How to Setup Linux to use Sprint PCS wireless web access via data cable with Samsung A460

Brought to you by : Wijaya Kesuma (wikes82 at yahoo dot com)


After leaving new york where I had a broadband DSL access, I was stuck without any phone line and internet access, and all my efforts to break into my neighbour wireless LAN WEP was unsuccessful (there was only one Access Point and it is Encrypted) after a week turning on my laptop and capturing millions of packets from my neighbour wireless LAN, I was still unable to crack the WEP encryption using airsnort..
So I went to Radio Shack and bought a data cable for my cellphone (Samsung A460), at the beginning I was afraid that my cellphone not compatible with Linux, so I spent 40 bucks to buy the Software (Windows version of the Driver and Dialer program). The setup/installation to go online with Windows was really easy, I could go online in a few minutes. Then I found out that my Cellphone is ACM (Abstract Control Model) compatible modem and this kind of device are fully supported by Linux Kernel.
My cellphone is recognized as /dev/ttyACM0, and after couple of hours searching through the net, I managed to successfully go online using Linux with my A460. Okay, lets cut all the crap, and go straight to what I did...

First, I'd like to explain a bit about Sprint network..., Sprint has 2 kind of wireless web services, the first one is 2G wireless web service, which is for old model phone, like samsung A460, the data transfer rate is really slow (only 14.4kbps), and then they have PCS Vision for $15 a month, with higher data transfer rate (about 100kbps - 200kbps). The Sprint PCS Vision is for newer phone, using Sprint 1xRTT data network.
I'm not going to explain about PCS Vision in this article, if you need to setup a cellphone with PCS Vision, you can visit http://www.natecarlson.com/linux/sanyo-4900.php for a detailed information.
Because Samsung A460 is one of those old model phone, so I had to get the $5 wireless web plan, instead of the PCS vision. And to connect to the internet all you have to do is dial #2932 and use "web" as the username and password. But because sprint using CHAP authentication method, so we need to add some entry on chap-secrets file, mine is on /etc/ppp/chap-secrets. You just need to add :


   web sprint web

in your /etc/ppp/chap-secrets file.
Then we need to create a PPP script, ...
just open your favorite editor and create a file on /etc/ppp/peers, I named my sprint account PPP file as sprintpcs. so this is what's in my /etc/ppp/peers/sprintpcs : 

/dev/ttyACM0

user web
remotename sprint
115200
defaultroute
usepeerdns
nodetach
lock
noauth
novj
novjccomp

connect "/usr/sbin/chat -v -f /etc/chatscripts/sprint-connect"



then we need to create a connect script on /etc/chatscripts/sprint-connect,... this is how's mine looks like : 

TIMEOUT 10
ABORT 'BUSY'
ABORT 'NO ANSWER'
ABORT 'NO CARRIER'

''    'ATZ'
OK    'ATE0V1'

OK    'ATD#2932'
CONNECT ''


to start a connection just type in "/usr/sbin/pppd call sprintpcs" (without the quote). And if everything is fine, you'll get connected to sprint network in seconds.

If you'd like to use sprint SMTP server to send e-mail, then you should go to http://www.sprintpcs.com first, then login to your account and create a sprint e-mail account, then write down the username and password because you're gonna need it to connect to sprint SMTP server. Sprint SMTP server is smtp.sprintpcs.com, and you must authenticate your self first before using the server, just enter your sprint mail username and password in authentication setup of your MUA (Mail User Agent).

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