Did you score a free Samsung Chromebook from Google IO 2011? Are you in Canada or visiting Canada? In any case here are the instructions on how you can get 3G data connectivity in Canada using Rogers / Bell / Telus SIM card on your Samsung Chromebook.
Step 1: Turn on your Chromebook
Step 2: Press Ctrl + Alt + T [ this will take you to a command prompt]
Step 3: Type in the following command – modem_set_carrier Generic UMTS
Step 4: Type ‘exit’ and press enter to get out of the command prompt and turn off your Chromebook
Step 5: Insert your Rogers / Bell / Telus SIM card
Step 6: Turn on your Chromebook
Step 7: Connect to WiFi and login
Step 8: Click on the Wifi Icon and select Enable Mobile Data
Step 10: Choose the SIM card provider network and you should be connected to the 3G network in Canada.
That’s all! Now if you are like me who have a personal phone and a work phone, you can forward your personal number to your work number and carry around your Chromebook and make use of the $30 6GB connection whenever you want.
Alternatively, here are some pictures showing the successful connectivity.
Enjoy!
Do you think this is possible with the other smaller telecom companies? Wind/Mobilicity? You seem to imply it works with just the big 3. But I assume you can use any normal sized standard sim card? What kind of antenna for 3g do chromebooks have?
Rodney, I can tell you that the Chromebook works with Rogers, Bell and Telus because I have tried each of their SIM cards and gives me 3G access. As for Wind / Mobilicity, I don’t have SIM cards to try. I would think that you would still have data, just not 3G. I’m not sure what kind of 3G antenna the chromebooks have. Wind / Mobilicity has a different spectrum on AWS, so if the antenna supports that, then I don’t see an issue getting 3G on these providers either.
sweet. so I’ve been thinking about getting one of these chromebooks here in ontario. Would the best route to just buy one off amazon.com and it should be able to work here? Why can’t we buy them up here?
Kevin / Rodney, have a look at this, http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/11/tis-season-for-chromebooks.html
The chromebooks just got reduced in price. Even more of an incentive to get one.
For some reason the chromebooks aren’t available in Canada. I haven’t heard of a definitive reason from Google or Amazon on why they aren’t available in Canada. Likely to do with the fact that our carriers may not have wanted to partner with Google.
There are multiple ways to get the chromebook in canada. 1) Ship it to a friend in US and they in turn can ship it to you. 2) Drive across the border and pick it up yourself.
I was fortunate enough to have a connection in the US who forwarded the chromebook to my Toronto address.
You’re the man, Puleen -
Worked for me -