Treo 700wx as a modem on Macbook Pro

I spent quite some time today on setting up Treo 700wx to work as EVDO (Dial up Networking/DUN) modem for my Mac (Macbook Pro). Thanks to Verizon screw up, my home phone and DSL aren't working. Funny thing is I was given a window of 8AM to 8PM on Saturday during which a Verizon tech will come to fix the issue.

Anyway, using Treo 700wx as bluetooth modem for was a bit of a hassle as Verizon officially doesn't support Mac OS X.

Most of the steps I took would apply to setting other smart phones on Macbook Pro as well. Here's what I did in a nutshell:

• First, I paired my Treo 700wx smart phone with my Macbook Pro
• Then, open up System Preferences utility and then open Network settings.
• Add a new Bluetooth connection and use settings similar to the following:
• Telephone number: #777
• Account name: your ten digit Verizon cell phone number followed by @vzw3g.com
  
• example: if your cell phone number is 1234567890 then your account name is 1234567890@vzw3g.com
• Password: vzw
• this is the default password
• Next, click on Advanced button to open advanced settings for this connection
• On the modem tab, select Vodafone
• If you choose "other" for Vendor, you will see a Verizon modem listed under "Model", however this setting won't work (or I should say it didn't work for me).
• For modem model choose VC701SI
• For dial mode, select "ignore dial tone when dialing"
• Now click on PPP tab
  
• Check "Connect automatically when needed"
• Uncheck "disconnect if idle..."
• Hit OK
• Click apply and then try to connect
• If everything went right, you can now start browsing via bluetooth at pretty respectable speeds.

Remember to dial *22899 on your Treo 700wx or your Verizon Wireless smart phone to update your phone's roaming software and database of cellular towers. Verizon Wireless recommends to dial this number at least once a month for better signal. If you don't have a smart phone, you can dial *22899 (of course, without an EVDO enabled smart phone you really cannot use your phone as a modem)

Note that even though Verizon Wireless support told me that I should have "Modem Link" (under Programs) activated, I didn't need that to get it to work.

I wish I could set my phone to work as a modem over USB, however Palm's site mentions that "Palm does not support wireless modem connection on Mac OS X computers. Third-party solutions may be available, but these solutions are not supported by Palm." I find it really ridiculous of Palm and Verizon to not officially support Mac OS X.

Make sure you have an unlimited broadband access plan (costs about $15/month) or you will get a crazy bill for extended usage.

Also see:

• Setting up USB Dial-up networking (DUN) on Treo 700w/700wx
• How to use Treo 700w as an EVDO modem
  
• Treo 700wx review