Can you connect a mobile to a desktop?

lukin

This probably sounds like a daft question, but bear with me.
I live in a house that hasn't got a landline and I was wondering if there is a mobile phone out there that connects to a desktop in order to use the internet?
I am with O2 by the way.

TomTom

loads on the newer phones have built in data compatibility modems. E.g. the sony ericsson or many of the newer nokias. It can be expensive to use unless you have a flatrate package and the connection is very network dependent.

TomTom

p.s. this should prob be in the wireless forum

lukin

Sorry about that, you can move the post if you like

Adrian

simple answer yes

BoB_BoT

yeap, but it will be pricy.

Oriel

It depends on your phone...and how you connect it to your PC.

Some phones have Infra red ports as standard, nearly all phones with Ir-DA ports come with built-in modems nowsdays. If this is the case with your phone, then you're going to need to go to the maker's website an download the drivers for whatever OS you have on your PC.
To connect to the internet this way, you're obvisouly going to need some kind of IR receiver on your PC too...

If you have no IR port on your phone, then you will have to connect by a serial cable. You'll be able to buy a cable, specific to your phone model, or the maker of your phone, either directly from them, or a third party seller. I'd recommend ebay for this, as you can pick some cables up dirt cheap, especially if you have an older model of phone.

If you connect up by serial, you're still going to need drivers or some install files.


Oh, I should have mentioned this at the start but, I'm nearly certain that if you have a prepay phone, then you'll not be able to do it at all - you need a data number as well as voice number (your standard telephone number) - as far as I know, these only exist for contract numbers. You could ask O2 though.

Steve.

Captain Trips

It's pretty straightforward; I use a Nokia 6310i (probably the most versatile phone on the market with no gimmicks).

You can connect by Bluetooth, IrDA or Serial/USB. The newer 6610 phones have a USB cable, but have no Bluetooth AFAIK.

So you buy your cable, and plug it into a serial port, or a USB port if you have none (an adaptor is aroudn 30 quid to turn the serial end into a USB plug).

Then pop over to Nokia's website and download the Nokia Suite (v4.88 at the moment and aroudn 30MB) and the Modem/Data Suite - this one allows a PC (including dekstop, laptop, whatever) to use the phone.

The phone can connect in two ways through the data software
1. Modem style (e.g., you are effectively plugging in the phone's modem and using a serial port connection, old-school style)
2. GPRS style (much better and can get up to 84.something kbps - this way basically can set up a PC to connect to the always-on-style GPRS.

It's very simple, and can there are only a few custom settings which Vodafone (that's what I use) give you to setup the server IP address for the GPRS service, along with it's username/password and a couple of commands to give the GPRS connection directly on connect.

You can also get instructions from NOkia or Compaq/HP to connect an iPAQ 3970 to the net over GPRS, again, very very straightforward and all in the documentation (I also have a 3970).

There are multiple FAQs on Nokias website. Again, most other phones on the market are **** for this sort of thing, and of the Nokias, the 6310i is probably the best one (but argh! no useful polyphonic ring tones, no ultra-necessary digital camera and most ball-grabbingly absent is the *essential* colour screen!).

lukin

Thanks Captain Trips, the phone I have at the mo' is a Nokia 3310 but I am going to get a new one.
I'll have to pay through the nose for it tho' as O2 won't give me an upgrade. I was gonna buy the Nokia 3510i (€200) but I might buy the 6310i if it's cheaper.

Michael Collins

Just so you know, the Nokia 6310i has HSCSD which means you'll be able to connect at 43.2 Kbps on normal dial-up. As for the 3510i you'll have to use GPRS if you want fast speeds - and for the internet GPRS is a bit of a rip off. The 6310i also has Bluetooth for a wireless none line-of-sight connection to your PC...

Captain Trips

That's important what Michael Collins said: basically GPRS is like terrorism on your wallet. Vodafone are around 5c per page or something, up to a limit, and then 2c per KB (yes, per KB) after that.

It's pretty cheap on WAP sites on the 6310i itself, most pages are tiny with minimal gfx, but loading a typical homepage of say Slashdot and it could cost you literally a few quid each time.

However it is very cool to be able to browse with Bluetooth with your iPAQ in hand and phone in pocket out of site. Then you have to stop showing off though. Better would be simply WLAN like on the new HP iPAQs or a Nokia GSM/GPRS PCMCIA card in the Compaq iPAQs, and browse through local broadband hotspots if possible.

But then again this is Dublin not Japan.