Anyone connect their laptop to their cell phone to get online?
My cellular provider sells a kit, and they say it can be done, I was just wondering how it works.
Does it take forever to open a webpage?

I think the idea is really cool, and the uses are amazing, I just don't want to waste money trying it if it's still really slow.

Maybe I'll wait until the technology advances more.

 

You should ask your service provider what speed you would be getting.

It probably varies from provider to provider, and what method of transfer your phone uses, as well as distance from the nearest cell tower.

In any case, I would expect its 56k or lower (more than likely lower).

 

The only problem with wireless is that anyone with a little equipment can get everything you send or receive. This includes credit card numbers if you are buying online. They had a news article here where they gathered all kinds of info just driving past houses.

 

That is really unlikely to happen. Most wireless networks use sometype of encryption. Btw it isn't much safer to send your credit card to a webpage via cable, dsl, or modem. You kinda just gotta take your chances.

 

True, there will be encryption, but they were able to pick up emails, etc . Afterward they talked to some of the people the got information from. To say the least these folks weren't happy about there wireless.

 

That isn't the same type of wireless. These people are using wireless LAN equipment not cell phones.

I dont know how the web information is transferred for the cell phones but I would imagine you dont have this problem (since you dont hear too many issues with phone calls being intercepted etc).

If they weren't happy it's their own fault for not setting up their security properly. It's the same as running a computer on Cable or DSL without a firewall (somewhat, but you get the idea).

 

If I remember correctly (tough at my age) the changed scanners ability some years back because they could hear cell phone conversations. I have heard occasionally of someone being arrested for intercepting cell phone conversations. Of course we know the feds can do it quite easily. Fortunately as you said, there does not seem to be too many doing this (we hope).
As to the wireless lan that was intercepted, some of these were businesses, supposedly set up by professionals.

 

I went to a cyber crime seminar they were saying the bad guys have sent their equipment through the mail and were able to capture cell phone numbers to use in their phones. The result is free calls fro them and you get to pay the bill. This was about 2-3 years ago, but I believe them when they say no technology is secure. As soon as the good guys figure out how to stop the bad guys the bad guys defeat the technology.

As far as whether the wireless internet is less safe than wired internet. I doubt it, every computer sends out signals that can be captured and exploited, you just have to have the right equipment.

 

This holds for any service you have performed by someone else (or some other business). You have to either a) have experience with them, or b) hope for the best.

Sometimes you get someone working for you that doesnt know what they are doing, and that is unfortunate.

Very true, but it's extremely easier to do this over wireless LAN setups than wired.

 

Ia is right, the internet is the internet, you take your chances every time you get on. If a thief wants your stuff, then they're going to get it, no matter what kind of connection you have.

 

That is the truth. Look at companies like Directv. They spend millions a year to stop signal theft and they have yet to be succesful. Heck government websites have been taken down on several occasions. The internet isn't exactly the safest place in the world, but there are thousands of honest businesses online. The sad fact is, if someone wants to take something of yours and tries hard enough they are gonna get it. I know I go to work everyday and come home at night hoping that no one has stolen all my stuff. We got an alarm system, but I am sure someone knows a way to bypass it. You could run and hide under a rock and protect yourstuff all the time, but that is not gonna get you anywhere in this world. Shopping on the internet is alot like that.

 

I use my Treo to get online in a pinch, but it will never replace an ISP. SprintPCS in the States has an Internet service called Vision. It's designed so that folks with PDA phones or camera phones or just Internet enabled phones can go online across their network. I have a cable from Sprint that allows me to connect my Treo 300 to my laptop and I get 144k up and down. Sprint puts you through a proxy server that reduces the quality of images to make it seem faster than it really is. Sprint also offers this in the form of a PC Card called Aircard for about US$250. But enough about Sprint.

I don't know of anyone in Canada offering similar service at similar speeds. In Ontario, I think you're best off going with Sympatico's Internet Kiosk service. They've put access points near the payphones, and you can use a normal 802.11b wireless card with it. If I recall correctly, unlimited access comes in at C$44.95. Good luck!

 

O.K. On the older analog cell phone systems it was relatively easy to use a scaner and get the phone #'s and use them. Actually they had to be able to get the ESN and the phone # to make it work. (Electronic serial #)

Now with the new digital systems (CDMA,TDMA,GSM) it is virtually impossible to hack. Only the very sophisticated theives can hack a digital signal.

There are three basic new digital networks for phones and accessing the internet on your laptop. Verizon Wireles and Sprint use a CDMA based system called 1XRTT they both have marketing names for it (Express and Vision) AT&T, T-Mobile, and Cingular use TDMA based GPRS (general packet radio service) AT&T is also standing up a new GSM network for it's phones only. lastly is Nextel wich has it's own digital network called I-Den.

The best for laptop use is the CDMA based 1XRTT systems, next would be I-Den.

More later battery on laptop is dying