hi Guys ,
I come to you as a friend in need, I have a serious problem bwith the internet sharing on my ameo, as you can see I am on it now typing this, but I can't for the life of me get it to share the connection, I don't have a bluetooth dongle for it, so its usb all the way, here is what happens:
my pc running windows xp doesn't have a modem attached, only thing connected to it network wise is my playstation 3, I don't have the interet at home, hence wanting to use the ameo for the connection.
plug the ameo in, bink active sync goes on, leave it to sync, then I have tried a couple of things to no avail, just hitting internet sharing then, ameo dumps the usb connection then restarts it, nadda no I-net explorer, nothing pinging
I have tried starting the sharer before connection the usb lead nadda,
is there a set of setup needs I am blatantly missing? everyone seems to jus say they plug it in and it works, but I can't seem to get over this hurdle.
perhaps its simply a network setting on windows?
Can anyone thinks they can help suggest something I am doing wrong? even if it sounds obvious to u I might just be missing something simple
ps I am running pk dual touch
Many thanks in advance
Peter
hmm, just did a soft reset and now its working....hmm...
would still like to know what caused it, i turned off advanced usb features could that have made it start working?
whats that for anyways?
Peter
I get this sometimes, the ameo acts as a DHCP server and assigns the computer an IP addy, sometime however it does not assign an addy and so there can be no data transfer !! a simple reset of the ameo appears to sort it every time !!
i always found that the modem link, Wireless modem and Internet sharing applications always worked better if you activate them BEFORE connecting the USB cable.
Either that or the dodgy power supply on my USB hub is causing the problem!!! :-D
rhedgehog said:
i always found that the modem link, Wireless modem and Internet sharing applications always worked better if you activate them BEFORE connecting the USB cable.
Either that or the dodgy power supply on my USB hub is causing the problem!!! :-D
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I completely agree, connecting the service before connecting the USB is much more reliable
PS did you guys know that we aren`t supposed to be able to do this, apparently to connect to your laptop you are supposed to use web and walk pro at £12.50 per month not just web and walk my mate can`t do this through his nokia cos it does not support internet connection sharing
well this problem happened to me today..what i did was right click my network places and disabled the LAN.coz win xp was choosing my LAN as default.once i disabled it it chose my athena and wala i got internet sharing.hth
Has anyone been able to successfully connect DUN over BT using wmodem? I have installed the addon cab and can find the DUN connection when pairing my phone with my laptop, but when I go to connect it gives me a 678 error. I have no problems connecting wmodem over USB or using "Internet Sharing" to connect cover BT and USB.
dun
Had issue with wmodem but Internet Sharing that was on my custom rom works like a champ. I'm pulling 1.0 to 1.2 Mbps almost all the time. I can't remember if it was on my stock rom, but if not, I'm sure it's available somewhere on here.
Nate
i was just about to do a search on this. then i scrolled down the list and found this post. I'm very interested in getting BT DUN working on my Mac, since you can't use USB.
If you find an internet sharing cab, can you post here?
Thanks.
yeah i do not mean to hijack your thread but when i try to tether via bluetooth to my new macbook with internet sharing, the internet connection crawls!! i mean CRAWLS!!! lol
I have BT and USB connection with a windows laptop and it runs perfect. any ideas on how to speed up the connection?
Thanks!
http://www.wmwifirouter.com
this is really the best solution if you want to connect to a Mac. Works perfect and is worth the money! Hella fast too when connecting through WiFi. But you have the option to connect through WiFi, Bluetooth & USB.
When I connect through WiFi, I'm getting 1.2mb down and 500kb up.
It worked great for a while about a month or 2 ago when I bought it. But then I was playing with the Mac network settings and stuff and managed to jack it up. But here's what I was doing wrong:
Connecting through WiFi, there is open & wep. I chose wep. So on WiFiRouter you select your wep password. I chose a simple word, let's say "keyboard". On the Mac when you select to connect wep, using keyboard for the password won't work. You need to enter the 20 digit hex value that WiFiRouter gives you after you put in the password "keyboard".
Hope this helps anyone who might have problems setting it up. I didn't change any settings on WiFiRouter. Works right out of the box. You just have to make sure you set it up correctly on the Mac.
I use ICS over Bluetooth all the time. works great.
I now have ICS. Unlocked my HTC Touch Pro and used Scott Scrosler's ROM. But I'll most likely use WiFiRouter since it's about 3-4X faster going through WiFi. Need the speed for VPN.
I have an HTC Touch Pro and an asus eee pc and have tried and searched everywhere to figure out how to bluetooth pair these two, but I've had no luck. I can USB pair just fine with Internet Sharing. Has anyone had success with this? I'd rather go the free route than spend the $ for wmwifirouter, if possible. TIA
Well on W7 at least all I have to do is select Bluetooth as my connection option in ICS and then right click on my phone in the Bluetooth Devices window on my PC and go to where it says "Join PAN" and it connects faster than it would by USB. The range sorta sucks though. Has to be within like 5 feet to keep from disconnecting. But GRemote works from like 25 feet away.
Internet Sharing NO Registry Edit Needed
Hi. For those with ATT FUZE Stock Rom
I got this CAB (ICS INstaller) from a website with a topic of the last free version of WMWifiRouter by chainfire, just install the CAB and it will enable Internet Sharing, and NO registry edit needed.
As far as I remembered this is needed in order to use Internet Sharing and also if you want to use WMWifiRouter by chainfire.
Enjoy.
hidavi said:
The range sorta sucks though. Has to be within like 5 feet to keep from disconnecting.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm facing a lot of disconnects using Bluetooth PAN, however over USB works great! If I have to use the cell phone near the computer, I'd rather use the cable.
I only wanted to use bluetooth because I could put the cell phone near the window which is where I have better signal when I'm on the mountains with GPRS-only..
I feel like I need to 1st explain that although I don't post here often I'm not an absolute noob. I load a new ROM about every 30 days and used Tierman before advancing to Sashimi. Ever since the 6.5 roms dropped I've been unable to see my Titan from ANY laptop/desktop. I'm looking for others with the same issue and/or if this is a known issue that has been resolved.
Tried RyanMogul6800 2.2 Heavy
Tried JUSTPCTECH 6.5 Rom
Tried an un-named 6.5 Rom prior to the 21501 release
Same issue on all of these roms, SSID/PPC not visible
Device is a 6800 Alltel branded on the Alltel network
WMWifirouter version is 1.35
Tried deleting the wifi listing on the pc's/laptops
Tried re-installing WmWifirouter
Tried rebooting everything
Tried changing hardware switch to control ringer on/off instead of wifi
Tried manually powering on wifi via Comm Manager
I know wmwifirouter started out testing here so I hope they see this post but I will be accessing my paid support with wmwifirouter to submit a support ticket.
Has anyone else experienced this?
What did you do to fix it?
Try going into settings, connections, Wireless LAN, change power mode to best performance. Then go into settings, connections, wifi and if any connections are in there delete them. Make sure no connections are attempting to connect. Now turn on wifi switch and go back into wifi settings. Pick to see ad hoc only and create new. Make a name and make it an ad hoc connection, pick open connection no security protection. Finish. Now using wifi on a laptop/desktop refresh the wifi and you should now see your connection. Quick tip when using WmWifirouter. Make sure nothing is connected to your PPC's adhoc connection. Have the wifi switch enabled BEFORE turning on WMwifirouter, Once its connected you can then use a desktop or laptop and connect to the PPC, and dont turn the WIFI OFF until you have quit WMwifirouter. I use the network plugin to access shared folders on my PC to transfer music etc.. Also make sure the wifi on the PC is not set up to share its own connection. That will interfere with the networking with the wifi on the PPC. Let me know if you get wi-fi working.
Thanks and I'm trying that now..only thing is I've been using WMWifirouter cince before it was 1.0 and it always worked fine. While i'm trying your suggestion is their anything different with 6.5 that would have me manually connecting.
I'm used to setting up wmwifirouter in the office and letting 2 otherppl access it and just GO! This happens on Vista, XP, and Windows 7 (I'm an MSDN subscriber). Anyhow trying your suggestions and let me know about 6.5 if you goet a sec.
Thanks
Tried it and my network showed up for a sec but when I tried connecting it timed out and then never showed up again. USB to 3G works fine and I tried ur suggestion on Vista & XP. Still pokin away. Hope sumthin works out!
Just a side note. My wifi IP on the 6800 is always all 0's 0.0.0.0 Shouldn't it be 192.16.3.1 and DHCP is enabled BTW
I'm experiencing a similar problem and have tried several 6.5 builds, including my own from the ppckitchen. WIFI will work for some time and then stop. It will work again for a short time after rebooting but then will stop once more.
So after JustPCTechs (I prefer Ryans Rom) rom i am back on RyanMogul's heavy & it's still not working. I like many people looked at others with this issue like it's something they are doing wrong but I am an EVERY DAY user of wmwifirouter. I cancelled my itnernet at the house simply because Alltel's unlimited was so fast. I even had the kid's Xbox 360 running through it.
So I'm still stuck with no wifi for wmwifirouter. Even after Ryan's suggestions. I know other people have this problem. I just wish you guys would speak up so we can collect data on this issue and resolve it for real.
No disrespect to the very talented individuals whom have assisted me so far. You and your work are greatly appreciated.
I'm also verifying the problem exists. Also I cannot connect my home pc's internet through the USB cable to the phone anymore. I have verified this same problem with all 3 of the 6.5 roms I've tested. I tried ryan's suggestion but to no avail. Looks great though!!
For the issue of the PPC not being able to use your PC's internet through USB cable you may want to try going into settings/connections/connection settings/select network. Make the top drop down menu My work network and the bottom drop down menu make your Carrier ex:Cricket, MetroPCS, etc.. That way should use your WAP when unplugged and use the PC's home connection when plugged in. That would then be normal operation.
SOLVED:
So I was poking around in the 6800 and I never use wifi because Alltel is SOOO fast. I saw a saved network connection ON THE 6800 to wmwifirouter. I thought it was odd since I asked wmwifirouter to dynamically create the network each time instead of storing it.
After doing that I was able to consistently see the 6800 from any device.
So Comm Manager / wireless Lan/ delete wmwifirouter
I've had the usb issue a long time ago and it is not the same.
RyanMogul6800 said:
Then go into settings, connections, wifi and if any connections are in there delete them. Make sure no connections are attempting to connect.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you notice i already said to delete existing wi-fi connections. So my first responses were your solution. you just overlooked it.. take care glad your sorted out.
I guess I did and let me make this real clear for anyone reading this later on. Wmwifirouter creates a wifi connection ON YOUR PPC DEVICE - TO YOUR PC DEVICE.
So when people tell you to delete all wifi connections and you delete the one on your laptop/desktop don't forget (like i did) to delete it on the ppc as well. I never knew thats how wmwifirouter worked. Learn somethin new every day. Thanks to all that helped.
ebonygirl said:
I guess I did and let me make this real clear for anyone reading this later on. Wmwifirouter creates a wifi connection ON YOUR PPC DEVICE - TO YOUR PC DEVICE.
So when people tell you to delete all wifi connections and you delete the one on your laptop/desktop don't forget (like i did) to delete it on the ppc as well. I never knew thats how wmwifirouter worked. Learn somethin new every day. Thanks to all that helped.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In my instructions it is telling you to delete the connections off of the PPC.. Any connection on your PC would not automatically connect unless u had a matching ad hoc connection on ur PPC. I provided the fix and u overlooked/misunderstood it. I am glad you got ur wifi back up and running.
I've searched around for some solid technique or, preferably, app that allows you to trick apps into thinking you are using Wifi when in reality you are still on 3g/4g.
- I am NOT looking for alternatives or workarounds for a specific app
I found it crazy that the iPhone has over a dozen apps, tweaks, etc that can easily do this type of thing, but the only stuff I've found on the subject for android were either ridiculous techniques that don't work, or people questioning WHY you'd want to do this...
If anyone has ANY information on this subject, please tell.
Is there a reason why this is so much harder on Android than on iPhone? I'd be happy to learn exactly what the problem is here.
bump
Im also interested on this. I have unlimited data and i find it ridiculous that devs make apps to only work on wifi. I use to use 3g unrestrictor all the time back when i had my iPhone.
bump
bump again...
Well i know this works with certain android games like zenonia and modern combat which require wifi not data connection so you can try it with other stuff. You have to be rooted.
The first step is to turn your Wi-Fi on and*download Android Wi-Fi tether app*available in Market.
Once you have the app downloaded, launch the app and go to Menu > Settings > Change > Setup Method and select Softap option.
Now start tethering and drag down the notification bar.
In case your Wi-Fi icon is still enabled, it means that you have done it right so far.
Do not press the Wi-Fi toggle icon and launch the game you want to play
-------------
I am a dishonest man, and you can always honestly trust a dishonest man to be dishonest. Honestly it's the honest ones you have to watch out for.
xMrArnoldx said:
Well i know this works with certain android games like zenonia and modern combat which require wifi not data connection so you can try it with other stuff. You have to be rooted.
The first step is to turn your Wi-Fi on and*download Android Wi-Fi tether app*available in Market.
Once you have the app downloaded, launch the app and go to Menu > Settings > Change > Setup Method and select Softap option.
Now start tethering and drag down the notification bar.
In case your Wi-Fi icon is still enabled, it means that you have done it right so far.
Do not press the Wi-Fi toggle icon and launch the game you want to play
-------------
I am a dishonest man, and you can always honestly trust a dishonest man to be dishonest. Honestly it's the honest ones you have to watch out for.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It didn't work.. My wifi is turned off as soon as the tethering starts. What app exactly am I supposed to use?
Thanks!
Try wifi tether for root users.
---------------------
Give me a thanks if i helped
Lg Lucid running Cm10
w/ Cm10 Kernel
Asus Tf700 running Cromi-X 4.6.5
w/ Max's v4 kernel
Some Android games and application require a Wi-Fi connection due to the large amount of data that they use. If you don't have Wi-Fi available, however, you won't be able to use the apps or play the games, even if you have a fast 3G connection. You can trick your phone into believing that the Wi-Fi is connected by saving a small text file to your SD card so the phone will play games and apps as if it's on Wi-Fi when it's only connected to 3G.
Things You'll Need
PC
Data cable
Text editing app
Instructions
1) Launch a text editing program on your computer and type "FALSE" in all caps. Save the file and give it the name "qaWifiOnlyMode.txt" exactly with all the lower-case and capital letters duplicated precisely, otherwise the Android operating system won't see the file. Close the text editing program.
2) Plug your Android device into your computer and drag your finger down from the top of the screen to open the notification area. Tap "USB Connected" and then confirm that you want to mount your SD card as a drive on the computer.
3) Find the qaWifiOnlyMode.txt file on your computer and click to select it. Press "Ctrl" and "C" to copy the file. Browse to the location of your Android device's SD card on your computer. In the base(root) directory, not in any sub-folder, press "Ctrl" and "V" to paste the text file to the card.
4) Drag down the notification area on your Android device and tap the USB connection to disconnect the device from the computer. Unplug the USB cable. Your device will now play games and apps as if it's on Wi-Fi even if it's only on 3G.
Diablo67 said:
Some Android games and application require a Wi-Fi connection due to the large amount of data that they use. If you don't have Wi-Fi available, however, you won't be able to use the apps or play the games, even if you have a fast 3G connection. You can trick your phone into believing that the Wi-Fi is connected by saving a small text file to your SD card so the phone will play games and apps as if it's on Wi-Fi when it's only connected to 3G.
Things You'll Need
PC
Data cable
Text editing app
Instructions
1) Launch a text editing program on your computer and type "FALSE" in all caps. Save the file and give it the name "qaWifiOnlyMode.txt" exactly with all the lower-case and capital letters duplicated precisely, otherwise the Android operating system won't see the file. Close the text editing program.
2) Plug your Android device into your computer and drag your finger down from the top of the screen to open the notification area. Tap "USB Connected" and then confirm that you want to mount your SD card as a drive on the computer.
3) Find the qaWifiOnlyMode.txt file on your computer and click to select it. Press "Ctrl" and "C" to copy the file. Browse to the location of your Android device's SD card on your computer. In the base(root) directory, not in any sub-folder, press "Ctrl" and "V" to paste the text file to the card.
4) Drag down the notification area on your Android device and tap the USB connection to disconnect the device from the computer. Unplug the USB cable. Your device will now play games and apps as if it's on Wi-Fi even if it's only on 3G.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, this whole text file thing didn't work for me. Do you have to be rooted for this to work?
It didn't work for me either and I'm rooted
Work for anyone
Did the above fix work for anyone?
.txt thing didn't work for me either and I'm rooted]
I am having a rooted phone with busybox and this text file trick doesn't work.
Sent from my GT-S5360 Gadget of Mass Destruction using xda-app
Using CWM........Busybox Commands........No I use my hands
I've been searching for a way to fool apps into thinking their on WiFi. No luck.
I hate to beat the dead horse but I switched from an iPhone to a HTC One and its turning out to be a bad deal. Your telling me all these yrs and no one has been able to make one of the most basic apps the iPhone can get via cydia yet.
We should start a bounty ...
I'll throw in 100 to start it off with.
omf05 said:
I've been searching for a way to fool apps into thinking their on WiFi. No luck.
I hate to beat the dead horse but I switched from an iPhone to a HTC One and its turning out to be a bad deal. Your telling me all these yrs and no one has been able to make one of the most basic apps the iPhone can get via cydia yet.
We should start a bounty ...
I'll throw in 100 to start it off with.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's pretty pathetic really
I'll be abroad next week and wanted to catch a bit of the French Open Tennis but one of the TV apps I'm using requires a wifi connection. The fact there is no workaround yet is almost as idiotic as the morons who implement this "feature" in their apps.
Why should I care if someone is dumb enough to rinse their 1GB Data limit when I have unlimited 4G internet?
I asked about this in the Xposed forum, since it seems like an Xposed module might be the way to trick apps into thinking you're on wi-fi.
For me, the issue is with PdaNet+. I have unlimited data with T-Mobile, and I can pair my tablet via bluetooth and use my phone's data on my tablet. However, some apps don't work because they don't detect a data connection (ie: wi-fi), even though there is one. I can browse the internet. I can browse Google Play. But I can't download anything from Google Play, because it keeps waiting for a network connection. I can use Facebook, but I can't use the Facebook Messenger.
The work-around I can use at home is to use a virtual wi-fi router program on my laptop, connect my tablet to my laptop's wifi, and then connect my tablet via PdaNet+ bluetooth. Even there's no data going through the wi-fi, it still "tricks" my tablet into thinking there's a network connection, and it proceeds to download through bluetooth. Of course, this only works at home or if I have my laptop with me.
Yeah, I can always just tether my phone to my laptop and run my tablet off the laptop's virtual wi-fi router (which I typically do), but that's slower, and again, only works when my computer is with me.
Planterz said:
I asked about this in the Xposed forum, since it seems like an Xposed module might be the way to trick apps into thinking you're on wi-fi.
For me, the issue is with PdaNet+. I have unlimited data with T-Mobile, and I can pair my tablet via bluetooth and use my phone's data on my tablet. However, some apps don't work because they don't detect a data connection (ie: wi-fi), even though there is one. I can browse the internet. I can browse Google Play. But I can't download anything from Google Play, because it keeps waiting for a network connection. I can use Facebook, but I can't use the Facebook Messenger.
The work-around I can use at home is to use a virtual wi-fi router program on my laptop, connect my tablet to my laptop's wifi, and then connect my tablet via PdaNet+ bluetooth. Even there's no data going through the wi-fi, it still "tricks" my tablet into thinking there's a network connection, and it proceeds to download through bluetooth. Of course, this only works at home or if I have my laptop with me.
Yeah, I can always just tether my phone to my laptop and run my tablet off the laptop's virtual wi-fi router (which I typically do), but that's slower, and again, only works when my computer is with me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could you provide a little more detail in how to do this? What program are you using on your laptop? So the phone is running PDANet and then you connect it to your laptop via Bluetooth. Then after that you connect your tablet to the laptop's virtual wifi router?
Don't know if I understood completely but thanks in advance.
taino211 said:
Could you provide a little more detail in how to do this? What program are you using on your laptop? So the phone is running PDANet and then you connect it to your laptop via Bluetooth. Then after that you connect your tablet to the laptop's virtual wifi router?
Don't know if I understood completely but thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have T-Mobile's Unlimited plan, which has unlimited data and 5gb free hotspot. My phone is a T-Mobile branded Samsung Galaxy Light SGH T399. On my phone I have PdaNet+ installed, with the full unlock key purchased ($8).
There's a free one to try, to make sure it works with your phone; whether it works or not depends on the phone itself, the version of Android it runs, and the provider from which you got it (if you didn't get an unlocked version). For example, a particular phone might work fine with T-Mobile, but the Sprint version of that phone might not. That's why there's the free version - to test before purchasing. The limitation with the free version is that it times out after about ~10 minutes and you have to reconnect.
PdaNet can connect to your computer in 3 ways. Wifi, Bluetooth, or USB tethering. Again, depending on your phone, carrier branding, and Android version, some methods may work while others won't.
Wifi works just like any wifi hotspot. However, depending on the afore mentioned conditions, wifi hotspot might not work the way you want it to. For example, on my T-Mobile branded Samsung Galaxy Light SGH-T399, using the wifi hotspot on PdaNet also loads up the pre-installed T-Mobile hotspot, which drains the 5gb mobile hotspot allotment. I haven't found a way to break that on this phone. On other phones (like Nexus devices), I know there are ways to only use your phone's data, and not the hotspot allotment, but frankly, these are very complicated and need a VPN subscription (ie: more money) to work. Wifi hotspot use is often broken anyway, depending on your carrier and Android version.
Bluetooth and USB tethering work differently than wi-fi, but otherwise work essentially the same way as each other. Both require a companion program to be installed onto your computer. A good idea is to keep a copy of this program on your phone, so you can install it on other people's computers if necessary (and perhaps the USB drivers for your phone as well).
I haven't messed around with Bluetooth much, because the Bluetooth on my laptop (via a dongle) is glitchy as $#@!, and I've never been able to get PdaNet to work with it properly except for a couple times which didn't last. Actually, I've never gotten anything to work properly with Bluetooth on my laptop, so this is probably just a problem with my computer/dongle/drivers, and YMMV. On the few times I've gotten PdaNet or other internet via Bluetooth (which some phones have built-in, and don't require PdaNet at all), speeds have been much, much slower, and I'd rather tether via USB anyway.
I connect my phone's internet to my laptop with USB tether. Make sure USB debugging is enabled, and plug it in. Make sure it's set as a Mass Storage device (4.1 or earlier), or as a Media Device (4.2+). Then on your phone, open PdaNet+ and Activate USB Tether (you can do this before plugging it in, it doesn't matter). On your computer, load PdaNet, and select Connect Internet (USB). If everything has been set up correctly, it should say "Connected", and you can now use your phone's internet on your computer.
Here's the important part:
If you don't have an Unlimited plan, tethering (via any method) will suck down your data. If you do have an unlimited plan, there's an option in PdaNet's settings (on your computer) to "Hide Tether Usage". This uses a proxy or VPN (not sure which) to fool your provider into thinking you're on your phone, and not on your computer. This works for me, with my phone, on T-Mobile. No guarantees that this will work with other phones, or other providers. Try the free version first, monitor your data usage (use your provider's account app, not the built-in Android one), and see if it works for you.
As for the virtual wifi network, there are a couple ways to do this. The PdaNet program for your computer actually has this built into it. Once you're connected, select the "WiFi Share" option, and it'll set up a wi-fi network that you (and others) can use on other devices, like other phones, tablets, computers smart-TVs, etc. Obviously, the computer you're tethered to needs to have wi-fi capability for this to work. But as long as you have a wi-fi modem, it can be turned into a wi-fi router with this option. It's not as strong as a real wi-fi router, but you don't have to buy and network a different piece of equipment either.
There are also stand-alone virtual wi-fi router programs. The one I've used mainly is Virtual Router Manager beta 0.9. A while ago, I tried a newer, non-beta version, but it was extremely unstable, so I went back to the 0.9 beta. I haven't tried any newer version in quite some time. I used this when I had proper internet (cable) in my apartment, but wanted to use wi-fi instead of my phone's data to do downloads or updates on my phone.
Neither the Virtual Router Manager or the WiFi Share option on PdaNet are 100% stable. Every once in a while, something glitches out, and I have to reboot my computer (I usually reboot my phone at the same time, just to be sure). But hey, apart from the $8 for PdaNet+, I get unlimited mobile and home internet for $80/month, so I can't complain.
To recap, I have my phone USB tethered to my laptop (which is plugged into a 42" HDTV) via PdaNet+. I use a virtual wi-fi router option to give wi-fi to my tablet. One internet connection, 3 devices connected.
My problem is that, even though I own a laptop, it practically never goes with my anywhere. It sits on a cooling pad, plugged into 2 external HDDs and my 42" HDTV, and I sit at my couch with a wireless mouse/keyboard. But when I'm away from my apartment, and I have my tablet, there's certain things I can't do on the tablet connected via PdaNet and Bluetooth, because it doesn't have a wi-fi connection, and these certain apps don't detect a network connection.
Planterz said:
I have T-Mobile's Unlimited plan, which has unlimited data and 5gb free hotspot. My phone is a T-Mobile branded Samsung Galaxy Light SGH T399. On my phone I have PdaNet+ installed, with the full unlock key purchased ($8).
There's a free one to try, to make sure it works with your phone; whether it works or not depends on the phone itself, the version of Android it runs, and the provider from which you got it (if you didn't get an unlocked version). For example, a particular phone might work fine with T-Mobile, but the Sprint version of that phone might not. That's why there's the free version - to test before purchasing. The limitation with the free version is that it times out after about ~10 minutes and you have to reconnect.
PdaNet can connect to your computer in 3 ways. Wifi, Bluetooth, or USB tethering. Again, depending on your phone, carrier branding, and Android version, some methods may work while others won't.
Wifi works just like any wifi hotspot. However, depending on the afore mentioned conditions, wifi hotspot might not work the way you want it to. For example, on my T-Mobile branded Samsung Galaxy Light SGH-T399, using the wifi hotspot on PdaNet also loads up the pre-installed T-Mobile hotspot, which drains the 5gb mobile hotspot allotment. I haven't found a way to break that on this phone. On other phones (like Nexus devices), I know there are ways to only use your phone's data, and not the hotspot allotment, but frankly, these are very complicated and need a VPN subscription (ie: more money) to work. Wifi hotspot use is often broken anyway, depending on your carrier and Android version.
Bluetooth and USB tethering work differently than wi-fi, but otherwise work essentially the same way as each other. Both require a companion program to be installed onto your computer. A good idea is to keep a copy of this program on your phone, so you can install it on other people's computers if necessary (and perhaps the USB drivers for your phone as well).
I haven't messed around with Bluetooth much, because the Bluetooth on my laptop (via a dongle) is glitchy as $#@!, and I've never been able to get PdaNet to work with it properly except for a couple times which didn't last. Actually, I've never gotten anything to work properly with Bluetooth on my laptop, so this is probably just a problem with my computer/dongle/drivers, and YMMV. On the few times I've gotten PdaNet or other internet via Bluetooth (which some phones have built-in, and don't require PdaNet at all), speeds have been much, much slower, and I'd rather tether via USB anyway.
I connect my phone's internet to my laptop with USB tether. Make sure USB debugging is enabled, and plug it in. Make sure it's set as a Mass Storage device (4.1 or earlier), or as a Media Device (4.2+). Then on your phone, open PdaNet+ and Activate USB Tether (you can do this before plugging it in, it doesn't matter). On your computer, load PdaNet, and select Connect Internet (USB). If everything has been set up correctly, it should say "Connected", and you can now use your phone's internet on your computer.
Here's the important part:
If you don't have an Unlimited plan, tethering (via any method) will suck down your data. If you do have an unlimited plan, there's an option in PdaNet's settings (on your computer) to "Hide Tether Usage". This uses a proxy or VPN (not sure which) to fool your provider into thinking you're on your phone, and not on your computer. This works for me, with my phone, on T-Mobile. No guarantees that this will work with other phones, or other providers. Try the free version first, monitor your data usage (use your provider's account app, not the built-in Android one), and see if it works for you.
As for the virtual wifi network, there are a couple ways to do this. The PdaNet program for your computer actually has this built into it. Once you're connected, select the "WiFi Share" option, and it'll set up a wi-fi network that you (and others) can use on other devices, like other phones, tablets, computers smart-TVs, etc. Obviously, the computer you're tethered to needs to have wi-fi capability for this to work. But as long as you have a wi-fi modem, it can be turned into a wi-fi router with this option. It's not as strong as a real wi-fi router, but you don't have to buy and network a different piece of equipment either.
There are also stand-alone virtual wi-fi router programs. The one I've used mainly is Virtual Router Manager beta 0.9. A while ago, I tried a newer, non-beta version, but it was extremely unstable, so I went back to the 0.9 beta. I haven't tried any newer version in quite some time. I used this when I had proper internet (cable) in my apartment, but wanted to use wi-fi instead of my phone's data to do downloads or updates on my phone.
Neither the Virtual Router Manager or the WiFi Share option on PdaNet are 100% stable. Every once in a while, something glitches out, and I have to reboot my computer (I usually reboot my phone at the same time, just to be sure). But hey, apart from the $8 for PdaNet+, I get unlimited mobile and home internet for $80/month, so I can't complain.
To recap, I have my phone USB tethered to my laptop (which is plugged into a 42" HDTV) via PdaNet+. I use a virtual wi-fi router option to give wi-fi to my tablet. One internet connection, 3 devices connected.
My problem is that, even though I own a laptop, it practically never goes with my anywhere. It sits on a cooling pad, plugged into 2 external HDDs and my 42" HDTV, and I sit at my couch with a wireless mouse/keyboard. But when I'm away from my apartment, and I have my tablet, there's certain things I can't do on the tablet connected via PdaNet and Bluetooth, because it doesn't have a wi-fi connection, and these certain apps don't detect a network connection.
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Thanks for the great explanation! This helps quite a bit. I'll give this a shot to see how it goes.