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On 23/12/11 13:00, Gordon Henderson wrote:
I want the phone as a modem while on the move but I just want a phone that can run PPP as you described above. 3G coverage at home is exactly 100% less than the site indicates but I wouldn’t use it here anyway. Now how can I tell if a phone is up to the job - I'll probably bluetooth into it but maybe wifi if I want the batteries to run out faster?On Fri, 23 Dec 2011, tom wrote:Rather than waste a lot of money on a phone that badly does what my laptop does has anyone experience of using a mobile phone for internet access?I do it all the time.But what are you after? Using the phone as a modem to a laptop (or LAN), or directly via tools on the phone - web browser, etc.?(although I do both).One thing to know with newer phones is that they no-longer like to act like true modems - the phone wants to be the termination point and run PPP, then they do their own thing to allow a PC to connect into it - either via Bluetooth, Wi-Fi or USB. At least that's my experience with android phones and I think Apples do the same. I actually find it easier now to use my phone as a "hotspot" and connect via it using Wi-Fi.However I'd still like the old-fashioned "modem" mode that my Nokias offered so I could run the PPP session on my Laptop.A modern android phone (and let's face it, what else is there unless you're a disciple of Jobs) is usually OK for stand-alone Internet access. The web browsers are a lot better and there are ssh tools (connectbot). However the on-screen keyboards might be problematic for anything other than one liner's. I have an HTC Desire Z with a keyboard and I can use it to ssh into my servers, check web status pages, and so on.However I did recently think about going back to a simple phone which can tether to my Notebook, but then I also thought about just using a 3G dongle on my notebook... Too many choices right now!One thing I could check though - what's your 3G coverage like? With a bit of luck you'll have Three coverage as they're (probably) the best data network right now, but do check. Use the mobile companys web sites to check their coverage or the sitefinder site http://www.sitefinder.ofcom.org.uk/ although it doesn't list all base stations (I think T-Mobile doesn't show up)Good luck... Gordon
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