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Handhelds Hardware

Internet Access via Cell Phone HOWTO 209

Posted by michael from the hints-from-heloise dept.
Nate Carlson writes "I've been searching for a decently fast, inexpensive wireless 'net access solution. It's finally here! Sprint recently cut their PCS Vision pricing so that US$40/mo gets you unlimited data and 300 voice minutes to boot. I've written up a document on how to get this working with Linux - it works great, and averages 7-12kbytes/sec download speed. All I can say is, wow!"
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Internet Access via Cell Phone HOWTO More

Internet Access via Cell Phone HOWTO

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  • Symetric? (Score:4, Informative)

    by skrowl ( 100307 ) on Wednesday November 06, 2002 @09:47AM (#4607513) Homepage
    Is it 7-12K upload speed as well

    • Re:Symetric? (Score:3, Informative)

      by Necroman ( 61604 )
      Unlimited PCS Vision. Sprint may deny or terminate service without notice where use is in connection with server devices or host computer applications, other systems that drive continuous heavy traffic or data sessions, or as substitutes for private lines or frame relay connections. Unlimited PCS Vision offer for PCS Free & Clear Plans with Vision is: (a) only available with a Vision capable PCS Phone or PCS smart phone device; and (b) not available with Connection Cards, Aircards, or any other device used in connection with a computer or PDA - including phones, smart phones or other devices used with connection kits or similar phone-to-computer/PDA accessories. Sprint reserves the right to deny or to terminate service without notice for misuse.

      They will just cut you off if you are running a server or some other mode that continuously uses up their bandwidth.

      • That's probably not his goal (Score:4, Insightful)

        by brunes69 ( 86786 ) <slashdot@keir[ ]ad.org ['ste' in gap]> on Wednesday November 06, 2002 @10:12AM (#4607718)

        Who is going to run a server on 7k/sec? He is probably asking because he is planning on doing somehting I wanted to do... take a big road trip, and bring the old laptop and digicam. The ability to quickly upload pics to your home from anywhere, combined with some short postings, makes for a nice "live" view of your trip from a website you can give your friends the URL to.



        Another possible application is security... you could have your car auto-upload its position (gathered via a cheap GPS unit) along with a snapshot of the driver (via a hidden X10 camera) to a website every half hour or something, from a hidden cheap P133 in the trunk. This would be invaluble if your car ever got stolen.

        • Just a tangent of an idea..

          I wonder about the possibility of a project that would use GPS data, a compass, declination sensor, and accurate clock to create a "world collage" of sorts.

          Most areas would remain blank, but popular touristy areas would probably get enough data together to construct some sort of 3D environment, given the proper algorithms to transform all of the 2D pictures and associated coordinates into 3D.

          • You mean like this [confluence.org]? Not automatic, but same idea.
            • Pretty close =)

              I imagine within ten years or so, the technology will probably be cheap enough to combine the following devices together into one:

              • High resolution digital cameras
              • Global wireless internet connection
              • GPS receiver
              • Cheap sensors
              At that point, it would be not only convenient, but automatic, if you opted to save your photos to the project as well as your "personal network storage location".

              I'm already seeing the beginning of this in Danger's HipTop Sidekick. Though the resolution for it's detachable digital camera is ultra-miniscule, it's enough to instantiate the concept.

              I no longer need more than a small buffer for temporary storage when I'm 24/7 on the internet. So long as it can keep uploading pictures faster than I take them, I've got the potential for unlimited storage. Once the resolution becomes more practical, I can see this as being a Very Cool Thing (TM), espeically for professional photographers.

              Eventually, when these kind of devices have GPS capability, it will be interesting =)

        • Another possible application is security... you could have your car auto-upload its position (gathered via a cheap GPS unit) along with a snapshot of the driver (via a hidden X10 camera) to a website every half hour or something, from a hidden cheap P133 in the trunk. This would be invaluble if your car ever got stolen.

          Already exists - it's called LoJack [lojack.com], and the police have the tools to track down your car with it. Plus, they cover your insurance deductible if the car is stolen, and it's almost impossible to find on the car - unlike your P133 in the trunk. Combining a Sprint Vision PCS plan, a webcam, and a PC would probably be the wrong tool here.
        • "Who is going to run a server on 7k/sec?"

          Anybody who uses ATTBI as their provider because Qworst is their only broadband alternative.
        • This is slashdot, how many times has their been an article about someone setting up a server on his z-80 or tandy or toaster?
          • dude i hate to be a fucker but you misspelled "there", you must have been tired, it is not the usefullness that counts, its the fucking "cool" factor, like running doom on a pda, why you ask? because you can, quake in java, why? just cuz..

  • Great..except it violates the new TOS. (Score:5, Informative)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 06, 2002 @09:48AM (#4607519)
    Connection to the Vision network via anything other than a Vision enabled phone is a violation of the new TOS. In fact, SPCS has gone so far as to remove the PC connection kits from stores and the online shop.

    Check out alt.cellular.sprintpcs for details.

    • Re:Great..except it violates the new TOS. (Score:5, Informative)

      by swordboy ( 472941 ) on Wednesday November 06, 2002 @09:53AM (#4607565) Journal
      Connection to the Vision network via anything other than a Vision enabled phone is a violation of the new TOS.

      No it doesn't. [sprintpcs.com]
      • Check the plans for the data-specific devices you linked to - you can't get the standard voice plans, and the data is far more expensive. $40 only gets to 20MB, and voice calls are charged per-minute.

      • Re:Great..except it violates the new TOS. (Score:3, Informative)

        by Anonymous Coward
        Yes it does. Here is the TOS for the Sprint Vision service plan copy'n'pasted (bold is my emphasis):

        Service Plan: Offer ends 12/31/02 and requires a one-year PCS Advantage Agreement. Night & Weekend hours are Mon-Thu 9pm-7am & Fri 9pm-Mon 7am. $150 early termination and non-refundable $34.99 phone activation fee applies to each phone activated on the account. Service plans not available in certain markets. Subject to credit. Depending on credit: (a) select Affiliate markets may require an initial prepayment for services; and (b) a $125 or $250 deposit may apply. Voice usage rounded to the next whole minute. Prices do not include taxes. Included minutes are not good for calls made while roaming off our network, whether local or long distance. Roaming calls are charged $0.50 per minute with an additional $0.25 per minute for long distance. Restrictions apply. PCS Vision (Data) Services: Unlimited PCS Vision offer limited to PCS Phones and is not available with any device used as a modem. Requires a Sprint Vision-enabled PCS Phone. Services are not available everywhere. Access to and downloading of premium content is not included. You will incur separate, additional charges for premium content.

      • Yes it does. (Score:5, Informative)

        by _xeno_ ( 155264 ) on Wednesday November 06, 2002 @10:16AM (#4607748) Homepage Journal
        And I quote from the Agreement for the very plan the story submitter is quoting (the plan I'm going to be switching to shortly for my phone):
        Sprint may deny or terminate service without notice where use is in connection with server devices or host computer applications, other systems that drive continuous heavy traffic or data sessions, or as substitutes for private lines or frame relay connections. Unlimited PCS Vision offer for PCS Free & Clear Plans with Vision is: (a) only available with a Vision capable PCS Phone or PCS smart phone device; and (b) not available with Connection Cards, Aircards, or any other device used in connection with a computer or PDA - including phones, smart phones or other devices used with connection kits or similar phone-to-computer/PDA accessories. Sprint reserves the right to deny or to terminate service without notice for misuse.
        The reality I got from that section is that basically if you try and use your phone as your primary Internet connection, they'll shut you down. But if you just use the phone occasionally as an alternate method of connecting to the Internet, then they'll probably leave you alone.

        Basically, what this guy is doing does go against the agreement needed to receive the "Unlimited PCS Vision" option. But yes, you can get plans that are designed for use with laptops/PDAs, but at around $40/month for 20MB total and $100/month for unlimited access. And these plans do not come with voice calling, or any features related to it - they are purely for Internet access.

        • And after I submit this I finally find the link to the agreement which does not require you to actually be signing up for a plan. Keep in mind they expect it to be popped up as a JavaScript popup, and the text really is that small, but:

          PCS Vision Advantage Agreement [pcsvision.com]

          View the plans themselves here: PCS Plans [pcsvision.com]

        • gee. here(finland, europe) we can get unlimited gprs for about 50$/month. voice calls cost of course the normal.

          zaurus+gprs phone==pr0n everywhere.
    • From SprintPCS TOS:
      Unlimited PCS Vision. Sprint may deny or terminate service without notice where use is in connection with server devices or host computer applications, other systems that drive continuous heavy traffic or data sessions, or as substitutes for private lines or frame relay connections. Unlimited PCS Vision offer for PCS Free & Clear Plans with Vision is: (a) only available with a Vision capable PCS Phone or PCS smart phone device; and (b) not available with Connection Cards, Aircards, or any other device used in connection with a computer or PDA - including phones, smart phones or other devices used with connection kits or similar phone-to-computer/PDA accessories. Sprint reserves the right to deny or to terminate service without notice for misuse.

      Depending on your translation of "host computer applications" and "not available with . . " I'm not sure it is strictly prohibited, although they do seem to hold the final right of service regardless. I could see running a remote X session or VNC over your connection falling under "host computer applications" but would browsing, e-mail, or chat if done from a connected computer? And while the won't make this plan available with PC connection accesories what stops me from purchasing cable from Sanyo or Samsung afterwards??
  • 1. Story about BMG
    2. Story about Gnutella2 (how to find BMG discs online)
    3. Story about how to access (how to access Gnutella2 while travelling) 4. ...
    5. Story about d/l pr0n from the m00n ;)

  • Wow! (Score:2, Interesting)

    by DJPenguin ( 17736 )
    That seems amazing! Too good to be true? I know that o2 (BTCELLNET) here in the UK got into trouble a while back when they advertised an "unlimited" text message price plan, which turned out to only allow 300 text messages.

    Also - anyone know of a price plan in the UK that allows unlimited data?

  • Nifty (Score:2, Insightful)

    by BShive ( 573771 )
    This is pretty cool, really 'News for Nerds'. Too bad it's Sprint though, most of the people I know that have had wireless through them have been pretty unhappy with it. Get it set up and enjoy it while it lasts, I can't see it lasting too long.

    For those on the road though this would really make sense. For those areas that actually get good Sprint connectivity. I'd love to test this out on a train and see if it'll hold up to handoffs along the way travelling the Amtrak NE corridor (Washington-Baltimore-Philadelphia-New York-Boston).
    • I've got the pseudo 3g w/ verizon and it works great on acela, almost the entire trip between boston and new york has high speed data.

    • I don't know, I've had Sprint for 5 years and really haven't had any problems with it. I drive from Dallas to Monroe, LA all the time and never lose my connection there. The only dead spot is around the DFW airport but they are supposedly building some new towers in that area. I'm thinking it might finally be time to upgrade.

  • how long will it last? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by fifedrum ( 611338 ) on Wednesday November 06, 2002 @09:50AM (#4607540) Journal
    It sounds like a good solution to some problems I've been having, rather conflicts between wanting to stay connected and wanting to hang out with the kids at the in-laws... But I can't help but wonder how long the service will be "unlimited data" before they start charging by the byte or minute once we're hooked on it.
    • It's unlimited bandwidth, but you still pay by the minute. It just means you don't have to pay by the minute AND by the byte.

      I don't know anything about the pricing plans, really, since I refuse to get a cell phone, but it seems that 300 minutes for $40 is seriously on the low side. That's only 5 hours a month of connection time - and, yes, downloading data counts as connection time.

      Disclaimer - my wife works for Sprint (FON, not PCS). It makes telemarketers asking us to switch LD companies fun though ("Can you beat free? No?").
      • That's not correct. With vision (and any GSM carrier's GPRS offering), it's packet-switched data. There are no per-minute fees. If you use the old "wireless web" or any other carriers circuit switched data system, it's the opposite - you pay by the minute, regardless of whether you're downloading anything.
    • I suspect that the *gotcha* is that while the "data" is free you start running thru your minutes while you're connected. Thus, if you're on for more than 300 minutes peak minutes you start getting charged $0.20 per minute, or whatever their rate is.
  • ...but if you have to involve your PC in the process, why bother surfing from the phone at all? You get a much better viewable area, and better browse control, through a PC than through a phone's browser. Did I just misread this writeup?
    • The article describes how to connect a PC running linux to the phone to allow surfing from the PC. He is just using the phone for "fast-ish, always-on connectivity".

      Did you think he meant that you connect the phone to an existing internet account on the PC or something? I must admit I'm not sure what you're on about :)

      I don't think he mentions surfing from the phone at all.
    • Have you ever heard of the new invention: (tada) portable PCs. Just one problem, if you want to be connected to the internet you'll need a cable, which reduced the usefulness of a portable computer. But, hey, we can connect using a phone, thus staying mobile and still having access to /.

      8-]
      • Ummmm my 3 yr old cellphone connects quite happily with IR to my laptop.

        Most new phones have bluetooth which should have some support in linux and means you can leave your phone in your pocket.

        The downside is that downloading will zap your phone batteries...
        • ...but for some applications that's ok.

          If, for example, you are on the road in a car/rv you could use the cigarette lighter adapter.
        • Mine used to. I brought it in for service and they didn't have any comparable model to replace it with. So I asked for any GSM phone with infrared.

          Know how many they had? 0. Nadda. Nil. Not a single digital phone with infrared port. Data cables, when you can find them, are $60 or so. For a cable. You know, the thing with a $3 connector at each end and ~8x6ft thin copper wires in between.

          I wish I wasn't dyslexic so I could make my own cables. Every time I try, I end up soldering half the wires backwards...
      • Just one problem, if you want to be connected to the internet you'll need a cable

        No problem here... [josef.org] =)

    • I envision it as using your cellphone as a soft-modem, however, I'm not sure

  • What next? (Score:2, Funny)

    by natron 2.0 ( 615149 )
    What has society come to? Our need for information has nearly surpassed our need for a social life. Accessing the net on our phones? Playing Doom on our phones. Looking at photos on our phones? Ok maybe I am a little bias because somebody stole my PCS phone the other day! I WILL FIND YOU AND AND...WELL I DON'T KNOW WHAT I WILL DO TO YOU BUT IT WON'T BE GOOD!!!

    • Come on, read more than the title!

      This is essentially broadband on a laptop/pc but using a cell phone to connect rather than a landline / cable / adsl.

      It's nothing to do with surfing the net on a phone, which is another story.
    • "WELL I DON'T KNOW WHAT I WILL DO TO YOU BUT IT WON'T BE GOOD!!!"

      Give him burned CDs with copyrighted music and call the RIAA... they'll know what to do to him! :)
    • I think your looking for the "Cell Phone WHYFOR"
  • This sounds like a great idea for city-folk, but for country folk like myself, I think we're out of luck. Sprints PCS towers are great, but they are concentrated around urban areas. I can use my Sprint phone at work, but at around the same place every day on my commute home, I begin to lose signal. Many of my friends have that problem as well.

    Has anyone else seen this in there area?

    • Yeah in VT (Score:1, Informative)

      by bigmoosie ( 574165 )
      In vermont Burlington is about teh only area with PCS service ... that doens't help for me who lives in St. Johnsbury and its a 2 hour commute (almost 80 miles mostly little towns with spee dlimits of 35mph) so once your out of your service area you start using extra minutes and get charged for every tower you connect to ... it gets expensive. Tri mode phones up here are god !!!
    • Have you called Sprint to tell them about the dead areas?

      The more people that call and complain, the sooner they're likely to address the issue (if they can). After all, they've got no chance at making money when you're not on the phone.

      It's the old addage: The squeeky wheel gets the oil.

  • Get 1XRTT service from Verizion, 144Kpbs (Score:5, Informative)

    by malakai ( 136531 ) on Wednesday November 06, 2002 @10:00AM (#4607631) Journal
    You can get unlimited data access from them for 90 bucks a month.

    60 bucks for the USB cable. Phone appears as a USB modem to the OS.

    -Malakai
    • I just had this service(Express Network) cancelled. For the web it's OK, if you can live with multiple software and hardware bugs. For terminal(telnet,ssh,vnc) access it's unusable as the latencies are in the satellite ISP range (pings >300ms).

      Who the hell Verizon markets the thing to anyway? I'm personally not gonna fork $100 to read slashdot and browse porn on the train. My company would if it could also be used for real work, which this POS service doesn't deliver one bit.

  • My experience (Score:3, Informative)

    by prisoner ( 133137 ) on Wednesday November 06, 2002 @10:00AM (#4607638)
    I bought one of these, along with the pc connection kit. The speed is ok but it still "seems" slow. I had great signal but it takes forever to actually contact the site. Once it starts rolling it isn't too bad but the time it takes (4-5 seconds) to get the transfer rolling sucks. Bottom line is that it's not bad for ocassional use - checking email and whatnot when you're going from place to place but I wouldn't want it as my primary net connection.

  • Has anyone had any luck with getting the kyocera 2235 usb cable to talk to linux? I get gread speeds with windows, but I can't use it at all w/ linux.

    -Geoff
  • Hmmm, if slashdot tradition holds up, soon sprint will be discontinuing this service, and quite possibly out of business.

    Hey Sprint, say "Hi" to the "I-Opener" for me.

  • Nextel's Offering (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Atryn ( 528846 ) on Wednesday November 06, 2002 @10:06AM (#4607677) Homepage
    FYI - Nextel offers PacketStream Gold $ 54.99 / month (currently 1st month free) which you can get on a phone (tether to a laptop or PDA) or on an iM1100 modem card (PCMCIA). For this price you get unlimited access to the largest packet-data network in the United States.

    Speeds on Nextel are "up to 56k" according to the PR, but reliably I have gotten 20-40 kbps in Knoxville, San Diego, Atlanta, Roanoke, and Maui, Hawaii. I've even used it driving 200+ miles at a time (well *I* wasn't driving) without dropping connection or speed at all along the way.

    • First thing I said to myself when I saw this article..

      "Holy crap, now my I-opener I have glued to my dashboard can have internet access!"

      Not kidding..

  • Unlimited PCS Vision minutes not for use with PC? (Score:3, Informative)

    by raygundan ( 16760 ) on Wednesday November 06, 2002 @10:07AM (#4607682) Homepage
    I can't seem to find it now, but Sprint had a disclaimer on their page about using the "unlimited" PCS Vision minutes with a PC. The original wording said that you could only use the unlimited time with the phone itself, not as a data connection for your laptop or whatever. Can anybody confirm if they have changed this?

  • For $40 Bucks... (Score:5, Informative)

    by telstar ( 236404 ) on Wednesday November 06, 2002 @10:07AM (#4607683)
    For $40 bucks I want Sprint to stop screwing around with their service and stop making changes that complicate things for their users. In the past 4-5 months these changes have taken effect:
    • Sprint relocated the due-date on Sprint bills making is more difficult to find the "pay by" date
    • Sprint voice-mail no longer states the name of the caller. Instead you get to listen to a verbose reading of their phone number ... adding about 10 seconds to every call
    • The voice-mail indicator requires that you stay on the call an additional 2-3 seconds longer than you used to, when picking up voice mail, in order for the indicator icon to disappear on your phone. If you hang up too soon, you'll have to call back to listen to "No new messages" before it disappears.

    This is just a sampling of the changes Sprint has made over the past few months. I can't see how any of them were implemented for any other reason than to increase their profits. Additionally, ALL mobile phone companies are guilty of delaying phone-number portability, because they know that once people can leave their network and take their phone number with them it will open up a completely new area for competition.
    • Sprint relocated the due-date on Sprint bills making is more difficult to find the "pay by" date

      Why don't you just pay your Bill when you get it?

      Your complaints seem pretty petty to me. Sprint's service is the cheapest and works almost as good. QUit you're bitch'n.
    • Additionally, ALL mobile phone companies are guilty of delaying phone-number portability

      Verizon is the guilty party here since they have the most customers to lose. Where do you think those customers are going to go? Sprint is not too unhappy about the number portability laws and indifferent about the delay.
    • The voice-mail indicator requires that you stay on the call an additional 2-3 seconds longer than you used to, when picking up voice mail, in order for the indicator icon to disappear on your phone. If you hang up too soon, you'll have to call back to listen to "No new messages" before it disappears.

      Every Sprint phone has a reset for the voicemail notification -- so in the case that you know you don't have voicemail, you can hit the reset option to get rid of the little mail icon. Its not Sprint's fault that you don't know how to use your phone.
      • If I don't have any voicemail, why should I have to press anything to reset my phone?

        My point with all of this is that they're changing their system to make it less convenient than it used to be.
    • I also note that Sprint has introduced new, lower pricing plans without bothering to modify my existing plan. Thanks, Sprint.
    • I agree that it sucks that they've changed their voicemail system so that it takes longer to get to the information you need. I've only just switched to Sprint myself, so I don't know what the old system was like... the new one seems to be okay to me.

      However, the really nice feature is that Sprint don't change a cent to get access to voicemail. No airtime, no extra fee, nada! That, I thought, was really nice. So... the extra time to wade through voicemail is just an inconvenience, rather than a revenue generator.

    • When I signed up, nights and weekend was MF 8:00 pm to 7:00 am. After taking another look at the plan, I now see nights & weekend is now 9:00 pm to 7:00 am
    • My Whole thing with Sprint is this:

      I have a Samsung I-300 Phone. I'm only about 22, don't have the best credit, so they stuck me on their "Clear pay" plan. Ok...not so bad. Their online and phone-automated credit-card payment acceptors won't take my payment, because the addresses on my credit cards go to a PO Box, and my physical address is, a--PO box! The addresses match up, but it always costs me $8/month (yes, that's 96 bucks a year) to pay my bill with my credit card!

      My next gripe is that any company that wants to charge me $3 to talk to a person (e.g., update my PRL, Change ESN's, bitch to someone about my dropped calls) shouldn't deserve my business. I've had it for about a year and a half now, and My contract is up in May. I can't wait. I don't plan on going back.

      The next bitch is that phone...the battery life is pathetic, and I get about 5 minutes per battery of cell-phone life. I take it in, they'll tell me it charges fine, but they won't do anything else about it. Looks like I'm going to have to buy a Thera and deal with WinCE when it comes out...anyway....I'm done ranting.

  • His website hosted on the phone- (here is mirror) (Score:4, Informative)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 06, 2002 @10:08AM (#4607689)
    As his phone feels the /. effect that only few can survive, and yes west exodus is barely holding on!

    Hrmm...wonder if you can play counter-strike on this bad boy. Would be cool to get a demo unit and see how well this bad boy frags!

    What sucks ass is that we just signed 2 1-year contracts for our cellphone...crap! Oh well though I have been told before that Sprint customer service sucks realy bad and service is very crappy too!

    Here is the info from his website.

    This document describes how to connect a Linux box to Sprint's "Vision" (3G) network using a Sanyo SCP-4900 and the PCS Connection Kit USB cable.

    Id: sanyo-4900 php v 1.2 2002/11/06 02:02:11 natecars Exp

    Background:
    In my ever-lasting search for high speed wireless internet access, I decided to try out Sprint PCS's new Vision service. They recently dropped their prices, so for $40/mo, I'm getting 300 anytime minutes, unlimited evenings and weekends, free long distance, and unlimited 'high speed' (56-144k) data. The best part is that it's simple to get working with Linux - all you need is the proper USB drivers, and the knowledge to set up a PPP connection. The phone cost me $99.99 (after a $50 instant rebate), and the USB cable cost me $69.99. Note that the USB cable looks like it's identical to the one that Sanyo sells directly for $29.99, if you'd like to try that cable, go to https://store.sanyousa.com/osb/showitem.cfm/Catego ry/24.

    First Step: Make sure your kernel has the right options
    To use the PCS phone, you'll need to have USB support for the USB card in your computer, and support for USB ACM devices (CONFIG_USB_ACM). The kernel included with recent versions of both Debian and RedHat includes everything you need. Also make sure you have hotplugging enabled, so that the modules will be loaded automatically.

    Second Step: Plug in the phone, and watch the drivers load
    All you need to do is plug in your phone, and all the drivers should be loaded automatically. Note that I have had a few cases where I needed to reset the phone to get the USB interface to show up. When I plug my phone in, I see the following:

    Nov 5 19:35:29 knight kernel: hub.c: new USB device 00:07.2-1, assigned address 2
    Nov 5 19:35:29 knight kernel: usb.c: USB device 2 (vend/prod 0x474/0x701) is not claimed by any active driver.
    Nov 5 19:35:33 knight /etc/hotplug/usb.agent: Setup acm for USB product 474/701/0
    Nov 5 19:35:33 knight kernel: usb.c: registered new driver acm
    Nov 5 19:35:33 knight kernel: ttyACM0: USB ACM device
    Nov 5 19:35:33 knight kernel: acm.c: v0.21:USB Abstract Control Model driver for USB modems and ISDN adapters

    Third Step: Create a dialup connection
    Now that you've got an ACM device, you just need to create a dialup connection. The 'magic number' to dial to get a connection to the Vision network is '#777'. So, use whatever method you prefer to create a dialer that will dial #777. On my Debian box, I'm using the standard 'pon' scripts. Here are the config files I use:

    /etc/ppp/peers/sprint:

    # You usually need this if there is no PAP authentication
    noauth
    # The chat script (be sure to edit that file, too!)
    connect "/usr/sbin/chat -v -f /etc/chatscripts/sprint"
    # Set up routing to go through this PPP link
    defaultroute
    # Use remote DNS
    usepeerdns
    # Default modem (you better replace this with /dev/ttySx!)
    /dev/ttyACM0
    # Connect at high speed
    230400
    local

    /etc/chatscripts/sprint:

    TIMEOUT 5
    ABORT '\nBUSY\r'
    ABORT '\nERROR\r'
    ABORT '\nNO ANSWER\r'
    ABORT '\nNO CARRIER\r'
    ABORT '\nNO DIALTONE\r'
    ABORT '\nRINGING\r\n\r\nRINGING\r'
    '' \rAT
    TIMEOUT 12
    OK ATD#777
    TIMEOUT 22
    CONNECT ""

    So, I run the command 'pon sprint', wait a few seconds, and then start surfing. I generally get ping times of 300-500ms, and download speeds of 7-12kbytes/sec. Not bad at all, considering it's a connection I can take with me everywhere I go! Note that Sprint also gives you a public IP address, where the rest of the wireless phone connections I've tried have been NAT translated. Note that this service works beautifully with FreeS/WAN as a VPN Client. Well, hope this has been helpful.. good luck getting your connection up!

    If you have any comments on this document, please feel free to drop me an e-mail at: natecars@natecarlson.com
  • I IR-connect my Sharp Zaurus to my cell phone.
    I didn't know one would need an howto for this ?!
  • Why does this story read like Ad Copy? Could it be that an Ad Plant made it onto the /. front page? Or perhaps they just have really enthusiastic customers.... ...then again, everyone I've known who has had Sprint PCS has felt like throwing their phones under a bus - I've never known anyone happy with that service (bad service areas, weird fees, crappy service reps, etc etc)
    • Ad copy promoting using Linux to connect to their service? Most of the big service providers include software to configure your connection if you're on a Windows PC, and fill your computer with advertising at the same time, for which the service provider is probably paid. Promoting a connection that potentially bypasses all that ad revenue seems to be shooting yourself in the foot, if you're Sprint.
      • Ad copy promoting using Linux to connect to their service? Most of the big service providers include software to configure your connection if you're on a Windows PC, and fill your computer with advertising at the same time, for which the service provider is probably paid. Promoting a connection that potentially bypasses all that ad revenue seems to be shooting yourself in the foot, if you're Sprint.

        I thought the grand-parent post idea that this page was created by Sprint was interesting, but knee-jerky. A quick look at his other pages (stuff he's done with Linux, photo album) and WhoIs [netsol.com] suggests he's a real guy with his own site.

        However, in general, I kind of disagree with your suggestion that Sprint would be shooting themselves in the foot by promoting Linux. On the contrary, I think it's conceivable that Sprint would try to woo the techie crowd, with particular interest in its early-adopters and bandwidth-lovers.

        Even if Sprint concedes a few bandwidth-loving users from some advertising program, they surely make more on the per-minute fees from those users than they would from the ad revenue.

  • --sorta confused here. Hmm common occurence. Anyway, at the top of the pricing I see the 300 anytime minutes deal unlimited nights and weekends, etc, but when you scroll to the bottom of the page it says 20 megs of data. Now what's the difference here? Is this one of those gotchas, you could accidentaly rack up thousands of dollars of charges surfing and not even realise it? And what about using their pcmcia card and the USB cable to connect to your already existing local dialup ISP? Would that work? Recently got a lowball kyocera that has this connectivity potential allegedly-saw the card and cable on the rack there but didn't buy it- and was wondering if it was worth it to get their card and cable and skip their network and just try my existing ISP, but this pricing deal has me worried.

    thanks for your article, BTW
    • I believe that the difference is that the unlimited datais for your phone only, and if you hook up an external device to it (like a laptop or a PDA), it's an extra charge. I think for phones like that A500, it's not an issue.
  • Would this work as an alternative to 802.11b for those who want long range, but don't need low latency or high bandwidth? Perhaps all those free internet groups setting up 802.11 access points needn't bother.

    At the very least, it is a nice way to get on IRC during a road trip, if there's coverage.
  • I got my Palm to hook up to my Sprint phone pretty easily with the help of this page:

    http://www.cs.utk.edu/~moore/hacks/05/ [utk.edu]

    Of course, it's only 14.4 (~1KB/sec) but for email and even a terminal session it's not too bad. You only get around 15 minutes/month for free, and after that it's pretty steep. But you can get unlimited service for $5/month.

    We're going on a long road trip early next year, and I plan to get unlimited for that month. Then I can check my email and even do some text websurfing from the car - you usually get good signal on major highways.

    (Just to forestall some AC troll, no, I won't be checking email while driving.)

  • But then I read the TOS:

    Sprint PCS Vision enabled devices can not be used as substitutes for private lines or frame relay connections.

    Damn... better call the phone company and tell them not to turn off my T3.

  • As someone mentioned, they use the normal Sprint Service and pay $10/mo for Wireless Web. I wanted to relate my experience with using my normal Sprint service: Sprint considers dialing out to a modem from your cell phone as a data call, it gets billed as Wireless Web minutes, which if you don't pay the monthly fee for, is some crazy per-minute rate. I found this out the hard way when I used my phone for 2 months as my primary dial-up connection with my laptop and then checked my bill ;)
    So make sure you pay for the Wireless Web feature if you're going to use minutes regularly.

    Lacoste

  • Get files to your phone (Score:4, Informative)

    by strictnein ( 318940 ) <strictfoo-slashdot AT yahoo DOT com> on Wednesday November 06, 2002 @10:56AM (#4608120) Homepage Journal
    If you're interested into getting files to your new Vision phone (and not paying for the stupid downloads that Sprint has) check out their development pages

    http://developer.sprintpcs.com/adp/welcome.do?re di rect=welcome

    Not really the greatest resource, but it contains some decent info
  • Unlimited download?! AMEN. T-Mobile has been offering wireless internet for a while but has data limits in the 10MB range/mo. That is scary. Now, if Sprint would just offer a decent affordable cell phone plan I would be very ready to ditch T-Mobile. (Im looking for free weekends, no roaming, unlimited mobile to mobile minutes, free long distance).

    I do have to wonder what the TOS on this is considering their record with Sprint Broadband Direct (which I thought looked pretty damn cool).
    • The TOS explicitly states that you are NOT allowed to do what is stated in the article. If they find you, they will either shut you down or start billing you $$$. (Note: Rumor has it that Sprint is trying to force this issue by having phone manufacturers remove PC connection capability outright from any Sprint-branded phone coming out in the future. This may or may not be true.)

      If you want PC data that doesn't violate the TOS, it's $100/month.

  • Translating the salesman lingo (Score:3, Insightful)

    by heroine ( 1220 ) on Wednesday November 06, 2002 @11:30AM (#4608455) Homepage
    After the "anytime minutes" quote, the "unlimited evenings and weekends" quote, the "$99.99 (after a $50 instant rebate)" and the "if you'd like to try that cable, go to" line, I was getting no less suspicious about the real costs than someone shopping for a car. But I wasn't shopping for anything.

    Is the "unlimited data" the same as "unlimited vision"? Is "unlimited vision" unlimited in the sense that it's unlimited if you use it on weekends only? Technically everything is unlimited if you only use 300 weekday minutes. Already got screwed by Excite@Home/AT&T broadband/Bin Laden's whore.

    At the least, the $150 phone, or rather, the "$99.90 (after $50 instant rebate)" phone is $150 more than my last phone cost. And the $528 yearly cost including tax or rather the "$40/mo" fee is $72 more per year than my last plan.

    • *disclaimer* I work at Sprint in Retention. Unlimited data is unlimited data. No time restrictions on it, and there never have been even back on the unit pricing. Data is just the non PR term for "Vision". They're one and the same.
  • from a large city... I almost bought a 3Com cellular PC modem card with the 3Com Nok6 cable that connects the pc modem to my Nokia 5165 so that I could dial my ISP from my laptop. This is a bad idea if you live in an area where AT&T doesn't provide analog service (Most large cities)... because IT WON'T WORK!

    I don't care really about the connection speeds (9.6K is fine), I just need a damn connection for a simple little application I've made but I don't want to have to pay $40. a month + $100 phone + change provider, etc.. though it looks like I'll have to.

    Ugh.

  • loophole (Score:3, Funny)

    by WhiteChocolate42 ( 618371 ) on Wednesday November 06, 2002 @12:11PM (#4608874)
    Unlimited data but only 300 voice minutes? Easy:

    1. VoIP
    2. ???
    3. Profit!!
  • Apparently, it is unrealisticly simplistic to have wireless access on the run if you have both of the following

    (1) A Palm Pilot, Handspring Visor, Clie, etc
    (2) A digital cell phone

    Then, simply put, all you need is a cable and a dialup account.

    You connect the cable to the digital "Universal(ly different) Connector" on the Palm and then to the connector on your cell phone, configure Palm (v3.1 and up) networking settings for standard dialup via (insert account info of your ISP there) and viola! You are all set.

    Problem seems to be everyone wants to sell very expensive connection "software" and cable sets. Well, most everyone. In doing a search, I ran into "The Supply Net" [thesupplynet.com] (link goes to cable for my Pam m505 and Kyocera 2135 as an example - but you can choose a myriad of combinations from the site).

    The beauty is, with the right browser software (numerous available) you are not limited to just WML pages.

    The Supply Net has instructions as well on their site. (PS: I dont work for The Supply Net, or even have any experience with other than my one order for the product indicated - they were found by doing a search on Google and not giving up till I found a reasonable solution for the Kyocera cable that is in the Kyocera catalog that Kyocera thinks doesnt exist and knows nothing about - even though it is in print)

    Hope this helps others find a cheap, reasonable speed (depends on your cell carrier), alternative to mobile wireless.

    - Rob

  • When I saw the headline, I thought the article would be about Internet access using just the phone. For those not wanting to lug around the laptop, you can download a Web browser [reqwireless.com] and email client [reqwireless.com] for the Sanyo 4900 (and most other J2ME phones).
  • I'm moving to the states (Tampa) next week, and want to know if there are any good websites with reviews.

    Has anyone tried the ATT mmode service?

    What phones to people like best?

    Comming from Europe, the cell phones in the states are very diffrent.

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