It is possible to use a Samsung SCI-i760 as a modem with Mac OSX. Verizon Wireless will be no help here, but hopefully I can. After literally months of hunting around, I have figured out how to do it. Here’s how:
You will need three files for this. They are Verizon Wireless’s VZAccess program, BTModem.exe, which creates a dial-up networking bluetooth interface, and VerizonWirelessModem, a modem script. I am not certain that VZAccess is required, but I had it installed when I managed to get this to work, so I’m going to recommend that you install it as well.
First, install BTModem.exe on your phone. Copy it over any way you can, such as with a memory card or using the Obex FTP application on the phone. Run it. It will create a bluetooth serial port to which your computer will connect and use as a modem.
Next, install VZAccess. The steps for this are pretty obvious.
Finally, you need to install the modem script. Unzip it and copy it to “/Library/Modem Scripts”.
Then, you need to set up the serial port. I assume that you have already paired your phone with your computer.
Go to the System Preferences and choose the Bluetooth pane. Select your phone, then click on the gear icon. Select “Edit Serial Ports…”. There should be one listed already, named with the bluetooth name of your phone followed by “-i730ModemS-1″. If there is not, click on the plus icon, and it will be added.
Select the serial port, and set the Protocol to RS-232. Set the Service to “i730 Modem Serial Port”. Check both “Require pairing for security” and “Show in network preferences”. Here is what mine looks like:
Next, back in the System Preferences, choose the Network pane. Select the “-i730-Modem-S-1″ interface, and name it something like “VZW”. Click Create.
Now to edit the modem settings. Use “#777″ as the telephone number. Account Name is “(yourphonenumber)@vzw3g.com”. For me, this was “5402728159@vzw3g.com”. The password is “vzw”.
Next, click on Advanced. Set Vendor to “Other”. Once you have done this, set “Modem” to “Verizon Wireless”. Click OK.
Now, disconnect your phone from the net if it is connected. Your modem is now set up.
Disconnect any other active network interfaces, such as an Airport. If your computer is already connected to the net, it doesn’t seem to work. Click “Connect” to try it out. :)
A side note: I have discovered an intermittent problem that undoes some of this connection stuff. Occasionally, for no apparent reason, my mac forgets that the serial port, “i760 Modem Serial Port”, exists. When this happens, go to the “Edit Serial Ports” dialog from the Bluetooth preferences, and click the “+” button below the list of serial ports. It should show up immediately. If you have already set up the VZW network interface, you don’t need to do that again after re-adding the serial port.
Side note 2: Sometimes, for example when you get a phone call while connected, OS X seems to hang on the disconnect step. It will say it is disconnecting, but never finish, and not let you reconnect either. Internally, this is the PPP daemon getting hung on a suddenly gone serial port. The solution to this is similar to the note above: If it hangs on disconnect, go to the bluetooth preferences for the device, click “Edit Serial Ports…”, and then remove the serial port. Click apply. Suddenly the stalled disconnect will finish. You can then re-add the serial port and connect again.
robin Internet, Robin, Technology
