Registered: Dec 2001
Location:
Posts: 16

VisorPhone, VoiceStream, and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat . . .

Hey, I think this question is rather general. Besides, I didn't see a VisorPhone section!

Anyhoo, I saw somewhere, not sure where exactly, that you could access the Net on the VisorPhone as a VoiceStream customer WITHOUT iStream enabled on your account, thus saving you money and minutes. What program do you need to do this? Or do you have to be signed up with a certain ISP or type of ISP?

Thanks in advance for any and all assitance!

Oh, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year and HS rocks!

Registered: Mar 2000
Location: Boston MA
Posts: 16

You don't need iStream - that's Voicestream's web service for the GPRS phones. I don't think they'd even set up the account for iStream on a VP.

You also don't need DataStream, which is the service that Handspring recommends - DataStream is a bucket of 1500 data-only minutes for $30. My experience was that VS messed up the billing every single month and dumped all my data calls into my 75-min/month voice bucket instead of my 1500-min/mo data bucket. I eventually switched to their 500-min/month plan with unlimited weekends for $40 - $10 less than my $20 basic voice plan (it isn't my primary voice phone) plus $30 DataStream.

You do need "Data" enabled on your account, which is normally the default for all Voicestream accounts. But none of the special, optional Data services like what I mentioned are needed.

But you will use minutes to connect to the web - the only way the VP connects to the web is by dialing up via its built-in modem. Typically you use a dial-up ISP. In my case I used the 30hrs/month backup dialup I get from my Speakeasy DSL account.

However now I dial into Voicestream's net gateway instead:

This thread http://discussion.visorcentral.com/...?threadid=19305 covers how you can use one of VoiceStream's net numbers to avoid having to have a dialup ISP. You do NOT need to do any of the IR stuff - that was relevant to Palm (or Handspring) users wanting to use IR from the handheld to a separate Voicestream phone. NOT to using the VP.

It's also real picky about which dialing string you use when using the Vstream gateway. Some of the posts refer to a dial string with a &W (a wait) at the end. Others don't have it. I only could get connected with the one without the &W but it's worked with others. I think it depends on your Visor's speed. I've got an older VDX which is slower than the Prism, Pro, Platinum, Edge or Neo - so maybe the &W (a Hayes Modem "wait") made it wait too long - I got a PPP timeout. Maybe the newer faster visors need the wait.

If you don't have your own domain or access to some other email server, keep in mind that connecting through the Voicestream gateway just provides DNS and internet routing, but won't provide any e-mail. I have my own domains with serveral email boxes from web hosting, plus e-mail from my Speakeasy account, and I can use them just fine from One-Touch e-mail without any trouble.

But otherwise you would need to access the email from your dial-up ISP. And some ISPs do not allow you to make a POP3 connection (get e-mail from their server) if you are coming from outside of their IP range - in other words not connected through them. Many more will not let you do an SMTP connection (send e-mail through their server) if not connected through them. If your ISP allows you to GET your mail from outside their network, then usually you can SEND mail for a few minutes after checking it first (to authenticate).

Obviously if you use your VP to wirelessly dial to your ISP's number, then you are inside their network and their servers will work just as if you dialed them from your PC and used Outlook or Eudora or whatever from there. One-Touch mail - the application for e-mail with the VP - will work just fine. If you use the VStream number for the net gateway though, and try to check your ISP email or send ISP email via One-Touch, keep in mind the possible restrictions I mentioned.

But whichever way you connect, you will be using minutes from your VoiceStream plan. Even if you aren't using ISP dial-up minutes, you are using Voicestream connection minutes. No way around it. That's just the way the VP works. However, VStream's plans are pretty good now, with large buckets of no-roaming, no-long distance minutes. I use the VP to sync to Avantgo for a bunch of channels during the day, do a few minutes of Blazer browsing, and check my personal emails over it. I end up using about 300-400 minutes of time per month (20 minutes or so per working day), which fits well into their 500 minute per month plan.

If you also intend to use it as your primary voice phone, then you may need more minutes. I don't, since I need to rely on a phone that can fall back to analog for traveling up into ski country and other spots where there is no chance at a GSM signal. That leaves me with a Verizon phone for voice (CDMA/Analog) and previously AT&T or Cingular (TDMA/Analog). Those are the only companies who have analog coverage as part of your plan, if that's the only signal available. Sprint falls back onto analog (on a dual-band phone) but it is never part of your plan even if it's in your home calling area. Since I go up to VT, NH, and Maine a lot, I use a lot of analog time. GSM on the VP dies just north of Portland. But if the GSM coverage works for you everywhere you go, a big bucket of VStream minutes for both Voice and Data is pretty cheap right now.

Good luck and Happy Holidays!
Mark
VDX (RF-optimized) and VP

Registered: Dec 2001
Location:
Posts: 16

Thanks, Mark!

That was very informative and I appreciate the effort you put into it. I went to that thread, shortly after posting my superfluous thread, and tried different things. At first, I got an 0501 error, if I'm not mistaken, and then an 1102 or 1106 error. I have no friggin' clue as to why. I have a Visor Deluxe which I love and got the VisorPhone earlier this month. I want to justify going up to a new promotional plan they have but can't until I can access the Net from my VP without iStream.

I will try doing different things but I don't forsee it getting resolved soon enough for me.

Registered: Dec 2001
Location:
Posts: 16

Wait, it's a 1102 error with the "no carrier" nonsense. I must have a carrier because everytime I start the phone it says it's connecting to VoiceStream.

Registered: Mar 2000
Location: Boston MA
Posts: 16

If you're getting a "No Carrier" error it could be that "Data" is not properly set up on your account. I had that problem at one point, and had to call Voicestream customer care. They ended up dropping data from my account and re-adding it, which somehow fixed it.

Have you been able to dial up an ISP or some friend's modem or your own modem? If you can't dial up anything from a data call, then check the data provisioning with Voicestream first. Once you get that working, then try the Voicestream gateway number.

Registered: Dec 2001
Location:
Posts: 16

I called them and they said that data was enabled on my account but I guess I'll have to have them try that drop/add thing and see if that fixes it.

But so far, does the numbers in that Datastream Not Needed thread still working, along with that IP?

Registered: Mar 2000
Location: Boston MA
Posts: 16

Yes, both numbers work. Today I was using the 9132440821 number (Floridia). This is the one that shows up as "Web Call" on your bill.

I've also used the Connecticut number 2034349933 quite successfully. This shows up on the bill as just that number. But works the same way. Now that I'm on a plan with free long-distance I've been using the FL number more, but either should work.

Here's the exact setup I'm using here in Boston, Voicestream, Visor Deluxe:

In Preferences: Network - make up a new connection "Service" (for example call it "VSTR Inet" or whatever you want.

User Name: enter one space
Password: entre one space
Phone: use one of the numbers above


In Preferences - Network - Details for this service, set up this:

Connection type: PPP
Idle Timeout: Power Off
Query DNS: unchecked
Primary DNS: 65.161.188.100
IP Address: Automatic (check this off)


In Preferences - Modem, set up this:
Modem: Custom
Speed: 57,600 bps (allows the modem's compression algorithm to work by higher modem-to-app speed than the physical link)

Flow Ctl: Automatic
Country: United States
String: AT&FX4;+cbst=71,0,1


This is what works for me. Again, this may be picky depending on model/speed of your Visor, your local Voicestream service area, etc.

Other people have had success with a different modem string:

AT&FX4;+cbst=71,0,1;&W

But as I mentioned before, I could never connect with this string ending in &W (which is a modem wait I believe). With the version without it, I connect just fine. Beats me why it varies from Visor to Visor but I guess it does.

Good luck.

Registered: Dec 2001
Location:
Posts: 16

I have tried that but still get that damned "no carrier" message. It's fairly annoying and I'm hoping something will give. LOL Thanks! I'm gonan keep on keepin' on . . .

Registered: Nov 2001
Location:
Posts: 7

1102 no carrier error

I've been traveling a bit lately. It turns out that I only get the 1102 error in the Chicago area - and I always get it here. I called VS and explained the problem. They said they are having some "problems" in the Chicago area, and that they neither knew how to fix it nor when I could expect it to be fixed. Thus, no modem access in Chicago.