I Tether on my Mac

This is a guest post. Please welcome Rudy from Sellsius?

As a mobile real estate professional, having anytime access to the internet is a must. Whether you use a Blackberry, Treo, Q or laptop to surf the web or retrieve email, you want information and you want it fast.

In my case, I had a 12inch Mac Powerbook G4 using OSX. I wanted to have the ability to go online virtually anytime, anywhere. My laptop however, did not have a slot for an wireless air card. Bummer. So what should I do? A very enticing yet costly option was to shell out some dough for a new Macbook Pro which had the new expresscard/34 slot. A great solution for sure but I wanted a more cost effective option.

After some homework, I found a great solution. I could use my Verizon Motorola V3M Razor cellphone as a wireless broadband modem. From my research, I found out that I could use it either as a bluetooth modem or as a usb modem. Cool.

So here’s what I did:

1. Check to see if my phone was compatible with my Powerbook on Apple’s website = Yes
2. Check the cost of the Verizon service – $59.99 per month called BBA Connect = A bit steep but worth a try.
3. Check what software/ hardware I needed – A cable and software kit which Verizon sells for $29.99-$39.99 that includes an easy step by step install cd and a usb mini connector wire. I already had a mini usb connector and found out that I could just download the VZAM software directly from Verizon’s website for free. So I saved $30 🙂
4. I called Verizon and added the BBA Connect package to my account.
5. I downloaded the software and followed the easy install instructions.
6. I connected my razor to my powerbook via usb cable rather than via bluetooth beacuse of the faster upload /download speeds. I also liked the fact that when using the usb cable, the cell phone was being charged while connected to the powerbook. If I used bluetooth, it just sucked the power from the phone.
7. Then I clicked on the icon for the VZAccess Manager software and logged in.
8. Presto Changeo I was online. Painless, except for the extra $59.99 a month cost for this luxury 🙁

If you’re in a similar situation as I was, this may be a good option for you. Just do your homework to see if your cellphone is broadband ready. Overall, this has been a good solution for me.

Rudolph D. Bachraty III
Co-Founder
Sellsius?

Sellsius?
425 Madison Avenue, Suite 902
New York, NY 10017

347 535 0696 office
212 644 9802 fax

http://sellsiusrealestate.com/
http://blog.sellsiusrealestate.com/