Using Skypephone S2 as modem with Laptop - SOME progress but not there yet!

I've reported on earlier occasions that my laptop always crashed as soon as
I connected my S2 to it, even though the S2 worked ok with my desktop
computer.

The *good* news is that I have finally got the S2 to connect to the laptop
without crashing it. I have done this by creating a Profile in which I've
disabled all hardware which I don't actually need when connecting to the
internet - including CD drive, floppy drive, serial and parallel ports, and
internal modem. [Some time when I've got nothing better to do, I'll add them
back in one at a time to find out which one is responsible for the crashes].

The *bad* news is that it insists on connecting at 115,200 bps - even though
the dongle always connects at 3.6Mbps.

When I go to Network Connections and look at Properties for the S2 modem,
it's max speed is set at 115,200. It allows me to change it to around 900k
(that's the highest it offers) - but when I re-start the modem, it's back to
115,200 - even after a re-boot.

Help!
--
Cheers,
Roger
______
Email address maintained for newsgroup use only, and not regularly
monitored..
Messages sent to it may not be read for several weeks. PLEASE REPLY TO
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Roger Mills wrote:
> I've reported on earlier occasions that my laptop always crashed as soon as
> I connected my S2 to it, even though the S2 worked ok with my desktop
> computer.
>
> The *good* news is that I have finally got the S2 to connect to the laptop
> without crashing it. I have done this by creating a Profile in which I've
> disabled all hardware which I don't actually need when connecting to the
> internet - including CD drive, floppy drive, serial and parallel ports, and
> internal modem. [Some time when I've got nothing better to do, I'll add them
> back in one at a time to find out which one is responsible for the crashes].
>
> The *bad* news is that it insists on connecting at 115,200 bps - even though
> the dongle always connects at 3.6Mbps.
>
> When I go to Network Connections and look at Properties for the S2 modem,
> it's max speed is set at 115,200. It allows me to change it to around 900k
> (that's the highest it offers) - but when I re-start the modem, it's back to
> 115,200 - even after a re-boot.
>
> Help!


The S2 program will overwrite any settings made to your Network
Connections when it starts.

You need to create a copy, rename it, create a shortcut and use that.
You might need to start the S2 program for the laptop so see the phone
as a modem, wait for the circle to turn green, close it then use your
shortcut.

I would also advise using OpenDNS on the copied network connections,
it's faster than the one Three uses.

http://www.opendns.com/

In uk.telecom.mobile Roger Mills <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
> The *bad* news is that it insists on connecting at 115,200 bps - even
> though the dongle always connects at 3.6Mbps.
>
> When I go to Network Connections and look at Properties for the S2 modem,
> it's max speed is set at 115,200. It allows me to change it to around 900k
> (that's the highest it offers) - but when I re-start the modem, it's back to
> 115,200 - even after a re-boot.

Most dongles/etc are set up to look like RS232 devices, but they don't
actually send data via RS232. So the baud rate is irrelevant - you'll get
whatever it can do, whether that's 7.2Mbps HSDPA or 9600 bps GSM.

It should only matter if there's a real RS232 connection in there - for
example old Nokias that connect over the RS232-like FBUS or MBUS so the USB
cable really is a USB-RS232 adaptor.

(Being fussy, the voltages are probably wrong to be official RS232, but the
signalling format is the same)

Theo

"Roger Mills" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> I've reported on earlier occasions that my laptop always crashed as soon as I connected my S2 to it, even though the S2 worked ok
> with my desktop computer.
>
> The *good* news is that I have finally got the S2 to connect to the laptop without crashing it. I have done this by creating a
> Profile in which I've disabled all hardware which I don't actually need when connecting to the internet - including CD drive,
> floppy drive, serial and parallel ports, and internal modem. [Some time when I've got nothing better to do, I'll add them back in
> one at a time to find out which one is responsible for the crashes].
>
> The *bad* news is that it insists on connecting at 115,200 bps - even though the dongle always connects at 3.6Mbps.
>
> When I go to Network Connections and look at Properties for the S2 modem, it's max speed is set at 115,200. It allows me to change
> it to around 900k (that's the highest it offers) - but when I re-start the modem, it's back to 115,200 - even after a re-boot.
>
Go to a speed-test web-site and check your real-world up/down speed. You might be surprised
at the result.

--
Graham.

%Profound_observation%

"Graham." <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:hk6ib4$9c0$(E-Mail Removed)...
> "Roger Mills" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>> I've reported on earlier occasions that my laptop always crashed as soon
>> as I connected my S2 to it, even though the S2 worked ok with my desktop
>> computer.
>>
>> The *good* news is that I have finally got the S2 to connect to the
>> laptop without crashing it. I have done this by creating a Profile in
>> which I've disabled all hardware which I don't actually need when
>> connecting to the internet - including CD drive, floppy drive, serial and
>> parallel ports, and internal modem. [Some time when I've got nothing
>> better to do, I'll add them back in one at a time to find out which one
>> is responsible for the crashes].
>>
>> The *bad* news is that it insists on connecting at 115,200 bps - even
>> though the dongle always connects at 3.6Mbps.
>>
>> When I go to Network Connections and look at Properties for the S2 modem,
>> it's max speed is set at 115,200. It allows me to change it to around
>> 900k (that's the highest it offers) - but when I re-start the modem, it's
>> back to 115,200 - even after a re-boot.
>>
> Go to a speed-test web-site and check your real-world up/down speed. You
> might be surprised
> at the result.
> Graham.
>
>
Indeed i use www.speedtest.net to test my S2, and as you say the USB speed
settings makes no difference.

For some reason my defaults to 480kbps

Steve Terry
--
Get a free Three 3pay Sim with £2 bonus after £10 top up
http://freeagent.three.co.uk/stand/view/id/5276

In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
Dex <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

> Roger Mills wrote:
>> I've reported on earlier occasions that my laptop always crashed as
>> soon as I connected my S2 to it, even though the S2 worked ok with
>> my desktop computer.
>>
>> The *good* news is that I have finally got the S2 to connect to the
>> laptop without crashing it. I have done this by creating a Profile
>> in which I've disabled all hardware which I don't actually need when
>> connecting to the internet - including CD drive, floppy drive,
>> serial and parallel ports, and internal modem. [Some time when I've
>> got nothing better to do, I'll add them back in one at a time to
>> find out which one is responsible for the crashes]. The *bad* news is
>> that it insists on connecting at 115,200 bps -
>> even though the dongle always connects at 3.6Mbps.
>>
>> When I go to Network Connections and look at Properties for the S2
>> modem, it's max speed is set at 115,200. It allows me to change it
>> to around 900k (that's the highest it offers) - but when I re-start
>> the modem, it's back to 115,200 - even after a re-boot.
>>
>> Help!
>
>
> The S2 program will overwrite any settings made to your Network
> Connections when it starts.
>
> You need to create a copy, rename it, create a shortcut and use that.
> You might need to start the S2 program for the laptop so see the phone
> as a modem, wait for the circle to turn green, close it then use your
> shortcut.
>
> I would also advise using OpenDNS on the copied network connections,
> it's faster than the one Three uses.
>
> http://www.opendns.com/

Thanks. I've done all that and have now got up to 900+k - so that's some
improvement - but it still insists that it is a dial-up modem which it
associates with COM4.

Thanks for the reminder about opendns. I already use that on my main
broadband connection, and have now pointed the S2 connection at it as well.
--
Cheers,
Roger
______
Email address maintained for newsgroup use only, and not regularly
monitored.. Messages sent to it may not be read for several weeks.
PLEASE REPLY TO NEWSGROUP!

In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
Theo Markettos <theom+(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

> In uk.telecom.mobile Roger Mills <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>> The *bad* news is that it insists on connecting at 115,200 bps - even
>> though the dongle always connects at 3.6Mbps.
>>
>> When I go to Network Connections and look at Properties for the S2
>> modem, it's max speed is set at 115,200. It allows me to change it
>> to around 900k (that's the highest it offers) - but when I re-start
>> the modem, it's back to 115,200 - even after a re-boot.
>
> Most dongles/etc are set up to look like RS232 devices, but they don't
> actually send data via RS232. So the baud rate is irrelevant -
> you'll get whatever it can do, whether that's 7.2Mbps HSDPA or 9600
> bps GSM.
>

Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to work like that! If I do a speed test when
it says it's connected at 115k, it reports 0.1M in both directions!

By following the suggestion made by Dex in another post, I've managed to get
it to connect at 921,600 bps - but it still insists it's a modem, associated
with COM4! I can't get it to connect at 3.6M like the dongle does.

Anway, the speed test is now giving 0.9M down and 0.3M up - which is, at
least, useable. [TBH, I've rarely got anything better than this with the
dongle, even though it synchs at a higher speed]
--
Cheers,
Roger
______
Email address maintained for newsgroup use only, and not regularly
monitored.. Messages sent to it may not be read for several weeks.
PLEASE REPLY TO NEWSGROUP!

In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
Steve Terry <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

> "Graham." <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:hk6ib4$9c0$(E-Mail Removed)...
>> "Roger Mills" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
>> news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>>> I've reported on earlier occasions that my laptop always crashed as
>>> soon as I connected my S2 to it, even though the S2 worked ok with
>>> my desktop computer.
>>>
>>> The *good* news is that I have finally got the S2 to connect to the
>>> laptop without crashing it. I have done this by creating a Profile
>>> in which I've disabled all hardware which I don't actually need when
>>> connecting to the internet - including CD drive, floppy drive,
>>> serial and parallel ports, and internal modem. [Some time when I've
>>> got nothing better to do, I'll add them back in one at a time to
>>> find out which one is responsible for the crashes].
>>>
>>> The *bad* news is that it insists on connecting at 115,200 bps -
>>> even though the dongle always connects at 3.6Mbps.
>>>
>>> When I go to Network Connections and look at Properties for the S2
>>> modem, it's max speed is set at 115,200. It allows me to change it
>>> to around 900k (that's the highest it offers) - but when I re-start
>>> the modem, it's back to 115,200 - even after a re-boot.
>>>
>> Go to a speed-test web-site and check your real-world up/down speed.
>> You might be surprised
>> at the result.
>> Graham.
>>
>>
> Indeed i use www.speedtest.net to test my S2, and as you say the USB
> speed settings makes no difference.
>
> For some reason my defaults to 480kbps
>
> Steve Terry

I *have* done a speed test - please see my other post. When it says it's
115k, it *means* it! This is verified by trying to watch streaming graphics
on the BBC News website - where I keep getting pregnant pauses while it
refills its buffer!

As reported in the other post, I've now dragged it up to 900+k, and it's
useable - but I can't get anywhere near the dongle's 3.6M synch speed.

Oh, and another interesting discovery. My dongle works with a 3 metre USB
extension lead, so I can put it up high or out of a window. The S2
*doesn't* - at least partially cancelling out the fact that it's supposed to
be a more sensitive modem.
--
Cheers,
Roger
______
Email address maintained for newsgroup use only, and not regularly
monitored.. Messages sent to it may not be read for several weeks.
PLEASE REPLY TO NEWSGROUP!

"Roger Mills" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
> Steve Terry <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
>> "Graham." <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
>> news:hk6ib4$9c0$(E-Mail Removed)...
>>> "Roger Mills" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
>>> news:(E-Mail Removed)...
<snip>
>>> Go to a speed-test web-site and check your real-world up/down speed.
>>> You might be surprised
>>> at the result.
>>> Graham.
>>>
>> Indeed i use www.speedtest.net to test my S2, and as you say the USB
>> speed settings makes no difference.
>> For some reason my defaults to 480kbps
>> Steve Terry
>
> I *have* done a speed test - please see my other post. When it says it's
> 115k, it *means* it! This is verified by trying to watch streaming
> graphics on the BBC News website - where I keep getting pregnant pauses
> while it refills its buffer!
>
> As reported in the other post, I've now dragged it up to 900+k, and it's
> useable - but I can't get anywhere near the dongle's 3.6M synch speed.
>
> Oh, and another interesting discovery. My dongle works with a 3 metre USB
> extension lead, so I can put it up high or out of a window. The S2
> *doesn't* - at least partially cancelling out the fact that it's supposed
> to be a more sensitive modem.
> Cheers,
> Roger
>
>
It seems for some reason your S2 isn't forcing it's own default network
settings?

My S2 works on a 3 meter USB lead whereas my ZTE dongle doesn't!

Anyway, you can bluetooth the S2 and put it up high, but then you'd
be limited to around 1mbps d/l

Steve Terry
--
Get a free Three 3pay Sim with £2 bonus after £10 top up
http://freeagent.three.co.uk/stand/view/id/5276