todbot blog

I’m beginning the process of switching to T-Mobile (from Cingular), because “Tmo” has very cheap all-you-can-eat data plans: from free to $19.99, depending on the level of studliness you want.

I’ll be using a Sony-Ericsson P900.

There are apparently 4 different “Internet plans”:

• $0.00 – “free/unlimited internet”, aka “basic WAP”
  “just ports 80 (web), 25 (smtp), 110 (pop3), 143 (imap). ”
  all others blocked (and some reports say only port 80 is allowed as of late 2003)
  access to the t-zone portal sites. NATed?
  uses APN ‘wap.voicestream.com’
• $4.99 – “unlimited t-zones”, also aka “basic WAP”
  same as above, but access to t-zone portal
  uses APN ‘wap.voicestream.com’
• $9.99 – “unlimited t-zones pro”
  same as above, but access to slightly different portal
  allows one to “access corporate email” ???
  uses APN ‘wap.voicestream.com’
• $19.99 – “T-Mobile Internet Unlimited”
  no blocked ports, non-NATed too?
  uses APN ‘internet2.voicestream.com’
  Does ‘internet2’ represent a GPRS gateway and ‘wap’ a GSM gateway?

Calling their ‘data specialists’ was pointless. Comments in t-mobile howardforums are also very confused.

Some perhaps useful info gleaned tho, in rough order of usefulness:

• “Definitive Internet/T-Zones plans post”. It gives current (Jan 2004) and historical definitions for the various T-Mobile Internet plans. Unfortunately,
  he calls everything ‘WAP’ and thus makes no distinction between GPRS and GSM.
• Also by the same author: “How to configure WAP on Ericsson P800/900”
• There is a T-Mobile Wireless Data Configurator that may be useful. Once you go through the ‘wizard’, it sends a magic SMS message with configuration information that’s supposed to ‘just work’.
• Setting up a P800 on T-Mobile: http://www.howardforums.com/showthread.php?threadid=262715
• Free WAP allowed ports”
• thread about free wap
• Outgoing SMTP mail server : “myemail.t-mobile.com”
• “Internet2/Internet3 DNS settings”:
  • West DNS – Primary: 216.155.175.40 , Alternate: 216.155.175.41
  • East DNS – Primary: 216.155.175.170, Alternate: 216.155.175.171
  • Central DNS – Primary: 216.155.175.105, Alternate: 216.155.175.106

  whatever the fuck that means, maybe ‘internet2.voicestream.com’?

• “So for those of us who want to use the free data instead of paying $19.99, I understand the following change has to be made in our connection settings.
  • Previous with $19.99 plan: +CGDCONT=1,,”internet2.voicestream.com”
  • Now with FREE wap plan: +CGDCONT=1,,”wap.voicestream.com””

  The ‘internet2’ / ‘wap’ hosts are referred to as ‘apn’s. what is that?

• Sony-Ericsson t68i settings with T-Mobile:

  T-Mobile Settings
  
  Configure for free WAP access:
  go to settings--->connect--->data comm
  add account GPRS
  CID=1
  preferred service=GPRS and GSM
  SMS access=GPRS
  configure APN as wap.voicestream.com
  no user id
  no password
  no IP address
  no DNS address
  
  Go to WAP Services
  enter a new profile
  configure to connect using GPRS from above
  IP address=216.155.165.050 (dots get entered automatically)
  No user ID
  no password
  data mode=conn. oriented
  security=off
  chg homepage: select a page such as http://wap.voicestream.com
  
  If you call T-Mobile customer support, they can email you a file which
  will automatically configure these settings, but you may be on hold for awhile!
  
  Configure for unlimited internet access:
  
  go to settings--->connect--->data comm
  add account GPRS 2
  CID=2
  preferred service=GPRS and GSM
  SMS access=GPRS
  configure APN as internet2.voicestream.com
  no user id
  no password
  IP address=216.155.165.050 (dots get entered automatically)
  no DNS address
  
  set Bluetooth options as follows:
  
  mode-->operation mode=on or automatic
  make discoverable or pair with your computer if you haven't done so.
  
  set your computer or handheld to use bluetooth,
  "telephone number": *99***2#
  No account name or password.
  
  You should be able to connect.