I setup a manual dial-up connection and titled it Cingular.

 

For the phone number I used *99#

For the username ISPDA@CINGULARGPRS.COM

For the password CINGULAR1

 

Connection worked, no garbage software needed.

 

Post back if this works for you so I can know if this information should be passed onto others.

 

Thanks,
Brian

The first cingular card I installed I did that way since we couldn't locate the CD that came with the laptop.  It's the same procedure you'd use if you had connected your cingular cell phone up to your laptop via bluetooth or a cable.

 

Optionally you can try isp instead of ispda since the da part means you are going to be using their data accelleration software.

I am using the RTM version of Vista and was able to get my 5500 working.  The device showed as unknown after the install.  I went to the Device Manager and found two "unknown data devices" right-clicked and told it to update driver software, choose yes allowing it to search online for drivers (I had an ethernet connection to the internet).  Both devices were related to the 5500, one was a COM port and the other a Modem.

 

Once the hardware was setup I configured the Dial-up settings as directed above and everything worked!

 

I like not having 3rd party software installed, but I do miss the signal streath bars.

i see that dell has posted other mobile broadband drivers, but not the 5500 for cingular. there is a driver for the 5505 for vodafone... i wonder if that would work for the 5500.

http://support.dell.com/support/downloads/type.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=gen&SystemID=XPS_M1210&os=WLH&osl=en&deviceid=11093&libid=20

 

i am currently using the cingular communications manager utility located at the cingular site and it works fine.

Just to be clear the Beta 1, Beta 2 release of Vista may not have the Dell-Cingular modem drivers built-in, but I'm running the RTM or 'real' version of Vista and it automatically found the driver for the modem listed below:

 

Dell Wireless 5500 Cingular Mobile Broadband 3G HSDPA MiniCard

 

Today Dell released drivers for the following:

 

Dell Wireless 5505 Vodafone Mobile Broadband 3G HSDPA MiniCard

 

If you have a Cingular card that you bought from Cingular then that's an entirely different issue and should be resolved through Cingular's forum.