HOWTO: Palm Bluetooth Net Access with Windows

Posted By: Ryan Wednesday, November 6, 2002 3:51:41 PM

For many users one of the most exciting and useful new features of the Palm Tungsten T is the integrated Bluetooth technology. Bluetooth is widely seen as the eventual replacement to the older line-of-sight InfraRed (IR) technology. Bluetooth lets a wide variety of devices to connect and talk to each other and share features, wirelessly.

In this article PIC Editor in Chief, Ryan Kairer, walks through setting up and sharing an internet connection with your windows PC and the Palm Tungsten T via Bluetooth.

One of the first things I tried to do when my Tungsten T arrived was get it up and running with my Bluetooth network connected to my PC. Unfortunately, trying to share a DSL connection from my PC to the Palm did not work out so well. The Tungsten would connect with similar settings that I had used successfully with my T615 and BT memory stick, but any application that actually tried to use the connection would cause a soft reset without any sort of error message. Perplexed, I went to the PalmInfocenter forums, a more than excellent source for quick PDA help.

PalmInfocenter over BluetoothA few days later a few of the forum experts had come up with a solution and workaround to enable internet sharing via Bluetooth. After setting up the workaround I am now able to connect to the net and surf on my Tungsten T via Bluetooth from my PC which is connected to a DSL line from just about anywhere in my office.

To connect to the Internet via the PC or Mac by using Bluetooth on Tungsten T, the computer must be able to serve as a PPP host. For this, you must have a PPP server installed and this software is not bundled in PC or the Mac OS. Moreover, most Bluetooth accessories in the market today also do not bundle this software.

However, there is some hope. Mocha PPP is an example of third party software that can set the PC (not for Mac) up as a PPP host. For the Mac users, Palm Inc is working with Apple to identify some software that allows a similar bridge from Tungsten T to the Internet.

Here are the steps to setup BT net access with your windows PC and Tungsten T*:

This assumes that you have already configured your bluetooth adapter, and paired devices, etc.

  • Confirm your Bluetooth adapter is configured properly
  • Confirm your Bluetooth software is providing serial access on a COM port
  • Confirm you have paired your Tungsten with your PC
  • Download and install the Mocha PPP software from: Mochasoft.dk
  • Go to the configuration of Mocha PPP, set device to Windows CE, Serial Port to whatever port is configured in your Bluetooth software, and Baud rate to 115200. Click OK. Note that you may need to deactivate or move Hotsync to another port before setting up Mocha if you are currently BT syncing that way.
  • On your Palm, make a new connection. Connect to: PC, Via: Bluetooth, Device: your PC's bluetooth name.
  • Under network, make a new service. User name/Password blank, Connection: [the connection name you created above].
  • You are now ready to go! Hit connect, and start surfing wirelessly!

* please note that your particular Bluetooth adapter or access point may have different specs and configurations that may not work with this solution. In my case I used the Tecom BT3030 Bluetooth USB dongle.

A Big Thank you to: TravisHill, Mondo, cg, AleksandrK, jmpage2, TinMan, hotpaw4, Palm Inc and everyone else who helped to figure this out! We will post OS X and Linux instructions if they become available. For more information about this see this forum thread.

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High COM ports

pfh @ 11/6/2002 4:23:30 PM #
Is there any way to get MochaPPP to listen to high-numbered COM ports? My Bluetooth dongle has its virtual ports way up on COM12-COM16.
RE: High COM ports
robman @ 11/6/2002 4:33:16 PM #
Wasn't Bluetooth promised to be "plug and play"? This sounds quite complicated.

Why is there so much involved in what "should be" (or was promised to be) a relatively simple task.

And furthermore, is this going to get any easier? Can Palm release better BT software that will make this operation plug and play?



Palm Researcher at the University of Texas at Austin
http://www.edb.utexas.edu/petrosino/pda

RE: High COM ports
polymath @ 11/6/2002 4:40:26 PM #
What's the ranage and speed in this case. YOu mentioned setting it to 115200bps. That's way too slow for me.

Purpose?
Palm_Otaku @ 11/6/2002 4:43:03 PM #
Typically when you're setting up Bluetooth on a PC or laptop, it's not "intended" to be used as an Access Point so the MochaPPP work-around is required.

- Dan

RE: High COM ports
Xian @ 11/6/2002 5:26:03 PM #
You should also be able to do this with Win2K with Internet sharing and BlueTooth's LAN Access profile. It worked with my old TDK PC Card.

RE: High COM ports
suilobo @ 11/6/2002 9:27:54 PM #
It should be possible with Windows' ICS and the network access profile included with most Bluetooth adapters for the PC but I haven't been able to get it to work. Anybody know how?

I use the Tecom USB bluetooth dongle with a m505 and Bluetooth SD card. Other than getting this to work Bluetooth works great between the dongle/SD Card and my T68i.

RE: High COM ports
ganoe @ 11/7/2002 12:31:13 AM #
> You should also be able to do this with Win2K with
> Internet sharing and BlueTooth's LAN Access profile.

If you read the forum thread that is the basis of the article, it appears there is a bug on the Tungsten T that is causing resets when you use the network access profile with anything other than a PicoBlue access point. Not having a TT to play with yet, that's what I'm reading anyhow.

Still, this article is really the wrong way to set this up. Assuming there was no bug, you would, as you said, want to use the network access profile and Internet sharing in Windows. Even with the bug, any modern Windows (XP, 2000, NT) has built in PPP support, so Mocha PPP should not be necessary.

Ideally, you should just be able to pick up say a D-Link DBT-120 for $40, and follow the instructions in the manual for "Network Access Server-side Setup." Has anyone tried that???

RE: High COM ports
Xian @ 11/7/2002 12:44:01 AM #
Yes, I'm seeing that bug you mentioned. Tried to setup a Win2K LAN Access at work today, and it connected, but as soon as I tried an app it reset the Palm. But if you just have a non Tungsten unit with SDIO Bluetooth card, it works great.

Anybody know how high of a priority this is for Palm/PalmSource to fix?

RE: High COM ports
Fly-By-Night @ 11/7/2002 5:05:37 AM #
Bluetooth should be plug 'n' play. However, that rather depends upon the OS using BT. OS's like Symbian and whatever's on my T68i have it built in; Win XP doesn't (yet). Microsoft seem really bad at spotting these trends -- remember Win 95 didn't initially come with support for the Internet; which I certainly remember being a complete hassle to set up; though it's pretty much p'n'p now (also remember that p'n'p was one of the main selling points of Win 95).

Someday everything will have Bluetooth, and then the machines will mock us behind our backs....

FBN

Palm Bluetooth Compatibility Index
pdangel @ 11/7/2002 10:11:37 AM #
Palm Bluetooth Compatibility Index:

PicoBlue™ Internet Access Point
Red-M™ 1050AP LAN access point
EtherBlue™ Wireless LAN Access Point
Hewlett Packard 995c Printer*
3Com USB adapter
TDK USB adapter
D-Link DWB-120M Bluetooth USB Adapter
IBM Ultraport adapter
Toshiba 4010 notebook
HP ZT1000 notebook
iPaq 3870 PDA
3Com PC Card
Socket™ CompactFlash Bluetooth™ Card
Sony Clie Bluetooth™ MemStick
Widcomm Bluegate LANAcess PointP
* Printing functions are limited to the Palm Date Book, Address Book, To Do, and Memo Pad Applications.

Bluetooth Phones
Sony-E. T68i
Nokia 6210 (requires connectivity pack)
Nokia 6310
Nokia 7650
Nokia 6310i
Nokia 8910
Motorola TP270c (with Bluetooth Battery)
Motorola TP280
Ericsson R520m
Ericsson T39m
Ericsson T68

http://www.palm.com/support/bluetooth/bluetooth_compatibility.html

Bluetooth Networking for your Palm, Pocket PC and Computer
http://www.pdabuyersguide.com/tips/pico_BT.htm

PicoBlue™ Internet Access Point
The PicoBlue Internet Access Point (AP) is a Bluetooth wireless AP that provides enterprise, small- and medium-sized organizations with a secure, reliable and cost-effective solution for providing high-speed network access to users equipped with Bluetooth handhelds based on Palm OS®, Pocket PC and Windows® CE operating systems.
Key Features and Benefits
• Extended Range. PicoBlue provides wireless access to low-power Bluetooth client devices such as handhelds from as far as 300 feet (100m) and to high-power Bluetooth client devices such as notebooks from as far as 800 feet (250m) in open areas. Indoors, typical range is between 50 (10m) and 150 feet (45m).
http://www.pico.net/products.html

Today's mobile professionals need connectivity at home, too. This probably means competing for an Internet connection with the rest of the family. You can stay connected anywhere in the house at the same time the family is connected when you have a PicoBlue Internet Access Point plugged in to a broadband cable or DSL modem. With PicoBlue, the whole family can enjoy wireless freedom throughout the home on the platform of their choice -- handheld, notebook or desktop. And with PicoBlue, that DSL speed will be available over the air!
http://www.pico.net/home_scenario.html

Pico Communications technical support page
http://www.pico.net/support.html
http://www.pico.net/support_faq.html

Easy Setup. PicoBlue connects over Ethernet to corporate LANs and cable and DSL modems. It automatically senses the type of Ethernet connection (10 or 100 baseT) and can self-configure using DHCP. PicoBlue also is compatible with a wide range of client devices.
http://www.pico.net/compatibility.html
http://www.pico.net/download/PicoBlueQuickStart_v1.3.pdf

Palm Bluetooth support
http://www.palm.com/support/tungstent/


"There are 2 kind of people my friend....those with wires and those without"

RE: High COM ports
palmit @ 11/7/2002 10:48:07 AM #
"Ideally, you should just be able to pick up say a D-Link DBT-120 for $40, and follow the instructions in the manual for
"Network Access Server-side Setup." Has anyone tried that???"

I should get my D-link BT USB adaptor today and will try it.


RE: High COM ports
Xian @ 11/7/2002 11:53:25 AM #
I've tried it. My Tungsten T connects to it no problem. However, my Tungsten T soft resets whenever I try to use a network app, like VersaMail, Web Pro, and AIM.

RE: High COM ports
ganoe @ 11/7/2002 11:58:10 AM #
> I've tried it. My Tungsten T connects to it no problem. However,
> my Tungsten T soft resets whenever I try to use a network app

Has anyone harassed Palm about this apparent (serious, in my opinion) bug? Anyone gotten a response on it?

RE: High COM ports
Xian @ 11/7/2002 12:26:49 PM #
I called Palm's technical support this morning about it. Got the runaround. They were saying it could be a third party app issue (wtf?) and wanted me to hard reset, and go from there. I'm now awaiting a call back from their tech support escalations dept.

RE: High COM ports
nyates @ 11/7/2002 2:38:47 PM #
I sent a message to their tech support regarding this as well. From what I understand this works on an m515 with a bluetooth card, so it should work with the Tungsten. I hate to say it but this was one of the reasons that I bought the Tungsten(s) and am very disappointed that it isn't working (without the workaround, that works fine). I may return both of the Tungstens that I bought if palm doesn't at least acknowledge that there is a problem soon.

RE: High COM ports
TinMan @ 11/7/2002 3:04:14 PM #
>>> Ideally, you should just be able to pick up say a D-Link DBT-120 for $40, and follow the instructions in the manual for "Network Access Server-side Setup." Has anyone tried that??? >>>

No, we just love taking the long way around simple issues. ^_^


-Mike



I sync, therefore I am.

RE: High COM ports
Xian @ 11/7/2002 3:52:06 PM #
nyates

yep, it works on a m505/m515 with the BT SDIO card, just not the Tungsten. I hope we hear back from them about this, even just an acknowledgement of the issue.

RE: High COM ports
nyates @ 11/8/2002 4:36:55 PM #
Well I just got a 'canned' response from palm that says this is a known issue, but they don't know why it happens. They suggest for me to do a hard reset and re-install versamail to try to fix the problem. If that doesn't work I should call tech support. Looks like I will be returning them.

RE: High COM ports
alanjrobertson @ 11/11/2002 3:03:15 PM #
> Xian @ 11/7/2002 3:52:06 PM
> yep, it works on a m505/m515 with the BT SDIO card,
> just not the Tungsten. I hope we hear back from
> them about this, even just an acknowledgement of
> the issue.

Xian - I've got an m505 with a BT SDIO card and a TDK USB BT dongle. Do you know of any instructions anywhere as to how to get it working using the Network Access Profile? I've tried everything I can think of, but to no avail. The Mocha solution in the article works fine (one I disabled the DUN profile on my PC's BT services), but I'd like to use the network profile if poss.

Cheers

Alan

RE: High COM ports
chantycoon @ 3/20/2003 2:32:55 AM #
Hi Alan,
I've the same problem as you did. How can I set up a Lan Access from my Palm to by Laptop?
The BT connection between my Palm and my Laptop is OK, but just don't know how to share the internet using Network connection.

Andy

RE: High COM ports
Cyan @ 4/25/2006 9:11:39 AM #
re connection to nokia 7650 i can connect but only in one direction.. using blue tooth i can send to the phone but not recieve any ideas welcome cos i`m really starting toloose faith in this idea of wireless bluetooth ..

Cyan

What purpose does this serve

Spartacus @ 11/6/2002 4:36:33 PM #
I have the tungsten t and love connecting to the internet via bluetooth with my t68i, but can't see the purpose connecting through my PC. What do you use this for?

RE: What purpose does this serve
Admin @ 11/6/2002 4:43:22 PM #
I also use the t68... this lets me cut down the GPRS costs (way too expensive now), and use the DSL connection in my office over bluetooth.

-Ryan

RE: What purpose does this serve
mfs @ 11/6/2002 10:07:36 PM #
Why not just use the computer. your so close to it anyway. The T68 is great when your on the go with out a PC.

RE: What purpose does this serve
Rhauer @ 11/6/2002 11:39:18 PM #
T68 users - are you located in the US. What service are you using. I really want to buy a TT and T68 but the sales help in the cellular stores are pathetic. Any thoughts would be helpful and appreciated. Thanks.

RE: What purpose does this serve
Xian @ 11/7/2002 12:15:57 AM #
I have a T68m that I got flashed to a T68i with T-Mobile (Voicestream). A friend of mine has a T68m via Cingular Wireless and another has a T68i with AT&T Wireless.

HELP - HELP ME UNDERSTAND
navomaal @ 11/7/2002 12:39:19 AM #
I have a tungsten and t68i - however I am afraid to use the TT to connect to the t68i and surf the internet for the high price of internet service on cingular.

Can any one answer this -
can I use my t68i to dial an aol access # and then use my tungsten to surf the net??..and if I do so - do I have to pay extra ( I mean anything more than the airtime) to connect to the interent?? ( some fee per month or something per KB)
Thanks in advance guys...


RE: What purpose does this serve
aaronchow @ 11/7/2002 3:46:10 AM #
Previously, we only need to contact Cingular to enable data services (only $4.99 / month) and that's it. But since Cingular is promoting their own wireless thingy, they've dropped this data service policy and now we need to purchase their "Wireless Internet" service package, which is quite expensive.
RE: What purpose does this serve
Fly-By-Night @ 11/7/2002 5:10:00 AM #
>> can I use my t68i to dial an aol access # and then use my tungsten to surf the net??..and if I do so - do I have to pay extra ( I mean anything more than the airtime) to connect to the interent?? ( some fee per month or something per KB)
Thanks in advance guys... <<

The T68i has built in support for HSCSD (High Speed Circuit Switched Data), which can effectively use up to 4 (I think) standard GSM TDMS channels in parallel. This can get a connection speed of roughly 38kbs in a good area. However, this rather assumes HSCSD is offered by any US GSM operator. I used this previously on Orange in the UK before they rolled out GPRS and it was fine; although I kept losing connections on trains (and you have to go through the lengthy dial up procedure each time). Under the contract I was using then, my lo-call ISP number counted as part of my free minutes, so worked out very cheap. However, under my current contract (still with Orange), data calls to a lo-call number *do not* come under my free minutes. However, GPRS is superior in every way, so haven't actually used HSCSD in ages...

So, to answer your question... depends if your network operator offers HSCSD (do not try connection over a single channel GSM line, 9.6kbs is painful!); *and* they allow data calls under their free minutes; then yes you should be able to connect via AOL.

Hope that helps.

FBN

RE: What purpose does this serve
cyn @ 11/7/2002 8:50:12 AM #
when did AOL start using standard PPP?

RE: What purpose does this serve
Fly-By-Night @ 11/7/2002 9:17:58 AM #
That is true, they use some crappy system or other don't they? Suffice to say, you can use dial-up over HSCSD for *any* ISP except AOL (and possibly Compuserve -- if they still exist...).

FBN

RE: Which plan with At&t
Spartacus @ 11/7/2002 12:00:33 PM #
I have a t68I with At&t and they have me on some GPRS plan with 500 minutes for $39.99 and $18.99 extra for their ultra wireless plan with 8 megs of data usage. In 10 days with a lot of usage I've only used 1.5 megs. Any I go over comes in at just over $6 a meg. I don't think I will be able to use 8 meg in a month though. I am in northern california and it seems like a good plan and has worked great so far.

RE: What purpose does this serve
Xian @ 11/7/2002 12:28:40 PM #
T-Mobile has a GPRS plan called T-Zones Pro, giving you 10MB of data for $9.99. Works pretty nicely for me.

RE: What purpose does this serve
rhsauer @ 11/7/2002 4:31:02 PM #
Are you sure that plan includes data calls made through your phone via the palm? I was under the impression that it only includes WAP calls made by the phone (with the phone's WAP browser). Otherwise all their other data plans wouldn't make much sense. You'd better check, or you might be very surprised when you see your bill.

RE: What purpose does this serve
Xian @ 11/7/2002 5:23:05 PM #
I've used both T-Zones Pro and the basic $2.99 for 1MB with both my phone and my Palm (Tungsten T now, m505 formerly) with no problems and no additional charges.

RE: What purpose does this serve
jyao @ 11/8/2002 5:31:43 AM #
I use both. When I'm in my office and home, I would use my PC as my gateway to get onto the net. When I'm on the road, I would simply use my T68i. It has to do with speed and cost. GPRS via T68i works at no more than 56-64kbps and would incur either a per/minute or per/kilobyte charge depending on your carrier.

What a great story....

speedracer5 @ 11/6/2002 4:38:31 PM #
Of course I feel that way because I have a Bluetooth dongle on the way to my house as we speak. I was about to start doing some more reading in the forums. Is that one of the new Microsoft Bluetooth keyboards in the photo?

------------------------------------------------------
You may be a race car driver at heart if you refer to leaving your driveway as "Turn 1"
RE: What a great story....
djpedro @ 11/8/2002 3:30:20 PM #
I believe that the Keyboard is an HP/Compaq laptop keyboard. They have those cool blue LEDS :)



Bluetooth for Windows

Jonmills88 @ 11/6/2002 4:45:55 PM #
Maybe I missed something but I wasnt sure what we were suppose to do as far as a bluetooth attachment for the PC.

RE: Bluetooth for Windows
Admin @ 11/6/2002 4:48:22 PM #
There are a bunch of different PC bluetooth adapters on the market now, take you pick as they all *hopefully* should work with this setup.
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