Using Sprint PCS Vision with Mac OS X

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This article provides information on using a Sprint Vision-enabled phone in conjunction with a personal computer. I use Mac OS X so the focus is on that OS, but some of this information may be useful to users of other OS’s.

Sprint’s customer service information at www.sprintpcs.com is phone-centric, assuming that the phone and not the computer is your preferred way to connect to the net. It seems almost completely lacking in information on how to use your phone as a wireless internet connection for your computer. This may explain it:

Sprint PCS now offers an “unlimited” subscription to its new wireless data service, known as “PCS Vision.” However, according to the Sprint PCS Terms and Conditions, here’s what “unlimited” really means: “Unlimited PCS Vision. Sprint may deny or terminate service without notice where use is in connection with server devices or host computer applications, other systems that drive continuous heavy traffic or data sessions, or as substitutes for private lines or frame relay connections.” While some of this seems reasonable, what, exactly, is “continuous heavy traffic or data sessions”?

- Lawrence Lessig

I was assured by the Sprint rep that they would not summarily close my account if I did “go nuts” with bandwidth; first they would warn me to cut it out. I trust this; I imagine they’d want to keep me as a customer. But, as Lessig says, we don’t have any concrete idea of what Sprint considers excessive, so this is something to be aware of before, say, making a permanent change to your email address.

Using your phone as a wireless modem

This is especially great when travelling; you can connect your laptop to the net when in an airport or hotel without any wires other than a cable from the computer to the phone.

Connecting your computer and phone

The first thing you need is a cable to connect your phone to the computer via USB. Mine’s a Sanyo SCP-4900, so I did a Google search for “sanyo phone usb cable” and found a source. You should be able to find a cable for around $15-30.

Reportedly cables for some phones are also available at Radio Shack.

Once you have the cable, connect it between your computer’s USB port and the appropriate port on the phone (which is the power jack on my Sanyo).

Mac OS X Driver

Mac OS X 10.2 has a built-in driver for USB modems, like your phone (it looks like it’s called AppleUSBCDCDriver and is built-in to IOUSBFamily.kext). You don’t need any extra driver software. Don’t let a cable salesman tell you otherwise (if he’s persistent, it’s not just Mac-ignorance, he may also know that the extra software he may want to sell you is PC-only).

With your phone powered on and connected to the computer:

1. Open the Network panel in System Preferences.

2. In the Location pop-up menu, choose New Location... and name it, “sprint” for example. (This may not be strictly necessary. While it is possible to have a single Location working with multiple net access methods, this presents a potential for confusion that seems better avoided, by having a separate Location and choosing it when you wish to use the phone as your modem.)

3. Make sure your “sprint” location is selected in the Location pop-up menu.

4. Choose Network Port Configurations from the Show pop-up menu. You should something like Figure 1. Your phone should appear and be checked. (If not, see Trouble?, below.)

5. Choose your phone (e.g. SANYO USB Phone) from the Show pop-up menu.

6. Click the Modem tab, and in the Modem pop-up menu, choose Sprint PCS Vision, as in Figure 2. You may also wish to check Show modem status in menu bar. (If you do not see the Sprint PCS Vision modem driver, download this [SprintPCSVision.tgz] and install it into Library : Modem Scripts.)

7. Click the PPP tab. Enter your Sprint user name and password (not shown in Figure 3). Enter #777 as the Telephone Number, as in Figure 3.

8. Click the Apply Now button.

9. If you checked Show modem status in menu bar, you can simply choose Connect from the menu bar widget, as in Figure 4. Otherwise, you’ll need to open Internet Connect (in your Applications folder) and click the Connect button there.

After the familiar “Dialing...” wait, you should be online! Try loading a small web page. Email is more complex, covered in the next section.

Quirk: Sometimes when trying to connect you may get a message that the communication device can’t be found or opened. I’m not sure which of these steps clears it up, but one should.

• Unplug the phone from the computer, then plug it back in again.
• Go to System Preferences, choose Network Port Configurations to make sure your phone is still there, and assuming it is, uncheck and check it again. Click Apply Now.

Email

If you use a web-based email client, be it Yahoo, Hotmail, Sprint, or another ISP, you can ignore this section; if you’ve gotten this far, you’re browsing the web and should be able to get to your web-mail as usual.

However, if you use Eudora, Outlook, Apple’s Mail or other POP/IMAP/SMTP-based mail client, this section’s for you.

Fetching your POP mail from a non-Sprint ISP

This should just work; open your email client and you should be able to fetch your mail from your other ISP’s account.

Sending mail via your non-Sprint ISP

This is a complex subject; much depends on how your other ISP has set itself up to protect against its outgoing mail server from being used to send spam. If you can fetch your mail, do that, then try sending an email message with your existing mail settings, but don’t be surprised if it doesn’t work. If it doesn’t, read on to learn how to use Sprint’s mail servers.

Fetching mail from your Sprint email account

You need to set an email password, which is distinct from your main Sprint password.

1. Log into your Sprint account at www.sprintpcs.com.
2. Near the bottom of the page, under My Planner, is PCS Mail; click email.
3. Click Settings & Preferences.
4. Click Setup.

Here you can set your Sprint email password.

Now, in your mail client, enter pop.sprintpcs.com as your incoming mail server, your user name, and Sprint email password, as in Figure 5.

Enter smtp.sprintpcs.com as your outgoing mail server. Enable password authentication, and enter your user name and main Sprint password, as in Figure 6.

UPDATE (28 Mar 2003): It appears Sprint has changed this; the SMTP server now seems to want my Sprint email password, not the main one.

(These illustrations are for Apple’s Mail but your client should have similar settings).

Sending text notifications

You can send notifications via email to any Sprint user by sending an email address containing the recipient’s phone number: 4085551212@messaging.sprintpcs.com. Or use messaging.sprintpcs.com.

Sending custom ringers and pictures

Try Focus, which lets you transfer the files over Vision.

Better, your phone may be supported by BitPim, which will transfer files directly to and from the phone over the USB cable.

Handspring Treo

To use your Treo as a wireless modem, try WirelessModem. They also publish a PalmOS mail application, NotifyMail.

The popular mail application Eudora is also available for PalmOS.

Other resources

• sprintusers.com
• maccellphone group at Yahoo
• Life on the Road with Sprint Vision [NewMobileComputing.com]
• Wireless Internet access through the Sprint PCS network

Trouble?

This is a work-in-progress chronicling how I got my own connection working. It may or may not apply to your phone. If you have difficulty, write to me (address below) and I’ll help if I can. Please be sure to tell me what kind of phone you have and whether you have downloaded and installed SprintPCSVision.tgz (above). Sorry, due to the amount of email I get about this page, I can’t promise I’ll write back—but I will do my best to reply if I have a suggestion that may be helpful.

PPP turned off?

I got the following email (29 Dec 2004):

Is the Sprint PCS Vision USB Modem PPP access still working for you on Mac?

I’ve heard from various folks that Sprint turned off PPP access (though I doubt it as I believe their own firmware relies on it for the “Vision” service.)

Coincidentally I received this message while sitting in O’Hare in Chicago, with my PowerBook/cellphone connected to Sprint. So yes, as far as I know, it still works.

Last updated: 29 May 2006