Telstra mobile as internet modem

That's all I use. I have a Samsung A411 prepaid, Telstra NextG on a pre paid plan and just buy data packs to suit.

Probably a bit dearer than a dedicated modem but I only use it occaisionaly so it's cheaper than the upfront cost of the modem.

Speed is OK, connects at 115K.

Depending on which phone you have mine is a ZTE 165i and it will not work on Windows 7.

Hi Spana. I have a nokia 6720 on Next G , and have a $10.00 data pack which now gives me 200mg each month, I have been using this system for about 2years ( was on a Nokia 6120), and it works great, just plug the phone in and in 10 seconds you are connected .
You asked about the speed , at home we have 256 Adsll and it down loads at about 58 to 68 kbs and using the phone as the modem it is 410kbs . really fast.
we found that the old 150meg pack was plenty to do our Emails and look up maps , go on Skype and chat and send photo's home etc while in QLD on Hols.
Just dont watch any singing and dancing type data as that really eats up you time.
This is for phones on a plan ( they just put the $10.00 on your bill) , If you are on Pre Paid I reckon it is $20.00 for the same package.
More than happy with the Next G coverage, have not found a town without it , and it works heaps in between , even on the nullabour.
Cheers Des.

GIven that you specifically ask about Telstra mobile as modem, I can confirm that for the past year, I have had a telstra $10/mth data pack which gives me 150MB of data per month. THis is a month to month plan so you can turn if off at any time you don't need it. It works great - I just plug my nokia usb cable to my laptop, connect via my nokia datasuite and I can browse EO, check email, etc as fast as my desktop computer it seems. The only problem is whilst I've got enough data to stay online all day, I run out of phone power quickly so best if you can charge your phone at the same time, or remember to put it on charge soon after.
MM

I had considered doing it that way but ended up cancelling my broadband connection and signed up with Bigpond wireless.

I use my wireless connection now whether I am at home or travelling. 2gig of data, Speed varies but usually around 1.75 Mb/s.

So for me no restrictions when travelling other than some areas have no coverage, I then use the HF radio.

Thanks heaps for the quick responses! This really is a great source of information!

So far this idea looks to be a good one, well a cost effecient one anyway.
So do most people go for an external antenna then too? What happens when the reception gets down a few bars, does the internet stop or go slower?

I used a Nokia 6120 with data pack for our trip last year and often ran pretty close to the mark on going over the data allowance which costs heaps!
When Telstra dropped the costs on the wireless broadband I went for the cheapest one, free dongle thingy and if you go over the speed is capped rather than costing you more.
Also second the post that mentioned the phone going flat very quickly when used as a modem, about an hour or so with a full charge.

The "next big thing" in mobiles is to have your mobile act as a wireless hotspot. Most phones now can be connected to the lappy as a modem via a USB cable. Some will even charge their battery while connected (as mentioned it can really drain the juice).

Using your mobile to create a wi-fi hotspot allows you to use more than one device (share connection to two laptops).

I recently acquired an Android HTC Desire and am very happy with it. This model still needs to be connected to a USB port to be used as a modem. I believe the HTC Incredible (yes that is actually the model name!) that is just out in the States has the wi-fi hotspot ability and is also 4G capable (the next iteration of mobile data networks capable of 100Mb/s internet but not in Australia yet).

The rate of advances in mobile tech is still staggering.

I have a Telstra Bigpond 3G USB modem on a 3Gb monthly plan and am putting a wireless router on the cargo barrier of the 4WD. The 3G modem plugs into this with a 6db antenna mounted on the roof and provides a wireless a hotspot around the car. Great for camping in range of NextG. Can use smartphone or laptop within 50m radius of the vehicle.

Just using a mobile attached to a laptop is great too but there is so much you can do these days. You can enjoy a great location and still access the net. Or of course you can just turn it off and tune into BushTV!

Cheers
Muddy

I use a Nokia E51 on Telstra which works well as a modem - quite decent speeds. But the main difference to all of the above is that it allows me to share it's net connection via Bluetooth. So I don't even need to take it out of my pocket or the car to connect to the net. This one can also scan for open wireless networks (eg - Maccas), and switch to delivery through those automatically, which can be handy.

Sorry I'm really lacking knowledge in this area.

Do you need a special phone to do this?
I have a Motorola that is about 6 years old. I can get the net on it.
It is prepaid. 3G

You all talk about data packs and USBs etc.

Where can I go to find out if my phone would do this?
I've also thought of just using my phone with no lappy because all I will be doing is e-mailing.

We were not going to have the net at all but rather just visit maccas and cafe's. Some people have said NT and WA have few of these and we will be traveling weeks before we can get wireless internet.