn't it. GSM is as close as you're going to get unless you want to hunt for WiFi access. I swore off WIFI hunting after visiting the Greek island of Corfu, and from jiwire.com it looks like there is still nothing there. Check this out though: http://www.geofone.net/bgan-sale.htm Yieks, those things are $3K. No need to buy though. These are lightweight, plenty fast, USB, Bluetooth, ethernet, and the page even mentions Linux. $20/day and $7.95/MB doesn't sound so bad. Sounds bad to me. I guess I'm cheap. I'm working on this. I'll have to set up a comparison between GSM phone rental and satellite system rental. Lots to consider with data, international voice calls, speed, convenience, and cost. What would you use to measure how much data you're downloading and uploading to/from the internet? - Grant -- [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailing list
Re: [gentoo-user] Re: Cell phone as modem
On Monday 03 December 2007, Grant wrote: I'm working on this. I'll have to set up a comparison between GSM phone rental and satellite system rental. Lots to consider with data, international voice calls, speed, convenience, and cost. I remember reading somewhere a comparison by a guy between vanilla GSM data and GPRS. His drawn curves showing the break even point, beyond which you were probably better off using the more expensive GPRS connection. Googling should through something up. What would you use to measure how much data you're downloading and uploading to/from the internet? Other than ifconfig as was already suggested I would use iptraf. -- Regards, Mick signature.asc Description: This is a digitally signed message part.
Re: [gentoo-user] Re: Cell phone as modem
On Monday 03 December 2007, Grant wrote: In Europe GSM is synonymous with cell phone (as far as I know analogue cell phone networks are no longer available to retail customers). You can buy Pay-As-You-Go SIM cards for less than $20 dollars equivalent. If you want a new phone with that, you may have to pay a bit more, but not much. I wouldn't be surprised if these days you can get a phone for 'free' as long as you buy say, $50 equivalent of Pay-As-You-Go minutes. As long as your phone is not locked by the provider (or you are prepared to unlock it yourself) it will work with any provider's SIM card. Also in Europe there are many ISP dial-up numbers, which will just cost you the price of a local call. These in the UK start with 0845- and for some/many of these you do not have to register as a user. Google for 'anonymous free dial up number UK' and you'll get a long list of 0845- numbers with username passwds. You can use your PAYG phone and SIM card to ring any of these numbers. I have not found yet any dial up numbers which are barred by cell phone providers in the UK or in Europe (at least Switzerland, France, Germany, Norway, Spain and Greece), but YMMV. To avoid paying international call rates between different countries in Europe it would make sense to search and find ISP dial up numbers for each country that you intend to visit. Sounds pretty good. Is this a connection in the neighborhood of 14.4k? Will it will work anywhere a GSM signal is had? My really old cell phone won't go as high as that. I am getting up to 1.6KBps download speeds. This is usually on a train, going under bridges and so on. I searched for free dial up in the US and all I could find was Netzero and Juno which are Windows only. Do you happen to know of a dial up ISP that has numbers all over the world? I wouldn't mind paying for something like that. Have look here: http://www.google.com/search?q=International+Internet+dial+up+accountie=UTF-8oe=UTF-8 All of the above deals with numbers which are dialed up using plain GSM (TDMA or 2G technology). That's slw but cheap if you only intend to stay on line for short periods of time (e.g. downloading a couple of plain text emails) since charging is structured around the period of time that you stay connected. For larger downloads you need more bandwidth which in (most/all? of) Europe means a GPRS connection (FDMA, or 2.5G) and charging structure: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Packet_Radio_Service With this you can stay connected as long as you want - you only pay for the kb of data that you up/download. As always Google should be able to show you loads of deals that are available these days to choose between providers. PAYG top-up cards containing the necessary codes that register your SIM with the respective cell phone network are available widely from corner shops and kiosks. Any GSM cell phone sold today can access both GSM GPRS services. I got this from a page about bringing a cell phone to Costa Rica: If you bring it, remember that you will have to see if it is on the ICE list of approved phones, then you will need to pay someone to convert it, then you will have no warranty in either country. Why bother That means that Costa Rica is a bit complicated when it comes to GSM access, or do they expect you to buy one of their phones just for a few days in their country?! I guess certain phones only work in certain countries? I thought a GSM phone with a local SIM card would work anywhere there is a GSM network. Actually, wikitravel.org says: Prepaid Sim cards are not available in Costa Rica. It seems to me that Costa Rica has some restrictive commercial practices (probably trying to block cheap imports/stolen phones from the States hitting the local trade?) I was looking for a relatively easy way to get online in most places around the world, but maybe GSM isn't it. I swore off WIFI hunting after visiting the Greek island of Corfu, and from jiwire.com it looks like there is still nothing there. Check this out though: http://www.geofone.net/bgan-sale.htm These are lightweight, plenty fast, USB, Bluetooth, ethernet, and the page even mentions Linux. $20/day and $7.95/MB doesn't sound so bad. How can I figure out how much data I send/receive right now during minimal operation? Don't know how long you intend staying connected each day, or how much data you need to up/download, but $20 a day doesn't exactly hit me as a deal . . . That's well more than what I would expect to have to pay a month, even when I am on international roaming charges away from home. -- Regards, Mick signature.asc Description: This is a digitally signed message part.
Re: [gentoo-user] Re: Cell phone as modem
I was looking for a relatively easy way to get online in most places around the world, but maybe GSM isn't it. I swore off WIFI hunting after visiting the Greek island of Corfu, and from jiwire.com it looks like there is still nothing there. Check this out though: http://www.geofone.net/bgan-sale.htm These are lightweight, plenty fast, USB, Bluetooth, ethernet, and the page even mentions Linux. $20/day and $7.95/MB doesn't sound so bad. How can I figure out how much data I send/receive right now during minimal operation? Don't know how long you intend staying connected each day, or how much data you need to up/download, but $20 a day doesn't exactly hit me as a deal . . . That's well more than what I would expect to have to pay a month, even when I am on international roaming charges away from home. From what I can tell, there just isn't a good solution for staying connected while traveling around the world yet. I think a lightweight, fast satellite connection like the ones in that link would be perfect, but they are a bit expensive. Not as expensive as the last time I looked though. Connecting via GSM sounds like a cheaper solution but I wonder how it would end up after phone rental charges, SIM cards, international voice charges, however they charge you for local data, local dial-up charges, getting ripped by the fine print because you're likely dealing with a different company every time, gas and time spent looking for a good signal and power outlet, etc. With a satellite connection it's straightforward. You always deal with the same company and it works right from your hacienda on the beach. In my experience, staying connected on the road is really hard. A satellite system would make it really easy, but somewhat expensive. - Grant -- [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailing list
Re: [gentoo-user] Re: Cell phone as modem
Has anyone attached their cell phone to their Gentoo system to act as a modem? Yes. My Verizon LG VX4400 works fine as a modem. When plugged into a USB port, it shows up as /dev/ttyUSBn. You can dial up any landline modem you like using AT commands, or you can dial up Verizon's internal ISP number. The connection looks exactly like any other PPP connection via a serial modem. Verizon provides low-speed (14.4Kbps) internet access for free (doesn't cost you anything but normall calling minutes). The free low-speed access isn't officially supported: you won't find it listed in your contract. But, it's always worked for me when I've needed it (I haven't tried it for a few months, so YMMV). Higher speed access requires a data plan. Nice, I'm very glad to hear it works so well. I guess something like that would work even over an analog connection. AFAIK, most of the Verizon phones can work as modems. At least that was true back when I was reading up on the subject (about 4-5 years ago). AFAICT, all the other US carriers required you to pay for a data plan if you want to use your phone for tethered internet access. Unless you just dial another ISP right? This would be great for traveling. I'm with Sprint (no contract) but I think I'll switch to T-Mobile because from what I understand they are the only cell phone provider in the US which uses the GSM band. GSM is a TDMA protocol, not a band. GSM can be (and is) used on the same RF bands as the CDMA protocols used by Verizon and Sprint. ATT is also GSM, BTW. That way I should be able to use the phone/modem internationally. That depends. The bands used by GSM phones in the US are different than the bands used in other countries. Many of the GSM phones available in the US are 1 or 2 band phones that won't work internationally. If you want to use the phone internationally, make sure it's a 3 or 4 band phone. Definitely. - Grant -- [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailing list
Re: [gentoo-user] Re: Cell phone as modem
Yes. My Verizon LG VX4400 works fine as a modem. When plugged into a USB port, it shows up as /dev/ttyUSBn. You can dial up any landline modem you like using AT commands, or you can dial up Verizon's internal ISP number. The connection looks exactly like any other PPP connection via a serial modem. Verizon provides low-speed (14.4Kbps) internet access for free (doesn't cost you anything but normall calling minutes). The free low-speed access isn't officially supported: you won't find it listed in your contract. But, it's always worked for me when I've needed it (I haven't tried it for a few months, so YMMV). Higher speed access requires a data plan. Nice, I'm very glad to hear it works so well. I guess something like that would work even over an analog connection. On a true analog (800MHz AMPS service) cell phone, I've had pretty decent success using MNP5 modems up to about 2400 baud. The standard CCITT error dectection/correction schemes used on landline modems isn't resilient enough for RF links. Good luck finding MNP5 analog modems. ;) Multitech in St. Paul was the last vendor I knew about that sold them, and that was 10+ years ago. If you're talking about an analog connection to a digital phone, it just won't work. The Codecs that digital phones use are optimized for human speech and won't pass QPSK (or even FSK) modem signals in a usable manner. What I meant there was that I should be able to dial up in this manner even if the signal is reported to be analog instead of digital. Is that true? Are you saying it depends on whether or not the phone is capable of 800MHz AMPS service? AFAIK, most of the Verizon phones can work as modems. At least that was true back when I was reading up on the subject (about 4-5 years ago). AFAICT, all the other US carriers required you to pay for a data plan if you want to use your phone for tethered internet access. Unless you just dial another ISP right? I don't think so. According to what information I could gather, I don't think the other carriers provide data connections to dial-up landline numbers without a data plan. I'm not sure they even provide that _with_ a data plan. If you find out otherwise, post a followup. I'd be particularly interested in Sprint and QWest (which uses Sprint's network). The problem is that you can't send modem carrier over a digital cell phone. The phone implements AT commands in order to pretend it's a modem for the convenience of user software. It's not, however, a modem at all. It's just passing on digital data that's carried by the wireless protocol in use (GSM/TDMA or 1xRTT/CDMA). When you dial up a landline with a digital cell phone, the wireless carrier actually has to connect a modem to a landline at the carriers switch and dial the number. The digital data from the cellphone is then routed to that modem. If you're using the wireless carrier as the ISP, then there are no modems involved at all: the digital data from the modem is simply routed onto the Internet. I see. So the only ways you know of to get a laptop online with a cell phone are with a data plan in a digital service area, or with any Verizon plan in either an analog or digital service area? - Grant -- [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailing list
Re: [gentoo-user] Re: Cell phone as modem
Nice, I'm very glad to hear it works so well. I guess something like that would work even over an analog connection. On a true analog (800MHz AMPS service) cell phone, I've had pretty decent success using MNP5 modems up to about 2400 baud. The standard CCITT error dectection/correction schemes used on landline modems isn't resilient enough for RF links. Good luck finding MNP5 analog modems. ;) Multitech in St. Paul was the last vendor I knew about that sold them, and that was 10+ years ago. If you're talking about an analog connection to a digital phone, it just won't work. The Codecs that digital phones use are optimized for human speech and won't pass QPSK (or even FSK) modem signals in a usable manner. What I meant there was that I should be able to dial up in this manner even if the signal is reported to be analog instead of digital. Is that true? I still don't understand what you're asking. Unless you're 800MHz AMPS service, it's all digital. There is no analog signalling on the network. If you're using an 800MHz AMPS service, then the voice channel is an analog FM link band-limited to 300-3KHz with C message weighting (just like a landline phone connection). You can push an analog modem signal through that voice channel, but the channel quality varies a lot and you need a really bullet-proof error-correction scheme like MNP5. What I'm trying to determine is, if ATT or T-Mobile have the type of service you're describing: 1. will it work in both analog and digital service areas 2. does the phone need to support anything in particular to use it Are you saying it depends on whether or not the phone is capable of 800MHz AMPS service? I guess so. The carriers are going to shut down AMPS service soon anyway. It's just passing on digital data that's carried by the wireless protocol in use (GSM/TDMA or 1xRTT/CDMA). When you dial up a landline with a digital cell phone, the wireless carrier actually has to connect a modem to a landline at the carriers switch and dial the number. The digital data from the cellphone is then routed to that modem. If you're using the wireless carrier as the ISP, then there are no modems involved at all: the digital data from the modem is simply routed onto the Internet. I see. So the only ways you know of to get a laptop online with a cell phone are with a data plan in a digital service area, or with any Verizon plan in either an analog or digital service area? If you're using analog service, you can use any carrier that allows normal phone calls to access a dial-up modem. You just need a phone with a phone jack into which you can plug an analog modem. Motorol bag style phones used to have a accessor that plugged between the handset and the radio which provided a modem jack. I don't think you're going to find too many current phones that provide an analog modem jack. I don't think I'll have any luck finding a cell phone with an analog modem jack. Were you using an analog modem plugged into your cell phone with the service you were first describing? Sprint also apparently has a free low-speed Internet access service similar to Verizon's QNC service. I don't know if Sprint's free low-speed service allows you dial up a landline-modem or not. FWIW, I just plugged my VX4400 into my laptop, and Verizons low-speed QNC service is still working. There are rumors that Verizon is about to pull the plug on QNC, but those rumors have been around for years. I've got to go with GSM. If both Sprint and Verizon offer it, there is probably a good chance that ATT and/or T-Mobile do too. - Grant -- [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailing list
Re: [gentoo-user] Re: Cell phone as modem
What I'm trying to determine is, if ATT or T-Mobile have the type of service you're describing: 1. will it work in both analog and digital service areas 2. does the phone need to support anything in particular to use it ATT and T-Mobile are both GSM (digital) only. They don't have any AMPS service. AFAIK, only the older CDMA carriers (Verizon, Sprint, Alltel, etc.) have AMPS service -- and not all of their phones will fall back to AMPS even if there is AMPS service available). Most/all of the AMPS service is going away soon anyway. I think that pretty much all GSM phones support data calls (I could be wrong). Whether or not the network will allow them without paying extra for a data plan is the question. Got it. Is this official data plan service something that will work anywhere a GSM signal is had, or does there need to be a special type of service in the area? I don't think I'll have any luck finding a cell phone with an analog modem jack. Were you using an analog modem plugged into your cell phone with the service you were first describing? No. The free low-speed service offered by Verizon (and apparently by Sprint) is all-digital. You just need a phone and a data-cable. NB: it's possible that not all phones are data-call capable or that the carrier has disabled that feature in some phones. The tough part is that at least Verizon's support for minutes-only data-calls is strictly unofficial. If you stop at a store, they will claim (probably truthfully) to know nothing about it. If you call Verizon support, the 1st line support staff will also know nothing about it. If you can work your way up a few layers, you can probably find somebody who does know about it, but even they might not be allowed to talk to you about it. I've got to go with GSM. If both Sprint and Verizon offer it, there is probably a good chance that ATT and/or T-Mobile do too. Could be. If you find out, let us know. :) What I do is use Verizon CDMA (far better coverage than any of the GSM networks) in the US and I have a GSM phone that I use internationally. You can get good used unlocked tri and quad-band GSM phones for $20 and up. You can get brand new ones for $30 and up. I got nearly new used Noka candy-bar phone that's US-only for $18 off craig's list and a brand-new quad-band Motorola V190 off ebay for $40. Just for giggles I have a ATT pre-paid SIM for my GSM phones so I can use them as backups in the US. That's an interesting idea. It would be nice to have an ATT plan that works all over the world, but I wonder if there is a big enough difference between CDMA and GSM reception in the US to justify two phones and buying SIM cards. - Grant -- [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailing list
Re: [gentoo-user] Re: Cell phone as modem
What I do is use Verizon CDMA (far better coverage than any of the GSM networks) in the US and I have a GSM phone that I use internationally. You can get good used unlocked tri and quad-band GSM phones for $20 and up. You can get brand new ones for $30 and up. I got nearly new used Noka candy-bar phone that's US-only for $18 off craig's list and a brand-new quad-band Motorola V190 off ebay for $40. Just for giggles I have a ATT pre-paid SIM for my GSM phones so I can use them as backups in the US. Speaking of SIM cards. Could I buy a local SIM card in a different country and use it for official data access while I'm there? - Grant -- [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailing list
Re: [gentoo-user] Re: Cell phone as modem
Grant wrote: Nice, I'm very glad to hear it works so well. I guess something like that would work even over an analog connection. On a true analog (800MHz AMPS service) cell phone, I've had pretty decent success using MNP5 modems up to about 2400 baud. The standard CCITT error dectection/correction schemes used on landline modems isn't resilient enough for RF links. Good luck finding MNP5 analog modems. ;) Multitech in St. Paul was the last vendor I knew about that sold them, and that was 10+ years ago. If you're talking about an analog connection to a digital phone, it just won't work. The Codecs that digital phones use are optimized for human speech and won't pass QPSK (or even FSK) modem signals in a usable manner. What I meant there was that I should be able to dial up in this manner even if the signal is reported to be analog instead of digital. Is that true? I still don't understand what you're asking. Unless you're 800MHz AMPS service, it's all digital. There is no analog signalling on the network. If you're using an 800MHz AMPS service, then the voice channel is an analog FM link band-limited to 300-3KHz with C message weighting (just like a landline phone connection). You can push an analog modem signal through that voice channel, but the channel quality varies a lot and you need a really bullet-proof error-correction scheme like MNP5. What I'm trying to determine is, if ATT or T-Mobile have the type of service you're describing: 1. will it work in both analog and digital service areas 2. does the phone need to support anything in particular to use it Are you saying it depends on whether or not the phone is capable of 800MHz AMPS service? I guess so. The carriers are going to shut down AMPS service soon anyway. It's just passing on digital data that's carried by the wireless protocol in use (GSM/TDMA or 1xRTT/CDMA). When you dial up a landline with a digital cell phone, the wireless carrier actually has to connect a modem to a landline at the carriers switch and dial the number. The digital data from the cellphone is then routed to that modem. If you're using the wireless carrier as the ISP, then there are no modems involved at all: the digital data from the modem is simply routed onto the Internet. I see. So the only ways you know of to get a laptop online with a cell phone are with a data plan in a digital service area, or with any Verizon plan in either an analog or digital service area? If you're using analog service, you can use any carrier that allows normal phone calls to access a dial-up modem. You just need a phone with a phone jack into which you can plug an analog modem. Motorol bag style phones used to have a accessor that plugged between the handset and the radio which provided a modem jack. I don't think you're going to find too many current phones that provide an analog modem jack. I don't think I'll have any luck finding a cell phone with an analog modem jack. Were you using an analog modem plugged into your cell phone with the service you were first describing? Sprint also apparently has a free low-speed Internet access service similar to Verizon's QNC service. I don't know if Sprint's free low-speed service allows you dial up a landline-modem or not. FWIW, I just plugged my VX4400 into my laptop, and Verizons low-speed QNC service is still working. There are rumors that Verizon is about to pull the plug on QNC, but those rumors have been around for years. I've got to go with GSM. If both Sprint and Verizon offer it, there is probably a good chance that ATT and/or T-Mobile do too. Neither Sprint nor Verizon offer GSM, they use CDMA, thus you can't travel anywhere (that I know of) with those phones. If you are looking for a world phone, get a quad-band GSM phone, Cingular/ATT or T-Mobile carries them in the US, in Europe everyone carries them. -Gabriel - Grant -- [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailing list
Re: [gentoo-user] Re: Cell phone as modem
If both Sprint and Verizon offer it, there is probably a good chance that ATT and/or T-Mobile do too. Neither Sprint nor Verizon offer GSM, they use CDMA, thus you can't travel anywhere (that I know of) with those phones. If you are looking for a world phone, get a quad-band GSM phone, Cingular/ATT or T-Mobile carries them in the US, in Europe everyone carries them. I'm talking about the free dial up service above, not GSM. - Grant -- [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailing list
