Internet Sharing- when you absolutely, positively need online
This morning I headed over to the new and improved Mobile Tech Manor to get some stuff carried over before the "real" move. I carried my gear bag stuffed with the Lenovo IdeaPad u110 as I figured when I took a rest I could get online using the goodness of the Verizon EVDO network. I got my errands done, put some java on to brew and sat down at my new desk in the new office. I just cracked myself up because that desk is a folding card table and my desk chair is a nylon folding lawn chair. Hey it works.
I turned on the Lenovo and reached into my bag for the ExpressCard modem only to discover that in my haste to get out of the house I didn’t throw it in the bag! I was just getting ready to pack up and head back home when it hit me- I can use the HSDPA 3G on the HTC Advantage which was indeed in the bag. Say what you want, the Internet Sharing utility in Windows Mobile 6 is outstanding in its ease to use. I connected to the AT&T 3G network and on the IdeaPad I told it to connect to a Personal Area Network over Bluetooth and in a few seconds I was online and working away. Sure it’s not as fast as the EVDO network but it works and works well.
Is EVDO faster because of the way it connects to the phone versus the HSPDA (card versus tethering)? I thought HSDPA was as fast or faster than EVDO Rev A.
It could well be that the speed of the bluetooth is the bottleneck here.
@shawn: theoretical specs for HSDPA / HSUPA are faster, but realized speeds are thus far in favor of EVDO Rev-A. and EVDO is still in far more places than HSPA… I get a dozen calls a week from people who tried AT&T 3G only to be disappointed it wasn’t 3G where they were and EDGE speeds instead.
Take a look at fastest recorded speedtests by members of EVDOforums.com: http://evdomaps.com/Fastest+Downloads
I’ve also observed EVDO is consistently faster than HSDPA in a few places where I tested. But, in mobile computing where internet usage is more like a frequent-but-short-access style, latency is as important as speed, and EVDO has an edge in that department too.
If you aren’t using a Bluetooth 2.0+EDR (Enhance Data Rate, which provides Bluetooth 2.0 EDR compliant devices speeds up to 3.0 Mbps you won’t get the full 3G speeds. Microsoft’s generic stack doesn’t have support for this. Toshiba’s Bluetooth stack like that found on the P1610 does.You also need +EDR support on the phone you are connecting to as well.
EDVOinfo – thanks for info, that is good stuff!
I blogged about this 2 months ago when the Internet access at my hotel in an Atlanta suburb went down and I used internet sharing with my HTC Touch Cruise, which uses HSPDA, my laptop being a Motion LS 800. I got close to T1 download speed with a USB cable. With Bluetooth, still OK but not nearly as fast. Here in Downtown LA, same result, with USB cable consistently around 1200, with Bluetooth about half that. YMMV.
People should never forget one key thing about 3G. Regardless of the technology used (HSDPA or EVDO), speed will vary by signal strength and therefore by location. You can’t really say “HSDPA is supposed to be faster, how is EV-DO faster for you?” or vice versa.
Steve’s right about the Bluetooth stack and throughput as well, which can limit perceived speeds.
Or like in my case when EVDO is not available then HSDPA over Bluetooth is the fastest connection.
I use my HTC TyTn tethered to a laptop in much the same way here in the UK. I’m on an ‘unlimited’ broadband bundle established for the iphone brigade but it comes with a ‘fair usage’ policy; ie no tethering.
Could O2 detect the Windows Mobile Internet Sharing utility was in use if I abused it? So far I have not.
I’ll just toss in an url here:
http://www.wmwifirouter.com/
Just in case you ever need to get more than one gadget online at once.
Very cool stuff.
Similarly for s60 phones, e.g. N95
http://www.joikuspot.com/
Lokking forward to the premium version of this. Works great to partner with an iPod Touch.
James or anyone, I have tried internet sharing between my AT&T Tilt and my Advantage 7501. I have unlimited data plan with AT&T, but it’s a hassle to switch the SIM card back and forth. Anyway, the only BT service that shows up on my Advantage, after pairing, is DUN. This requires a phone number,etc. Is this what you guys are doing? I thought it was BT PAN to BT PAN. This 64 year-old thanks anyone who can steer me in the right direction. BTW James, good luck with your move to the new Mobile Tech Manor.
Dr. Roland E. Kehr, Jr.
Dr. Kehr, if the Advantage is only showing BT DUN as an option, this post from Pocketables might help. In it, Jenn shows how to pair the Tilt with a Nokia Internet Tablet using BT DUN. All of the AT&T settings are in the post.
http://www.pocketables.net/2008/01/how-to-tether-a.html