Tips: Tethering with a 3G cell phone

Using a 3G cell phone as a modem to get access to the Internet is very easy. I usually have three ways to connect my laptop or tablet:

USB cable

Very easy - just connect the cell phone to a laptop with a USB cable, install a modem driver and create a Dial-Up connection. The connection is stable and my cell phone gives me 6.0 - 6.9 Mb/s on the road (HSDPA). I use the following parameters for my Fido phone: Modem extra-initialization (APN is the last parameter):

at+cgdcont=1,"ip","internet.fido.ca"

Dial-up phone number: 99**#

Bluetooth connection

Another option if the cable is not available. Setup is very easy too - just pair the laptop and cell phone and enable the DUN service. A Dial-Up connection is required here too, with the same phone number and the same modem extra-initialization string (see USB cable). This connection is limited by Bluetooth speed, so I see only 1.3-1.5 Mb/s (my cell phone supports only Bluetooth 2).

WiFi mobile hotspot

Some cell phones can work as WiFi hotspots. My cell phone can. A quick option with good connection speed, but it drains the battery quickly. My cell phone can survive for only one hour.