How to Tether Your Palm Centro: Using Your Verizon Smartphone as a Modem
The Palm Centro, as well as the Palm Treo 700p, Palm Treo 700w, Palm Treo 700wx and Palm Treo 755p, are Verizon Mobile Broadband Connect Devices, meaning you can tether them to your laptop using USB or Bluetooth and use them as a wireless modem on Verizon’s EV-DO network.
Hardware
To use your Palm Centro as a modem with Verizon, you’ll need a laptop with Bluetooth connectivity or a USB cable (should have come with your phone). Verizon sells a Mobile Office Kit which includes a USB cable as well as a copy of VZAccess Manager (required) but you can also just download it.
Mobile Broadband Connect Plans and Costs
Next, you’ll need a data plan (which you should already have if you’re a smartphone user) plus Mobile Broadband Connect Plan. As of January 2010, you can add a Mobile Broadband Connect plan to your Nationwide Email Plan for $15 or to your Unlimited Email and Web plan for Smartphone for $30. You get 5 GB of bandwidth a month with each subsequent megabyte costing you $0.05. Depending on your browsing habits, 5 GB should be plenty for normal business purposes. Verizon estimates that an email is about 3 KB, a 5-page Word doc is 70 KB, a webpage is 300 KB (obviously varies) and a PowerPoint Presentation is 3 MB.
At any rate, it’s a good idea to keep an eye on your usage. Log in to your account online or call *611 to check.
You should also note that just like all your other services with Verizon, the tethering plan comes with a 1 or 2 year contract. Plus, there’s a $35 per line activation fee and the typical $175 prorated early termination fee.
Installation and Setup
The next step is fairly straightforward. Either pop in the VZAccess Manager disc and follow the instructions or, if you’re on a machine without an optical drive, download the software (you’ll have to enter your mobile number to get access). Next VZAccess Manager will run the setup wizard, which should walk you through the rest of the process. Note that you shouldn’t plug your phone in until prompted to do so. If you need some more handholding, check out the VZAccess Manager demo.
Using VZAccess Manager
To get on the Internet, fire up VZAccess Manager by double-clicking it’s icon on the desktop. Choose NationalAccess – BroadbandAccess and enter your details about your Mobile Broadband Connect Plan. If you do not have a plan, the “Get Access” button will pop-up. Clicking this will activate a plan – so if you already have one and this does show up, don’t sign up for another one.
NOTE: If you’re connecting with Bluetooth, you’ll have to pair your Palm Centro to your laptop before using VZAccess Manager to connect to the Internet. You can do this from VZAccess Manager by clicking “Detect Device” from the Networks tab
After you’ve selected your connection options, VZAccess Manager will automatically update your device. Next, click “Connect WWAN” and you’re on. Browse the Internet and use web applications just as you normally would (except remember that you have a 5 GB limit!).
Speed
The Verizon website claims that you can get speeds of download speeds up to 1.4 MBPS and upload speeds as fast as 800 KBPS (i.e. broadband Internet access), but your mileage will certainly vary. For areas that aren’t covered by the Verizon Wireless Broadband network, you can hop on the less speedy (yet more universal) NationalAccess. That’s really the only difference between VZW Broadband and NationalAccess: one is fast (broadband speeds) and the other is slow (dial up speeds).
So, that’s the official way to use your Palm Centro or Palm Treo as a wireless modem for your laptop – and truly, it’s the route we recommend taking. There certainly are ways to tether your Palm Centro without signing up for a Mobile Broadband Connect Plan (see: USB Modem and PDANet <–not endorsements) but these programs come with upfront costs. While not patently illegal, Verizon might take measures to block this type of access in the future, since it does eat into their profits.
Have any experience tethering your Palm Centro or other Verizon Smartphone? Let us know about it in the comments section.
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