Apple iPhone 3G / Laptop Internet access

[admiral]

Hi,

I have been looking at getting a new phone and also separately one of those dongles to get internet access on my laptop when out and about.

Whilst I have been looking around, my son has bought an Apple iPhone 3g, and it is quite a nifty gadget.

Is it possible for an iPhone 3g to act as a 'modem' to get me mobile internet access on my laptop?

If the iPhone will not do it, is there any phone which will also hook up to the laptop for this purpose, and will it be as fast as one of the dedicated dongles?

Regards

Admiral

 

[cookie]

Is it possible for an iPhone 3g to act as a 'modem' to get me mobile internet access on my laptop?

no. apple/O2 won't allow "tethering". ie. using the mobiles data plan to feed a laptop. i think they'd rather you buy a dongle with a separate contract.

i believe other telecom operators operate the same policy, but i dare say there is a way to circumvent such restrictions.

 

[robroy]

An app to do just this was uploaded to the App Store a month or two back and lasted only a few hours before it was pulled down. Then put back up, then pulled down for good.

So it's a commercial limitation, not a technical one.

Wouldn't hold your breath...

 

[haydw]

I have a Nokia N95 through vodafone that I can use for this purpose. There is software the comes with the box that allows you to use the phone as a 3G modem. Thats how it should work anyway. The N95 does virtually everything an iPhone does but doesnt look as cute.

As this phone is a smartphone it works off the Symbian operating system- dont know much about it but it allows you to download applications and programs as extras- I have an application called Joikuspot (just look on the internet for it) which replicates a wireless router, but uses the 3G connection to the internet. You can connect the phone either by USB cable or by bluetooth- if you use bluetooth there is WEP security to stop anyone else hijacking your connection.

I have a contract that has unlimited free internet use (subject to a fair user policy of course) and can use my phone as a full web browser. If you are just using your laptop to browse the tinterweb and retrieving the odd email then it shouldnt be a problem.

 

[admiral]

Thanks for the replies. It's a shame they prevent 'tethering'. I'll take a look at the Nokia, however I suppose it depends who the contract is with. I guess O2 won't permit tethering on any phone (Apple, Nokia, etc).

Regards

Admiral

 

[cookie]

i doubt any of them allow it. it's probably in the small print under "fair usage policy". it's obviously doable though as Haydw has discovered.

 

[admiral]

Call me cynical if you like, but it appears that mobile phone 'full' access to the internet is for:
Browsing a couple of emails, Train timetables, very light web browsing..........


and being able to spend more money with us buying iTunes!!!!

Cheers

Admiral

 

[cookie]

my iphone has unlimited access to the intenet bundled in with it. it is just for the iphone though, not a connected computer.

usage is only regulated by how long i can be arsed to surf etc. via a small screen.

seems fair enough to me.

i do have genuinely unlimited internet access at home via O2, for a mealy £7.50pm which is better suited to music/video downloads, but seldom from iTunes

 

[ovenpaa]

I occasionally use my Xda as a connection for my laptop and was just in the process of upgrading to a 3G iPhone with an extra 8 quid a month for unlimited access to the web with my laptop.

Bugger

 

[haydw]

Checked out my contract and looked at the 'fair usage policy'- seems like fair usage is 500MB per month-roughly 16mb per day. If you are just web browsing and not doing a lot of downloading then this seems suitable enough. There is a calculator on the website which estimates web usage- its very useful for determining whether this is enough. It also states that using mobile internet on a laptop or PDA will use more of the allowance up than just browsing WAP pages.

 

[admiral]

Haydw

Sounds interesting, who is your contract with?

Regards

Admiral

 

[Dale]

If the iPhone will not do it, is there any phone which will also hook up to the laptop for this purpose, and will it be as fast as one of the dedicated dongles?

I have an HTC which does exactly that. You connect the phone to the machine using USB cable. HTC call the function "internet sharing". Works very well with my wife's HP Laptop (winXP) and works (but slowly) on my MacBook. MackBook connection is bluetooth, not USB so that may affect it. On the Windoze machine, it's LOTS faster than one of those dongle things. is subjectively about the same as my 396DSL line at home.

HTC is called the TyTnII in this market. Also, have a look at HTC's G1 which should be available shortly in the UK .... built by HTC, so should have the feature as well.

Dale

 

[Pauly S]

Got this from last weeks money saving expert.com

Urgent! 3 Mobile Broadband Lite. Free dongle, £5/mth for 1GB, £7.50 for 5GB
There are two half price promotional 18 month contract packages available for 3 Mobile Broadband lite via cashback site Quidco until Tue 30 Sept. Both include the USB dongle for free, though you’d normally pay up to around £50 for it.
Advertised speed is up to 1.8 Mbps normally but up to 2.8 Mbps in 3's 'turbo' areas (use its coverage checker to find them), though like all these things, the reality can be a fair bit slower.
A bonus specific to 3's mobile broadband packages is the ability to use them abroad (in selected countries) at no extra cost. Connect to the 3 networks in Austria, Australia, Denmark, Italy, Ireland, Hong Kong, or Sweden and you can use your inclusive data allowance. However, other countries carry a charge of either £3 or £6 per mb.
The first package costs £5 a month and you get a 1GB download allowance, so even over the life of the contract you only pay £90. Yet if you go beyond the limit it’s an extra 10p per MB downloaded, or a huge £102 per GB. So be sure use 3's My3 service to keep tabs on your data usage, and install a third-party usage monitor.
If there’s any chance you’ll use more than 1 GB, opt for its £7.50 a month package that gives you a big 5GB download limit that you’re much less likely to go over.
QUICK FACTS. Speed: Up to 3.2 MB Modem & Connection Fee Included: Yes (subject to 18 month contract) Technical Support Phone Costs: 4p+ (0870) Additional Usage Costs: 10p/mb (£102/GB) Roaming Costs: £3/6 per mb (except in 3 'like home' areas, which are included) Contract length: 18 Months

interesting huh?

 

[haydw]

My contract is with Vodafone. Its nothing special- just walked into a Vodafone shop and signed up. the contract as advertised on their website- £35 monthly for 600 mins, unlimited texts, free mobile internet. Plus a shiny new phone.

 

[Fredb51]

Urgent! 3 Mobile Broadband Lite. Free dongle, £5/mth for 1GB, £7.50 for 5GB

Be cautious about doing any kind of business with 3. They are possibly the worst mobile phone company I have ever dealt with, by a considerable margin. Much of what they offer doesn't actually work as claimed, and when you try to get help you end up dealing with someone in India reading from a script; a script that never addresses your specific problems. They usually refuse to transfer you to someone in the UK who knows what they are talking about. If you decide to leave (which is almost inevitable), they will refuse to allow an early exit from your contract on any grounds, even if the equipment you have does not actually work.
Going back to the original query, the website www.macrumors.com has an iPhone section where there are numerous discussions re tethering options.

 

[admiral]

Finally went for the iPhone 3g. Nice peice of kit, free phone on £45 per month contract.
Currently spending £5.00 a time on the protective plastic cover for the screen. I keep messing it up!

Regards

Admiral

 

[davedyer]

Don't bother with a protective screen. The iPhone's screen is glass. There's a video on uTube showing someone trying to scratch it with a pin - didn't leave a mark. It seems a wast of money to try and protect a glass screen with a plastic one