Mobile Broadband Dongle + Mac Internet Sharing

[matt960]

I'm connected to the internet using a vodaphone mobile broadband dongle.

I would like to be able to share the connection to my other devices using Mac OS's built-in internet sharing feature.

Problem seems to be that the dongle connects to the internet using the 'Vodaphone Mobile Broadband' app without registering the connection in the mac network preferences panel so when I try to share the connection via wifi, the mac doesn't know how to share the connection.

Is this possible? - I've never had a problem sharing connections before until now. Usually, the mobile-network is available in the mac network prefs for sharing but not while using the vodaphone app to connect.

Any ideas how to get it working?

Cheers

1: Internet sharing is set to share the USB dongle device's connection via wifi:

2. BUT in the network preferences pane, the attached (and internet-connected) vodaphone modem is not recognised so internet sharing won't share the connection

 

[Retired-Lee]

Hi there matt960,

I'm not familiar with Mac OS so I've asked a colleague to have a look at this and give me some help.

As soon as I have a reply I'll come back to the thread.

Cheers,

LeeH

[headcheese]

Hi,

I think that the Mobile Broadband connection through the Vodafone Mobile Broadband connection isn't handled in the same way as other connections so the first thing you'd need to do close the Vodafone Mobile Broadband Applciaiton and disconnect your ethernet (if you have either connected). Then work through the attached guide to set up a manual conneciton (i.e. one that uses the dongle, but isn't instigated via the Vodafone Mobile Broadband application). Once you've worked through the attached guide you'd need to:

Go into System Preferences>Sharing>the drop down menu "Share your connection from", then select HUAWEI Mobile

Then enable by WiFi (you need to setup the wifi security at this stage), then click on WiFi Options to configure.

Then put a tick beside Internet Sharing and it will prompt you to Start.

At this point it's time to test the sharing!

Good luck and give us a shout here if you run into any problems.

Cheers

HC

[Retired-Lee]

Hi matt960,

How did you get on with headcheese's suggestion?

Cheers,

LeeH

[matt960]

Hi, Thanks for the reply - I'm not going ot be able to try this out until next week unfortunately but will give it a go when I get back and will let you know how it goes..

[matt960]

This works but only so far - is there any way to force the connection in the system network settings you sent through to only use 3G - I'm finding that it switches the slower edge network occasioanlly.

In the vodaphone mobile broadband app there is an option in the 'devices' tab to force the connection to only use 3G - this is ideal - is anything similar possible using the mac network settings?

[headcheese]

Hi,

When you say that the modem is dropping to EDGE, I take it that the light on the dongle is changing colour (probably to green)? If the light is staying blue then you're still using 3G. You might experience decreases in speed due to other things taking place on the 3G site you're using (number of users, what they are using the 3G network for etc etc ). Also, if you're near the edge of a 3G coverage area then this might happen regardless of bearer selection on the computer. 3G cells breathe (cover a smaller area as more people use them), so if you set it to 3G only you might notice connection drops, rather than going to EDGE.

That said...

I'm pretty sure that there isn't an option to select 3G only in the mac settings.

Usually the switching between 2G and 3G is done with AT commands, and with 3G modems these tend to be proprietary to the modem itself. I would have thought that Vodafone have a relationship with the people that make their USBV modems, allowing them to build these commands into the Vodafone software (and it's these that get piped to the modem when you're using the Vodafone software when you select 2G or 3G within the software).

The mac just sees the dongle as a modem, so uses a standard command set to speak to it. It's not "aware" of the model of modem and therefore the proprietary commands required to switch between 2G and 3G.

I can do a bit of tinkering here to see if I can find a way of doing this, or work out how to switch between bearers witout using the VMB software, but to do so I'd need to know which dongle it is that you're using, as the commads are likely to vary between dongle models.

Cheers,

HC

[matt960]

Thanks for the reply!

The model is K3772 HSPA USB Stick (Huawei).

It seems to be dependent on where  - some places seem to prefer the slower speed network and others the 3G - though this happens even when both are available- eg. lets say I'm somewhere where the mac method of connection appears to switch to non-3G speeds, if I connect through the vodaphone app I can specify only 3G and it will stay conected to 3G fine.

Thanks again, Let me know if I can give any more info!

[headcheese]

Thanks for that, I'll see what I can work out.

When you notice the speed drop, does the light colour on the modem change at all?

Cheers

HC

[matt960]

Hmm, can't say for sure without being in the office it happens in - but *I think so* yes - I can confirm for you next chance I get..