Getting Wireless on an iPaq with Sprint PCS Vision?

[thestorm042]

I've read several posts talking about this, but they were old, so I thought I'd ask again incase there were any recent advances.

I'd like to get my iPaq hx4700 online (to surf, email, etc) with my cellular service. Unfortunately, I'm under contract with Sprint PCS for awhile, so I need to do this with Sprint. There are three ways I'm thinking this may be possible, but I don't know which (if any) will work, and i'm hoping someone can answer this definitively for me:

1) Using a bluetooth enabled phone. I believe this option is available with Cingular and other providers, but not Sprint. Their customer service people told me that they have bluetooth phones now, but that none of them yet support giving an internet connection to a pocket pc. Is there a way to get this working, or not currently?

2) My current phone is a Sanyo 4900. I know that there is a cable I can get to connect this phone to a laptop, so I can get Internet with just the $15/mo Vision plan. I've read at this site that this won't work with a Pocket PC because it's USB, but I found a CFII usb host card (such as Here (http://www.mobileplanet.com/private/pocketgear/product.asp?dept%5Fid=3240&pf%5Fid=MP540386&listing=1)). Will this work to let me use Vision to get internet to my pocket pc? I know it's expensive ($150ish for the adapter and another $23ish for the Sanyo 4900 usb cable), but it's cheaper than paying the early termination fee and switching to Cingular (plus $15 for Vision is cheaper than Cingular's $20 unlimited access data plan).

3) I read in previous posts that if I get the LG5350 phone, I can do what I want. Is this still valid? And I wonder if this phone is still available.

Will any of these 3 options work for me? Also, what sorts of speeds can I expect from each (of the ones that work)? Are the speeds/reliability/etc better on, say, Cingular?

Options #1 and #3 above require me to buy a new phone, so that money
may be better spent paying the $150 early termination fee and switching to Cingular. Option #2 is also expensive, although I can think of other uses of the USB host adapter which may make it worthwhile.

This is my first post, so please go easy on me. I appreciate any information that anyone can provide. I have to decide by tomorrow what to do, as if I stay with sprint, I want to change service plans, which I have to do by tomorrow or wait another month).

Thanks again for any assistance!

[ddavtian]

I'll start from #3.

I got the LG5350 in May 2003 only for this purpose. The serial cable costed around 30-40 dollars. The speed was good, I was getting around 100-110Kb (at least twice faster than a dialup). I used this with ipaq 3950 and 2215.

After few months I got tired of carrying the cable with me and got a new phone.

Last month Sprint released their first bluetooth (not couning the limited Sony phone): LG325. I have it for a month now. Bluetooth here is limited (no obex) but it does have the DUN profile (dial-up networking). I'm using it with my ipaq again. Sprint has somehow limited the speed. I (and other users in other forums) get speeds only up to 30Kb).

Of course using these phones as a modem is against the Sprint rules. I've seen posts about people using this connection as their main ISP. I'm not using it very often. But it's good to be able to get online everywhere (quick email or news or yellow pages).

Hope this helps.
David

[thestorm042]

I'll start from #3.

I got the LG5350 in May 2003 only for this purpose. The serial cable costed around 30-40 dollars. The speed was good, I was getting around 100-110Kb (at least twice faster than a dialup). I used this with ipaq 3950 and 2215.

After few months I got tired of carrying the cable with me and got a new phone.

Last month Sprint released their first bluetooth (not couning the limited Sony phone): LG325. I have it for a month now. Bluetooth here is limited (no obex) but it does have the DUN profile (dial-up networking). I'm using it with my ipaq again. Sprint has somehow limited the speed. I (and other users in other forums) get speeds only up to 30Kb).

Of course using these phones as a modem is against the Sprint rules. I've seen posts about people using this connection as their main ISP. I'm not using it very often. But it's good to be able to get online everywhere (quick email or news or yellow pages).

Hope this helps.
David

Thanks for the information. Yes, I also plan on only using this for occasional email checking or looking up directions while in the car.

I'm not all that familiar with bluetooth (I get the idea, but don't know how it works specifically), so I'm not sure what limited Bluetooth or no obex would mean, or if it matters to me :)

Do you think the LG5350 would also have the reduced speed, or is that due to the new phone/bluetooth? Since I have to get a new phone in either case, I'd rather go with the bluetooth one (i assume it will be faster in the future), but if the other one is 3 times as fast now, it may be worth going that route (i don't mind having a cable to carry around, if necessary).

Also, still curious about option #1, if anyone has any idea.

[ddavtian]

LG5350 is pretty old phone. I don't think Sprint carries it anymore (may be eBay?). It still has the same good speed.

I'm happy with my bluetooth phone. It's slower than the wired one but for the mobile sites it works just fine.

And I don't need obex. It allows to transfer files, contacts, photos from one bluetooth device to another one. People having hundreds of contacts were complaining about this. I have less than 30 contacts and entering them by hand was not a problem. Also obex would allow people to transfer photos to their computers directly instead of using Sprint's service (and paying for that). Again, it didn't matter to me. I have $15 unlimited vision which includes the pictures transfer (not that I use this phone for photos).

So, if you're going to browse mobile sites in most cases. the LG325 should be good for you (plus the vision pack). It works fine as a phone too :-)

I myself am new to bluetooth and get all my information from Sprint forums: sprintusers.com and sprintpcsinfo.com.

David

[thestorm042]

Well, with the pocket pc, i can view any web sites, not just mobile ones, but while I don't imagine DSL speeds are necessary, 30Kb/s is really quite slow. I mean, it'd take almost 15 seconds to load a simple page like yahoo or imdb. Is the slowness a Sprint throttling thing or an inherent bluetooth thing? Any idea how the speeds of other providers (Cingular?) compare?

I guess since I can get the phone for <$100 (rebates, etc) it's a good solution for now, and then I'll have a year to decide if i want to switch to Cingular or something.

Does this solution require having PCS Vision? If so, not too bad - I think it's only $15 a month for unlimited..

Oh, btw, you mentioned needing to pay sprint (though included with vision) to be able get pictures off your phone - that's horrible IMO!!

Thanks again for the continuing assistance :)

[ddavtian]

You're welcome :-)

It's really not that bad for yahoo (the mobile one). And yes, I sometimes browser normal sites too (compay email, traffic information etc.).

I've seen few posts about Sprint fixing the connection speed between the phone and the devices. But nothing sure.

And unlimited vision is not bad. It includes unlimited web on your phone, unlimited pictures etc.

You're right, with rebates you can get it for under $100.

I have had Sprint for more than 5 years and cannot say anything aobut other carriers' data plans and speeds. Check out howardforums just in case.

David

[Cybrid]

Basically you don't need a new phone...just a more expensive cable....

USB is a host/peripheral setup and unless you have a USB host capable PPC you can't connect with just a cable.
There is a cable with some circuitry in between that "emulates" Host for you...it's about 80 bucks and can be found here...

http://www.thesupplynet.com/productDetail.cfm?prodID=7010

Notice the USB host emulator bulge in the middle of the cable :twisted:

[thestorm042]

Cybrid - thanks for the message. Sorry it took so long to get back with you.

This cable seems like a good solution, as it mentions support for both my phone (Sanyo 4900) and ppc (iPAQ hx4700 series). But before shelling out $80 (not much less than the price of a new phone), a couple questions:

1) is this going to be faster than the new LG phone using bluetooth? What speeds should I expect?
2) Are there any limitations to my ability to surf, IM, email, or whatever?
3) Are there any downsides to this solution?

I figure that the cable is only a little less than the LG phone, but I really don't need a new phone, so a few dollars is a few dollars, provided that the LG solution isn't otherwise better. Thanks again!

[Cybrid]

Cybrid - thanks for the message. Sorry it took so long to get back with you.

This cable seems like a good solution, as it mentions support for both my phone (Sanyo 4900) and ppc (iPAQ hx4700 series). But before shelling out $80 (not much less than the price of a new phone), a couple questions:

1) is this going to be faster than the new LG phone using bluetooth? What speeds should I expect?
2) Are there any limitations to my ability to surf, IM, email, or whatever?
3) Are there any downsides to this solution?

I figure that the cable is only a little less than the LG phone, but I really don't need a new phone, so a few dollars is a few dollars, provided that the LG solution isn't otherwise better. Thanks again!

The slow down is in the cellular network access speeds and as such you should not see any significant difference in new phone/ BT / cable or any variant thereof. With CDPD, 14.4Kbps and 30-40 Kbps with 1xRTT.
The limitations are PPC based and you probably have seen them already in regards to IM and PIE. Laptops perform just as well as at home only slower.
Cost is usually the greatest downside. The need for two devices and cable is the other...a single "all in one" is more handy to use one handed...
On the other hand you don't need to cancel your sprint contract early....

[ddavtian]

The slow down is in the cellular network access speeds and as such you should not see any significant difference in new phone/ BT / cable or any variant thereof. With CDPD, 14.4Kbps and 30-40 Kbps with 1xRTT.
hand you don't need to cancel your sprint contract early....

I may be wrong but I think Sprint has somehow limited the speed when using the LG bluetooth. My (and many others' on other boards) max speed has been 30Kbps using LG 325, even when I have the max number of bars.
When using a cable and LG 5350 I've seen speeds around 100Kbps (I was told the max speed was 144Kbps).

[Cybrid]

The slow down is in the cellular network access speeds and as such you should not see any significant difference in new phone/ BT / cable or any variant thereof. With CDPD, 14.4Kbps and 30-40 Kbps with 1xRTT.
hand you don't need to cancel your sprint contract early....

I may be wrong but I think Sprint has somehow limited the speed when using the LG bluetooth. My (and many others' on other boards) max speed has been 30Kbps using LG 325, even when I have the max number of bars.
When using a cable and LG 5350 I've seen speeds around 100Kbps (I was told the max speed was 144Kbps).144Kbps is the theoretical limit. You'd never see it. I'd have to see your bandwidth test to believe 100Kbps. As far as I'm aware 70-80Kbp is actual highest. In near perfect conditions...

[ddavtian]

You're right, mostly my speed was around 70-80Kbps but I had 90-100 few times. And there are reports on Sprint boards about people getting this speed on their computers/PDAs.

I'd be glad to get 70-80 on the bluetooth phone. I've never seen anything other 30 kbps with LG 325.
David

[Cybrid]

Hmm.....looks like I'll be testing for a while to figure that out. Until now the 30-40 I've gotten seemed to be network related connectivity issues. I'm gonna check this out.

[thestorm042]

Sounds like getting the cable is the correct solution for me. Cheaper than the new phone, and either the same speed or faster.. Carrying the extra cable will be a bit annoying, but shouldn't be too bad.

Thanks for the information, guys!

[frankenbike]

I've got the PM-325. I like the fact that I just leave it in the holster, and when I turn Bluetooth on on my Axim and hit the web, it automatically just connects and dials out through Vision. Not fast, but I tend to avoid graphics intensive pages when I'm remote browsing anyway. I use GoogHelper (http://www.twopeaks.com/site/products/googhelper/) for Googling (which is fast, and I think I just turned into a verb) and find something else to do to keep myself amused while loading slower pages.

No matter how slow BT web browsing is through the Axim and the PM-325, it's still infinitely better than browsing through the phone's web browser ;)

And it looks cool when I'm talking to people and look something up on the net through the Axim without a wire and actually come up with useful info under discussion.