TechBlog from Sewell

If you find the ultra cool iPhone lacking the in the internet connectivity department, this hack is for you. While the iPhone is by far one of the most advanced cell phone/portable computers available today, many question the reasoning behind limiting the iPhone to the painstakingly slow EDGE network. Some experience decent internet speeds in major cities such as New York, San Francisco, and Chicago, but on average most people are disappointed at Apple choosing the EDGE network over 3G.

So what’s a proud iPhone owner to do? With a *little* money and a few pieces of equipment, you too can achieve 3G speeds on your iPhone utilizing the Wifi connectivity portion of the iPhone’s features. This setup can also be found on some metropolitan bus systems.

Step 1 - Purchase the following equipment:

	Apple iPhone Retail Price:$499.99 (4Gig) / 599.99 (8 Gig) From: apple.com
	3G Phoebus Portable Cellular Wi-Fi Router (MB6000) Retail Price:$269.95 From: sewelldirect.com
	Sierra Wireless AirCard 875 Retail Price:$285.00 From: Cingular.com
	Standard 150W Power Inverter Retail Price:$34.95 From: Sewelldirect.com
	Unlimited Data Plan Retail Price:$59.99 per month From: Cingular.com

Step 2 - Configure the router for use with the iPhone

Set up the router by first connecting the computer and modifying the network name (SSID), IP address range, WPA security, and any other settings you require.

Step 3 - Connecting everything together

Setup the router in a car or other mobile location using the power inverter. Once powered on, insert the AirCard to get the internet up and running. The phoebus should show a positive internet connection. Then sign on your new wireless network and you’re good to go anywhere!

Total Costs

Total:
1149.88 (with iPhone)
649.89 (if you already have the iPhone)

This entry was posted on Friday, July 20th, 2007 at 10:29 am and is filed under Networking. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.