Comments on Zsoldier's Tech Blog: Macbook Pro OSX 10.5.x Sprint Blackberry 8830 Data...

It's difficult to say what the issue might be....

2010-05-04T09:50:21.783-04:00

It's difficult to say what the issue might be. You may need to re-pair your blackberry to your Macbook using the bluetooth wizard.

I've tried a couple times to set this up but w...

2010-05-02T23:53:59.323-04:00

I've tried a couple times to set this up but when I go to connect it says "connection failed cause the communication device is unavailable"...can you help me?

This was the most straight forward post on the sub...

2010-04-10T00:02:37.360-04:00

This was the most straight forward post on the subject. I tried for several hours to figure this out. Thank you so much for taking the time.

Thanks for the instructions! However, I couldn...

2010-03-11T09:56:42.826-05:00

Thanks for the instructions! However, I couldn't get this to work either.

I just chatted online with a Sprint representative. They told me that my "Casual EVDO" included in the Everything Data plan does not include tethering. And as of 2/24/2010, "Phone as Modem" is no longer being offered to anyone that doesn't already have it. (I should have saved the transcript. They claimed it was a quality issue.)

They did offer a "free" data card -- with a $59.99/month, 2-year service agreement.

@Michael - I just looked up the everything data sh...

2010-01-06T11:05:07.887-05:00

@Michael - I just looked up the everything data share plan from Sprint and it doesn't seem to include using your phone as a modem. Tethering may be a seperate charge that you'll need contact them about. http://nextelonline.nextel.com/en/stores/popups/talk_message_data_popup.shtml

First of all, thanks for posting these directions....

2009-12-30T00:24:59.034-05:00

First of all, thanks for posting these directions. They have, by far, been the best directions for tethering blackberries to mac os x with snow leopard. However, I am still encountering the "modem connection error" problem, even when trying out some of the different option people have suggested. I just recently got a blackberry for christmas and am wondering if there are any recent changes that are keeping me from tethering to my macbook pro. I am under the "everything data share plan" so it should work, right? Thanks in advance for any help!

I can confirm also that it worked several times fo...

2009-10-21T14:06:10.982-04:00

I can confirm also that it worked several times for a few months in the past. But over the last 3 weeks, it did not work. So for now, tetherberry is the way to go. Tetherberry has come a long way and gets the job done.

So like egilchri says, your tethering service may ...

2009-10-21T09:23:49.421-04:00

So like egilchri says, your tethering service may have been turned off. Call your service provider. Or I would suggest going through the setup steps again, I've noticed that the mac sometimes drops the serial port for the blackberry and causes this issue. Going through setup a second time usually resolve this.

Yeah. They probably turned off your tethering. If ...

2009-10-21T09:02:38.246-04:00

Yeah. They probably turned off your tethering. If so, there's no way around it.

Hi guys; Like the last few post I have not been a...

2009-10-20T23:58:13.197-04:00

Hi guys;

Like the last few post I have not been able to connect recently after the device has worked fine for 10 months. The message "modem enabled" pops up for a second or two than is goes away. Any ideas? It's too weird that a few of us are having identical issues

I've noticed this issue too, not sure what cau...

2009-09-30T18:54:29.622-04:00

I've noticed this issue too, not sure what causes it. It doesn't seem to be related to the blackberry, but with the settings on the Mac not sticking with something. Have you tried going through the setup steps again?

So, this has been working for me for months, and s...

2009-09-30T18:42:03.791-04:00

So, this has been working for me for months, and suddenly it doesn't.

I've tried the battery pull, to no avail.

When I try to connect, I see a message on the Blackberry "modem mode enabled", but then that message goes away in a second or 2.

Any thoughts?

if you get the "a modem error occurred" ...

2009-09-02T22:10:19.933-04:00

if you get the "a modem error occurred" message try power cycling the blackberry by taking the battery out then replacing it. This should work

Thank you sooooooo much. I have been working on th...

2009-08-22T18:50:27.395-04:00

Thank you sooooooo much. I have been working on this for 3 days. Followed your instructions on my sprint 8330 and it worked immediately!
Judge

It seems that for the non unibody Macbook (mine is...

2009-08-18T11:01:02.413-04:00

It seems that for the non unibody Macbook (mine is black) you don't have to uncheck "ignore dial tone when dialing" because I set up as per your posted instructions before reading all of the comments and it worked just fine. The process actually took off after I read your comment that the Mac might not recognize the device if it was connected by USB. After I disconnected it, it worked instantly.

Thank you so much for posting this!!!!! I can't believe that the Sprint FAQ says you need an Apple Modem Script to access the internet via the Curve 8330. By the way, I've read that there's no extra charge to use BlackBerries as modems all over the internet and couldn't find an option to add some kind of modem service to my plan (a normal one + the mandatory $30 BlackBerry Personal Pack not the Simply Everything Plan). I guess I'll see if this results in any new charges on my next bill.

ZSoldier, you rock!! I've been trying to do t...

2009-08-14T13:58:26.014-04:00

ZSoldier, you rock!! I've been trying to do this for 2 months and just found your post today! THANK YOU!!!!!!

Incredible! Something i have never been able to ac...

2009-08-12T07:27:05.067-04:00

Incredible! Something i have never been able to achieve with a PC. This took 5 minutes!!

Thanks! Works great with my 8330 and Macbook Pro....

2009-08-06T10:07:07.761-04:00

Thanks! Works great with my 8330 and Macbook Pro. A couple of notes... For the final step (under Network when setting up the Blackberry Dialup) when I was manipulating the advanced settings, I had to change it to "Ignore dial tone when dialing" for dial mode instead of "wait for dial tone...". Otherwise I would get "A modem error occurred." Also, when pairing under Sprint/ Vision your user and password may be left blank. Thanks again.

Thank you very much. I have been searching for a w...

2009-06-14T23:57:21.052-04:00

Thank you very much. I have been searching for a way to successfully tether my blackberry to my mac for the past six months to no avail. You saved me from having purchase an aircard and it's associated monthly service fees.

Worked perfectly. Thank you very much for making t...

2009-06-11T13:14:12.248-04:00

Worked perfectly. Thank you very much for making this post.

Thank you thank you thank you! i've been looking ...

2009-05-23T19:33:12.494-04:00

Thank you thank you thank you! i've been looking for ages for info on how to make this work...and you did it!
Michael

Works great with my unibody Macbook Pro and Spring...

2009-05-21T17:42:12.139-04:00

Works great with my unibody Macbook Pro and Spring BB 8830. Have found other tutorials on the web, but this one works!

Many thanks!

I will have to comment further. I tried your meth...

2009-05-18T00:23:00.000-04:00

I will have to comment further. I tried your method and it has been the most straight-foward method to date. Like one of your previous users, I read several blogs and had no It didn't work at first. I tweaked it as follows:

SYSTEM PREFERENCES> Bluetooth > "highlight" Blackberry 8830 > "click *" preferences drop down button (next to minus '-' button) >
Protocol = modem; service = dialup networking; Require pairing for security CHECKED; Show in Network Preferences CHECKED. (but i see as I'm looking at it already connected, pairing for security is UNCHECKED....so experiment with this setting)

SYSTEM PREFERENCES > Network > "highlight Blackberry......[bluetooth device]" Make sure phone number says #777. leave acct name and password blank. > Advanced.... > Vendor = Sprint; Model = PCS Vision; Enable error correction CHECKED; Dial Mode = IGNORE dial tone when dialing; Dial Mode = Tone; Sound = On

If done correctly, it will say status: Connected!!!. You'll see a sent/received bar. It will show total time connected and an IP address. Not sure if this is static or dynamic, but who cares. Also, your blackberry will say Modem Mode Enabled towards the top of the screen below the battery meter (8830)

macbook running 10.5.0. And YES, I have the sprint simply everything plan. bb 8830. It is slow as hell, though. I'm wondering what kinds of speeds are you all getting?

I posted this message on that connection. I wasn't in the fastest area, but it works. Will continue to test it in a few different areas and report the speeds. Connected for over 40 minutes solid now.

Now if only we can tether with the USB. That will be the day. I'll still keep the tetherberry. As I think once their mac software comes along, it will be worth it. Their windows version works great.

Don't hesitate to change settings one-by-one and see if you can still get a connection or even a faster connection.

you rule, found 20 different post that didnt work,...

2009-04-23T22:26:00.000-04:00

you rule, found 20 different post that didnt work, your's did and flawlessly I might add, Bravo and BooYah! to the the companies charging $60 for tethering software.

Awesome, thank you. I am posting this on a tethere...

2009-04-23T17:27:00.000-04:00

Awesome, thank you. I am posting this on a tethered blackberry right now. Iphone/Att better work this out soon as that's bulls$%t that it doesn't work now.