HOWTO tether your Blackberry Pearl (8100) to a PC using Windows XP and Cingular

One of the advantages to having a Blackberry phone is the built-in ability to connect your PC/laptop to the internet via the phone. Now the hunt for free wireless connections while traveling has been made simple. No more of the questions (and the incessant googling that ensues to know for sure): does that hotel have free wireless? does this coffee shop have free wireless? Admission of internet addiction will be prevented and you (and I) can continue to remain in denial. Using this method I was able to achieve 120 Kbps downloads/ 60Kbps uploads in the Seattle area in March of 2007. It is not broadband speed these days, but it is better than 0 Kbps.Want to do this for Linux? Go here to the Linux post.


Prerequisites:

• The latest Software For BlackBerry Desktop Software v4.2 Service Pack 1 from Research in Motion installed. Today this is version 4.2.1.8. Download link.
  
• A Blackberry Pearl (8100). This may work with others.
• A USB cable to connect computer to Blackberry

HOWTO

Summary
You will need to have the Blackberry Device Manager running, it provides the emulated serial port. You will need to modify the modem initialization string, this was a modem added when the BlackBerry Desktop Software was installed. Lastly a dial-up connection will need to be made.

Data you will need (Cingular, now AT&T Wireless again):
Modem Initialization String: AT+CGDCONT=1,"IP","wap.cingular"
Dial-up Phone Number: *99#
Dial-up username/password:blank/blank

This web-page has an excellent step-by-step guide that you can plug in the Cingular data above
How to: Tether BlackBerry Pearl to PC for use as a modem

Enjoy.

Keywords: Tether Blackberry, Tether Blackberry Pearl, Tether Blackberry Windows XP, Tether Blackberry 8100, Tether Blackberry with Cingular, Tether Blackberry with AT and T Wireless, Dialup via Blackberry, Wireless internet through Blackberry.