Internet on the road for "free" with a Razr
January 24th, 2008On long car rides (where I am not driving myself!) it’s really nice to take out my laptop and check my email, IM with friends, read some blogs, web comics, etc. I can do that, but I didn’t buy one of those expensive cards that require a $60 per month service. Using hacktherazr.com (which is down at the time of this blog post), I deciphered how to use my Motorola Razr V3m and my Verizon service to get “free” internet on the road. This is “free” (with quotes), because it can be free if I use it wisely. In truth connecting to the Internet through this “back door” costs minutes, just like a regular phone call, but that means that nights and weekends are free. Also, if I have a lot of minutes to spare, which I usually do, it is irrelevant how many minutes I burn as long as I never go over.
The speeds aren’t blazing fast or anything, but it’s just fine for the things I mentioned, especially when the alternative is boredom. I did a speed test on speedtest.net, and came up with these results:
I broke this post up into chunks to organize it and separate the different parts. For example, I know that the first step only works on Razr v3m’s, but if you have a different phone from Verizon you could probably figure out how to do that step elsewhere, and then come back here and continue to the next step, which is likely the same on most Verizon phones.
F.Y.I. I have found that while connected I can receive calls and answer them no problem, but curiously I can not initiate a call.
Enable Dial-up Networking
First, you need to enable the dial up networking service on the phone, which is locked off by Verizon when you get the phone. You can do this by following my tutorial on how to unlock the Razr V3m.
Disable EVDO
Next, you must disable EVDO and enable CDMA. This doesn’t work if the phone is connected to the cell towers with EVDO. You can do this by following my tutorial on how to disable EVDO.
Now that the phone is unlocked and EVDO is disabled, I assume the instructions should be just about the same for a lot of Verizon phones.
Connect the phone to the computer
Now you need to get the phone connected to the computer. I will use Bluetooth in this example, though using a USB cable works just fine.
The first step is go get the phone connected to the computer via Bluetooth. I need to qualify these instructions, though, and say that I am using a weird Bluetooth dongle that has it’s own separate system apart from how it is supposed to be implemented in Vista. That said, the instructions will probably be similar. If my instructions for Bluetooth are no help, try Microsoft’s.
First set the phone as discoverable. On the Razr you can press the down button from the home screen, which brings up a Bluetooth menu. Then go down to Setup, make sure the “Power” is set to “On”, and select “Find Me”.
On the computer side, find the phone through the Bluetooth software and connect to it.
You will probably have to enter a security key, which you can make up yourself. If you aren’t feeling creative and aren’t in a public place, you can use “0000″. You will have to accept the connection on the phone by typing in the security key. Once that’s set up
 
Now that the computer and phone are aquatinted, connect the computer to the phone’s dial-up service.
OK, that’s how it for the Bluetooth. If you want to get to this point with USB, you should be able to find this dial-up dialog by going to the Network and Sharing Center, clicking on “Manage network connections”, and double-clicking on something that looks like it might be the phone.
The rest of the instructions apply even if you connect the phone to the computer through USB.
Put in the right information and change some settings
Now that the dial-up dialog box is open, you need to put in some information and change some settings. The username is your cell phone number @vzw3g.com. So, if your number is (123) 456-7890 then your username would be 1234567890@vzw3g.com. (I have blocked out the phone number part of my username.) The password is “vzw”, and the number to call is #777. Type those three things in, check “save this username and password for the following users”, and click “properties. If you want, select “Anyone who uses this computer”.Â
A new window will open. Click on the “Security” tab.Â
In the “Security” tab, click “Settings”.Â
A new window will open.Â
Uncheck “Challenge Handshake Authentication Protocol (CHAP) and “Microsoft CHAP Version 2 (MS-CHAP v2)”. Make sure that “Unencrypted password (PAP)” remains checked.Â
Click on the “Options” tab.
Here’s what the Options tab should look like:
Uncheck everything except for “Display progress while connecting” and click “OK”.
Click “dial” and wait for it to connect.
Now you have internet access. A window will open asking what kind of network connection this is. It shouldn’t matter what you select, but choose Public Location just to be safe.
Close the window.
Make it a little nicer
Now that everything is up and running, the next step is to rename the modem so something nicer, like “Razr Net Access”.
First, click on the network icon in the system tray, and then click on “Network and Sharing Center”
Now that the Network and Sharing Center is open, click “Manage Network Connections”.
A new window will open. Find the network connection that seems like the Razr’s connection, and rename it to whatever you want. You rename it just like you would a file. I tend to do two single-clicks, which has the same effect as right-clicking on it and clicking “Rename”.
Connecting in the future
Chances are that you’ll want to connect to the internet again later. To do that, obviously have your phone connected to the computer. If you’re using Bluetooth, just make sure that the phone is on and somewhere near you. After that, just go to the same place you go to connect to wireless networks. (Click on the network icon in the system tray, and then click “Connect or Disconnect”) You should see this:
Double-click on the “Razr Net Access” item, and you’ll see this
That’s it! To disconnect just go back to that “Connect to a network” window and double-click on the “Razr Net Access” item. For the sake of documentation, the disconnecting screen looks like this:
Like I said, now that everything is all set up, connecting and disconnecting is the same process as connecting or disconnecting to a wireless network. Neat, huh?
Remember:Â Nights and weekends are 100% free. 
Happy surfing!
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My laptop does not have Blue Tooth. Could you tell us how to get your computer to access the phone internet capabilities using the USB cable?
The first thing you need to do is unlock the phone. Once that’s done you will have already learned how to hook the phone up to the computer via USB. With the phone connected to the computer via USB, go to the Network and Sharing Center and then click “Manage Network Connections”. Double-click on the “Motorola USB Modem”.
I am getting the Error: 638. It is saying the request timed out. I am using Blutooth on a Windows XP machine.
McWalter12, the first thing you should do is check for a “1X” symbol on the phone. If you see “EV” instead, it won’t work, and you may need to review the “Disable EVDO” section of the post.
Other than that, it could be that some of the settings for the connection are wrong. For example make sure that everything except “Unencrypted password” is unchecked in the “Advanced Security Settings” window.
1X is on the phone. I did notice a few things that were not exactly like your like the windows that say “No Encryption Allowed” at the top – but still no luck. There is a button that says X.25 on it. On windows XP, it is in place of the PPP Settings button.
Well, you can try reviewing another tutorial that was made for Windows XP: http://hacktherazr.com/guides/verizon.razr.net.php
Hi there,
Seems like you are using Vista and Bluetooth with your V3m.
What Bluetooth Dongle are you using with Vista to do this.
What drivers are you loading for the Dongle???
Thanks,
RandyRoo
One More thing,
Is there anything special about enabling DUN on the V3m???
I have already enabled the OBEX file transfers do I need anything else???
Thanks in advance,
Randyroo
Randyroo, yes, I am using Vista. And like I said in the in the post, the drivers for the Bluetooth dongle that I’m using are weird, which is why I provided the link to the Microsoft support page. I’m using an Asus WL-BTD201M as seen here: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16833320016 I wish it would just use the shell that Vista provides, but it’s all I have.
As far as I can tell, the DUN service is separate from the file transfer service. I recommend following my video tutorial, which will unlock a lot of stuff without having to do individual seem edits. http://mypieceoftheinter.net/archives/19 Alternatively you can visit the hacktherazr.com tutorial and follow it’s instructions for enabling dial-up networking. http://hacktherazr.com/guides/verizon.razr.net.php
I got is to work using the USB port. Sweet tutorial by the way. Keep up the work. If you set up a donations options – you might expect some from me. This is probably the best discovery of the year for me.
Could you tell me how to place pictures on my phone. I have a micro SD card in my phone and a laptop with a memory card reader if that helps.
Mavtak,
Thanks for the response,
I think it worked with just the OBEX file transfer set to 1.
Do you have a list of the Seem edits in your file???
I understand there are quite a few, just want to understand which are for DUN.
Thanks,
Randy
McWalters12, I’m glad that you like my tutorial! I may put up a PayPal donations button eventually, but at the moment I’m having trouble with that, and at the moment I am just glad to be a help.
I don’t have much experience with the SD feature on the phone itself, but I do know what you can get a micro SD to standard SD adapter, which will very likely work with your laptop’s reader. (It may read the miniSD, who knows?) It may be as simple as transferring the pictures to the card and then putting the card in the phone, but I don’t know. You also have the option of transferring pictures directly to the phone’s memory (it has 20MB of storage I think) via USB, using a program called P2K Commander. You can download it on this page: http://www.hacktherazr.com/downloads.html For now I’ll have to refer you to http://www.hacktherazr.com/guides.html for a tutorial, though maybe I will do one for myself eventually.
Randyroo, the unlocked features are listed in a file included in the download, but I just put it in the post itself because of your feedback. It makes sense for them to be listed there. http://mypieceoftheinter.net/archives/19
and a whole bunch of seem edits are listed here: http://www.hacktherazr.com/guides/verizon.seem.edits.php
Okay, I have a major problem. I was trying to do one of the seem edits on Hacktherazr.com and my phone is super messed up now. It started when I could get service and now, my phone wont even boot up! Is there a way to do a hard reset with out having the phone booted up. The only thing I can access is the “Bootloader USB INIT” menu. I really need some help!!!
Yikes! Can you still make seem edits? If you can, then you can try resorting the original seem configuration. I made a backup of mine before I changed anything. I assume that the original configuration is the same for all of the Verizon Razr V3ms. If you want, you could try restoring my original seem file to your phone. Here’s a link: http://www.justupit.com/d5dbfdadccaae15f805c909a23496287
No, the seem edit software does detect a phone being connected.
Oops. It seems like that link is dead now. I put the file on my site now. http://mypieceoftheinter.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/default-razr-v3m-settings.zip
You can refer to my unlocking post to find out how to apply the seem file. http://mypieceoftheinter.net/archives/19
I researched and found a this called “flashing” a phone. I need to figure out what it does though and it is not clear to me yet what it does.
Flashing the phone is something different. That’s like installing a new operating system on a computer, except that if something goes wrong, you don’t usually get a second try.
If you apply this seem file to the phone, I think it would fix the phone. The important part is to make sure you apply it to seem 2742, record 1 and bytes 0.
I plug the phone into my compuer. I also open up the Motorola Software Update program. Almost immediately, the program freezes – I think it is because of my phone. If I continue and go to the Seem Edit Program, then the Seem Edit program doesnt recognize my phone.
The freezing has happened to me before. First try just waiting to see if Motorola Software Update will respond eventually. Also try restarting the phone, the programs, and even the computer. If none of that works you can use a program in place of Motorola Software Update called PST. You can download that from this page: http://hacktherazr.com/downloads.html
How do you open .rar files? That is how the download wen to my computer.
RAR files are compressed files, like ZIP files.
Try using Izark. http://www.izarc.org/
Well, I did find luck with PST. I could then get P2K seem edit to recognize the phone, however, the restart button doesnt work. I am going to try again though.
I’m glad that you’re having some success! To restart the phone, try holding “end” on the phone itself. You could also try taking out the battery with the USB cable removed. Just make sure that nothing is being transfered to the phone when you do it.
Can I kiss you? J.K. – but you did give me the key to fixing my phone. Thanks very very much – I thought I was SOL for a while. I had to miss my high school’s b-ball game tonight just so I could devote that time to fixing this darn phone.
Haha. It was nothing. I’m glad that you got it fixed!
I still am having a minor problem. Whenever I use the Seem Edit you gave me – my phone is saying “No Service”
There’s a number starting with “*” (which I don’t remember) that you can call to download the latest service information, but if you can’t make calls I guess that would be a bit pointless.
You could always try restarting the phone again, or maybe following my unlocking tutorial would fix it. The process for unlocking is the same as you took for applying the seem with the default settings, except you use a different seem with unlocked settings.
All issues resolved. Thanks for sticking around to answer my seemingly endless amount of questions I’m sure, but, I will always support you. Keep up the awesome work.
Thanks.
How did you end up fixing the last problem?
I just reloaded your seem edit and it worked just fine, now my phone is back to normal. I cant wait to be driving to Atlanta and have internet on my laptop in the car – SWEET!!!
What is the difference between this methods internet and using motorola phone tools? internet works fine on mpt. why fix something if it aint broke? or am i getting charged and just dont know it?
eWREKT, this way is free, and the end result is more elegant.
I dont know if you have tried to load your own ringtones to your RAZR yet, but when I try using MPT – it says that it cannot access my audio folder where the ringtones are located. Do you know a fix to this? BitPim also says that the phone provider blocked access to that folder.
Also, have you heard of the phone id seem edit? I found it and it converts your phone from a V3m to a V3mm. I found the seem edit but was wondering – if I load it, will it cancel out your seem edit I added to my phone or will it just be an additional change to my phone’s seems?
Your seem edit file is 205 bytes while the one i mentioned is 34 bytes to it is much smaller.
Here is a link below – it is on two lines
http://mark.cdmaforums.com/Files/2827_0001
-V3Mm.seem
If I remember right, with MPT you actually have to put the ringtones in the “audio” folder. I’ve done the V3mm edit before, and it’s only to get MTP 4 working with the phone. It doesn’t interfere with the first seem edit, since it’s on a different seem, like in a different place I guess.you can avoid all of that by using MTP 3.
The link you sent me is dead, but I know what you mean. If you actually load that seem it’s really obvious what you have to do. If you look in the right side of the window it shows something like ” V 3 m” and you change it to something like ” V 3 m m”.
I still have no luck with MPT and transferring ringtones. It says that that action is forbidden (4×3). I have no idea what the (4×3) is for but I would love to have Flo-Rida’s Low as a ringtone.
It just seems no matter what – verizon has blocked the audio folder from access.
I got it to work – I had to change the mp3 files to qcp files.
How odd. It worked fine with MP3s for me. It’s good that you got it working, anyway.
Hi!
I don’t have a Razor Cell anymore. I upgraded to a Verizon EnV2. I am desperately looking how to unlock my phone. If you have any ideas please email it to me at kittensgroups@aol.com I would greatly appreciate it. Now, I am able to download and customize ringtones to my phone via myxer.com Check it out it’s great! Verizon has blocked the ability to send it directly to your phone, but they have a tutioral video that explains exactly how to send then to your phone via email of all things! Download your ringtone from myxer to your computer, then upload it into your favorite email program and attach it. From there you send it to your phone by (put your area & cell number) 1234567890@vzwpix.com In the body of the email type in: ringtone In the subject area leave it blank. Now send it & wait for it to arrive! Once you get your ringtone file it to your ringtone folder. I hope this was helpful.
Great site and thanks for sharing!
Diana =)
Ps- I would be thrilled if I could figure out how to have internet and be able to watch youtubes on my cell without additional cost!