Connect two PCs with two cell phones, no internet

I monitor the performance of building heating & cooling systems with laptops that collect energy-use data. I have several, maybe someday, hundreds of PCs out there, unattended, collecting data. I need to occasionally see what's going on at a given site and collect the accumulated data files.

In the days of yore we would run a land phone line to each laptop, and have a modem set to autoanswer (maybe at specific hours, or auto-call-out at specific times on a shared line) calls and connect that way. Now we have the internet and wonderful fast connections, at least when you have a lan or wifi router nearby and accessible. It is expensive, and has so far been unreliable, to purchase a cellular modem and internet access plan for each computer out there. Unreliable because an unattended PC has nobody to click on 'retry' or reboot or quit and restart software. Then I need to send someone out to a rooftop many miles away to press a button. Expensive because it costs $40 or more for the internet access, though my systems use very little bandwidth, and they might be installed only a few months and the access contracts all go for two or more years.

What I would like would be to re-implement the system where I can call specific computers on specific phone numbers and occasionally get the few megs of data I need, only using wireless instead of wired phones. It would actually be better if they weren't connected (directly) to the internet, since they are vulnerable to hackers on-line anyway, and they don't need access to the internet, just to each other.

The hardware and infrastructure seems cheap and available to do this: just a couple prepaid cell phones, with a free-calling circle or whatever, and USB cables to tether them to USB ports of laptops. Plug them in (also their rechargers), tell them to answer any call (and have a password check) and run remote-control software on the laptop. It seems like it should be easy, and it seems like more people than just me would be interested, but I cannot find any evidence on-line that this is possible or routinely done by anyone.

I can see where the cellular companies might not particularly like the idea of bypassing their data access charges, but I'm not looking to access any data except my own. I'll happily download on nights & weekends when their traffic is low.

If anyone has any experience with such a set-up I would be most grateful for a tip to a URL or a push in the right direction.

---

› See More: Connect two PCs with two cell phones, no internet

I don't know if this will help you but maybe it will put you on the right path.

google this title and find where someone has used a cell phone to utilize the internet via ppp.

connect to the internet via ppp and sprint pcs

Introduction

After spending some time looking for information on how to connect to the internet via sprint pcs and linux, what I could find was sparse at best. Hopefully this will help to fill in the gap. Using Sprint's PCS network, and a cable to connect your cell phone to your usb port, you can get 230k internet access anywhere you have sprint pcs coverage...... All you need is the ACM kernel driver and PPP installed on your computer.
[edit] Requirements

Your machine will need to have the following before you can access the internet:
ppp
kernel support for the acm driver

Some more info.

How To Use a Bluetooth Enabled Cell Phone

When no other means of connecting to the internet is available, mobile workers can use their blue tooth enabled cell phone as a modem.
An advantage to using blue tooth is your phone can remain in your laptop carrying case or pocket and blue tooth does not require direct line of sight connection.

If your laptop is not already blue tooth enabled, you can purchase a USB blue tooth adapter.

Here's How:

1. Turn on the Bluetooth enabled cell phone and turn on the Bluetooth connection software.
2. Make the phone discoverable.
3. In Windows XP on the laptop go to My Bluetooth Places.
4. Select View Devices in Range.
5. After the discovery process is complete you should see the icon for the cell phone.
6. Right-click on the icon and select Discover Available Services.
7. To connect to your cell phone right-click on the Dial-Up Networking.
8. Select Connect Dial-up networking.
9. The phone will ask if you want to accept the connection request, decline or add to paired.
paired.
10. The last step pairs the phone and laptop and performs the connection request.
11. You will be prompted to enter a PIN code to pair up the devices, the PIN is entered in the cell phone.
A dialogue box appears asking for user name, password and the phone number of your ISP.
Click on the dial button to complete the connection.
Tips:

To find devices in range you can click the Bluetooth menu and select Search for devices or open Entire Bluetooth Neighborhood and press F5.
Pairing a phone and laptop will ensure the connection can be established whenever you require it and you don’t have to go through the set-up process each time. If you do not pair the two devices you will have to make the phone discoverable each time.
What You Need:

Bluetooth enabled cell phone
Bluetooth enabled laptop

I'm currently working on this. I really can't believe that me and you are the only people on the whole internet that want to do this. It doesn't even sound all that hard to do really. At least in theory that is!

I'll be sure to post whatever I find out about this on here. Hopefully you do to.

Hi, I have an identical problem. Can you tell me what you did and how it workd out for you?

Thanks,

Don

You know my friend this needs a lot of work and that will requier payment.I mean you need to build circuit to conect your PC to the phone and other circuit for the other phoneand other PC and you done.if you know someone who is an electronic engineer he can do it easly.