iPhone SIM could give HTC Advantage HSDPA

Update 10.24.07: AT&T's BroadbandConnect network is now available in Hawaii! I don't know when it happened, but I couldn't get online via wi-fi this morning, so I put my iPhone SIM in the Advantage to crawl on EDGE and watched in amazement as the old "E" icon was replaced with "3G" or "H" (it switches). I'm tethered via Bluetooth on my Vaio TZ right now!

If AT&T included Hawaii in the deployment of its BroadbandConnect network, I would have already turned my iPhone into an iPod touch and been cruising the web on my unlocked HTC Advantage over a 3G mobile broadband connection as fast as "the speed of life." But they didn't.

So I'm not.

And it's not for lack of trying. Because even though Hawaii is missing from the list of lucky cities and the X7501 includes a network wizard that configures all the necessary settings automatically, I still followed the X7500-specific advice generously offered by a reader named orbitalcomp.

The Advantage X7501 is sold unlocked, so it should happily accept any GSM carrier's SIM card and make use of its voice and data connections with no problem.

What follows is just a pictorial of my experience with the iPhone SIM in a state without HSDPA through AT&T.

Removed SIM from iPhone:

Installed SIM into Advantage:

Turned on Advantage:

Got my hopes up:

For nothing:

Thought about the iPod touch:

I'll be in California and Nevada later this year, so I'll try again then. I'm sure it works (there's no reason for it not to), but it's just one of those things I have to see for myself before I can get excited about the possibilities.

If all goes as planned, my HSDPA-enabled mobile gear setup for CES 2008 will be the Vaio TZ170N and the HTC Advantage. My SIM-less iPhone will stay at home.

Comments

[Rodfather]

Neener neener. JK. Ya it sucks. I live in Cali but in an area where HSDPA is not supported yet. The entire Bay Area is covered and it's nice when I go there.
Vegas has HSDPA coverage.
I swap my SIM between the iPhone and Blackjack whenever I need to get online with my UMPC for tethering. I'll most likely get a Sprint EVDO USB modem so I can have a dedicated WWAN connection. Swapping SIMs is a pain, especially when you lose the paperclip.

[Jenn]

:P

What kinds of speeds are you getting?

*Sigh* If only the iPhone had 3G and tethering ability. The paper clip thing is annoying enough for me not to bother swapping most of the time. Do you put your Blackjack SIM in the iPhone too?

The TZ has WWAN through Sprint (which is available in Hawaii), but the unlimited data plans are overpriced. They offer a free one-month trial but only if you sign up for a one- or two-year contract first. Ridiculous!

[orbitalcomp]

Sorry to hear you don't have HSDPA there, Jenn. You shouldn't have a problem when you go to CES, Vegas always gets the latest high-speed networks. The speeds are pretty good on HSDPA, but not as good as Sprint, and the coverage while driving around is sometimes a bit spotty for me...

Since I originally posted about swapping the iPhone SIM into the Advantage, I upgraded my 7500 to the official WM6. It has the network wizard like your 7501 does, and I let it set me up for AT&T. The settings it uses work for everything except SlingBox, which means AT&T must have some ports blocked on its preferred settings.

Once I switch back to the settings I originally posted, everything works great, even Sling. I have received two AT&T bills since I originally started using the SIM this way, and there are no surprises with extra data charges - I am charged the regular price of the iPhone plan. So that's one good thing...

One strange thing, maybe you have noticed it too - I get a weird text message on the Advantage whenever I miss a call and also when a voicemail is left. I just delete them, but its one or two extra steps...maybe this is something that has to do with Visual Voicemail on the iPhone, and the Advantage doesn't know how to handle it.

[dawgfan]

Orbitalcomp, would you share those settings so that I might get my 7501 to work with my Slingbox? I couldn't figure it out.
Also, I get those weird texts too and I have a pay as you go with unlimited data not a sim from an iphone.

[Tax Man]

Jenn,
HSDPA in the Advantage is pretty sweet. I've got a couple of speedtest.net scores from the Advantage using wifi vs. the SIM from my Sierra 875U card on AT&T posted on my blog at taxmantheblog.blogspot.com

Tax Man

[orbitalcomp]

dawgfan -

Here is the link to my original comments on another thread. In that post, you will see directions and the two links to AT&T support pages that will help you get everything configured: Link

Hope that helps!

[Rodfather]

I couldn't tell you what speeds I was getting since I didn't run a test. But, just eyeballing, it was fast enough.

I currently only have 1 SIM since I migrated the Blackjack's plan to the iPhone. So the SIM that was in the Blackjack is dead now.
I'm assuming I wouldn't be able to use the Blackjack's SIM anyway unless I unlocked the iPhone. It works great the other way though. I could use the iPhone's SIM in other devices.

As for Sprint, I'd look into their SERO plan. It's like a corporate discount but anyone can sign up. You end up paying $50/mo instead of $60/mo. Requires a 2 year contract: Link

[Jenn]

@ orbital: Mmm, Slingbox on the Advantage's screen must be yummy! Do you notice a difference in quality depending on your connection? I'm guessing the experience could be unpleasant over EDGE and maybe even EV-DO Rev A.

I have my SIM back in the iPhone now, so I haven't encountered any of the odd text messages you mention. I don't think I'll take the SIM out again until my next mainland trip (November).

[Jenn]

@ Tax Man: Could you post a direct link? I didn't do an in-depth search, but I couldn't find it in your HTC Advantage category. Thanks :-)

BTW, Opera 8.65 supports Flash. I installed Adobe's Flash 7 for Pocket PC the other night but it doesn't seem to be working.

@ Rodfather: Thanks for the link. $50/month just for my TZ is still more than I'd like to pay. Too bad Sprint isn't following T-Mobile's lead by lowering their data plans. I think T-Mo is now back down to $20/month.

[orbitalcomp]

Jenn...yeah, Sling is very nice on the Advantage, but I have noticed a few quirks. If I open the app while in the standard landscape orientation, I have no access to any of the on-screen controls or menus. I have to be running the Advantage in portrait mode, then open Sling, then all is good. But if I hit the full-screen option in Sling while running in portrait, it works, but it is upside down...instead of rotating 90 deg, it goes a full 180. Not a big deal, I have learned to work around it. Slinging over EDGE is not too pretty, but WiFi and EVDO Rev. A work great.

[Craig]

So am I understanding this correctly?
You guys are using an iPhone sim in other devices and have not been charged for internet usage (because of the iPhone unlimited data plan)?

I have damaged my iPhone and it is not covered under warranty. I have considered buying a different phone (maybe Sony P1i?) and using my iPhone sim in it. I only want to do this if I am sure that I will still have the unliimited data plan.

[Jenn]

Hi Craig. Yep, the iPhone SIM is giving 3G to other devices at no extra charge. I thought all of AT&T's unlimited data plans were $20 like the iPhone's, but that doesn't seem to be true at all.

A reader recently pointed out to me that buying an iPhone just to get the SIM actually gets you the phone for free because of the data plan savings. AT&T's plans vary, but the unlimited one I remember seeing was either $40 or $60 per month. So you're saving at least $240 and as much as $480 per year for unlimited data.

[Jon]

So it seems as if AT&T are not blocking access to HSDPA/3G from iPhone SIMs?
Is the APN you use to connect via HSDPA the same as the EDGE APN?

I had a sales guy tell me that "they can tell" if you use a phone with "Unlimited" data as a dialup modem, and they'll get you for not paying the extra $5 for "Magic Tether Ability Power".

Have you noticed and repercussions?

[Jenn]

No repercussions so far, Jon, and we've all been doing it for months.

The APN I use is wap.cingular; not sure if it's the same as the EDGE one.

As for AT&T being able to tell when the SIM is being used for non-authorized purposes, I wouldn't be surprised. I don't think they have the time or energy to waste hunting down everyone, though, so my guess is that only the most egregious offenders are being reprimanded and/or heavily fined. Except for CES, I probably only use mine for 3G/HSDPA connectivity for about an hour total each month (I work from home so am rarely without wi-fi).

If you don't already have one, are you thinking of buying an iPhone just for the SIM?