I am a newbie, I should receive my: n800 this week, in the mail. I've been reading how to connect to the internet and there are not allot of wifi sites at my job. Can anyone tell me what it means to "put the SIM in a bluetooth cellphone and tether - you've got free cellular internet" I read this on one thread but don't know how to do it or what it means. I do have a bluetooth cell phone Nokia 6086 through t-mobile and it has a SIM card. I hope this question isn't too stupid. I am facinated by the tablet and would enjoy being able to access the internet, but I already pay for cable DSL plus family cellphone account and can't really afford more internet debt. Can anyone offer how to info? I will appreciate any help.
Joyce :confused

Welcome to the site! :-)


Right: tethering (aka pairing) a phone to the tablet means the tablet can use that phone to connect to the internet. After the tablet and phone have been tethered/paired, the tablet can automatically connect to the internet while your phone is within a 10 metre radius (for example in your pocket or bag). The connection between the phone and tablet is wireless, there's no need for any cables or anything.

Because the connection is through your phone, your tablet can access the internet wherever the phone can get a signal. You don't need to be near any hotspots or anything, all you need is phone coverage.

However, some parts of the phone network have much slower internet speeds than others, so you may find the net speeding up and slowing down depending on where you are.

Some phone models have much slower internet speeds than others too. The fastest kind of phone uses a standard called 3.5G, the next fastest is 3G, then EDGE (aka 2.5G) and then 2G. Your phone (the 6086) is an EDGE phone, so it's not the slowest but it's not the fastest either. However, even with a faster phone, it can still be slowed down if the phone network is slow in that area.

Virtually all Bluetooth-compatible mobile phones sold today have the ability to connect to the internet through the mobile phone network, including the Nokia 6086. They also have the ability to act as a modem for other devices, which is what your phone would be doing if your tablet uses it.

You can find out more about connecting your tablet to the internet using your phone in a tutorial I've written about this topic:

http://tabletschool.blogspot.com/200...-internet.html

However, mobile internet use usually isn't free. You should contact your phone network operator to ask how much it costs to use your phone as a modem (don't just ask about internet use, specifically tell them you want to use it as a modem). If you want to connect your tablet through your phone, ask your phone network operator if they have any special deals on using your phone as a modem. Many network operators will let you pay a flat fee for a large or unlimited amount of internet use per month.


Don't be silly, why would that be a stupid question?

And remember, in the Newbie forum there's NO SUCH THING as a stupid question.


If you already have broadband at home, I highly recommend you buy a Wi-Fi router to plug into it. This will let you use the tablet at home for absolutely no extra charge, because the connection will come from your DSL.

Wi-Fi routers are very cheap nowadays, they cost about one tenth of the price of the tablet.

You can find out more about connecting your tablet using Wi-Fi in another tutorial I've written:

http://tabletschool.blogspot.com/200...nect-your.html

If you want any more tutorials, just head to the index page of the site: http://tabletschool.blogspot.com/200...ents-page.html

However, you might try to make the thread title more descriptive. With the title "Help a Newbie" I was about to get out my checkbook... (Except I don't have a checkbook)

Krisse,
Thank you for the info, I will contact my phone service provider and ask about the cost of using my cell as a modem. I do have a wifi network at home and that will be great because my almost 10 yr. old son likes to use the destop for his games and sometimes it's hard to get on. I also have a network where I work and will check with the IT guy about accessing the net while I am at work.

This forum is so great, I've already received help and I don't even have my tablet yet! I will definately make my title more discriptive in the future. Krisse, have a great holiday weekend!

Joyce

You are better off with a Wi-Fi network if you can get on one, they're usually much faster and cheaper than using a phone connection.

The phone connection is only really for situations where you can't get onto Wi-Fi, for example if you're travelling.