PDA Phone Example 14 – Laptop Internet Connectivity

Getting a laptop internet connection can be difficult when traveling. Options include searching for a Wi-Fi hotspot or getting a data card from a wireless carrier. Another option is to use your PDA phone’s data plan to wirelessly tether data to your laptop. The PDA phone has the ability to act like a modem and provide an internet connection to the laptop via Bluetooth.

The speed of the internet connection will be limited by Bluetooth or by the cell phone carrier’s data service. If your PDA phone and your laptop both have Bluetooth 2.0, then your limited by 3 Mb/s. Otherwise, Bluetooth 1.2 will limit you to 1 Mb/s. Your cell phone’s data plan is limited by whether it uses EDGE (236 kb/s), EV-DO Rev. 0 (2.4 Mb/s), EV-DO Rev. A (3.1 Mb/s) or HSDPA (3.6 Mb/s) technology. Make sure your PDA phone is compatible with one of the high speed data technologies mentioned above.

A great Bluetooth tethering how-to can be found at Engadget’s website. They have a story titled How-To: Use your EV-DO Pocket PC phone for internet access on how to wirelessly tether a laptop to a xv6700 PDA phone.