Thanks for the tutorial, Disavowed. Your work here in archiving the information will prevent many people from repeating your research and trial-and-error.

Really cool, Disavowed.

You inspired me to get my Motorola Q with Windows Mobile 5.0 and EVDO high speed connectivity from Verizon working in a similar fashion.

I've got everything working as you described except for my data connection. Right now, I'm using the phone as a Modem. I haven't been able to figure out how to use ICS so that I get the increased performance.

Setting up the dial up connection on my Motorola Q was simple. What I did:

Dial: ##342587 (you have to dial this string to bring up a hidden menu)
Enable dial-up networking
Go to Start menu > Accessories > Modem link
Activate your USB connection
Plug the Motorola Q into your PC via the data transfer USB cable

On my PC:
1. Click Start and then Control Panel.
2. Double-click Network Connections and then New Network Connection Wizard.
3. Follow the prompts to connect to the Internet using a modem:

* Network Connection Type: Connect to the Internet
* Getting Ready: Set up My Connection
* Internet Connection: Manually connect using a dial-up modem
* Select a Device: Smartphone wireless USB Modem
* Connection Name: Type a connection name.
* Number to Dial: #777
* Connection Availability: Anyone's Use
* User Name: your mobile phone number@vzw3g.com (for example: 2125551212@vzw3g.com)
* Password: vzw
Anytime you want to connect, just double click your dial up connection and connect to the Verizon network.

-----
currently playing: Civilization 4
collecting dust: XBOX 360 Elite console, Halo 3
currently supporting: The guy who's won the most straw polls - r3/\O¯|ution

I assume that both of you have unlimited data plans? Is that how someone avoids a $500 phone bill using this method?

"Unlimited" for Verizon is a misleading term. There is a cap where they will cancel your service. It appears Disavowed has not reached this cap so it should be fine. Downloading lots of movies/bittorents etc will get your service cut.

I think the cap is measured monthly.

Sucks, but true. I would guess Xbox Live is not going to be pushing enough data for a long enough time, but I can't say for sure.

----------------------------
"Oculus is just this guy, you know?"

If you look at the terms of service you'll find that there are plenty of data usages that are not allowed over a cell phone connection. P2P is one example, but most of your high bandwidth applications are technically prohibited. This doesn't necessarily mean those applications are blocked, but if you get caught using them (via amount of data used or who knows what) they have a contractual right to terminate your service. Not everyone at these companies agrees with these policies, but those people don't tend to be the ones with the power. Sucks, huh?

---

There are 10 kinds of people in the world. Those who understand binary and those who don't.

Halo 3 has turned XBOX Live into micro P2P service with users traded maps, gametypes, screenshots, and film clips over the service.

I don't like that Verizon advertised the data plan as being "unlimited" when they do cap it. I've read about a lot of Slingbox users getting a huge bill from Verizon and then being disconnected.

According to NY Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, Verizon Wireless has agreed to reimburse $1 million to customers for wrongful account termination after falsely advertising their wireless plans as "unlimited," when in fact the company sets limits and terminates the accounts of heavy users. source

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currently playing: Civilization 4
collecting dust: XBOX 360 Elite console, Halo 3
currently supporting: The guy who's won the most straw polls - r3/\O¯|ution

Cingular (AT&T) has similar terms of service. I guess it just hasn't caught their attention. I don't game all day and night, so I really am not taking the service very far from what it was intended. On the contrary, ICS was built into a mobile data phone that has been one of the flagship devices for AT&T (the Blackjack), which was intended for the exact purpose for which I'm using it. I think those terms of service are to prevent someone from having it connected 24/7 and downloading unreasonable amounts of data. What that tells me, is that even if they did look at the data coming through my Blackjack (which they easily can, and perhaps already have), and saw that it was data that a Blackjack itself probably wouldn't be using, which of course would lead them to believe I had it connected w/ my laptop or desktop PC, I doubt they'd have a problem with it.

This also is likely to be dependent on the user's location. If a user was in a high-usage area where bandwidth for data and voice is at a premium, then the service provider would cut down on "unauthorized" usage, by terminating service, or any other means necessary. I doubt H'ville is in that state.

Your assumption is entirely correct! I shudder to think what my bill would be w/ a "pay-per-use" data plan...

meh i did that bridge thing with my laptop and 360. My router was on the other side of the house and my 360 was in my rooom on the other side. Bridge made a bridge between my 360 and laptop then it became a 2000$ wireless adapter for my 360 =P.

Nice work!
Just curious, through your time using the cell phone as a broad band receiver have you ever gotten dropped connections and connection lower then 100kps constantly? (red bar in halo3)
I'm wondering because atm i'm running my XBL connection through radio right now.
Yes radio like a car radio but at a high frequency. I have my radio receiver and white box (kinda like a modem but it changes the data into something a radio can transfer,) hooked to my 360 sending data to my brothers house in the city where he has a 7 mb/s connection allowing both of us to use it. But anyways, i'm wondering if this is a better option because i frequently get drop outs, and i guess u can call it lag because my connection goes up and down mattering the interference at the time.
(PS the radio signal travel just about i'd say 10 miles to the small city and the radio isn't on a tower its just on the roof of my house. so it isn't the best.)
So would u say the cell phone plan is better? And how much would the phone cost with the plan roughly? because atm i'm paying just about 35 bucks a month to my brother and the equipment costed right around 300 bucks...but that was 2 years ago...
anyways, thanks and i hope u reply with an email or a post.

Oh btw D15AV0W3D, love that monitor your using with your 360, the syncmaster 225bw from samsung got the same one hooked to my 360 :D lol my sound tho is coming out of my stereo with two crap (bass) speakers.

So when you get 3G, you really won't need to worry about getting WISP or anything, will you?

I work at night and use my enV to access the internet from my laptop. But I don't have to use the USB cord. I use bluetooth so there's less wires and I can even keep my phone in my pocket. And it can charge while connected to the internet. i did have to edit some of the files on the phone using a 3com program. But now it works like a charm.

Holy shit! You're using a radio signal to transx and recx data for your internet/XBL?! I thought what I was doing is hardcore, but you're taking it to a level I hadn't even thought of...

What frequency are you using? What are your dwnld, upload speeds? Do you experience alot of packet loss and ping delays?

To answer your question, I do get lag. Until my area goes 3G (this month), which won't effect price for plans, but will provide a tremendous boost in speed, I will continue to stay in yellow on XBL sessions, and sometimes red. The plan is $40 a month, unlimited data. The phone itself is free on Newegg.com (with a 2yr agreement, of course). If you're in/close to a metropolitan area that has 3G, it may be worth it. If not, stick with what you've got.

Here's hoping! They advertise dwnld speeds in excess of 1Mbps, and upld 384Kbps. If I get those speeds, which I should since I get a full set of bars at my house right now, then I wouldn't HAVE to worry about WISP, but I'd still prefer it, or another "true" broadband provider.

BTW, props to Rap for putting this on Digg.com and adding pictures!

Wait, that phone is free with a 2yr contract for $40 a month??

Would you recommend the phone for regular usage?

lol thanks :) Tho its not really hardcore cause i didn't figure it out. I forget how, but my brother knew about it, he found it all out. To tell the truth tho its kinda like WISP's if u heard of thoses, but i have direct connection to my brothers ISP.... We use almost the same equipment as a WISP connection.

My connection goes from 2mb/s down to 0 to answer one question. On average i'd say i get 500 kpb/s because my connection keeps dropping out causing lots packet loss to answer your other question. The frequency is, oh hell something like 400 mhz or... maybe it was something really high like 7 ghz. I forget what it is exactly lol, my brother knows it all :)

Oh kk, so the cell phone idea doesn't really work unless you have good company providing your cell phone internet access. I think i just have telus and rogers in my area and they aren't the best. But i thought if you were getting say a constant 1 mb, i might switch O.o but i guess not because my cell phone companies aren't upgrading any time soon.
anyways, Thanks for the info and damn getting xbl thro a cell phone. I really think thats more unique then anything. Cause what i'm doing is done by wireless internet providers. The only difference between me and them is that i'm only one person sharing a connection to person in a city( oh i hope i said the only reason i can do this radio internet is because i'm on a acerage 10 miles from a city with direct line of site (so to speak) of my brother place.)

Wait 'till your carrier upgrades the connection to the latest HSPA technology!

If your phone supports 3G, it should support HSPA, or what some refer to as "3.5G". What is HSPA? It simply stands for High-Speed Packet Access, and will give you up to 7.2 downlink and 1.9 uplink, which far exceeds the current 3G speeds.

This is a technology that your carrier has to support; all you need is for your phone to be "2.5G" and above.

Me? I am using this small little modem that allows me to slip a sim card in and use it for data transfer exclusively. This allows me a far more stable internet connection wherever I go (I carry a laptop you see), even on a bus!

So cool! When would you think companies would be doing that? Upgrading to HSPA?
Where would u get a modem, a wireless modem that allows you to slip in sim card? I would so love to get one of those when i'm at the lake! I could check my email and maybe game if i got bored.
The sim card holds you information, right so that means your using the sim card with the modem over your usually plan right? so the modem does everything the phone does but can have a ethernet cord plugged right in too it?

I live in New Orleans and actually used this method to play Halo 2 in Galveston when we were evacuated for Hurricane Katrina. I used my Verizon 6600, tethered to my laptop, which was hardwired to my Xbox. Simple ICS allowed the connection. Although it was laggy, I racked up 20 kills in Team Snipers :)

Good to see I'm not the only person geeky enough to try this.

i do the same thing with sprint pcs (and its high speed EVDO) using a fun utility called USB modem both on my HTC Mogul, and my Palm Centro, also the a900 works as well gotta love my discounted $10 per month unlimited data plan!

The phone is free w/ a 2yr contract. $40 is for the data only. Regular usage requires a voice plan, which starts at $40. Total would be $80 a month. The data plan includes unlimited messaging, as well. And yes, I would recommend it for voice as well as data. It is a good phone.

Don't go to the store for it. It is at least $100 in-store. Newegg.com has it brand-new (read: not refurbished) for free + free shipping.

Wow Disavowed, this is awesome. I've been cursed with dialup for the 7 years I've had internet at my home. And along comes this tutorial heralding cell phones for highspeed and XBL. I'm talking my parents into doing this, or letting me pull some cash out of savings to pay for service. This would be great for all the demos I've missed on XBLM, it'd make Team Fortress 2 a little more useful, and I'd finally have a damned phone too. In my area, i can't get 3G coverage, my place is listed as moderate. any idea what speeds, if any, I'd get with that?

Yeah, I've heard of WISPs. There is a WISP company here that just couldn't quite get the line of sight needed to provide my house w/ high-speed. I'm within range, but there's too many trees between their tower and the roof of my house, which interferes that "line of sight" issue, with which I'm sure you're familiar!

The WISP company here in town operates on a 900MHz frequency, so I'm betting that's what you're using. The higher frequencies are not as prone to signal interference, but don't travel as far, so there's a trade-off.

If you can't get 3G, as in, never going to happen in your area (I'd do some more research to confirm that, if I were you, which can be as easy as talking to a local serice rep), then this may not be ideal for your situation. I signed up for this with the knowledge that, although my area isn't 3G yet, it is going to be 3G very soon.

The difference between EDGE and dial-up is marginal, unlike the difference between 3G and dial-up. I get speeds of approx. 160Kbps down and 80Kbps up. Compare that to a 28K or 56K modem, and determine if it's worth the price difference for you.

Best bet would be to try it out. AT&T has a 30-day "trial" period, during which you can purchase a phone/plan, give it a try, and if it does not meet your expectations, or even if you just change your mind, you take it back, and only pay for what you've used, without getting an early termination fee. Make sure to decide before the 30 days is up, though. Otherwise, you'll be stuck w/ a 2yr contract that you'll either have to ride out, or fork up $200 to get out of.

Oh, $40 only covers the data... I guess that's not too bad if you don't have a cable-internet bill to pay. Killed my hype for the phone, though :)

You can get a 10%-35% discount depending on where you work through an employee purchase program.

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currently playing: Civilization 4
collecting dust: XBOX 360 Elite console, Halo 3
currently supporting: The guy who's won the most straw polls - r3/\O¯|ution

With the speeds you've quoted, I don't think the difference between dial-up and EDGE is marginal. The speeds you've listed are tested speeds. What will a 56k modem realistically deliver? I'm guessing around 50k up and down? If so, that's a significant difference between EDGE's 160k down and 80k up. That's about a 200% and 60% increase, respectively.

I've used my cell phone to connect to WoW from work (thereby getting around the firewwall).

But the latency is bad, 500-1200ms. So, it's not really playable. :-/

Damn, that setup looks sick.

My EVDO connection usually has a latency of about 1s.

-----
currently playing: Civilization 4
collecting dust: XBOX 360 Elite console, Halo 3
currently supporting: The guy who's won the most straw polls - r3/\O¯|ution

This wasn't really a good idea. Its quite easy to determine how your data is being used and because this type of interoperability is an additional charge for carriers, they can reserve the right to charge you per kilobyte for data that is being passed through your phone to any other device.

I love how you had to throw in that picture of me weeping.

jerk ;p.

actually b thats not true in the person who wrote this articles case, att overcharges for their data plans with the upside being they allow tethering the att connection manager software even supports certain phones, i used to use it with my sync, before i loaned it to a friend out in the middle of nowhere to use as his ISP, he has downloaded over 1G a month for the last 3 months with no problems

now verizon and sprint have ways in place to detect and prevent tethering, but with smartphones that can be circumvented using apps, such as what i mentioned above. USBModem

Dear all,

Sorry for asking silly question here. newbie to this tech.

How do i bridge the connection between my laptop/PC to my xbox360? Is the ethernet cable the same as we use normally? Would appreciate anyone's help on this. Thanks.

The ethernet cable would need to be a crossover. Although some new model Network Interface Cards can discern the difference between a crossover and a straight-through and adjust itself appropriately, it would be best to get a crossover just to be sure.

You'll go to Start, Control Panel, select "Network Connections", highlight both connections (the Local Area Connections deemed "Windows Mobile Device" and "NVidia Network Controller") right click, and select "Bridge".

I have tried. But it does not allow me to bridge the connectios. It mentioned that it can only bridge between LAN or High-speed internet connection but not LAN and Dial-up connection.

In order for the bridge to work, the two must both be high speed connections. As I mentioned in the article, dial-up won't work. I have tried a Verizon Wireless EVDO Aircard, and gotten the connection to work using ICS and a router. But I had to use a 3rd party DNS server.

Try doing this. Go to http://www.opendns.org/, follow their setup instructions for utilizing their DNS server on your PC. Then, manually configure the DNS Server settings on your Xbox to match those of your PC. Use ICS on your default device, and then do an Xbox Live test on your 360. See if it confirms the DNS settings. If not, well, keep trying.

If your network test currently fails at the DNS step, like mine was before doing what I listed above, then this should fix it.

This is only if your cell phone does a dial-up connection. If it does a pure data connection, then bridging is the best method.

I'd also give this entire article another read, as well as the comments left by other users. Specifically, rapture's post about his Windows Mobile device that he used and successfully tested, as a dial-up modem connection. Follow the steps he listed, and that may work for you, as opposed to bridging.

WTF dude showing people how to do this is insane! there is already enough lag on XBl now with idiots like yourself trying to get a connection over a damn cellphone is gonna mees the game up for everyone else. i would hope that the only people you play on live with are your friends. this is the exact reason why MS needs to clamp down and set a minium connection speed both up and down

The name-calling really isn't necessary, douche-bag. There is more to XBL than playing H3. You must be narrow-minded, as well as a douche. RTFA. I download game maps and variants for custom H3 games with my friends. I download games for Xbox Arcade. I download updates for other games I play. What others do with this tutorial is their own business. I cannot be held responsible for what other people do.

Actually i was researching on something like this but i was thinking of getting, either a verizon 1xevdo(a) or cingular hsdpa laptop pcmia card. something like a Sierra Wireless AirCard 881 then get a 3G router like a linksys Wireless-G Router for 3G/UMTS Broadband.(not available in U.S but airlink has similiar ones. I am leaning toward hsdpa because i hear verizon cards can have an issue with timing out.

I have been doing this for about a month now. I use Alltel EVDO. My download speed is around 900kbps and my upload is a measly 140kbps. I don't usually have any problems, so far, with Halo 3. My latency is around 240ms ish... Gears seems to be a little more than my connection can handle, but Halo 3 is just fine.

Sweet, F34R! I hope to be getting speeds comparable to what you cited when AT&T goes 3G later this month. It's good to hear you don't get any lag in H3.

I think it's important to remember that in 2002 many of us early adopters of XBL played online with only 256 Mb/s upload speeds, because that was about all that was available (in our area, at prices we could afford).

An enjoyable Xbox Live or any other IP related game experience has little to do with upload and download rates. It does however, have everything to do with highly consistent latency, whether it's 30 ms or 180 ms, and very low packet loss.

A single channel ISDN circuit (64 kbps) is more than capable of delivering a highly enjoyable IP gaming experience.

As far as latency is concerned, EVDO Rev. A tends to have the lowest latency when compared to other 3G wireless services. AT&T's EDGE and 3G will both work, but latency tends to be erratic and rarely below 200 ms. The means of backhaul from the wireless base station (i.e. cell tower) one's phone is connected to can have the greatest affect on latency. Typical sustained speeds from 3G are around 800 kbps - 900 kbps with bursts near 1.5 Mbps.

XBL guy, since u have rogers in ur area check for wimax (Rogers Portable Internet). U buy the wimax modem and have a 1.5 mbps connection for something like 55 bucks a month.

This poster has no idea what he/she is talking about.

My above post is referring to the statement made by nOOb regarding XBL and transfer speeds.

Speeds with a tethered phone tend to be slower than a dedicated card.

Check out www.evdoforums.com

I'm using a Kyocera KR1 router with a Verizon PC 5750 card. My 360 is connected directly to the router, and then my Linksys router is connected to one of the remaining ports (the 5750/KR1 combination have an issue with 802.11 wireless) I do have to reset my connection every couple days, but compared to the NAT hell my previous ISP put me in, I won't complain.

You can use just about any of the PC cards, or USB modems with the router. There is a newer KR2 on the way.

Also, Verizon does have a 5 gb transfer limit per month. However, I've hit 7.5 several months in a row, and usually cap out around 5. This is with P2P traffic, Xbox Live and at least two PCs on the network constantly. I haven't even had so much as a blink.

(I did review my contract online, and while it says it's "limited" my bill had a line item under features that says "unlimited.") I'm not calling to ask, I don't want them to notice me.

Hit me up on Live if you need any help. My username is above.

Well i got a blackjack off of CL for cheap and then got a unlimited data plan, I already use it on my pc for internet and will try this weekend for the xbox 360, However i barely get a 3g signal and it goes in and out to edge so well see how it turns out.
Well i also started to hack the phone (over clock it and such) i found that it appears windows mobile 6 does not support ics, or at least does not come with internet connection sharing? I updated my wm5 to wm6 and lost it.

Are there any internal settings that i can use adjust on the blackjack?

hey, you said huntsville is getting 3g in 2007. is that the alabama huntsville? i dont are about 3g, but im always looking for local LAN's. hit me up on aim at brianvannostrand, or myspace.com/defendingthefuture

Brian, if you are looking for a gaming community in Huntsville, Alabama, you found it. No need for me to hit you up on myspace. It's all done here on hushedcasket.com. This website was founded by gamers here in Huntsville, and we have LANs all the time. Just register an account and get acquainted with the community. And tell your friends about THX!

"Build it, and they will come."

I have used my Verizon BlackBerry Pearl in a remote site to get up on some XBL and it kicked major ass! I felt so awesome knowing I did it without these tutorials! Lol not to knock them. But now that we've done that my friend is thinking about getting the Blackjack from AT&T so that he can do the same thing. The AT&T coverage is waaaaay better in his area but I'm going to refer him to this page!

Your internet is so good, it wants to tell us three times!

Sweet bandwidth. Nasty ping.

I am stoked. Played some relatively lag-free games last night. DL'd a video on XBL. Took a few minutes instead of a few hours for a 34MB file to dwnld.

I'm slightly disappointed by the upload speed. Wish that was around 384Kbps. Still over-all very satisfied. It's finally here!

Anyone notice that you get a better connection while moving fast (like driving on an interstate) versus not moving?

@Midnight: Disavowed's ping will probably be about like all of us connecting to your GoW host when you were in California.

As I posted before about my friend wanting to get a AT&T 3G data plan and phone to connect to XBL. He has been doing research and I even pointed him in the direction of this page. This is the situation, he went to the AT&T site and read the terms and conditions of the data service and they ban you for streaming video, music, playing games, blah blah blah... I'm just wondering if this is something that they avidly watch? He isn't going to play XBL all the time on it but if he plays it on the weekends and a little bit during the week will he get banned?

Sean, my results so far have been good. AT&T, and any other wireless provider for that matter, doesn't have much of a choice except to put the standard "Terms of Service" agreement on their data plans to prevent people from over-taxing their wireless data network. If I left my Blackjack connected to my PC 24/7, and was constantly dwnlding and streaming, then yeah, I'd have been banned by now. But, I don't. Just like anything else, moderation is key. As I have stated before, these mobile devices and data cards were intended for use with a PC. They know that browsing isn't the only thing for which their devices are being used.

As data devices and wireless internet usage become more prevalent, they will possibly have to crack down on some of the users who stream and download more often. The obscure way in which the service agreement is written allows them to exercise flexibility in accordance w/ bandwidth availability.

I'm curious about using the EVDO aircards from Alltel connected via USB to a home computer for this same purpose. Would you set it up basically the same way? ICS and bridging the aircard to the local connection?

I know a hell of a lot of people in this town that would purchase these aircards if it was possible to play Xbox Live over them w/o having to have standard internet.

Skybase,

You can use the aircard with a Kyocera KR-1, or a Linksys 3G router. It works great and gives a more reliable and faster connection than ICS or tethering (I've done both.)

It seems my previous post about this was deleted?

Hi everyone. VERY interesting article. I googled for something a bit different and this was one of the top results, so I apologize if this is not exactly pertaining to the subject matter, but I figured as many of you who have posted might be able to answer my question.

I am shopping around for a new cell phone using Verizon as the service provider. My question: Is there a phone that will allow me to connect to the internet using my wireless lan or my home network? I have a wireless access point on my DSL connection, and I haven't found any information describing this. Basically what I want is to be able to use the cell phone such as the Motorola Q to access the internet from my own DSL router, and still be able to use the Verizon service while I'm on the road and then find a HotSpot where I can connect at times. Is this possible?
Thanks.

Thanks for the reply, Matriculate. I'll keep a note of those products and possibly see about using them. Without having them however, is it still possible to use this card in the way previously mentioned? I'm about to try it this other way. Install the card, connect 360 to PC through switch and make sure that cable internet is disconnected and then bridge the connections (local LAN and the aircard) is what I need to do, correct? Anything else to change on the 360 or PC (besides ICS) to make this work?

I have recently been bridging my internet connection from my phone (Samsung Blackjack) through my PC to my Wireless router (Linksys), and then to my Xbox 360 and another PC from the router. The 360 is plugged into one of the router's ethernet ports, and the PC downstairs connects wirelessly. Surprisingly enough, all 3 devices can be connected to data sessions at the same time, with no issues.

So I'd imagine you could do something similar w/ Verizon (I have AT&T). The Motorola Q has Windows Mobile on it, I think, but some of the apps are different, so I don't know if your settings would be configured quite the same way as mine. Also, your hardware, particularly the DSL router (is it a modem combined w/ a router?) may not be compatible.

I would need a little more detail as to what you're trying to do and what equipment you're working with, in order to give an informed opinion. Right now, I just don't know if it's feasible or not...

Best thing to do, is give it a try. Verizon has a 30-day return policy. So, pick up the phone, and go to work. Worst case scenario, you take it back, and get your money back.

Can some one plz give me a step by step setup on the pc and xbox. struggling al ready for a week. thanx

let me know if you got the connection right between your pc phone and xbox and let my know about the setup.

n00b, did you read the article, along w/ all responses? Step-by-step for you could differ greatly from what I went through, according to your hardware/software setup, and what phone you have. You'll need to provide a little more info...

Assuming you have XP Pro, that you're NOT using the data device (phone) as a modem, that you've gotten as far as getting it sync'd to your PC via USB, and that you have an ethernet connection from your PC to Xbox, via Crossover LAN cable. Open Network Connections, click "View Connections", highlight "Local Area Connection" (ethernet adapter, this is your Xbox), and highlight "Local Area Connection 2" (insert appropriate # here, it isn't always 2) this is your Windows Mobile Device. They must both be highlighted at the same time. You must hold down the Ctrl key when clicking on the second one. Then right click on either one, select "Bridge Connections".

This is over-simplified, as it is the most direct connection between your phone (ISP) to your Xbox. If you have devices other than your PC between the two, such as a router, then you'll need to configure those, too.

If you ARE using it as a modem, see rapture's post somewhere above, as he has done this successfully. I've used my Blackjack as a modem, just to test speeds, but haven't tried sharing it to my Xbox. I don't think you can bridge a dial-up connection to a "High Speed" connection, at least not in XP. You'll have to do something different.

Keep in mind, modem is dialing a connection using your phone, data connection uses Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) on your phone to share it's connection to your PC (no # being dialed). Configuration will differ according to what method you use.

I didn't bridge the connections. I've had bad luck with it in the past and have avoided it like the plague since.

Here is what I did, initially, with both a USB720 and PC5750 from Verizon Wireless (the USB modem was causing interference with my powered sub and the form factor wasn't travel friendly.)

- Installed software/drivers for the modem on my laptop.
- Connected a LAN cable from my laptop to the WAN port on my Linksys WRT54G router.
- Enabled ICS in the network settings (control panel) for the EVDO card.
- Checked the new IP address of my LAN adapter and set my router to use this address as a gateway. (Make sure that if your LAN adapter is 192.168.1.xxx that your router is 192.168.0.XXX, or anything besides .1.xxx.)
- Set a static IP address for my 360, enabled DMZ in the router and entered the 360's address there.
- Tested the connection out by signing the laptop and 360 on.

I had to go through something different to get online with the Kyocera.

- Ordered the router in (Macmall was cheapest I found MAKE SURE YOUR CARD, MODEM OR PHONE IS COMPATIBLE FIRST.)
- Upgraded to the latest firmware and PRL for the router and card respectively.
- Setup the router by following the instructions/wizard (a first.)
- Connected the Linksys router to the Kyocera.
- At this point, I had some problems with the NAT being too restrictive. After port forwarding 3074 and 88 to the 360's address and achieving nothing, I opted to connect the 360 directly to the Kyocera.
- Set the 360's address to work on the Kyocera (Linksys is 192.168.1, the Kyocera is using 192.168.0.)
- Set 360 to DMZ and forwarded ports 3074 and 88 (this setting solves the "unable to connect to party" issue that so many people have.)
- Signed the router in (sometimes it drops connection, a simple power cycle brings it back.)
- Played Halo3.

I've been running on the EVDO setup since May, after having a crappy Motorola Canopy system prior. I get 1.8mbps/400kbps on a great day, with the upload dropping down to around 180 on bad days.

It's not the perfect solution, but it works and allows me to get online where most people can't. It's even good for playing on Live (it really depends on who gets host.

If you have any questions, friend request me: Matriculate, or I'll check back here.

Also, check into the Kyocera KR1 Support Forum at evdoforums.com and evdoinfo.com I picked up a lot of info by searching those sites. There are a couple other routers and modems out there that work in a similar way. I went with the Kyocera because I had the USB modem at the time. DLink makes a similar router that supports only PC cards, Linksys also has a 3G router (although more expensive) but I think it's primarily designed to support Sprint cards. Although, Sprint and Verizon cards are usually the same thing with a different name.

Disavowed,

Tethering the phone works, but if you're going to be stuck paying for a 60$ data plan anyway, and want to be able to connect without having your phone around, a card may be the better way to go.

Also, tethering the phones, then connection sharing through a bridged/ICS setup can be a lot slower.

I also had another person in the house using the internet, so I needed to have a connection that could be used without my phone being present.

In the end, it's up to the individual's preference and need. Just thought I would throw that bit out there though, since this is a gaming site and we're discussing playing online.

Matriculate, very good info. Nice job! If I had the money to pay for a $60 plan, I'd definitely go the way of a dedicated card. However, the $40 unlimited add-on data plan on top of a voice plan is more cost-effective for me, necessitating the phone, instead of a PCMCIA card. Additionally, I tried the Verizon EVDO 5750. Since I don't get a very strong Verizon signal anywhere in my house, the speed I got w/ it capped off at less than 512Kbps, and the connection would drop occasionally. However, w/ AT&T, even though I'm using the Blackjack, I regularly get speeds over 1Mbps, and no dropped connections. My upload speed w/ AT&T nearly equals the download speed I got when I test-drove Verizon. Again, that was probably mostly due to a poor signal at my house.

Also, just FYI, when I was using the Verizon PC5750 Card, w/ Verizon's Data Connect s/w, I had some issues with using Xbox Live. I kept getting DNS errors. I was utilizing ICS, similar to your setup, and tried w/ my router, and also w/ a crossover cable directly to my 360, and kept getting the same errors. The "Automatic" DNS setting just wasn't cutting it. I ended up having to manually set the DNS server addresses, but since I didn't know Verizon's DNS IPs (I didn't call and ask b/c I didn't want to alert them to what I was doing), I had to use an openDNS server, which I think slowed the connection down even more.

Signal is definitely important. If you've got a better/faster signal with AT&T then definitely go for it. I think there might be one or two routers who can handle their data cards. I have a strong EVDO/CDMA signal at my house, not sure about the EDGE/GPRS (T-Mobile, Cingular/AT&T, etc.) so Verizon was the way for me to go (I also have three phones with them, so...)

I'm not sure what would have been causing the DNS errors. When running the ICS, I stopped using the Verizon software and created my own DUN profile for the modem. I only use Data Connect to upgrade the PRL in the card. With the Kyocera, once you've set it up, it connects automatically. I set my 360 to use the router as the DNS server. That's a strange problem, I wonder if it has something to do with Verizon's system in your area? The major problem I always have is the "Failed to Connect to Party" error, and that's resolved through the port forwarding technique.

As for data usage, what are you getting per month? I play online several nights a week, along with having two computers connected and I'm averaging around 6.5gb. Supposedly, Verizon limits you to 5gb, but they haven't said anything to me yet.

That's exactly what I was thinking. I could not come up with another reason why the DNS would fail, other than some regional settings on Verizon's network in my area.

I'm averaging about the same. My use is pretty sporadic. I've neared 1GB of data in a single day, if I download a big file, or alot of files. And I've gone days w/out connecting at all. My wife also uses her Blackjack to connect to her PC when I'm not home, but she mainly only uses it to access her Corporate email, so it isn't heavy usage.

I've noticed that 3G is far more power-consuming. Even though my Blackjack charges at the same time it's synched, I have to use the extended-life battery now. The other batter will drain faster than it will charge, and as a result will die in about 4hrs. Whereas before 3G, when it was using EDGE, I could stay on 12+ hours with the slim battery, no problem.

On a sidenote, I can make/recx calls while the phone stays synched w/ my PC and the data connection stays active. All in all, the Blackjack has been a very capable device. At some point, I may consider a PC Card from AT&T (w/ the pricier plan), but for now, my needs are being met.

Matriculate, this is terrific information. Is there possibly a way to do this w/o the need of a router or other additional components? Simply a computer (I'm running Vista myself, but XP instructions would be great as well), the USB aircard from Alltel, and the 360?

I know that you hadn't used bridging but I thought I'd give that a shot anyhow as even though I have the router what I'm trying to accomplish is for other users that dont' have one. . .and may not want to add that extra cost/setup to the mix. I'm unable to bridge the Axcess Data (EVDO-1x) connection to the local area connection, and of course if enabling ICS on the data card then I can't either.

If we don't know a way (or aren't able) to do this w/o the router or whatever then I guess i'll digress for now. I'm okay w/ the router issue but it doesn't really work for what I was hoping to be able to do for people.

Is that your name on Live? If so then I'll be sure to add you on my friends' list. Thanks so much for the information!

Skybase, check over my post again. I was running ICS with a USB modem and a laptop. It doesn't matter whether you plug the router or the 360 into the LAN port of the PC with the EVDO modem attached, a connection is a connection at its base level. I just needed to use my laptop for a computer and stop having it sit on the entertainment center as the gateway for my network, so I got a router designed for the task. I also found that sharing the connection was slower than the dedicated router (I justified this by having my laptop back, and the fact that I was paying 60$/mo for a fast connection, which was being limited by a PC that I wasn't getting to use.)

I didn't bridge my connections, I used ICS. Checkout this link for information on ICS in XP: http://www.practicallynetworked.com/sharing/xp_ics/

Yes, this is my name on Live. I'm usually on for a little while in the evenings, and can be for a couple hours on the weekends.

Bridging won't work in your case, at least not if Vista networking is anything like XP. XP recognizes the data cards as a "Dial-Up Connection", and your Local Ethernet Connection (your 360) as a "High-Speed Connection". Only 2 high-speed connections can be bridged. At least that is the case in XP. Vista may be different, and it certainly wouldn't hurt to try.

In the scenario that you have to go w/ ICS, when testing the connection on your 360, if it fails at the DNS step, (which it was doing in my case when I was testing out an aircard from Verizon), you'll have to manually configure the DNS settings. You can try to get those from Alltel, or else use an open DNS server. I went the open route. I was hesitant to call Verizon, since I didn't want to alert them to what I was using their aircard for.

http://www.opendns.com is a good place to start. You'll probably need to utilize it on the PC your 360 is connected to, as well.

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