[methodinsane]

Hi guys,

I thought I need to be USB connected or on the same Wifi network for Blend to work? My Blend works on my Z30 with Wifi on the phone turned off (can't connected to my work network) and no USB connection. (No bluetooth either)

Does Blend use some other means of connectivity?

Thanks,
JP

[tatail]

It uses your Mobile's data connection

[BB-JAM215]

It uses your Mobile's data connection

Blend on your phone requires your data connection to be active in order to receive incoming data, but the connection to your computer has to be either by USB cable or via WiFi to your local network.

[methodinsane]

I'm using blend on my laptop, phone is nearby, no wifi, no usb. It must be communicating with my laptop somehow.

I'm baffled lol. Maybe your right about the data connection. This would mean when my phone receives, for example, an SMS then my Z30 is sending this to central service across the Internet, same said service that my Laptop is connected to and communicating that way, rather than direct peer to peer over wifi or usb.

I just wasn't expecting it to work.

Posted via CB10

[John Vieira]

It's just using your data. Make sure to be careful and not go over.

Work Wide and Prosper

[BB-JAM215]

It's just using your data. Make sure to be careful and not go over. Work Wide and Prosper

So what path is the data taking to get from the phone to the laptop then? The laptop doesn't have a phone data connection, only an Ethernet network connection wired or wifi (or USB).

[tatail]

BlackBerry advertised it as "Its just there." but as far as I know it is your computer's connection through WiFi or ethernet port and your phone's data connection that is making it work, right now.

[BB-JAM215]

I can't see how your phone's voice and data connections would be doing any more than they normally do. The Blend app on your phone is simply replicating the phones functions in Blend on your computer either over a WiFi or USB connection.

[John Vieira]

So what path is the data taking to get from the phone to the laptop then? The laptop doesn't have a phone data connection, only an Ethernet network connection wired or wifi (or USB).

Do you understand how Internet works?

Your computer, connected to the Internet, sends instructions to your phone, via its connections to the Internet. Doesn't matter how they are connected, as long as they are both connected.

The Blend app installs protocols that allow your phone to receive and interpret commands sent to it.

How does the tablet version work? That one doesn't work with USB, so how does it work? Well, it uses the Internet.

Work Wide and Prosper

[BB-JAM215]

Read the OP again. It says he has WiFi turned OFF and has NO USB connection and Bluetooth is OFF. Presumably he doesn't have a wired Ethernet connection either. He says as far as he knows he has no local network or "internet" connection. He's wondering how Blend is communicating between his laptop and his phone with no apparent "means of connectivity".

[John Vieira]

Read the OP again. It says he has WiFi turned OFF and has NO USB connection and Bluetooth is OFF. Presumably he doesn't have a wired Ethernet connection either. He says as far as he knows he has no local network or "internet" connection. He's wondering how Blend is communicating between his laptop and his phone with no apparent "means of connectivity".

I'm assuming he has wifi off, on his phone. Not on his computer. If that's the case, it's not apparent at all.

If he said. "I have no data connection on my phone, and no connection to the Internet on my computer, and Blend still works."

Then it would be great.

For now I'm assuming he has data, and doesn't realize it works like that.

Occam's razor.

Work Wide and Prosper

[Thud Hardsmack]

Read the OP again. It says he has WiFi turned OFF and has NO USB connection and Bluetooth is OFF. Presumably he doesn't have a wired Ethernet connection either. He says as far as he knows he has no local network or "internet" connection. He's wondering how Blend is communicating between his laptop and his phone with no apparent "means of connectivity".

It's using the BlackBerry VPN, same as Remote File Access.

[BB-JAM215]

At this point I have to assume the OP is a bit confused at what is actually on and what is off and what constitutes a network connection between his phone and his computer.

[mad_mdx]

Op just said his phone wi-fi is off.
His pc probably has Internet access.

[BB-JAM215]

Then the short answer to his question "Does Blend use some other means of connectivity" would be yes, it can use either wireless or wired network connections. He apparently thought it would only work over WiFi. And, of course, it doesn't require "Internet Access" just a Local Area Network connection.

[methodinsane]

Thanks for the messages guys.

I'm not confused as to how device connectivity works in general, I'm a software developer with a full spectrum computing background. I was asking specifically how is Blend working.

To clarify:
Laptop is on Ethernet with internet connection.
Phone has no Wifi, Bluetooth or USB connection for local connection to laptop. Data services is turned on though and I have a H connection (I presume this is HSDPA?).

To simplify my question "Is BlackBerry Blend communicating directly connecting from my phone to my laptop via my phones data services i.e. through the internet?".

It would appear it is. My interest arose as I had thought it needed to be on a local network or wifi direct of some sort for a direct local connection between devices but obviously it doesn't. And I surmise it uses something similar to remote folders service through Link.

If anyone could point me to a document explaining how this is done and if it's secure?

Cheers,
JP

[BB-JAM215]

Now we're getting somewhere. It's always hard to know exactly what another person knows unless they tell you.

So the questions is still what is the point of connectivity between your phone and your laptop? If you are connected to a BES server, that would be my guess. It pretty well has to be either a router or a server. In any case, the explanation of connectivity has to be more specific than "the internet".

I'm also assuming that Blend on your laptop is fully functional and you can view and send emails and attachments, as well as text messages from your laptop.

[joeldf]

Thanks for the messages guys.

I'm not confused as to how device connectivity works in general, I'm a software developer with a full spectrum computing background. I was asking specifically how is Blend working.

To clarify:
Laptop is on Ethernet with internet connection.
Phone has no Wifi, Bluetooth or USB connection for local connection to laptop. Data services is turned on though and I have a H connection (I presume this is HSDPA?).

To simplify my question "Is BlackBerry Blend communicating directly connecting from my phone to my laptop via my phones data services i.e. through the internet?".

It would appear it is. My interest arose as I had thought it needed to be on a local network or wifi direct of some sort for a direct local connection between devices but obviously it doesn't. And I surmise it uses something similar to remote folders service through Link.

If anyone could point me to a document explaining how this is done and if it's secure?

Cheers,
JP

Now we're getting somewhere. It's always hard to know exactly what another person knows unless they tell you.

So the questions is still what is the point of connectivity between your phone and your laptop? If you are connected to a BES server, that would be my guess. It pretty well has to be either a router or a server. In any case, the explanation of connectivity has to be more specific than "the internet".

I'm also assuming that Blend on your laptop is fully functional and you can view and send emails and attachments, as well as text messages from your laptop.

No. You don't need to be on BES, I'm not on BES and can use Blend over the mobile network. It's always had that option - and it is an option.

In "Settings" > "Device Connections", you can set it to use the mobile network. "Documentation" is right there: "When turned on, a connection can move from a Wi-Fi network to a mobile network. Turn off this option if you are concerned about data usage, and connect only over a Wi-Fi network."

Blend, and Link using Remote File Access, uses a custom VPN (called "RIM Tunnel Manager") on the PC to access the phone - over the internet, or any connection, actually. And, yes, that's any access to the internet - including mobile data access from your carrier (again, though, only if you enabled it in "Device Connections"). Remember that with a data plan, once data goes from your phone to the carrier's system, then the carrier becomes the gateway to the internet (if your plan allows it).

It's not that difficult to understand. If both the PC and the phone are connected to the internet in any way - separately or together - Blend can find, and connect to, your phone.

[Centerman66]

This is true. PC connected to Internet over wifi or ethernet. BlackBerry over cellular data. I have used blend when my phone was left in my truck in the parking lot and my laptop and I are in my my office. Heck your BlackBerry could be on the other side of the earth as long as it has a data connection and Blend switched on it would work.

Posted on CB10 using my Z30 STA 100-5 on OS 10.3.2.798

[methodinsane]

Great guys thanks for the clarification. I was lead to believe it was confined to a local Wifi network so this is a great feature and to good to know.

On a separate point I find Blend on laptop freezes a lot but not in PC. Odd!!

Posted via CB10