[dholms]

Hey,

I've got a few questions about my girlfriends 8220.

1st off I am an iPhone guy, so BB is not my thang.

Here issue right now is that her BB is from Rogers in Canada, and has come to see me in Australia - No SIM card in the phone yet, phones on the latest software (4.6.0.293) I think as well. I am trying to get BBM connected through WIFI here at home but it doesn't work. So I plugged it into my Mac and tried to fool around with the phone through the Desktop software, but can't seem to do anything with it.

Wifi is on.. But it is greyed out - When I plugged in the phone I think it updated it and then restored from backup but it actually deleted BBM and Whatsapp and other apps.

Questions I guess are:

Are we able to get BBM working / installed again on the phone through a WIFI connection without a SIM being in the phone?

If so, I have read that the greyed out WIFI means we are not connected to the BB server? How can I do that without a SIM card so that BBM will work?

Thanks

D

[Tiassa]

Basically no. A BB without a SIM card is basically a phone that can dial an emergency number only, as opposed to the iPhone which (withoug a SIM) is an expensive iPod.

[Jaszman]

Remember, when you do put a SIM card in it if it doesn't have a BIS/BES service active with the service provider you still won't be able to connect to BBM, Push Email, or a great deal of the applications on the phone that require "Service Books" in order to connect through the Blackberry server.

Some Blackberries connect to the internet through a wi-fi connection (without a BIS/BES connection) and can go online if the service provider allows it, but the Blackberry functionality, all things BB, will not work.

[dholms]

Ok cool thanks. I have seems people go to manage connections and turn off Mobile carrier and leave on Wifi connection and connect to BBM through WIFI:

Still won't be able to do this?

I do have the original rogers sim card here, would that help at all? Although I am afraid it will charge her out the anus if we put the card in.

[Jaszman]

No, it will not connect to BBM through wi fi with the mobile connection turned off. You must have a BIS/BES enabled SIM card in the phone to use BBM, and that brings me to the next point.

Your right about 1 thing for sure, do not put her SIM card in, it will connect on overseas roaming, and cost her a small fortune (with, or without mobile network turned on)

Just remember that BBM requires a RIM server to work, the only way to connect to the RIM server is through a service provider who is providing a BIS/BES service to you, and no one will do that for free.

Call your service provider and see if they or someone in the area has a pay as you go service with BIS.

BTW: I'm pretty sure the only service provider left in all of North America or Canada that allows free Wi Fi is Tmobile USA. What your thinking of might work for some of the phone functions like internet browsing or SMS, if it was a Tmobile SIM and phone, but it will not work for BBM, and it will for dang sure will not work with Rogers network (they are very restrictive, and nothing is free) So again DO NOT use her SIM card in the phone with the Mobile network turned on or off. It will connect through Wi Fi to her carrier, begin overseas roaming, and cost you guys a fortune.

[Gedsdead]

I'm an overseas BB user with a Rogers phone as well. I don't have a BIS/BES, but I do have a sim with a local French provider, just a basic phone and data account. You can get your BB unlocked and use other sim cards, even without BIS/BES.

I can use BB browser, Opera, Gmail + Gmaps, wordpress and other apps. Anything BB (aside from the browser) doesn't work, so for example, I can't use BBM, which makes it very difficult to email a JPG from my phone camera to a buddy.

Otherwise, it does make use of the apps I mentioned, and many apps don't require BIS/BES.

[Jaszman]

dholms, I think that what Gedsdead and I are saying is very similar.

1) Blackberry functions, BBM, Push Email, Blackberry World, Blackberry browser, etc. will not work without a BIS/BES enabled SIM card.

2) The 8220 will connect with wi-fi to the internet, and it will work with some of the non-Blackberry programs, quite a few more than I thought actually.

3) Do not use your friends home service providers (Rogers) SIM card while overseas. It will result in overseas roaming. Use a local pay as you go SIM card (with or without BIS/BES, its up to you) to get the services you need, and remember don't call home (or take calls from home) with the PAYG card, it will result in overseas calls/use.

Remember, what Gedsdead said in his last post is important. Before you can use another SIM card in the phone you must "Unlock" it first. Usually if you call your service provider (Rogers) and tell them your going overseas for awhile they will give you the code for unlocking your phone, and might even walk you through the process of doing it.

Now here is one thing I want to add, because I didn't notice this in your post before, The grayed out wi-fi symbol, I think means that the phone has the wi-fi turned on, but is not configured to connect (and is not connecting) to the wi-fi signal it is getting. (you need to configure the 8220 to you home wi-fi)

Also, if I take my 8220, and connect to the internet, on wi-fi, with the "Hotspot Browser" I can do all the things that Gedsdead says we can do, but you can do all that with or without a SIM card in the phone, it seems to make no difference when I do it.

I hope this helps you

[blackberry-unlocking710]

The BBM working with the PIN but over the BIS so the carrier's connection to BIS should be used on your phone number that is used from the SIM card.