Bluetooth mobile as a GPRS modem for laptop and desktop


In this article we show how to quickly configure your Bluetooth enabled computer to access the internet through a Bluetooth mobile phone and GPRS.

But Bluetooth is much easier than this. It offers a special profile that can be used to connect a computer to the internet using a mobile phone in very few clicks.

We'll show you how to use your Bluetooth GPRS mobile as a modem to access the internet on the go! In this example I'm using a computer running Windows 2000, a TDK USB Bluetooth dongle (version 1.4), and a Sony Ericsson P800. Some screens in your PC may be different, but the idea is the same! We assume your devices are already paired. If not, do it first, then come back here!

Start on My Bluetooth Places. Double-click Entire Bluetooth Neighborhood.




Find the icon corresponding to your mobile phone, and double-click it. In this case it's the P800 icon.





When the services are shown, right-click dial-up networking and select Create shortcut. A shortcut is then created on My Bluetooth Places.





Back in My Bluetooth Places you'll find the new icon corresponding to the dial-up on this mobile phone. Double-click it to initiate a connection.





The connection dialog will appear...





And you'll have to fill in the blanks with your connection details:





After completing it, hit the OK button and the connection will be established.




If you look on My Bluetooth Places again you'll see the gree icon corresponding to an active connection.




You are now able to browse the internet from your computer, collect e-mails, use ICQ and MSN Messenger. Remember that some mobile operators have a default APN that uses a private IP address range, and some software will not work (acces to VPN for instance).

In this case you'll need to find what's the APN your mobile operator makes available for direct connections to the internet, and ask for dialing instructions:

  • What's the number to dial (*99***?#)
  • What APN to use (you may have to enter a init string on your Connection configuration, like +CGDCONT=1,,"internet" for instance

    You can change the connection configuration by right-clicking My Network Places and selecting Properties. You'll find an icon named BluetoothConnection there.
    •