Ray Jezek’s Blog

I just installed the RTM version of Windows 7 on my laptop and so I had to re-setup bluetooth tethering for my BlackBerry.  To my surprise things didn’t go as smoothly as they did when I posted my experience with tethering my 8330.  Establishing a bluetooth connection was still a straightforward process, however getting the phone to establish a stable connection and provide reliable we browsing was a different matter.

I was able to eventually get tethering working again but I had to try several different things, which in the end, some way or another, gave me success.  While the basic instructions in my previous post are still accurate, the following additional tips may be the very thing needed to solve any snafus you may encounter.

1)  Make sure you have the latest version of the BlackBerry USB and Modem drivers.  You can find the latest version of the drivers on BlackBerry’s website.  Just select “BlackBerry USB and Modem Drivers” from the dropdown and follow the instructions.  Also be sure to reboot after you install the drivers.

2)  Install SmartView.  Even though Sprint’s SmartView does not support the Tour (at least not yet), installing the application will install some of the communication components that may be needed in order to get your connection working.  If you are using a BlackBerry that is supported by SmartView it’s also a good way to just make sure that even wired tethering works.  You can download the SmartView application here.

3) Reboot your blackberry.  This one may seem surprising but this was actually the problem I had getting up and running the second time I tried tethering this phone.  I had all the drivers and software installed but still was getting communication errors once I tried to dial out.  So as a last ditch effort I did the ole alt, shift, del reboot on the BlackBerry and walla, everything worked perfectly!

There may be more tricks to getting past some of the hurdles that you may run into, but these 3 are the ones that have given me some success in the past.

Misc blackberry, bluetooth, modem, Sprint, tether, windows 7, wireless