I don't actually understand your question very well, but I was feeling sorry that nobody's answered yet. So, hi.

I'm far from being an expert about this stuff but would it be best to get a data card of some kind (maybe something like this)?

Yes, this is definitely possible. I connect my laptop to the internet via my mobile phone (a Nokia 6680) on the Orange network here in the UK, and you can certainly do SSH and stuff. It's painfully slow, of course, but it works.

Setting it up can be a bit painful, though, and I only know how to do it on OS X using Bluetooth. I imagine your success will depend a lot on exactly what model of phone you have, and it's always possible that your network might provide a more restrictive internet connection. But in principle it's possible.

Hi JanetLand!

Thanks for the info chris. Dodgy, I want to avoid the card approach, because I'd ideally do this from multiple computers. If the logic was contained in the phone, and a connection made via USB, that'd be perfect.

After some searching, I finally found this, which is very much like what I want to do. I'm going to contact Verizon and see what this setup costs..

Are you going to use an existing phone, or buy a new one?

This definitely can be done, at least on Smartphone/PocketPC devices. I did it a bit (over bluetooth, no ugly wirethings) when I moved before I set up my ISP.

Considerations:
* You want a plan that allows tethering (this is the "technical" term). In general, tethering is forbidden in the terms of service, unless you get an explicit service plan for it. On Cingular (my provider), there are two gateways, in one, wap.cingular, you get a NAT IP (If you don't know what this means, you still get to do everything as usual, including SSH, IRC, whatever , but you don't have a "routeable" IP, so you won't be able to host servers); in the other, isp.cingular, you get a normal routeable IP. While you are able to tether in about any plan (terms of service considerations aside), only the tethering or pda plan give you the isp.cingular gateway. And, obviously, you want an unlimited data plan.

* If you are buying a new cellphone, STRONGLY consider a 3G one (yeah, they'll be a bit expensive). My EDGE phone gives me data rates of 110Kbps (not much better than a dial-up modem), while the new 3G (HSDPA, UMTS, EVDO) will give you around 800kbps. The new 3G hotness I'm hearing about currently is the Samsung Blackjack (smartphone).

* Maybe you'll want bluetooth support. I understand USB is much more compatible, but my laptop has builtin bluetooth, and it's nice to be able to connect with the phone in my pocket and no messy cables.

* Research 3G/2.5G/whatever coverage in your usual haunts. You don't want to shell out 200 bucks for a 3G phone only to discover that your house and your office are out of 3G coverage.

Awesome, that sounds really cool. I tend toward Verizon & T-Mobile based on experience with coverage in my area, so I hope they have similar offerings.

What are you paying for your unlimited data service?

Also, I'm not going to be doing any hosting, so NAT is quite alright with me.

Oh, and yes, I'll be getting a new phone. I'm using a relic from about 4 years ago (a Nokia that still works great, really). I don't care about cameras, MP3s, etc. But the prospect of internet access has me looking at the new 3G phones...

Unlimited data?! Bloody hell, I pay about a pound a megabyte for mine.

Damn... Well I just looked at Cingular's 3G coverage and they cover my house but not the places I'd probably be using it on-the-go. Verizon's broadband coverage is much better, but they want $80/mo for the data-only plan, which is a bit steep. (There are cheaper options, but they don't allow tethering with those plans...) As of now, I'm struggling to find out T-Mobile's options.. and Sprint/Nextel are out of the question for crappy service.

Looks like I may have to continue to do without, until the options improve.

Oh, and unlimited doesn't mean unlimited. In the fine print, Verizon mentions limits and overage charges. They also disallow "continuous" downloading or uploading, whatever that means. So I couldn't tune in an internet radio station, I assume. The terms are somewhat frightening, because it sounds like it's up to them to decide whether you've done something that violates the terms.

knave: I have some special corporate pricing/service plans, so it isn't really useful info. In my case, the data plan w/tethering is about 37 bucks.

I don't know if T-Mobile has deployed their 3G network yet. AFAIK, the most mature 3G network is Verizon's EVDO.

And yeah, these terms are usually scary. But if you won't be leaving eMule/BitTorrent at full throttle all the time, I don't think you'd have a problem.

Oh, and maybe (emphasis on maybe) if you call customer care and tell them what you want, they might be able to give you some data plan that's a better deal.

Helio has a 3G PCMCIA card that can work within their unlimited everything plans.

Oh, sorry, that requires a separate plan. Nevermind.