How To: Getting Online With Airtel Prepaid and a Macintosh

skinnylatte

Accurate as of July 2007. I'm using a MacBook (with Bluetooth) and a Nokia N95 using Airtel. It's possible with PCs and other phones too but I have no experience with that. The same should apply for connecting using a cable, and using Hutch, but again I'm not sure about that cos I've never tried. Airtel has a flat nationwide GPRS package for 20 rupees a day on a prepaid card, and you don't even need to talk to anybody in a call centre to get anything activated. Zero waiting. The New Mobile Office is much better than it was last year. If I'm not wrong Hutch charges by the kilobyte, which can get expensive, but Airtel's 20Rs/day package is good for 24hours and unlimited data.

I wrote this as there's absolutely ZERO documentation for us Mac users, once again. And of course the call centre folks have no experience with Macs either. So here goes.

1.To make things easier, make photocopies of your passport, Indian visa, and your identity card. (Because my passport from Singapore does not state my permanent address, so any other photo ID with permanent address is needed: in this case it's my identity card; it could be your driver's license, as long as you supplement it with your passport). The Indian government requires all prepaid signups to register with photo ID with an address. If you’re Indian, your driving license, voter card or similar will do.

2. Go to a mobile retailer or an official Airtel shop to sign up for an Airtel prepaid card. You’ll have to fill in a number of forms and sign on your documents before the line can be activated.

3. Send an SMS to ‘567’ with the message, ‘GPRS’. Airtel Mobile Office will be activated within a few seconds.

4. Check that your Airtel Mobile Office connection works by browsing on your phone’s web browser. (All the settings should be pre-configured, otherwise you can call 121 and ask a customer consultant to send them to you.)

5. Download Ross Barkman’s Scripts for Nokia 3G (EDGE/UTMS) phones. He has a number of scripts available for many other types of mobile phones, also available on that website. http://www.taniwha.org.uk/

6. Open the .sit file. Drop both scripts (named “Nokia 3G CID1” and “Nokia 3G CID2” into /Library/Modem Scripts (in Macintosh HD, not in your home directory). [In other words, click Finder, go to Macintosh HD, click on Library, then go to Modem Scripts, and copy the two files into that folder.]

7. Open Network Preferences. Create a new location, name it whatever your like (“Mobile”, or “Airtel India”). Select Bluetooth modem.

8. Click on the PPP tab. The settings are—airtelgprs.com (service provider), guest (username), guest (password).

9. Click on the TCP/IP tab. Enter under DNS Servers: 202.56.240.5 and 202.56.230.5 (put both addresses in two lines).

10. Click the Bluetooth Modem tab. Select Nokia 3G CID1 as your modem. Check Show Modem Status in menu bar.

11. Click the modem icon in your menu bar, and connect away.

skinnylatte

The above was written assuming one had a Nokia phone with bluetooth and a Mac with bluetooth (which is usually the case, if you have a modern Mac). If you have a different setup; i.e. a Sony Ericsson, Moto, other phone, just download the corresponding script (3G if you have a 3G phone, or just regular GPRS). Also, if you don't have bluetooth you can use the USB cable -- it *should* work but again this varies from phone to phone.

Speeds are nowhere near broadband -- or sometimes, even dial up -- but OK for chatting and checking email.

If you encounter any intermittent problems (for example, if the connection drops unexpectedly and you're not able to connect back), try replacing the 'guest' username and password with 'none': airtelgprs.com (service provider none), none (account name), none (password).

mira4bai4

It does work, kind of but do go to an Airtel shop and get them to set it all up for you, they are pretty good and really do try, there are GPRS experts only a phone call away so use them as you are paying for the service and they want you to use it.

I use a 12"PB and my phone is a SE Z520i all with blue tooth and no data cable. GPRS sucked where I was, no normal signal anyway and my phones modem was not compatible with OS X. If I had a data cable it would have worked fine. So make sure that the phones modem driver is compatible with the mac if using BT. Using the data cable over rides the BT and the modem considerations anyway.

Still trying to find a way of being mobile with my mac but may have to buy a new phone to make it happen as data cards here are not compatible with OS X to date.

fsg

Will this only work with airtel, advice please

skinnylatte

After step 4 the same technique should work for other operators. You just need to get the settings+DNS server+username/password from them. But do download those scripts I linked, and the technique is the same.

Aishah

Update - Airtel does unlimited internet access and downloading for 395 rupees for GPRS mobile phone connection now. You need to buy a Sim Card - I bought one for 12 months validity for 700 rupees. To do this you require photo, passport and address, give your address back in country where you have citizenship i.e. I had a NZ passport, even though permanent resident here, had to give an address for NZ, so gave my sister's address. Once you have your Sim running you get Airtel Office to put correct settings in your phone for GPRS. You pay at same time your month's internet charge of 395 rupees.
I set it up to my computer (Compaq Presario) using the CD supplied with my phone (Bleu) Follow all instructions on the download. The only settings I need to sometime put in is the APN -airtelgprs.com in Settings from the phone website. These occasionally drop off, and I have to re-set the phone connections. The speed is much the same as dial-up but now and then too slow.

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shashank.aggarwal

Check if your handset is EDGE enabled ? Secondly you might have a Airtel Rajasthan conection, so plans and tariffs might be local to rajasthan..

Even if your phone is EDGE compatible, then I am not sure if Airtel Rajsthan provides that service, and even if it does it has to in you Area...

If the service is enabled you get speeds of around 30 Kilo bytes..there are not extra charges for the same...the difference is, if edge is enables then instead of a G that shows on your phone while you are connected, it will show a E.

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Aishah

Yes, it is Rajasthan - and no it isn't E it's G so not EDGE enabled. One time, I think in Delhi or Mussoorie, can't remember, I noticed an E instead of G coming up.. But I am not sure if this connection will do Roaming - will have to ask in Office. It Roams for telephone but haven't tried it in Delhi with computer. When I go to Mussoorie next year, do I buy a SIM in Mussoorie for computer use?

shashank.aggarwal

I dont think you should have any problems while roaming. All the GPRS networks I have heard of have no problems in roaming, but yes it has to be same network...

Like I use an Idea connection, and where ever I go, if I am raoming in Idea network can GPRS works fine..however if its someother network then phone will work but GPRS won't...

Aishah

thanks Shashank, I'll try it out in December and see if it works for computer. As I said it's Airtel, and that is fine for Delhi roaming by phone, but the thing I wonder is whether Rajasthan internet connection is a separate thing altogether. We'll wait and see!

shashank.aggarwal

Not it should not be the case !! I have an Idea connection and have used GPRS everywhere Kerela, Tamil Nadu, Mumbai etc..for no extra charges !!

Peacefulplanet

Hi shashank!

Airtel is the wireless internet provider you are using and you'd recommend it compared to Reliance netconnect? I thought I'd go for a flat rate (1GB) for 650 with Reliance, but I'll probably try prepaid access first. Is there a prepaid plan (from Airtel or any other provider) where you can pay per MB/GB downloaded, not per minute online (I'm surfing a lot on mainly text based sites and could turn off the graphics).

Thanks a lot in advance

shashank.aggarwal

Aishah is using Airtel, I am using Idea in Delhi and can surely recommend it !!

nikolaj

it seems like the 395 Rs per month airtel data subscription isn't unlimited data but includes 100 mb transfer. subsequent 10kb are are 10 p (translating into 10.24 rupees per mb).

rates and other plans here:
http://www.airtelworld.com/Level2_t3...path=1/6/6/3/6


vodafone's plan seems to be cheaper with 500 mb transfer included for 499 Rs and 5 p per subsequent 10 kb. rates:
http://www.vodafone.in/vodafone/VBS/...connect.aspx#3

only question is if vodafone offers this service to pre-paid customers as it is listed under their 'Business Solutions' page.

Aishah

Nikolaj - maybe you are looking at post-paid plans? Mine is a pre-paid, once a month (you can't buy for 3 months for instance), you have to renew the amount 395 rupees a day before it expires. And yes, there are no further charges. This is for entire use including downloads for the full month so I guess it is cheaper than any of them including Vodafone.