Cell Phone Net Connection?

[Eric Friedebach]

Yup, it’s Sprint. Here’s the card and the plan I use (unlimited, $80/mo.). I upgraded to the 580 last year in anticipation of EVDO.

 

[David Drummond]

Yup, it’s Sprint. Here’s the card and the plan I use (unlimited, $80/mo.). I upgraded to the 580 last year in anticipation of EVDO.

I still have the old Merlin card, but I don't expect to see EVDO out this way for quite some time. I am using the Sprint software, but I actually set it up to bypass that so it just automatically connects when you plug in the card just like it would for a wifi card.

I discovered an antenna port on the bottom of the card, but thus far I haven't found an adapter for it.

 

[Eric Friedebach]

I was never able to find an adapter. Here’s an archive thread of what I was able to find out in 2003. In the end, I just made a passive connection by placing a short solid wire into the FME connector and using a hi-tech clothespin to hold it to the underside of the card.

The 580 has an external antenna jack that Wilson has a patch cable for.

It was always my understanding that Sprint’s EVDO rollout would be a “flip of the switchâ€￾ network-wide, but I guess with the NEXTEL merger, they’ve decided to take it easy.

 

[David Drummond]

I was never able to find an adapter. Here’s an archive thread of what I was able to find out in 2003. In the end, I just made a passive connection by placing a short solid wire into the FME connector and using a hi-tech clothespin to hold it to the underside of the card.

How did that work out without the ground portion of the connection?

I have an old non working card just like it I was toying with the idea of taking it apart and seeing if I could put in a normal external connector. Some small tight soldering to be done there though.

 

[Eric Friedebach]

Just had an idea…

Please check your Inbox.

 

[Kurt Silvey]

Make sure you have the Vision package added to your plan, you shouldn't see a charge for that then.

I do have a Vision Pack; the $15 one. No dice... I wonder if they've changed their policy on this recently (as in new contract users after such-and-such date...) because I can't seem to get around it! :cry:

Tony,
Do you have an EVDO enabled phone? From what I have read tonight, on the new EVDO (evolution version data only)phones, Sprint is now requiring you to get a “phone as modemâ€￾ plan. It is on these phones that they can tell if you are tethered to your laptop. I believe the #777 connection will still work on the CDMA (code division multiple access) phones, for the time being. The good news is that they have some very reasonable plans for data on the EVDO phones IE; $40/mo for unlimited data, draw back is a 2 yr agreement. I think Verizon is following along the same lines.

 

[Tony Laubach]

David,

I went into my Sprint Store today and signed up for one of the "phone-as-modem" plans. The plan doesn't require a contract since I have a voice contract anyway, which means I can add and remove this feature at my leisure with no termination fees. Yes, it'll be much slower than the connection card, but its cheaper. I got the plan for $40/month, but seeing as I was already paying for a Vision pack anyway, it basically comes out to be $30 a month. And of course, my 14% discount applies to that as well, so in the end, I'm saving booku bucks. Slow access is better than none, I guess, and I'll still be able to keep my cell bill below $100/month in chasing season. Afterwards, off goes the plan til next year!

 

[David Drummond]

Tony, are you able to dial ISPs now or is that still on the Sprint service using them as an ISP?

 

[Tony Laubach]

Tony, are you able to dial ISPs now or is that still on the Sprint service using them as an ISP?

Probably using Sprint as an ISP, but I suppose I could try other ISPs (AOL, whatever)... problem is, I don't have other ISPs available to me seeing as I have Comcast Internet here in Denver, so dial-up elsewhere probably not a great option. Could work, though, not sure.

 

[Mikel Shively]

Well, I finally did it, went out and bought a laptop today. Also went to the alltel store and got a cable to use my phone as a modem. It was about $70 to get, but the guy said it would just take off my voice minutes and no data charges would be incurred. You guys were right, It is slower than molasses, connects at about 15 Kbps. but out here in the rural plains, I will take what I can get!

 

[Tony Laubach]

Also went to the alltel store and got a cable to use my phone as a modem. It was about $70 to get, but the guy said it would just take off my voice minutes and no data charges would be incurred.

I would've searched ebay first; cables for phones run less than $20 after shipping on there, maybe even less. Definately would've saved you a ton of cash.

 

[Mikel Shively]

Awww....Now I feel stupid! Didn't even think about checking ebay! I was just so excited about getting a laptop and getting data in the field, I didnt even think to check ebay!

 

[David Drummond]

Tony, any chance your on the low end $10 vision pack? I found this on the Sprint site:

Charges for Sprint PCS VisionSM
Unlike voice calls, which are charged by the minute, data usage is charged by the size of file sent or received on your Sprint PCS VisionSM phone. If you have a Sprint PCS VisionSM pack with unlimited Sprint PCS VisionSM, your usage of Sprint PCS VisionSM is unlimited and you will not be charged any data fees.

If you do not have unlimited Sprint PCS VisionSM, you will be charged for Sprint PCS VisionSM service on a per-kilobyte (KB) basis any time you transmit or receive information using your Sprint PCS VisionSM phone.

For reference, I am on the $15 vision pack.

 

[Jon Gossin]

Maybe someone with Sprint PCS wireless can help me out here.

I'm not sure if its something with my connection settings, but one thing I've always noticed since I've had the service is that the graphics on webpages are shown in much lower resolution than they should be. I assume this is one of their ways to increase the speed, but is there a way to change it so that the images appear in their native resolution?

Thanks,

Jon

 

[David Drummond]

Maybe someone with Sprint PCS wireless can help me out here.

I'm not sure if its something with my connection settings, but one thing I've always noticed since I've had the service is that the graphics on webpages are shown in much lower resolution than they should be. I assume this is one of their ways to increase the speed, but is there a way to change it so that the images appear in their native resolution?

Thanks,

Jon

Hit CTRL + F5 and it will refresh with full rez graphics. Sprint compresses graphics to the service seem faster than it is, just like AOL. :lol: