Dell Latitude D820 - capable of getting on mobile network without addons??

Hi folks,

I'm trying to figure out whether I can get my D820 onto the mobile network to go on the internet without having to plug anything else into the computer. Problem is, I'm still fairly clueless about that sphere of computing and not making sense of what documentation I've read. My current relevant knowledge (and experience) is this:

• Computers can connect to a local network via ethernet cables or via a wireless card. What they connect to (router/modem) dictates whether or not they can access the internet.
• Using a dongle, you can access the mobile phone network (and possibly some can access satellite).
• Some computers can access the mobile phone network without any external devices plugged into them.
• An internal device may not always show up in Device Manager until the drivers are installed.
• Drivers are normally necessary for things such as networking cards to work.
• Specifications for this laptop suggest this laptop should be able to get on the mobile network as-is.
  http://www.dell.com/us/dfb/p/latitude-d820/pd
• Can't find anything that looks like somewhere you'd poke a SIM card in and I'm guessing (wildly!) that you might need to do that.

Could someone cluey about these computers please fill me in on whether they can get on the internet via mobile and if so, how and what I need to know/do in Australia to get that happening?

Thanks.

 

I've read your specs and it only has wifi and an optional bluetooth device 'If you have it' to check if you have one go to control panel/system/device manager/network adapters and look for a dell bluetooth 350 module reference,there will probably only be two in there a wifi card and an ethernet card.

There is a way to connect via bluetooth but I haven't tried it,maybe someone else who has can give you some pointers.

DELETED WRONG INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEO

Here-

http://mobileoffice.about.com/od/phonesformobileworkers/ht/bluetooth-cellphone-as-a-modem.htm

If you haven't got an internal bluetooth device just buy a bluetooth USB stick they're only about $10 or less.

 

Thanks for your response but I'm not convinced we're on the right track. If you go to that page I linked and have a look on the Overview tab, you see this (I've made certain parts bold in this one):

There's a 1 after the words "integrated broadband capability" which when clicked tells you that you have to use the Vodafone network.

And on the Tech Specs tab, it says (the bolding is theirs, the italics is mine):

This says to me that although quite possibly bluetooth isn't there, surely there should be mobile broadband capability.

So, the puzzle continues...

And if someone can give a definite yes or no on whether things might not show up in Device Manager if you don't have the drivers installed, that would be helpful. I know for certain I've seen that in the past on earlier versions of Windows but not certain if that would be so for XP Pro. I can't remember clearly but I think some things weren't showing up on the installation until I installed the drivers, possibly the modem, for example.

 

If you are traveling in Australia, you will not be able to use mobile because the specifics state two US networks: Cingular and Verizon. You'll need to either go to an Internet Cafe and use one of the computers or connect by wifi at a hotspot. (all Australian mcdonald's offer free wifi). http://www.inquisitr.com/5910/mcdonalds-to-offer-free-wifi-in-australia/