"Hot Spot"?

[witzend]

husband and I are going on vacation next month and I want to take my technology with me. (I know, I'm a junkie...) My phone is a 3G capable blackberry, and is wi-fi capable. I already use the wi-fi option to connect to some of my customer's wi-fi access where their cell service is spotty. That's about as much as I know about it.

I know that I can get service and that there are monthly limits, but beyond that I'm clueless. Does anyone use this type of thing on their cell or whatever? I'm particularly interested in accessing my Netflix streaming. I can bring most of my movies and videos on my ipod so it's not a necessity, but it would be handy and I'd like to try it out before we either renew or change cell service in December.

Does anyone have any personal experience with this? Do you like it? Is there something about it you would change if you could? Anything I should beware of?

 

[DammitJanet]

Your blackberry is basically its own wifi hub. You can connect a computer to it by tethering. Blackberry's were built for it. If you still have the manual that came with your phone it will tell you how to do it in there, if not, look up your model online and you can get instructions. I dont know which carrier you use, but I have done tethering with Sprint and had zero issues. I am sure you have seen the new Blackberry tablets they have now. They tether to the Blackberry phones. In my family we have (oh lord) the Evo, Evo Shift, Blackberry, and two more smartphones that I cant remember the names of. Plus Tony's rugged phone. Right now the blackberry isnt in use. Billy and I have the Evo's.

The only issue is that if you go somewhere that your phone carrier isnt in, it may be roaming.

 

[witzend]

Hmm... Thanks Janet. Not sure what tethering is. I'll have to ask husband. I have a wi-fi phone connection, but no internet service with my phone plan. I might just have to get by for a week without it, but I don't know...

 

[DammitJanet]

Witz, you have a blackberry and dont have internet service with it? Blackberry's are smartphones and are built to use the internet. Dont you get a charge for some data charges every month because your phone actually syncs itself with the internet by itself.

 

[Shari]

I was going to ask the same thing...except you can disable data so they can't pick up a cell signal to sync...maybe that's what's going on?

Call your provider and just have a data plan put on your plan for a month. Its like $20 for 2gig, and we've only even approached that amount once, and that was while driving 18 hours one weekend and watching youtube videos most of the time. lol

 

[witzend]

I specifically told them I don't want data. I use the Blackberry because I can wi-fi phone calls in dead spots, and because it's the only phone that actually works with my bluetooth the way that I like it. ie: Push a button on the headset and say "Call husband" and it calls husband. I don't have to push the menu button, then the up button, then the 4, then say "Call husband". The day I need to carry the internet with me 24/7 forever is the day you might as well put me into one of those "Captain Pike" from Star Trek chairs with the one bleep for "yes" and two bleeps for "no", because I'm not going to bother interacting in person with anyone ever again!

Thanks, Shari. That's what I'm wondering about. I have no clue what "2g" is!

 

[DammitJanet]

Thats 2 gigabytes.

OMG...if I didnt have my smartphone anymore I would be so lost. I cant even use one of the old clam shell phones anymore. Texting on those are horrible. I am in love with my new Evo. I just push the little microphone and tell it to "text XXX" and then tell the phone what I want to say and it does it. I dont have to type anything anymore.