vB Easy Archive - T616 (AT&T) to Laptop via Bluetooth internet access

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T616 (AT&T) to Laptop via Bluetooth internet access
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Posted by: dans79

Someone posted in another thread that the t610 and tmobile allow you to access the internet via bluetooth and a laptop. I am wondering if anyone knows if you can do the same thing with AT&T Wireless and a T616. I know I can download web pages and stuff on the phone but am charged per kb to do so. Is there a way around this if I am hooking the phone up to a laptop via Bluetooth to access web pages on the computer? Thanks.

Posted by: rjh

I don't know about AT&T. Cingular claims to charge, but I've yet to be charged. I connect via Bluetooth to the phone, then dial up to the 'net via GPRS (so you can talk on the phone at the same time). It's great for fetching mail in the airport between flights or something, but a bit slow for browsing and stuff, given the slow, packet-based nature of GPRS. I'm used to T1 or better speeds though, so maybe I'm just spoiled!

Posted by: Fishizzle

Quote:

Originally posted by dans79
Someone posted in another thread that the t610 and tmobile allow you to access the internet via bluetooth and a laptop. I am wondering if anyone knows if you can do the same thing with AT&T Wireless and a T616. I know I can download web pages and stuff on the phone but am charged per kb to do so. Is there a way around this if I am hooking the phone up to a laptop via Bluetooth to access web pages on the computer? Thanks.

You can connect to the laptop via Bluetooth (if your laptop supports it) but the way the laptop downloads the information through the phone is no different than how the phone downloads the information itself using its internal WAP browser. In other words, you are going to be charged for the data transfer just the same (and probably end up spending more because regular HTML web pages are much larger in file size than the WAP pages your phone uses.)

It is handy however to be able to run regular desktop applications over a wireless Internet connection on your laptop, as opposed to being limited to the services your phone itself provides.

You can find more information about making the connection at the SE Support site.

Posted by: marks47

This is also coverend in-depth in the AT&T forum. The short (ok maybe not so short) version is:
Officially, you are charged extra for "tethering" your laptop to your phone, whether by cable or bluetooth.
HOWEVER, the system really can't tell it's tethered, PROVIDED you stick to very basic, limited protocols. WWW/HTTP, EMAIL/POP3/SMTP (Not sure about IMAP), DNS should all work.
If you try to do an SSH session or sign onto AOL or ICQ or something with a crazy port number, they'll figure it out and charge you $1.024 per MB if I recall right.

Set AOL to connect on port 80 and it should be fine. Same with connecting to an SSH server...

Hope that helps. (heck, I hope it's right.

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