How to connect your Palm to the Internet using an IRDA-capable phone

Most Palm users have their own handphone and are quite’Internet-literate’. So the most frequent question that we hear in palm user groups or discussions is ” How do I connect to the Internet, using my Palm and my handphone?” To answer that question, below is a step by step instruction on how to do it. The only thing you need to have is your Palm, an IRDA capable handphone and a phone line which allows data transfer (see box for more information).

Palm Configuration:

1. Palm Modem Configuration

Data transfer in the local mobile telecommunications scenario.

The only local mobile telecommunications provider which allows data transfer through your cellphone line as a standard service is Celcom, for both prepaid & postpaid accounts. Celcom even provides a special number to dial up to access the Internet (+6019-3001519, username=celcom, password=gsm) at no extra charge. Data is transmitted at 9.6kbps. The charges are similar to a normal call charge (30 cents/min (peak), 16 cents/min (off peak)). For more information, please browse HERE.

If you are not using Celcom as your mobile telecommunications provider, below are more information on how to enable data transfer on your respective mobile phone line;

  1. Maxis (012)
    • postpaid – requires registration at nearest Maxis service centre to activate it. One time connection fee of RM 10.00 and monthly fee of RM 5.00
    • prepaid – data transfer service not available
  2. TMTouch (013) – info courtesy of Bro Nazley Fadley
    • postpaid – requires registration at nearest Kedai Telekom. One time connection fee of RM 10.00 and monthly fee RM 5.00. (**note: If you want to register for data services, just request to subscribe to WAP. If you ask for data services you’ll get the “zombie stare” treatment 🙂
      • cost = 21 sen/min if dialling 1338 (username=tmwap, password=wap013). Else 30 cents/min.
      • for wap access, same as above plus:- IP address(gateway): 202.188.245.121, Homepage: http://202.188.30.143/tm/main.wml
    • prepaid – data transfer service not available
  3. TimeCel (017) – info courtesy of Mohamad Hasni Ibrahim
    • postpaid – dial to their hotline and register
    • prepaid – dial to their hotline and register
  4. Digi (016) – info courtesy of Tim Kwan
    • postpaid, need to sign up for fax/data services at rm2 per month. Then can use diginet service too for those using digi mobile one

Tap the pull-down menu on the top right-hand corner and select System

Tap on the Prefs icon.

Select ‘Serial/IR’ from the drop-down menu on the top right-hand corner and tap on the ‘Infrared’ box.
Note: You will need to switch back to “cradle” in order to carry out HotSync operations using the cradle.

Tap on the drop-down menu on the top right hand corner and select ‘Connection’

Click on the ‘New’ button. Fill up the required field including naming your connection, which in this case is named Siemens S25 and select IrCOMM to Modem as the connection method.

Tap ‘Details’ and set speed to 115,200 bps and Flow Ctl to Automatic. Set the initialisation string for your digital modem if you it (e.g. ATZ^M for Siemens S25), else leave it blank. Once done, tap ‘OK’.

Tap ‘OK’ again to save

2.Palm dial-up connection configuration

Select ‘Network’ from the drop-down menu on the top right-hand corner

Tap the menu button in the lower left corner of the graffiti area and tap ‘New’

Rename the service to something other than the default ‘Untitled’ ie. Celcom GSM

Enter your User Name ie azmitml

If you prefer prompting for password upon connection leave password setting as ‘-Prompt-‘, else tap on ‘-Prompt-‘ to assign password

Select the connection that you have just created for your mobile phone. ie Siemens S25. Enter your ISP’s dial-up number ie +60193001519* (for Maxis subscribers, do not use +6, just use the phone number ie 03-20905800, not +603-20905800). The end result should be similar to the screen below.

(*note: You may use whichever ISPs that you’re comfortable with, either Jaring, TMNet, Maxis, Time or Celcom, as long as you have the necessary phone numbers to dial. You cannot use the usual 1511 for Jaring or 1515 for TMNet. For Jaring users, please send an e-mail to info@jaring.my (with the word “get phone.txt” in the body text and leave the subject header blank) to get the phone numbers for Jaring.)

Tap ‘Details’ and enter further settings required by your ISP. I usually set the Connection type as PPP, Query DNS – Yes, IP Address – Automatic.

When done, click the OK button and you can try it out already. Do ensure that the IRDA port of both Palm and your cellphone are facing each other.

You have just finished the configuration of your Palm for dial-up connection. To try it out, simply activate the Infrared reception on your IRDA capable phone and you can dial-up through your cellphone.

You can link also the 2 items together like the images below to make it easier, especially if you would like to connect to the Internet while on the move. Please make sure that you put the ‘hook’ on the phone and the ‘loop’ on the inner surface of the flip cover of the Palm.

Backview

Credits:- Most of the information here are sourced from the discussions in the palmx egroup (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/palmx).

Author: Dr Azmi Mohd Tamil

I am a lecturer in Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia since 1996, teaching in Biostatistics and Epidemiology. My main interests are gadgets and cycling. You can connect with me at Facebook.