BlackBerry For Dummies®

Chapter 15. Wi‐Fi and Using BlackBerry as a Laptop Modem

In This Chapter

• Setting up your laptop

• Making the first connection

• Setting up Wi‐Fi

As amazing as your BlackBerry already is, you might find this chapter a bit unbelievable. On top of all those other BlackBerry features is the capability of using your BlackBerry as a laptop modem to connect to the Internet from anywhere (well, almost). If you have a long commute, this chapter will not only make your traveling time more productive but also save you money on wireless broadband (if you have an unlimited data plan).

The steps required to use this feature are more technical when compared to those in other chapters. Also, depending on your network service provider, the setup to use your BlackBerry as a laptop modem might not be exactly as described here. We chose to write the steps for BlackBerry from T‐Mobile (North America) as an example. We also provide online resources for you to get more information regarding other carriers atwww.blackberryfordummies.com/laptopmodem.

We would like to give credit to the BlackBerry enthusiast who discovered this hidden feature. Although we don't know who figured this out first, the folks at www.blackberryforums.com provide extensive documentation on how to set up your laptop and BlackBerry to connect to the Internet.

In addition, we want to point out that this chapter serves only as starting point for using your BlackBerry as a laptop modem rather that as an authoritative source.

Finally, for those of ...