Guide to tethering your MBA

[johnkountz]

Great iPhone Application idea

I'd love being able to use my iPhone to connect to the Internet from my Air, would be willing to spend some $$$ to buy a solution that just worked for this.

 

[brianhn1]

Got a call from my specialist over at apple, they have not escalated it to engineering and said that they will keep me posted as soon as they have something worked out. They said it may or may NOT be resolved in future software updates. Pretty bummed out about this. Guess if my 3g iphone comes out I can always just use that eventually. Probably the only resolution I will get any time soon on this matter.


Any one else here tether via bluetooth on a windows mobile 6 device?

Any updates?

I've been fiddling with it and still no luck. I'm really disappointed in this. Does it seem like not many people tether over bluetooth to their Air?

 

[djk777]

Same Problem

I'm having the same issue as others here. Tether my 8525 (WM6 using Internet Sharing via BT) to XP Pro and get good speeds - ~320Kbps download and ~120Kbps upload. When I tether to my MBA, the connection sucks. It doesn't drop, just hovers around 40 Kbps - like it's stuck in GRPS and can't use Edge. I don't know what else to try.

 

[MazingerZ]

I had crappy experience tethering my Treo 750 with the MBA while in Manila last week. The treo had 3g speeds while viewing web pages from its browser, but thru the BT Connection, the MBA barely could load a web page. Hope a fix happens soon.

 

[Sesshi]

Have you guys tried to explicitly add a serial port to use from the Bluetooth applet, going into the configuration icon and selecting Edit Serial Ports...?

 

[edwardjung]

Tethering

I tether my MBA two ways:

1. 881u USB Sierra Wireless HSDPA modem

2. HTC Tilt running Windows Mobile 6

The Tilt I've used via WMWiFiRouter (over WiFi to the MBA) and Bluetooth (using Internet Sharing, which AT&T -- in their infinite wisdom -- hid; I also had to futz around to get out of MediaNet.)

Using the Sierra Wireless modem is the simplest and performs best IMO.

 

[brianhn1]

Have you guys tried to explicitly add a serial port to use from the Bluetooth applet, going into the configuration icon and selecting Edit Serial Ports...?

No. Is doing that better?

 

[Sesshi]

Some phones I've noticed need this to be done. Supported (listed as compatible) phones don't seem to.

 

[MazingerZ]

Here's an alternative but it requires a Nokia Phone with Wlan built in. I've tested this on my N95 and E90 and it works as advertised.

http://www.joiku.com/?action=products&mode=productDetails&product_id=310

 

[dyerucf]

Apple

Well the apple representative that I was dealing with is now officially ignoring my e-mails. The only suggestion I have is that we get SEVERAL (HINT HINT) people to email him. Every one tell them that they want the bluetooth issues addressed!

[edit, email address removed]

 

[brianhn1]

Well the apple representative that I was dealing with is now officially ignoring my e-mails. The only suggestion I have is that we get SEVERAL (HINT HINT) people to email him. Every one tell them that they want the bluetooth issues addressed!

Darn. I shall shoot an email.


Aside, I think we need a new thread with a catchy title to get more attention.

 

[dyerucf]

Wish I could

Wish I could update the name now, the thread started as a request for assistance but has since bastardized into the issue thread regarding the Air's faulty bluetooth stack or bluetooth chipset.

Any one else give a sh*t about this please do email that that guy or any other tech contacts you might have at apple and ask them to address this.

Thanks!!

 

[dyerucf]

New THREAD!

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/454053/

 

[jane doe]

Well the apple representative that I was dealing with is now officially ignoring my e-mails. The only suggestion I have is that we get SEVERAL (HINT HINT) people to email him. Every one tell them that they want the bluetooth issues addressed!

I emailed my contact.......

 

[rom]

Pairing it with the N95 is driving me nuts. What happened to 'just works'? It's a 10-second task on any Vista notebook - which my Windows ultraportables actually don't need as they have built-in 3G.

Sigh...

Did you get the iSync plug-in for the N95? Apple does not support it out of the box, you need to download the Nokia iSync plug-in.

 

[arn]

Hey all, appreciate the frustration while waiting for a solution, but you shouldn't be requesting people to bombard a single employee's email address.

I've removed the email address.

arn

 

[n0de]

Hmmm, after getting blasted on on the "call to action" thread because "everyone" is having problems, I do see some successes here.

I am posting from my tethered BB 8830 right now which took about 5 minutes to set up.

A point here that everyone seems to have skipped is that this is potentially a carrier issue. I suggest a poll of what carriers are having problems and which are not. I am on Sprint, no problems.

Another point is the configuration being used. Remember, despite the fact that the carriers do sell you an unlimited data plan it does not mean they want you to use it that way. Many have different AP's depending on the device and I know for a fact that ATT/Cingular does throttle your connection speed depending on which AP you are going through.

Lastly, depending on the device, you may or may not have high speed access. Most EVDO phones are not Rev A. So if you compare the speed of a dedicated EVDO modem to that of an EVDO phone on the same network the speeds will not be the same.

And to those that accused me of trolling, look at my post history - I don't troll.

 

[dyerucf]

Hmmm, after getting blasted on on the "call to action" thread because "everyone" is having problems, I do see some successes here.

I am posting from my tethered BB 8830 right now which took about 5 minutes to set up.

A point here that everyone seems to have skipped is that this is potentially a carrier issue. I suggest a poll of what carriers are having problems and which are not. I am on Sprint, no problems.

Another point is the configuration being used. Remember, despite the fact that the carriers do sell you an unlimited data plan it does not mean they want you to use it that way. Many have different AP's depending on the device and I know for a fact that ATT/Cingular does throttle your connection speed depending on which AP you are going through.

Lastly, depending on the device, you may or may not have high speed access. Most EVDO phones are not Rev A. So if you compare the speed of a dedicated EVDO modem to that of an EVDO phone on the same network the speeds will not be the same.

And to those that accused me of trolling, look at my post history - I don't troll.

We have tried different AP's, spent hours on the phone with AT&T and Apple support and have had no luck. Perhaps the RIM device uses a different PAN client or hardware but so far no one has had any luck using bluetooth DUN w/ WM6.

I am glad that you are having success with your BB, just wish we where so lucky with windows hardware.

 

[brianhn1]

Hmmm, after getting blasted on on the "call to action" thread because "everyone" is having problems, I do see some successes here.

I am posting from my tethered BB 8830 right now which took about 5 minutes to set up.

A point here that everyone seems to have skipped is that this is potentially a carrier issue. I suggest a poll of what carriers are having problems and which are not. I am on Sprint, no problems.

Another point is the configuration being used. Remember, despite the fact that the carriers do sell you an unlimited data plan it does not mean they want you to use it that way. Many have different AP's depending on the device and I know for a fact that ATT/Cingular does throttle your connection speed depending on which AP you are going through.

Lastly, depending on the device, you may or may not have high speed access. Most EVDO phones are not Rev A. So if you compare the speed of a dedicated EVDO modem to that of an EVDO phone on the same network the speeds will not be the same.

And to those that accused me of trolling, look at my post history - I don't troll.

You're not a troll?

The problem that we are trying to resolve is with the Bluetooth hardware on the MBA. We are having latency and speed issues when we are tethering our phones over BT. You did not clearly indicate how you are tethering your MBA to your BB, which could explain why you may not be having related issues.

Unfortunately the problem is definitely not the provider and not the phone (WM6 HSDPA phone capable of 1.8mbps down/384kbps up).

We do not have any problems when we are using alternative means to tether our phones. For example, on my Air,
1. Over Wifi using WMWifiRouter (software), or
2. Using a USB cable and Internet Sharing (software) through Windows XP (virtualized)
brings about no latency or speed issues.

To confirm that BT on my phone is not the issue I have used a Windows XP laptop with Bluetooth V2.0 and also had no issues. Slightly slower in speed than over Wifi but similar latency values. Additionally, dyerucf has reported no problems with his MBP.

Therefore the problem seems to be narrowed down to a software or hardware issue with the BT on the MBA.

 

[djk777]

Agreed - Bluetooth issue

Though I appreciate n0de's post, I agree with brianhn1. I can tether my AT&T 8525 via BT (using WM6's Internet Sharing feature) to XP Pro Dell laptop and achieve typical 3G speeds. However, on the MBA, the BT tether is almost useless. I can tether the MBA to the 8525 via WMWifiRouter and it works quite well. The problem does seem to be a Bluetooth software or hardware issue on the MBA. I'm hoping the future arrival of the 3G iPhone and the demand to be able to tether it to the MBA will prompt Apple to come up with a solution. For now, it looks like we're stuck with WMWifiRouter...

 

[n0de]

The issue I have with this thread is because of the attitude that it is Apple's fault. Apple has to fix this, Apple screwed up, etc.

Yes I am using BT to tether my BB without issue.

Something to consider is maybe it is windows mobile which is the culprit. the evidence everyone uses to prove there is an issue is that their WM device plays well with Windows. Of course it does, they were designed to play well with each other. Everyone with a BB seems to be OK. I do not know enough (or care) about the Palm devices to know if any of the ones mentioned are Palm OS instead of WM. Nokia seems to be a mixed bag.

Another question for those with problems; does your device support BT EDR? If so, what version? And for those of you who understand the question, are there potential incompatibilities between EDR versions?

 

[dyerucf]

Macbook Air BT 2.1+EDR
Treo 750 (Windows Mobile 6) BT 1.2

Treo 750 worked GREAT on all other macbooks except the MBA which is the first version to have a Broadcom chipset. What other proof do you need? I reiterate.. all other windows mobile devices worked with all other macbooks except the MBA

 

[brianhn1]

The issue I have with this thread is because of the attitude that it is Apple's fault. Apple has to fix this, Apple screwed up, etc.

Yes I am using BT to tether my BB without issue.

Something to consider is maybe it is windows mobile which is the culprit. the evidence everyone uses to prove there is an issue is that their WM device plays well with Windows. Of course it does, they were designed to play well with each other. Everyone with a BB seems to be OK. I do not know enough (or care) about the Palm devices to know if any of the ones mentioned are Palm OS instead of WM. Nokia seems to be a mixed bag.

Another question for those with problems; does your device support BT EDR? If so, what version? And for those of you who understand the question, are there potential incompatibilities between EDR versions?

BT version 2.0 and on have EDR included. My phone has BT version 2.0 with EDR.

dyerucf and many others have already confirmed that they have no issues over BT when using a MBP, MacBook, etc.

I have one other question for you: Are you using a MacBook Air and if so, could you post latency and speed results?

 

[dyerucf]

Does any one here use a bluetooth solution to tether there MBA?

I mean wireless is pretty common but sometimes you just need to tether and I cant believe it doesn't work and only a handful of people seem to care.

sucks :/

 

[MazingerZ]

Does any one here use a bluetooth solution to tether there MBA?

I mean wireless is pretty common but sometimes you just need to tether and I cant believe it doesn't work and only a handful of people seem to care.

sucks :/

I think we're stuck until Apple releases a fix.