How To: Connect to the Internet via Cell Phone

I am blogging with a beautiful view this week from the jagged shore of Rhode Island's Conanicut Island. Our friends built a house here, and it will be wired for the Internet in many rooms soon. But right now there's one Internet connection and it's in demand.

Forseeing this kind of situation this summer is why I opted for a cell phone that would allow me to connect my Dell laptop to the Internet from anywhere there's cellular service. This week it has made all the difference. I can work from anywhere in the house without tying up our hosts' computer.

Here's how it works:

I have a Palm Tree 700p with an $80 monthly data service plan from Verizon. For an extra $15 a month, I can add on tethered EV-DO access that turns the phone into a modem to connect the computer to broadband Internet service. What I also like about the plan is if I use it only for a week, the $15 charge is pro-rated for the week only.

The other option is wireless PC cards, which work really well, but often come with a two-year contract and monthly fee of about $60. For more information on EV-DO options, check out Becky Worley's overview.

The Palm Tree 700p comes with Palm Desktop software that allows you to easily sync addresses and phone numbers between computer and phone. It also comes with VZAccess Manager software that allows a quick connection to the Internet.

Click on the VZ Access Manager desktop icon and an available networks box pops up with "NationalAcess-BroadbandAccess" in the window. Click on the word "Connect," and the laptop is quickly connected to the Internet.

I had heard the speed could be slow using a phone as a modem, but I have been pleasantly surprised how fast it is. Of course, it's not as fast as our DSL connection at home, but it's pretty good. And Christopher Null says Verizon's 3G EV-DO service will speed up this fall after an upgrade. That's good news.