Bluetooth Networking is hanging MacBook

Hello to the group.

I recently started working (on contract) for a company that highly regulates internet use which in turn has put a fairly large dampener on my IM and email usage... all of which I need to keep in touch with other clients and projects that I have going.

I have a Sanyo SCP-8400 phone like many people who posted to this forum and I'd love to hear from some of you on your experience using your phone as a modem (aside from the obvious reason for the original topic in this thread).

What kind of data speed are you getting? Is it "near Broadband" as advertised? Mostly all I want to do is IM and check email with the occasional 2 - 3MB attachment.

Do you use intermittently or do you stay connected for long periods of time?

What kind of data plan do you have with Sprint specifically?

Do you suggest Bluetooth or a wired connection with the phone?

I have a PowerBook G4. Thanks in advance for any insight you can offer.

Same problem here.. Nokia 6120 classic, but it's not just on bluetooth - same thing happens if i'm on the phones USB modem connection.

Are people having problems with the standalone USB 3G dongles? I'm thinking of getting one of these it it will help, but if it's doing it on my phones USB connection would these be the same?

I'm using Nokia 6233, 6680, e61 and N73 I see these bluetooth hangs also since upgrading to 10.5 in early November. It happens to me about 1 out of 3 connect attempts and then the power button shutdown is the only way to kill the pppd and get back to try another connect attempt. It is indeed the case that shutting the phone down will unfreeze the machine so that it is just the perpetually connecting or disconnecting pppd. I have a first generation MacBook Pro running 10.4.11 that never has these problems with these phones. Given the frequency with which this problem occurs I am forcefully rebooting a couple of times a day - just about like using M$ Windows products. If this problem isn't fixed in 10.5.2 it will be suggestive that for Apple connecting via bluetooth to the internet is just not something they care to support - after all you can't use an iPhone as a bluetooth modem.

Does this happen if you are connected using a PAN connection? This should be easier because it is just standard networking to the phone, which manages the GPRS connection. Unfortunately, my current Nokia doesn't support PAN. However, it would be useful to know if this is a possible workaround.

Cheers,

Joel

OS X 10.5.1 on a MacBookPro and a Nokia N70.... same problem!

It reminds me of some people that, years ago, had to reboot often just because they didn't want to buy Apple...

TIME TO FIX IT!

After update to 10.5.2 the problem seemed solved... but after some days reappeared...!

I've got the same probelm but found if I wait 20min (I was working on another computer at a time) then the system becomes responsive again. Certainly not idea, but if you have work you don't want to loose, then it may be worth the wait to be able to save it.

Sent feedback...:

Please look at:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1269370&start=0&tstart=225

It seems a problem affecting many people and forcing hard reboot of the machine.
Too much like windows, years ago!

The problem is there since 10.5.1 and I think it's time to look at it...

Thanks,
Carlo

I experience the same problems discussed above. MacBook Pro C2D running OS X 10.5.2 attempting to use Nokia N95 8GB as a bluetooth modem.

On a fresh reboot, I can connect first time around 60% of the time. When successful, the connection lasts anywhere from 15 minutes to 3 hours (1.5 hours being the average) before the connection drops out, and attempting to connect gets me stuck in a "Connecting..." or "Disconnecting..." loop which is only solved by rebooting. VERY INCONVENIENT, particularly if you happen to run virtual machines that also require rebooting in the process. On the times when I attempt to connect and it fails on the first time, I sometimes go straight to the Connecting/Disconnecting loop, and sometimes I get an error dialogue box reading "A Bluetooth serial failure has occurred. Failed to open an RFCOMM serial channel. Check if authentication needs to be enabled on your device."

Neither authentication nor modem scripts (or lack thereof) are a cause of the problems given that I am often able to successfully connect. Out of frustration I have tried various combinations scripts and settings recommended on the Intertrons, to no avail. The phone is never more than a few inches away from the Mac, so interference is an unlikely cause.

I have had these problems since 10.5.0. I can't comment on 10.4.x because I didnt have a 3G data plan at that time, thus never attempted to use my phone as a modem.

I have briefly tried connecting the phone using USB instead of Bluetooth with no success, but this is an inferior solution for me (one less USB port on my laptop, and severely increased phone battery consumption). I have also tried using JoikuSpot Light Beta (v1.21 from www.joiku.com) which turns Nokia S60v3 devices into wifi hotspots, but it is even more unreliable than Apples shoddy Bluetooth modem implementation, not to mention increased phone battery consumption and lack of any protocol other than HTTP.

This is quite frankly embarrassing for both Apple and myself. My colleague purchased the same phone as me on my recommendation, he is using various laptops/desktops running WinXP SP2, which is several years older than OS X 10.5 but all work flawlessly with his phone as a bluetooth modem.

I am now considering cancelling my 3G data plan as I am only using a few hundred MB of my 5GB monthly plan, which would leave me with a very expensive phone with high speed connectivity that I am not taking full advantage of. This is one very disappointed long-time Apple customer whose faith in the brand is slowly dwindling as the passage of time brings increasingly inferior software. Here's hoping 10.5.3 fixes many problems.

These problems not only persist in 10.5.3, but actually seem worse from my experiences of the last few weeks since the update.

I have the exact same problem, well, actually: I can connect up to 2 times (sometimes 3) and the following attempt will crash the computer. When I use the same phone (Sony Ericsson W880i) via the USB cable: no problems. Fortunatel, I have an UMTS account, without any limitations, so I just connect and let it flow 🙂

But I would also like this to be solved!

it's extremely disappointing to see that a simple bluetooth connection cannot be achieved successfully with leopard. I have the same problem and just sent a feedback as well.

I have the same problem with NOKIA 2865 (CDMA).

I have exaactly the same problem with my N95.
Frustrating, that so a high pricely product, can't fix this simple problem within 3 updates

Having exactly the same problem. I have found a work-around that helps on reconnecting after entering to the misterious loop. It also helps on making the first connection more surely succesfull.

Before making the first (or second or third) connection via Bluetooth, I reconfigure the the Bluetooth Device:

1. From Bluetooth menu (upper right corner on the screen, next to to the clock on most macs) I select "Set up Bluetooth Device..."

2. Select Next and then "Mobile Phone"

3. Select your mobile phone (it's BT must be visible)

4. Next and next... etc.

After having finished this procedure the connection should be work. But this does not help on the most annoying problems like dropping and getting the whole BT unavailable, as described on the post that I am replying to.

Hope that this helps you guys too (even a little bit).