Bluetooth PAN not getting IP Address (WM5/Samsung Blackjack)

Although mine wasn't a clean install of 10.5, I found a possible solution to the Bluetooth PAN DHCP issue.

I had to go into System Preferences -> Network. In that preference panel, there should be a Bluetooth PAN profile. I recreated the PAN profile in this order exactly:

1. Delete the "Bluetooth PAN" profile.
2. Connect to your Windows Mobile phone like you normally would.
3. Recreate the "Bluetooth PAN" profile, using the same profile name. It might try to make you add a "2" to the end-- just delete that.
4. The Bluetooth PAN profile should show up as "No IP Address". Shortly thereafter, it should acquire an IP address.

That's it. It's working perfectly now. As a matter of fact, I'm using that connection to type this reply.

HTH,
Jason Huebel
Orange, TX, USA

OK so after posting about how Apple removed Bluetooth PAN interface in the 10.5.4, Apple released 10.5.5 and added the Interface back. My Macbook now works like it should tethered to my Macbook as I type this. Thanks Apple.

The Bluetooth PAN is missing from the Network Interfaces.

I had a feeling it was the version of Leopard I was using cause when I tether my PPC phone to my Windows XP machine over Bluetooth it works fine. I used to use my PPC on my Macbook 10.5 when I first got it and loved it. But then I upgraded, sadly. I first experienced this problem when I upgraded my Macbook to 10.5.4. However I recently got another Macbook and I formatted it and put OS X Leopard 10.5 base install on it and it works with it! Why am I now not feeling urged to do any more Apple Updates?

I noticed that with 10.5 you have the choice to add "Bluetooth PAN" and on the the 10.5.4 Apple has removed this option all together! (sounds like a downgrade more than an update...removing a potential Network Interface to use yikes!) The only option in 10.5.4 you have is "Bluetooth" (the one where you have to enter Telephone number, Account Name, Password, the Bluetooth logo) and no Bluetooth PAN...

Here are my available Network devices on my Macbook 10.5 :
Bluetooth PAN
FireWire
Ethernet
Bluetooth
_______
VPN
PPPoE
6 to 4
----------
Here are my available Network devices on my Macbook 10.5.4 :
FireWire
Ethernet
Bluetooth
_______
VPN
PPPoE
6 to 4

See anything missing? So even if I wanted to delete my Existing Bluetooth PAN (which doesn't even work right now anyway) profile I couldn't recreate it because it is not in the list of Network Interfaces! What gives Apple? AT&T got any hands in this?

Message was edited by: Ensilence

I have a Macbook with 10.5.2 (upgraded from 10.4.x) and an AT&T Tilt (aka HTC Kaiser). I can connect to the phone via Bluetooth PAN, but don't get an IP address (just as you described). It was working until very recently, even after my Leopard upgrade.

Here are the only updates I've performed that have happened since I know it was working 2 weeks ago:

2008-03-11 - Airport Utility 5.3.1
2008-03-18 - Security Update 2008-002 1.0
2008-03-18 - Safari 3.1

I doubt very much that Safari is the culprit. Special thanks goes out to Apple for having terrible release notes for their Security Updates (sarcasm), since I have no idea if there was anything in there that could have caused the problem.

So I'm basically stuck right now. I can't use the Internet while I'm out on a client site at this point because Bluetooth PAN fails.

I have the same problem,
It can be connected between my HTC WM6 and Leopard Macbook pro by bluetooth PAN , but bluetooth disconnected when open a complex web site.
This problem never happened to OS X 10.4

OK, dumb question time 😉

Is BT PAN for the Mac to use the phone to access the internet or is it for the phone to use the Mac's internet connection ?

Either way I'd like to set this up both ways so I can use the broadband for the phone and the phone when on the road.

cheers

I have a similar problem. When initiating an BT PAN connection from the Mac to my phone, it works. I would get assigned an IP on the Bluetooth Pan Interface (en2) from the mobile phone (acting as a DHCP server), and be surfing the intern through my GPRS connection on the phone.

The other way around however, when i initiate a connection from my phone, it doesnt seem to work. The phone keeps requesting an IP , as its function as an DHCP-client now, but the Mac wont give it. I have enabled internet sharing with bluetooth devices. This seems to be a Leopard specific problem, as on Tiger 10.4.11 this does work.

I hate to sound "cliche" but, "I'm having the same problem too. I can get the Bluetooth PAN working ... at least it says the Blackjack and the Powerbook are connected. I had all this working on a USB cable with Tiger (10.4.11) before my upgrade to Leopard (10.5.1). I was using the infamous Blackberry CID3 method that can be found at:

http://www.tuaw.com/2006/12/14/how-to-tether-a-samsung-blackjack-to-get-your-mac -online/

Now this method no longer works. Given the same settings, I get the following error message: "Internet Connect - Could not open the communication device." I've tried it with USB and Bluetooth PAN, same result. I've tried the Blackberry CID and the new (to Leopard) Samsung CID.

Thanks.

Just applied a couple more updates, but no positive change. Here's what just got installed:

Security Update 2008-002 1.1

There was also an Aperture update and a RAW compatibility update, but I doubt those would have any bearing on my Bluetooth PAN issues.

Sadly, I'm still without my ability to tether to my Tilt. This is becoming a big enough issue that I'm having to carry a Dell laptop with me instead of my Macbook.

JasonHuebel wrote:
4. The Bluetooth PAN profile should show up as "No IP Address". Shortly thereafter, it should acquire an IP address.

Acquires what IP address, from where (DHCP, etc.), and how does the connected BT client get an IP and get out to the network?

When I attach my WM6.1 PDA, the BT PAN adapter in my Networking System Preferences just acquires a 169.254.x.x address. Nothing more seems to happen. The PDA has no apparent Internet connectivity.

On my Mac, I have:
1) the PDA and the Mac BlueTooth paired
2) in System Preferences|BlueTooth|Advanced, "Share my internet connection with other Bluetooth devices" enabled.
3) in System Preferences|Sharing, Internet Sharing enabled, with share my Ethernet connection "To computers using" BlueTooth PAN.
4) in System Preferences|Networking, deleted and recreated the Bluetooth PAN as you described.

Is the Mac sharing the Internet to the BT client supposed to assign a DHCP address, gateway, and DNS server to the BT client and act as a NAT/transparent proxy? Or is the MAC doing the sharing supposed to just bridge traffic from the BT PAN to the Ethernet where the BT client would get an IP config from another resource, such as an existing DHCP server, on the network?

OK, got this working. After 30 seconds or a minute or so, the BT_PAN interface becomes like this (if you look at it with ipconfig in a terminal:
en2: flags=8863<UP,BROADCAST,SMART,RUNNING,SIMPLEX,MULTICAST> mtu 1500
inet6 x%en2 prefixlen 64 scopeid 0x7
inet 169.254.216.231 netmask 0xffff0000 broadcast 169.254.255.255
inet 192.168.2.1 netmask 0xffffff00 broadcast 192.168.2.255
ether 00:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx
media: autoselect status: active

That is, a secondary IP in the Private 192.168.x.x range appears and it works as a DHCP server handing out an IP address to BT clients as well as a NAT box out the regular network. This is with Internet Sharing enabled from Ethernet to BT_PAN (as in number 3 above.) Without Internet Sharing enabled, the BT PDA client never gets an IP.

No you don't need any tethering plan other than unlimited data plan. There isn't any special program that I use on my Sprint Mogul other than the standard Windows Internet Connection Sharing aka ICS. Let me know if this clears things up. Im using Windows Mobile 6, but it should work on 5.

Just curious, I have the Samsung Blackjack with Windows Mobile Five, and I'm wondering, did you have to get the tethering option for the cell phone to get online or no?