Using your mobile phone as a wireless modem

Bluetooth with GPRS

Author(s):

If your mobile phone contract includes GPRS mobile Internet service,
you can use a Bluetooth phone as a wireless modem for your Linux
portable computer.

If you remember the days when com-
puters connected to the Internet
through telephone lines, you might
be wondering whether it is possible to
use an Internet-enabled cellphone or
PDA as a wireless Internet connection
for a roaming laptop computer. This arti-
cle describes a technique for connecting
a Linux portable computer to the Inter-
net through a Bluetooth connection to a
mobile phone. Of course, this procedure requires a mobile phone service plan
that comes with some form of Internet
connectivity.
The example configuration described
in this article assumes Internet access
through General Packet Radio Service
(GPRS), a mobile networking architec-
ture supported by many wireless provid-
ers. A similar approach may also work
for other service types. If your service
plan provides Internet access through
an alternative method, consult your
provider for details and adapt the proce-
dures described in this article for your
own environment.