Dial-up (AOL) using cell phone modem

[CalvinHobbes]

I have a Dell laptop with XP. I'm using a motorola cell phone which can be used as a modem for dial-up.

XP sees the cell phone as a modem and installed the drivers for it. AOL sees the modem as well.

When I try to dial an AOL access number, the phone starts to dial but then I hear the tones that you'd hear if a number was not in service. I checked the AOL number and it is correct.

Anyone have experience with using a cell phone as a modem for dial up?

 

[yukichigai]

Originally posted by: CalvinHobbes
I have a Dell laptop with XP. I'm using a motorola cell phone which can be used as a modem for dial-up.

XP sees the cell phone as a modem and installed the drivers for it. AOL sees the modem as well.

When I try to dial an AOL access number, the phone starts to dial but then I hear the tones that you'd hear if a number was not in service. I checked the AOL number and it is correct.

Anyone have experience with using a cell phone as a modem for dial up?

This all depends on whether or not the cell phone is an actual modem or a "modem". A "modem" will say it's dialing but will instead use your internet bandwidth rather than dialing via cell carrier. This is the norm for cell phones that work as modems, particularly bluetooth enabled ones. The amount of bandwidth a cell carrier can transmit isn't the same as what a landline can transmit, making cell phones really crappy for actual dialup. That, and the phone companies want to get as much money out of you as they can.

Anyway, there are a few things I need to know to answer your question properly, namely:

What cell provider do you use? (Cingular, Sprint, etc.)
What model is the phone? (Or how old is it if you don't know)
How are you connecting it to your computer? (Adaptor cable, Bluetooth, IrDA, etc.)
Can you dial any other numbers with it successfully through the computer? (Try 555-1212 or 411)

 

[CalvinHobbes]

Provider: Cingular
Phone: Motorola V551
Connection: USB Phone Adapter cable

I don't have the phone or laptop with me so I can't try and dial another number.

 

[CalvinHobbes]

Anyone else have any ideas?