iPhone as "3G modem" for a Macbook Pro

[docusource]

I would like to know if anyone has experience in connecting the Vodacom supplied iPhone to their Macbook Pro as a modem - i.e. like you would have done using a Nokia N95 over bluetooth?

I am aware that you can jailbreak an iPhone and connect using the iPhone as a proxy on WiFi connection - essentially connecting over WiFi to you iPhone and then surfing. Have a look at http://cre.ations.net/blog/post/how-to-tether-your-iphone-3g-and-browse-the-web-using-your-3g-co

Question is though: has anyone tried it here in SA or a variation of above?

Any success?

I am risk adverse and would hate to stuff up a new iPhone

 

[fxit_man]

Jailbreaking is almost risk free.. It's very hard to brick the phone.. You can always just fire it up into restore mode or DFU mode if anything goes wrong, and restore to original firmware.

If you are on firmware 2.1 (check in the "About" section of Settings>General), and have a 3G iPhone, see here for a noob-proof tutorial..

You said you have a Macbook pro, i therefore assume you are running Mac OS..

This is the tutorial for MacOS:
http://www.iclarified.com/entry/index.php?enid=1842

You can however do this in Windows via Bootcamp using the following tutorial:
http://www.iclarified.com/entry/index.php?enid=1881

With regards to the tethering, there are a few solutions out there.. That is one of them..I see no reason why it shouldn't work for you..

This is another --> http://www.iphonemodem.com/

Good luck (you wont really need it though..it's a quick process)

 

[docusource]

Thanks for the additional info - I see that iphonemodem essentially does the same - a wifi connection - but less the manual hassle

Running 10.5.5 - no bootcamp but using Parallels and Debian - but that will use the P NAT so no problem there

I make the assumption you've done this ?

Are you happy with the connectivity speed/ reception capability ? Only HSDPA and no 3.6 ?

 

[fxit_man]

Thanks for the additional info - I see that iphonemodem essentially does the same - a wifi connection - but less the manual hassle

Running 10.5.5 - no bootcamp but using Parallels and Debian - but that will use the P NAT so no problem there

I make the assumption you've done this ?

Are you happy with the connectivity speed/ reception capability ? Only HSDPA and no 3.6 ?

Unfortunately i don't have a 3G iPhone..was one of the early adopters of the 2G iPhone which i brought over myself from USA..

I have jailbroken it though, and the process is the almost exactly the same for the 3G iPhone

Don't worry about things from a jailbreak perspective though as you can just restore to the original firmware if you wish (doubt you will go back once you have done it though)

That tethering process looks easy enough though, so give it a go