hey all, check out this video of mine - full windows vista on my htc touch pro!
really it is just windows mobile remote desktop but there is absolutely zero lag except for when i play games or 1080p videos... simply amazing what tech can do now a days.
click here for the video
let me just say, that this, my friends, is the future of mobile computing.
1) handheld device with a Rx rate that is > 10Mbit/sec
2) desktop computer with a Tx rate that is > 10Mbit/sec
3) software (or even hardware acceleration) that is capable of rendering the complete desktop experience and Tx via internet
although, just a simple HD video stream of the server-side and an ultra fast Tx/Rx of input commands from the client to the server would work just as well and probably be easier to do. remote desktop mobile is great, but it can be so much simpler to provide the robust experience of the desktop computing environment.
why try and shrink everything to fit in such small devices? worry about thermal issues, ie no active cooling in a pda phone? just make it good enough to send and recieve data fast enough that there is no noticable lag (a human can't react to something that fast - check it http://biae.clemson.edu/bpc/bp/Lab/110/reaction.html)... so really, all you need is a connection between the two devices with a ping anywhere between 0ms and 190ms and there will be no noticable difference to the user (visually no lag @ 190ms, audiologists say our reaction time to sound is about 160ms).
i am just floored with this notion. if this doesn't become the standard in the years to come, i will seriously be surprised. the only thing limiting us right now is bandwidth, as my own testing of this has shown that any lag is not even close to noticable (esp since the ping to my comp via EVDO was less than 20ms) on the connections we already have. just a bit more throughput and this technology will be perfect.
the beauty of this type of computing is that the mobile device is not bound by the processor or video card or anything else, save the uplink and downlink speed for the internet (and driving the units display too); and, of course, the program on the "server"/desktop that renders and Tx the data...
anyone else ready for the future?
some might say "oh, well that's too small for me... i'll take my lappy or desktop over that any day..." screens are small now - but what about when flexable LCD/OLED screens become mainstream? you could fold up a device in your pocket and unravel it to a 22" monitor... or how about this, google picoprojector - cabable of displaying 1080p images, decent lumen output (not that bright, but the thing is the size of a zippo lighter), nice contrast ratio, DLP... that could be incorporated into the device - some new business phones in japan already have a pico-dlp projector built in.
i can't tell you how many times ive just wanted to use my gaming rig, work on photoshop, or do some 3D editing but ive been stuck somewhere without my monster rig - or on a long flight but my lappy is no powerhouse (7150m gfx just doesn't cut it)...
and what about that, what if the connection speeds (and also rendering speed of the stream too) was fast enough were i could just throw it on a "dummy" laptop (kinda like the redfly?) that has nothing more than a high-res display, CDMA 4G (which is just as fast as gigabit lan), keyboard, and wifi - this machine would act EXACTLY as your desktop, except you can take it with you anywhere there is a cell phone signal or wifi signal...
man, when 4G hits the USA, things are going to really open up... literally, the flood gates will be pulled back then - can you imagine? gigabit networking over a cell network??!! downloading a full DVD-5 in just under 5 minutes!!?
TheTruth said:
hey all, check out this video of mine - full windows vista on my htc touch pro!
really it is just windows mobile remote desktop but there is absolutely zero lag except for when i play games or 1080p videos... simply amazing what tech can do now a days.
click here for the video
let me just say, that this, my friends, is the future of mobile computing.
1) handheld device with a Rx rate that is > 10Mbit/sec
2) desktop computer with a Tx rate that is > 10Mbit/sec
3) software (or even hardware acceleration) that is capable of rendering the complete desktop experience and Tx via internet
although, just a simple HD video stream of the server-side and an ultra fast Tx/Rx of input commands from the client to the server would work just as well and probably be easier to do. remote desktop mobile is great, but it can be so much simpler to provide the robust experience of the desktop computing environment.
why try and shrink everything to fit in such small devices? worry about thermal issues, ie no active cooling in a pda phone? just make it good enough to send and recieve data fast enough that there is no noticable lag (a human can't react to something that fast - check it http://biae.clemson.edu/bpc/bp/Lab/110/reaction.html)... so really, all you need is a connection between the two devices with a ping anywhere between 0ms and 190ms and there will be no noticable difference to the user (visually no lag @ 190ms, audiologists say our reaction time to sound is about 160ms).
i am just floored with this notion. if this doesn't become the standard in the years to come, i will seriously be surprised. the only thing limiting us right now is bandwidth, as my own testing of this has shown that any lag is not even close to noticable (esp since the ping to my comp via EVDO was less than 20ms) on the connections we already have. just a bit more throughput and this technology will be perfect.
the beauty of this type of computing is that the mobile device is not bound by the processor or video card or anything else, save the uplink and downlink speed for the internet (and driving the units display too); and, of course, the program on the "server"/desktop that renders and Tx the data...
anyone else ready for the future?
some might say "oh, well that's too small for me... i'll take my lappy or desktop over that any day..." screens are small now - but what about when flexable LCD/OLED screens become mainstream? you could fold up a device in your pocket and unravel it to a 22" monitor... or how about this, google picoprojector - cabable of displaying 1080p images, decent lumen output (not that bright, but the thing is the size of a zippo lighter), nice contrast ratio, DLP... that could be incorporated into the device - some new business phones in japan already have a pico-dlp projector built in.
i can't tell you how many times ive just wanted to use my gaming rig, work on photoshop, or do some 3D editing but ive been stuck somewhere without my monster rig - or on a long flight but my lappy is no powerhouse (7150m gfx just doesn't cut it)...
and what about that, what if the connection speeds (and also rendering speed of the stream too) was fast enough were i could just throw it on a "dummy" laptop (kinda like the redfly?) that has nothing more than a high-res display, CDMA 4G (which is just as fast as gigabit lan), keyboard, and wifi - this machine would act EXACTLY as your desktop, except you can take it with you anywhere there is a cell phone signal or wifi signal...
man, when 4G hits the USA, things are going to really open up... literally, the flood gates will be pulled back then - can you imagine? gigabit networking over a cell network??!! downloading a full DVD-5 in just under 5 minutes!!?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looks good....are you using a static IP at home?
Nice OP.
I've been doing that a lot on the run, especially when one of the servers or the nodes gone haywire.
I have to say, a VGA screen is better than the QVGA.
Now, time to pull some prank that I can run OS X on this thing
no static IP, unfortunately verizon fios does not hand them out to residential users; alas, it is dynamic... however, fios only renews the IP every so often - not sure if it is every hour, day, or week - but for the solid 3 or 4 hours i played around with my desktop via my touch pro today, the IP stayed the same.
really, all i wanted to do was wake on my PVR via the magical buzz from the lan - which causes my comp to either boot into mythbuntu or vista configed to load up sagetv, siggraph, and a firewirestb controller automatically. sagetv works beautifully like this - not only can i placeshift and watch the tube (i have sling too, but it doesn't allow for pvr) but i can have my pvr(computer) turned off and be like "oh crap, i forgot to turn on the pvr to record the penn state game... no problem, i'll just log in remotely, which will wake on lan, and then go right into sagetv and start recording...
i mean, the possibilities are endless with this - i love it. at work and need to pull a large file off your computer? no problem, you have your desktop in the palm of your hand. the other cool part about wm6.1 rdp is that it can map your phone as a drive, making file transfers flawless and as fast as your storage card can take them, essentially.
SteveDusa said:
Nice OP.
I've been doing that a lot on the run, especially when one of the servers or the nodes gone haywire.
I have to say, a VGA screen is better than the QVGA.
Now, time to pull some prank that I can run OS X on this thing
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
haha, i had some of my friends going that this phone had vista on it - in all honesty, noone but the tech savvy would be able to know that a pda couldn't run it.
although, windows 7 has a stripped kernal that only needs 512Mb of ram - our pda phones are ALMOST able to keep up with that... and just wait for the Via Nano, Intel Atom, Nvidia Tegra, or AMD's offering to show up in a phone.... even better, a pda phone with a UMD drive on it (psp + desktop pc power + small form factor = total convergence device).
man do i love technology
TheTruth said:
no static IP, unfortunately verizon fios does not hand them out to residential users; alas, it is dynamic... however, fios only renews the IP every so often - not sure if it is every hour, day, or week - but for the solid 3 or 4 hours i played around with my desktop via my touch pro today, the IP stayed the same.
really, all i wanted to do was wake on my PVR via the magical buzz from the lan - which causes my comp to either boot into mythbuntu or vista configed to load up sagetv, siggraph, and a firewirestb controller automatically. sagetv works beautifully like this - not only can i placeshift and watch the tube (i have sling too, but it doesn't allow for pvr) but i can have my pvr(computer) turned off and be like "oh crap, i forgot to turn on the pvr to record the penn state game... no problem, i'll just log in remotely, which will wake on lan, and then go right into sagetv and start recording...
i mean, the possibilities are endless with this - i love it. at work and need to pull a large file off your computer? no problem, you have your desktop in the palm of your hand. the other cool part about wm6.1 rdp is that it can map your phone as a drive, making file transfers flawless and as fast as your storage card can take them, essentially.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For dynamic IPs you should try DynDNS. Its a free service that allows you to point a url at your IP, comes with a nifty little service to update the url IP mapping automatically. Works great, but I had to setup port forwarding fro RDP since my compy is behind a wifi router. I am able to access my compy remotely with great ease. and looks beautiful on the 640x480 screen!
Are you using WM6RDP.cab? If you are, have you figured out a way to zoom in to areas of the desktop?
good look on that program, will make things much easier for me! esp if verizon decies to switch the ip on me when i can't be near the comp to figure it out...
this is the wm6.1 rom, i think the zoom function was stripped from it - at least that is what i read. although, i believe that the 6.0 version still has zoom enabled, but i am not 100 percent positive about that... honestly, the vga screen makes it really nice to look at and i didn't have too much of a problem reading anything - but zoom would be a welcome feature.
give the 6.0 version out and if it does have zoom enabled and the speed is up there with this version let me know, cause i would like to have as many features for this as possible... doesn't make much sense to remove a zooming option to me :/
I just installed zaDesktop and it's perfect! I can choose what size I want the session to be, then it will have scroll bars. I can also zoom in and out while in the session and exit full screen mode easily.
coolguy949 said:
I just installed zaDesktop and it's perfect! I can choose what size I want the session to be, then it will have scroll bars. I can also zoom in and out while in the session and exit full screen mode easily.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow that's a much better RDC client!! Thanks
where can i get that app?
t0mmyr said:
where can i get that app?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://www.zatelnet.com/zadesktop/main.php
wow, this is like skyfire, but a whole streaming computer!!!
coolguy949 said:
http://www.zatelnet.com/zadesktop/main.php
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i meant the one in the video, is that zadesktop or microsoft remote desktop?
Im a complete noob to this remote desktop thing. How do you set it up?
is there anything u need to setup on the computer before it will connect? i have my computer (vista 64bit ultimate) accepting all remote desktop connections... but when i try to connect using zdesktop thru my ip (and even when i use my DNS IP redirect!) i get an error message saying "An error message cannot be displayed because an optional resource assembly containing it cannot be found" any ideas?
Another option is LogMeIn:
https://secure.logmein.com/home.asp
I have been using this on my HTC Mogul, my laptop (Vista Home Premium), and my desktop (Vista Home Premium). It's especially handy when I need to restart Orb on my home desktop PC while at work
By the way - I seem to remember MS Remote Desktop not working on certain versions of Vista.
does logmein cost money? all i saw was a 1 month trial and u have to pay a subscription for each computer... =/
zaDesktop works, but the seperate mouse control is extremely annoying. There has to be someone who can hack the standard remote desktop client and extend the screen size to 1024x768 or better. One of our developers here did a similar thing to the desktop version when it didn't support resolutions above 1600x1200. They just hacked the binary directly searching for that resolution in binary and substituting a higher resolution. Worked like a charm.
yeah the one in my video is the wm6.1 rdp...
when i get the chance i will explain how to set this up - and if anyone beats me to the chance of explaining it on rdp then that's fine too lol busy busy
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.