How to connect the EEE PC to the internet using an S60 phone

After All About Symbian's recent look at using S60 with Macintosh computers, we now start a new series of articles looking at using S60 with Linux-based computers. First off is a how-to guide on connecting the Linux-based EEE PC to the internet using an S60 phone as a modem.

How to connect your Linux-based EEE PC to the internet using your S60 mobile phone

This writer recently got hold of an Asus EEE PC, but was extremely disappointed to find that it didn't come with any instructions for connecting to the internet through a mobile phone.

Nokia PC Suite couldn't be of any use because the EEE PC purchased was Linux-based, and PC Suite is only available for Windows.

Was this a mission impossible? Would Microsoft have to receive yet another pound of flesh simply so this mini-laptop could go online? Well the answer is "no", it IS possible to connect a Linux-based EEE PC to the internet through mobile phones, and this article will explain how to do it using an S60 device as an example.

Yes, it is possible, and it's much easier to do than some people claim

The internet seems full of Linux experts giving out "really easy" methods of adjusting settings involving text file editing, complex command line instructions, rebooting, downloading obscure drivers and generally assuming far too much knowledge on the part of ordinary users.

But some of these people are making life far harder for themselves than it need be, at least when it comes to using a mobile phone as a modem on the EEE PC. This writer managed to connect an EEE PC 900 to the internet via a Nokia N95 with absolutely no command lines, no edited files, no reboots and no downloads.

In fact this method works entirely through the graphical interface using the EEE PC's own settings menus, and all you need are three or four settings from your phone network operator's tech support:

 - The phone number you need to use for connecting a computer to your phone as a modem (probably *99# but do check if you're not sure).

 - The username and password you need for using a phone as a modem (they may tell you to leave one or both blank).

 - The modem commands that have to be sent to the phone when using it as a modem on your phone network (this is slightly complicated but you may not need this, see the rest of the article for more info).

This method should work on all EEE PC models running Asus' bundled version of Linux, and it should work with all S60 phones and probably most Series 40 phones too.

Here's a picture to prove that it works:

And here's how to do it yourself...

How to get the EEE PC online using an S60 device

Some of the following steps may happen quite slowly on the EEE PC as it seems to communicate slowly with the phone during the set-up process. Don't worry if a window takes 5 or 10 seconds to appear while doing the steps below.

 1. Switch on your EEE PC, the internet section should be visible when the machine has finished booting up.

 2. Attach your S60 phone to the EEE PC using its USB cable, and select "PC Suite" mode. Don't worry if the computer doesn't acknowledge the phone, the connection will work. (On Series 40 phones try selecting "Nokia Mode" instead.)

 3. Click on the EEE PC's "Network" icon (and NOT the "Wireless Networks" icon).

 4. Click on the "Create" button.

 5. Click on "Phone Network Connection" option (and NOT the "GSM/3G/HSDPA" option), then click "Next".

 6. Select your S60 phone from the list, it should appear under its model number, for example the N95 appears as "Nokia N95". Note that your phone will only appear on the list if you've attached it in PC Suite mode.

 7. Enter the phone number that your phone network operator uses for phone modem connections. This will almost certainly be *99# but check with your phone network operator if you're unsure.

 8. Leave the other fields blank, then click on "Next".

 9. You then have to enter the username and password that your network operator uses for phone modem connections. Some networks may just want you to leave this blank, in which case just type a single blank space in all of the fields and tick the "Remember Password" box. Click on "Next".

 10. Give the connection a name, and then click on "Next". It doesn't really matter what you call it, as long as you can remember it.

 11. Don't tick the boxes, just click on "Finish".

 12. Select the connection from the list, then click on "Connection" and then "Connect".

If the connection now works, congratulations! If it doesn't, read on...

If the connection doesn't work...

If your EEE PC just throws up an error message (for example "pppclientservice.cpp: 1012") when you try to connect, you may have to add one final setting from your phone network operator, which is slightly complicated but you only have to enter it once.

The setting you may need is the modem command that the computer sends to your phone when it tries to access the internet, and it should look something like this (the example given is for the Finnish network Saunalahti):

AT+CGDCONT=1,"IP","internet.saunalahti","0.0.0.0",0,0

Other networks' modem commands will be different, so don't use this if you're not on Saunalahti, but this gives you an idea of what the commands look like.

Yes, that's slightly scary-looking, but that's really as scary as it gets, and you only have to type it once. If you can get this setting from your network operator's tech support people it may be the key to getting your phone working with the EEE PC.

Once you've got the appropriate modem setting, here's how to enter it into your EEE PC (make sure your phone is connected by USB cable and in PC Suite mode):

 1. Click on the "Network" icon.

 2. Click on the phone connection you just created, and then click on "Properties".

 3. Click on the "Devices" or "Hardware" tab.

 4. Click on your phone from the list. If your phone is listed several times, click on the one with "dev" next to it.

 5. Click on the "Properties" button.

 6. Click on the "Commands" tab and enter your phone network's modem command in full. Make sure you type it EXACTLY as it's supposed to be typed.

 7. When you've finished typing the command, click on the "Use" button. Do NOT worry if an error message appears which talks about country selection, just click "OK". The error message doesn't matter at all, your modem command has been saved correctly.

 8. Click on "OK" to finish editing the connection.

Select the connection again, click on "Connection" and then "Connect", and (hopefully!) it should work now. If you want to disconnect or reconnect it can be done from the "Network" icon on the front page.

Note that entering modem commands may have to be done again if you attach a different phone or the same phone with a different SIM card.

Aergh! It still doesn't work!

Apologies if you have followed all these instructions precisely and it still doesn't work. We can't guarantee that all EEE PCs and all S60 devices will behave the same way on all phone networks, so there's no guarantee that this method will work all the time.

However, if you are still having problems, you might want to contact your phone network's tech support people and explain to them that you want to use your phone as a computer modem. It's possible that your settings are correct but you're unable to connect because the network operator has deliberately blocked modem access, which often happens when there's an extra charge for such a service. Just because the internet works on your phone doesn't mean that your SIM card will allow that connection to be shared with other devices, which is why it's worth asking your network operator specifically about using your phone as a modem.

If you do have to pay extra to use your phone as a modem, ask if there are any special deals such as flat rate monthly fees or something similar. The price of using mobile data is falling all the time, and you may be surprised how cheap it can be now.

Published by Tzer2 at 0:52 UTC, September 17th 2008

Categories: How To, Hardware
Platforms: Series 60, S60 3rd Edition

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