How To Use Your Blackberry As A Modem

[kcladygemini]

07.30.08***EVEN BETTER NEWS FOR BB USERS***
If you are on the Sprint network all you need to do is download Sprint SmartView
and let it do the work for you. AFter you have installed the software (which says it's 37mb but after it was all said and done my PC says 57mb) all you gotta do is plug ur Blackberry in to the USB cable and the Sprint View Software will handle the rest. Lemme know if you have any Q's!!

06.12.08 NEW INFO UPDATE ******Good news for you Addicts with Sprint!!!! If you have an unlimited data plan for your Berry (ie. Simply Everything Plan), you can use these instructions to configure your Berry as a modem WITHOUT paying the additional $39.99 p/m for the Phone As Modem feature and WITHOUT incurring usage charges!!!! I tested this theory with another CB member who has the Simply Everything Plan & doesn't have the Phone As Modem feature. I checked the acct. throughout the bill cycle to make sure no usage charges were stacking up and there wasn't a single one!!!!

Now, the 2nd lil tid bit of info was sent to me by a CB member in Mexico with a few tweaks to the set up instructions for other's in Mexico wanting to use their Berry's as Modems. So, here ya go!!!!......

Under IMPORTANT SPECIAL CONFIGURATION STEP
I added +cgdcont=1,"IP","internet.itelcel.com"

USER NAME: webgprs / PASSWORD: webgprs2002 / # DIALED: *99#

My carrier is Telcel.

P.S. This was done on a blackberry 8100 and I can not yet confirm if their will be and additional charge.

***PLEASE READ***
T-Mobile is the ONLY carrier I can guarantee DOES NOT apply adtn'l charge for using this capability. For charges other carriers apply, most are mentioned throughout the posts here.
**ALSO**
Wish I did, but I don't have the instructions for set up on a MAC. T-Mobile will provide MAC OS instructions to you, just call 1.800.937.8997 or 611 from a T-Mob phone & ask for Tier III Tech Support.

note: don't call from the phone you are setting up as a modem.

Why pay for internet service for your Blackberry & for your home PC? Your Blackberry's gotcha covered, it can do both. All you have to to do is set up yoru computer to recognize your Blackberry as a modem. And, of course, you also have to have an appropriate internet feature on your Blackberry from your carrier. These instructions were created for PC's running XP, but I know for a fact that this will also get the job done with Visa, Vista Premium, & Win 2000. The steps taken to get to the appropriate windows may differ a bit, but the actual set up is the same in all. Here ya go, hope this helps.!!

Verify that you have the Desktop Manager version 4.2 and the software bundle that came with the handheld installed on your computer.

Query the modem, using the modems properties:

1 Click Start, Settings, Control Panel.
2 Double-click on Phone and modem options.
3 Click on the Modems tab.
4 Left-click on the modem installed above. (Standard Modem or Standard Modem over Bluetooth)
5 Click Properties.
6 Click the Diagnostics tab.
7 Click Query Modem.
8 If dialog shows in the empty box, the modem is responding, then continue with the below steps. Otherwise contact WDS Tier III.
9 Click the Advanced tab.
10 Check the Extra Initialization Command feild and ensure it is correct.

Enter the initialization command:

1 From your computer, click Start.
2 Click Control Panel.
3 Click Phone and Modem Options.
4 Click the Modems tab.
5 Scroll to Standard Modem.
6 Click Properties.
7 Click the Advanced tab.
8 In the Extra Initialization Command field, enter the following:

IMPORTANT SPECIAL CONFIGURATION STEP
Add only ONE of the following Extra initialization commands with the appropriate carrier specific command:

TMOBILE USA
+cgdcont=1,"IP","wap.voicestream.com"

Rogers Users
+cgdcont=1,"IP","internet.com"

Cingular Blue/AT&T
+cgdcont=1,"IP","proxy"

Cingular Orange
+cgdcont=1,"IP","ISP.CINGULAR"

UK Vodafone
+cgdcont=1,"IP","internet"

Verizon - Keep blank
Nextel/Telus iDEN (untested) - Keep blank
Sprint/Bell Mobility CDMA (untested) - Keep blank


Create dial-up networking :

1 From your computer, click Start, Settings, Control Panel, then Network Connections.
2 Click Create a new connection, then Next.
3 Select Connect to Internet.
4 Select Set up my connection manually.
5 Select Connect using a dial-up modem.
6 Select the Standard Modem, then Next.
7 Enter T-Mobile as the ISP Name.
8 Enter *99# as the Phone number.
9 Click Next.
10 Leave the User name and Password feilds blank.
11 Deselect all the optional check boxes in the bottom portion of this window.
12 To create the connection, click Finish.
13 In the Connect window, click Properties.
14 In the Properties window, verify that Modem - Standard Modem appears beneath the Connect using heading, then click Configure.
15 In the Modem Configuration window, clear the Enable hardware flow control check box and make sure none of the other check boxes are selected. Click OK. In the Properties window, click OK.
16 In the Connect window, select Save this user name and password for the following users.
17 Select the appropriate option.
18 Confirm that the BlackBerry Desktop Manager is running.
*IMPORTANT: BlackBerry Desktop Manager must be running, or error 692 will appear during the dial up attempt. (i have 1 connection set for the standard modem, usb cable, & 1 connection set for the standard modem over bluetooth and have no problems getting a connection without connecting to desktop manager)
19 Open the web browser and navigate to any website to test the connection.

If the laptop/PC connects but Internet Explorer does not, follow these steps:

1 From Internet Explorer, click Tools, then Internet Options....
2 Click the Connections tab.
3 From Dial-up and Virtual Private Network settings, select T-Mobile.
4 Click Set Default.
5 Select Dial whenever a network connection is not present.
6 Click OK.
7 Click OK again.

That should do it!!

[Adlen]

I posted these instructions in all the compatible devices areas on CrackBerry. It said I didn't have access to post in tips & tricks - any insight into that?

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[tim.harman]

Funny, vzw charges extra for this and the BB could do it all along

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[Kevin Michaluk]

Yes Adlen, You gotta check out the Read First in this Forum Category on How to Share your Tips & How Tos:

Read First: How To Share Your Tips & How Tos

Once you write em up, give a mod a nudge and they'll move it in here.

Originally Posted by Adlen

I posted these instructions in all the compatible devices areas on CrackBerry. It said I didn't have access to post in tips & tricks - any insight into that?

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[dacur]

Originally Posted by tim.harman

Funny, vzw charges extra for this and the BB could do it all along

will this work w/ vzw without having to pay them? anyone done this?

thanks

[Adlen]

The instructions I got said 'check that you carrier doesn't charge extra for this' I'm assuming that a few do it and that it cannot be 'gotten around'.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[StikiGreenZ]

I'm pretty certain your carrier will charge you extra for this. This is called "tethering", not usually included in your data plan.

[pammyhound]

Alltel charges me an extra $10 a month to tether my BB, this is the same they charged me to tether my old 6700 and/or Razr.

[adidascoin]

Any intructions for Verizon? obviously voicestream and t-mobile wont work for me.

[angel6]

I went though your wonderfully explicit instructions. Which were ver helpful but when I got to the last step my computer said it was shutting down due to a critical error. What happened?

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[tuiday]

Hi KCladay,
Will I be charged if I am on unlimited T-mobile?
Thanks
TD

[Solachica]

Its good tht so far my Carrier doesn't charge for tethering.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[orle8050]

Great post but users need to remember while you are using Blackberry as a Modem, your incoming phone calls with go directly to Voicemail.

[kcladygemini]

Way for me to make a fashionably late post entrance on my own thread, huh? lol. Sorry, I've been trying but I guess there were some issues preventing people from posting on their own threads, N-E-Whooo, Kevin got it all fixed.

Originally Posted by StikiGreenZ

I'm pretty certain your carrier will charge you extra for this. This is called "tethering", not usually included in your data plan.

Neither T-Mobile or Sprint either one charge anything additional to enable modem capabilities for your Berry's. I'm about 75% sure Cingular/At&t doesn't either, but I just heard that one thru the grapevine.

Originally Posted by adidascoin

Any intructions for Verizon? obviously voicestream and t-mobile wont work for me.

Sorry, I had originally forgot to include the "Initialization Commad" list for other carriers, but I have added it to the thread so u should be covered now.

And, for you guys with Verizon...I had no idea until reading the added posts that Verizon chgd extra for this. They were my previous carrier before T-Mob, but I wasn't using a SmartPhone at the time. I'm curious if any of you have discovered ways around their extra chgs to make these instructions work for u.

Originally Posted by angel6

I went though your wonderfully explicit instructions. Which were ver helpful but when I got to the last step my computer said it was shutting down due to a critical error. What happened?

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

Whoa!! Ummmm.....Not even sure where to go with this one. Any update for us as to what happened after that? Was everything okay when you rebooted or.....I received these instructions by email directly from a Tier III Tech Rep. with T-Mobile. Also, compared the list w/ those i found in other forums and found no discrepencies. Aside from the fact that I neglected to get teh Carrier Specific Initialization Command on here when I 1st posted. I really hope it was a fluke and e'rythings good!!

Originally Posted by tuiday

Hi KCladay,
Will I be charged if I am on unlimited T-mobile?
Thanks
TD

Nope, Any BB Add-On (either $19.99 or $29.99 depending on which data feature you choose) has u all covered. The limited data access plans are not charged extra for this feature either. They would only begin to incur chgs if they had overages. Same goes for the Total Internet Add-ON ($29.99 monthly chg) they offer which is for the Windows Mobile Devices.

Originally Posted by orle8050

Great post but users need to remember while you are using Blackberry as a Modem, your incoming phone calls with go directly to Voicemail.

In some cases, this is correct. Not 100% of the time however. And I'm not sure what it is, exactly that makes the difference for some calls to make it thru and others to not. For example:
My bf and I both are running XP Pro SP2 on our PC's. Both using the same Gold 8100. He only uses the Standard Modem connection, never bluetooth and gets calls w/ no problems. (the call will, however, prevent yuo from actively using your connection to the net.) Your connection to the PC won't be lost, but is rendered uselss till your call is over, then, alls back to normal.
But, on my PC I primarily connect using Standard Modem over Bluetooth unless I need to use the Desktop Mngr for something. The dsktp mngr is not very usefull unless you are connected USB. I have yet to receive a phone call while connected to my PC.
Lucky for all of us Bery users, we have umpteen other ways people are able to contact us that operate without flaw no matter how you are connected. SMS, email, BB Msngr, Google Talk, VM notifications...I get 'em all just fine.

[Solachica]

I get my calls most times when using tethered modem.