forums.fibble.org

[grant]

( Originally from Fibble.org - Use your BlackBerry Pearl as a Bluetooth Modem under OS X )

In the long tradition of only writing software when it solves something that annoys me, I’ve written an OS X modem script for the BlackBerry 8100 (a.k.a. Pearl). If you have an 8100, you can now use it as a Bluetooth modem with your Mac. Here’s how you use it:

1. Download the script here. Please Right-Click and Choose ‘Save As’. It's important not to open it in a text editor, as the script can become corrupted.
   
2. Copy the script into the folder /Library/Modem Scripts. That's the Library folder at the root of your hard drive, not the one in your user folder.
   
3. If you’ve already paired your Pearl with your Mac, open Bluetooth Preferences, Select your Pearl from the list of devices and press ‘Configure…’. (If you haven’t, choose ‘Set up Bluetooth Device’ - the following dialogs will be shown after you’ve paired your phone with your Mac. Make sure your Pearl doesn't require a password for your mac to connect to it - the 'Trusted Connection' option for the pairing should be set to 'Yes' on your phone, not 'Ask'.)
   
4. Make sure ‘Access the Internet with your phone’s data connection’ is checked. Also, make sure ‘Use a direct, higher speed connection’ is selected. Click Continue.
   
5. In the Modem Script pulldown on the following screen, Select ‘BlackBerry 8100’. Use the following settings for the other fields, then click Continue:
   
   
   
   • Username, Password: leave blank
     
   • GPRS CID: *99***1#
     
   
   
6. Open the Internet Connect application. Select the Bluetooth icon at the top. Under Phone Number, put your APN (for T-Mobile and the BlackBerry Unlimited plan, I use wap.voicestream.com, for Cingular it’s “wap.cingular”). Type a username and password (I use guest/guest, for Cingular you’ll use “WAP@CINGULARGPRS.COM” as the username and “CINGULAR1” as the password) in the appropriate fields.
   

That’s it! Let me know if it works for you. I don’t believe my settings are getting the most out of the device’s EDGE support, so I’ll be tweaking as I learn more. Credit to Ross Barkman and Tim Hatch for the original scripts I tweaked to make it work.

Caveats: I’ve only tested this with my G4 PowerBook and OS X 10.4.8, so I have no idea if it works with anything else.

If you have problems getting it to work, post a new topic and I'll try to help!

[taylor]

Nope. Tried everything you detailed for my 8100 with Cingular, but when I try to connect, I get the error window "A bluetooth serial failure has occurred. Failed to open an RFCOMM serial channel. Check if authentication needs to be enabled in your device."

Sounds like I need to tweak the configuration on my Pearl, but I have no idea what needs to be modified. Any suggestions??

Update!! It appears from reading the zillion comments on your original thread that the problem was that I had "Trusted Connection" set to "Ask" rather than "Yes" on my Pearl. Switched it and I'm online. In fact, I'm using the Pearl as a modem to post this very update. THANKS!

[grant]

Glad you got it working! I'll add that to the instructions.

[taylor]

I documented the heck out of the process and think people might find it an excellent addition to what you have here, Grant:

http://www.askdavetaylor.com/blackberry_pearl_as_bluetooth_modem_with_mac.html

Hope it helps a few more people enjoy the Mac + Pearl combo.

[grant]

Yow! Very nice guide. I'll link it from the original post.

[joe]

Hi All -

First off, Grant, thanks for making the script available - it's working fine to get connected.

As noted in the original release announcement, the upload speeds are confoundingly slow.

I'm on T-Mobile, and also have an EDGE-enabled Nokia phone, which I used before getting a Pearl. On the Nokia using the same Macbook Pro I get 30-40Kbps upload speeds. On the Blackberry, 8-9Kbps.

I did a bunch of testing over the weekend, trying various combinations of options in network and bluetooth settings:

- Bluetooth serial port mode set to RS232 or Modem
- Different PPP settings - Echo packets on/off, TCP header compression on/off
- Modem settings - error correction and compression on/off
- The Fibble script and the Barkman script

I tried numerous combinations of settings and did 4 connections with each combination and used the Speakeasy site to speed test. Nothing really caused too much difference in speed, although there was a lot of variability from one connection to the next. Based on that, I concluded that none of those settings really make a difference.

Download speeds varied from 154Kbps-225Kbps, with the majority between 160-170Kbps. Upload speeds were 7Kbps-9Kbps, with most 8-9Kbps.

I also tried altering the modem script by issuing extra AT commands to the Blackberry - I'd hoped that CGQREQ or CGEQREQ would make a difference. They didn't. I went through the rest of the AT commands that the Blackberry supports, but there didn't seem to be anything that would affect upload performance.

Tried to get it working as a USB modem, but it appears that this isn't possible under OS X. Next step is to try it as a Bluetooth modem and as a USB modem in Windows under Boot Camp to see if this speed issue is limited to use under OS X and/or if it's a Bluetooth issue.

Has anyone come up with any way to improve upload speed?

Cheers,
Joe

[grant]

Hi Joe,

It sounds like we've tried the same parameters. Back when I first noticed the poor upload speed, I tried several versions of the modem init string in an effort to improve it. It appears that the Pearl honors the CGREQ/CGQREQ params, as I was able to artificially limit the speed of the connection; however, I was unable to get the outbound speed up to an acceptable level.

RIM, of course, is unwilling to provide any technical support, and T-Mobile simply states they don't really support tethering with a Mac. If you happen to find a solution, let me know and I'll post it and/or update my script, but right now I don't have one I'm afraid.

[renahearn]

Sometimes using your script it works great, will stay connected for an hour at a time. And it seemed to work real good when I first installed it, but lately it kicks me off alot!! What to try?
_________________
NEW TO MAC
RENA HEARN

[grant]

Hi Rena,

Unfortunately, most providers seem to have implemented inactivity timeouts on their data services. While it seems like you're actively using your connection, if you stop to read a web page for a couple of minutes your provider will assume you're done with your internet connection and disconnect you.

It's annoying and (in my opinion) unnecessary. There's not much we can do about it, unfortunately.

[mikeg513]

Hello-

Does anyone have information regarding connecting as a Cincinnati Bell Wireless customer. I believe CBW uses cingular's EDGE network.

I was told though customer support that CBW uses "blackberry.net" but a could not confirm the user name & password as of yet.

I tried using guest/guest and succefully connected through internet connect, but it seems to be temporary becuase I get booted after about 25 seconds.

The message I recieve is as follows:

"The connection was terminated because the other side is not responding. Please try again."

If anyone has any insights, it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[rworple]

Here's my scenario.. I have the new blackberry pearl, the MacBook Pro... am a Cincinnati Bell Wireless customer. I've read through this post and tried to download the software...but I have the most basic of questions... do I do this on my computer or on my phone? When I try to do it on my computer all I get is text.... No save as option... I leave tomorrow for Canada for the summer and I am hoping (desperate) I can get this to work...thank you!!

[shadownmss]

Grant,

Thank you for coming up with this solution! I have it working on my MacBook Pro 17" 2.33ghz Core2 Duo. I am only getting 100 down and 2 on the upload according to speed test. I am with Cingular in the Louisville KY area.

[nadiboo03]

Thank you so much for the directions! I used them and everything worked like a charm... sometimes even without disconnecting for 30min or an hr!

BUT....

Within the past few months, TMobile provided a software update for the Pearl and now I cannot connect. I tried removing all settings from the Mac and Pearl and re-configuring everything. Still no luck.

The status bar shows "Connecting..." then immediately shows "Disconnecting...".

Please help!

[wallcroft]

I've been trying to use my 8800 as a bluetooth modem with a MacBook - I've followed a number of step by steps but it always falls down at the bluetooth setup assistant with the 8100 script not being visible in the modem script drop down. It's definitely in the right folder as I can see it through network setup.

Any ideas?

[davebissell]

I've got the phone working as a modem (followed all the setup steps, when i connect it says connecting, then authenticating, then connects), however whenever I try to bring up any website, it gives me this error: