Registered: Mar 2000
Location: Garland, TX, USA
Posts: 108

T-Mobile data minutes

Hey, everybody!

Well in light of T-Mobile shutting down the free ISDN line, I signed up for their wireless internet data service. And of course, I can't get a straight answer one what it will take to set up my VP to do it.

Anyone out there know any better? My service won't activate till the 25th of this month, so I can't try anything yet.

Thanks,

__________________
Cheers,
Rob Lund
The Rob Pages
[email protected]

Registered: Jan 2000
Location: New York City
Posts: 158

Re: T-Mobile data minutes

quote:

---

Originally posted by Ruprect
Well in light of T-Mobile shutting down the free ISDN line, I signed up for their wireless internet data service.

---

Registered: Mar 2000
Location: Garland, TX, USA
Posts: 108

Uh-oh!

Well, I made a big assumption -- that the GRPS service was a dial-up service. In fact, it's supposed to work woth Blackberry / PDA devices with modems. So doesn't that imply that it is a dial-up services? I.e., I shouldn't need a separate ISP.

__________________
Cheers,
Rob Lund
The Rob Pages
[email protected]

Registered: Mar 2000
Location: Garland, TX, USA
Posts: 108

Yes!

I answered my own question. From Handspring's communicator (read: Treo) support page:

Wireless Info

T-Mobile Internet (GPRS) gives you:

* Persistent Internet connection for instant access to web and email, without having to dial up
* Faster connection speeds than with a regular dial-up connection
* More control over incoming phone calls - you can answer phone calls even while you're checking your email, your data call will reconnect as soon as you're off the phone

__________________
Cheers,
Rob Lund
The Rob Pages
[email protected]

Registered: Mar 2000
Location: Garland, TX, USA
Posts: 108

GPRS is free now!

I forgot to mention that when I renewed my yearly contract, it included 10MB GPRS for free. That's not bad at all!

__________________
Cheers,
Rob Lund
The Rob Pages
[email protected]

Registered: Sep 2002
Location:
Posts: 35

the visorphone can't use GPRS though. what did you wind up doing - are you using a different phone?

Registered: Mar 2000
Location: Garland, TX, USA
Posts: 108

Why?!

Wait, how come? I still have my VP, and the GPRS service isn't active yet.

And of course the T-Mobile people didn't mention this when they were pitching it to me. I had told them what phone I had too.

__________________
Cheers,
Rob Lund
The Rob Pages
[email protected]

Registered: Sep 2002
Location:
Posts: 35

gprs is "always on" connectivity - no dial up. you need a phone that is gprs capable. the treo's can be upgraded to use gprs but not the VP - that's why i asked if you switched phones.

don't trust the CSR's - they are all clueless. i think they know gprs as the "T-Zone" on the new phones. that's what it's known as. they know nothing of the technology behind it.

Last edited by joesmith on 01-20-2003 at 09:45 PM

Registered: Jan 2000
Location: New York City
Posts: 158

Re: GPRS is free now!

quote:

---

Originally posted by Ruprect
I forgot to mention that when I renewed my yearly contract, it included 10MB GPRS for free. That's not bad at all!

---

Registered: Mar 2000
Location: Garland, TX, USA
Posts: 108

doesn't surprise me

...it was something like "Wireless Plan" or something." I'll look tonight.

__________________
Cheers,
Rob Lund
The Rob Pages
[email protected]

Registered: Sep 2002
Location:
Posts: 35

considering that you don't have a gprs ready phone - then maybe it's not such a great deal. you will need to go and get a new phone to use gprs. you can check them out on ebay under "GSM - GPRS" and make sure they are unlocked.

Registered: Aug 2002
Location: St. Louis
Posts: 108

OK, here is a good question (at least one of them, anyay!) :-).

I have a Visorphone and T-mobile service. Naturally, I do not have "T-zones" since VP is not GPRS capable, however, T-mobile does have a "Wireless Internet" plan, presumably for notebook PC's connecting with cellular modems through a dial-up ISP.

1. Can I use my VP as a cellular modem for my Notebook? How would I do that?

2. If I do get a GPRS phone (un-locked, without SIM card) can I simply switch the SIM card in my VP into the new GPRS phone, then notify T-Mobile that I want to add "T-zones"?

3. Know anybody wanting to sell an upgradeable TreoPhone CHEEEAP, without new service activation?

Oh, well. My Visorphone was free anyway, and it still makes a decent, if bulky cell phone, great for SMS! I pity the fools who shelled out $300 or more for the VP!

__________________
The Prismer

"I am not a number, I am a person!"

Registered: Sep 2002
Location:
Posts: 35

#2 may be your best bet. look on ebay but gsm/gprs phones are expensive right now.

why bother though? you can use your VP, sign up for the free access at access4free.com and still use it like you had the ISDN connection from before (read the end of that long thread).

the data plan is only significant for GPRS. even the regular $20 plan lets you dial up anywhere you can dial up with your VP. this is such a scam. this is a digital service - ergo everything is data!

another thing i discovered is that if you go online into your account and go into t-zones, you can set up alerts for your emails and t-mobile will send you an SMS message about it. pretty cool feature and you don't need GPRS for that!

Registered: Mar 2000
Location: Garland, TX, USA
Posts: 108

free dial-up service

Does that service have any spam associated with it?

Hey, what kind of dial strings are needed to make this work? My employer has a dial-up modem that I tried to make work, and I couldn't get my VP to talk to it. Standing next to the modem, I could hear the connection, but not the handshaking.

Don't commas work as pauses? For the access number, I have to dial an extension after an automated PBX system answers. The necessary delay is about a second or two. I don't think my commas are working though.

Hmmm.

__________________
Cheers,
Rob Lund
The Rob Pages
[email protected]

Registered: Sep 2002
Location:
Posts: 35

there's no spam and it's not exactly free. there is a $4.95 setup fee and 10hrs free every month. it's a dollar for every hour over the 10hrs with a ceiling of $10. i just use it mostly for email and a little messing around with avantgo and blazer now and then (specially on free weekend minutes). since i have the alerts setup now, i don't even go in as often.

sorry, i just use the default settings and it works fine...