How to Access internet in Ubuntu via Bluetooth-enabled mobile phones

Many mobile phones now come equipped with a Bluetooth modem which can be configured easily in Ubuntu to access the internet without installing proprietary drivers or software.

Check local Bluetooth availability on PC:

Login as root and enter hciconfig in the terminal to check that the Bluetooth device in PC is on. Typical output should appear as shown below:

hci0:7E:DF:51:02 ACL MTU:

1017:8 SCO MTU: 64:8

UP RUNNING PSCAN ISCAN

RX bytes:957 acl:0 sco:0

events:26 errors:0

TX bytes:603 acl:0 sco:0

commands:26 errors:0

Discover the phone:

Set the phone's Bluetooth to discoverable and enter hcitoolscan in the terminal. This will display the phone's name and MAC address (note it down).

Verify dial-up networking (DUN) profile:

Enter sdptool browse to view phone's Bluetooth profiles. IF DUN exists, it will be listed as follows:

Service Name: Dial-up

Networking

Service RecHandle: 0*10002

Service Class ID List:

"Dialup Networking"

(0*1103)

"Generic Networking"

(0*1201)

Protocol Descriptor List:

"L2CAP" (0*0100)

"RFCOMM" (0*0003)

Channel:2

Profile Descriptor List:

"Dial up Networking"

(0*1103)

Version: 0*0100

Note down the channel value 

Set a passkey (optional):

Edit the /etc/bluetooth/hcid.conf file and set passkey to four zeros (0000) in the Options section.

# Default Pin code for incoming connections 

passkey "0000";

Ensure the following values for these settings:

autoinit yes;

security auto;

pairing multi;

Edit the RFCOMM file:

Edit /etc/bluetooth/rfcomm.conf to bring the DUN channel over the phone with RFCOMM for connectivity as follow:

rfcomm0 {

bind yes;

device 00:1C:A4:96:03:CC;

channel 2;

comment "Example Bluetooth device";

}

Note the MAC address and channel entered from steps 2 and 3.

Restart Bluetooth:

Enter /etc/init.d/bluetooth restart 

Pair the devices:

Use the phone to scan for the PC and enter the passkey to pair the two. Successful pairing means the PC and phone have authenticated each other.

Configure wvdial:

Edit /etc/wdial.conf and add a new Dialer entry with service provider specific settings.

[Dialer ufone]

Modem             = /dev/refcomm0

Phone               = ATD*99***2#

Username         = ufone

Password          = ufone

Use the dialer name (ufone, in this case) to go online - wvdial ufone - and enjoy surfing!

Important notes

• The mobile phone should have an activated GPRS service.
• Internet usage will be charged by the service provider in rupees per megabyte transferred.
• The above guide was tested with Ubuntu 7.10 (Gutsy) on the Acer 5573.