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Possible to get free hotspot functionality without rooting?

D

Dari

Lifer
I overheard some people talking about this for Android but did not think it was possible. Am I wrong. If so, what program would a person use.
 
Depends on the phone. Both my phones, Samsung Vibrant and i9250 Galaxy Nexus have free portable infrastructure WiFi hotspot built in along with USB and Bluetooth tethering. No root needed and enabled straight out of the box on the OS.

Most phones you will have to root and use something like android-wifi-tether or Barnacle wifi tether app. Barnacle is only ad-hoc and for most phones android-wifi-tether is also only ad-hoc. So even if you can get it working, it's not as useful since certain devices will only work on infrastructure mode and not ad-hoc.
 
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If I'm not mistaken, doesn't the built in hotspot of the GNexus require a paid subscription for that feature? I'm talking about the Verizon LTE version.
 
I have a link to the Android marketplace for PDAnet that I sent to the HTC EVO Shift but the phone is not recognizing it or it's blocking it. Is it possible for me to download this program to my computer directly and transfer it to the phone?
 
I don't want to hijack the thread, but on the GNexus when I click on Portable WiFI Hotspot it checks for a subscription and tells me I need to call a number and subscribe. Does this functionality require root to work for free?
 
cecco said:
I don't want to hijack the thread, but on the GNexus when I click on Portable WiFI Hotspot it checks for a subscription and tells me I need to call a number and subscribe. Does this functionality require root to work for free?
Click to expand...

Mine doesn't do that. I don't think I enabled it prior to rooting though. So, could be that the custom ROMs lets you use it without checking for a subscription.

Koushik's wireless tether purports to be undetectable by the carrier.
 
cecco said:
I don't want to hijack the thread, but on the GNexus when I click on Portable WiFI Hotspot it checks for a subscription and tells me I need to call a number and subscribe. Does this functionality require root to work for free?
Click to expand...

GN Big Red version?
 
cecco said:
I don't want to hijack the thread, but on the GNexus when I click on Portable WiFI Hotspot it checks for a subscription and tells me I need to call a number and subscribe. Does this functionality require root to work for free?
Click to expand...

There might eventually be a work around. When I had my Inc. (On Verizon) there was a setting you could change (buried really deep) that would allow the Hotspot function to work without the subscription.

It worked just fine for me, I didn't do it often only maybe 100mb a month like at an airport that didn't have free WiFi and VZW never said anything to me.
 
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So as a general reminder, I'm fine with talking about enabling Hotspot WiFi as a feature on the phone. Tethering is legal in lots of countries and it's a very handy feature to have while travelling. But discussions about how to bypass systems in carriers that specifically require a subscription to use tethering (in this case Verizon), fall into realm of defrauding the carriers and will not be allowed.

Moderator PM
 
Guys,

Anubis answered all questions in the very first reply in this thread. I am not sure why people, like cecco, keep repeating questions that were answered.
 
@pm: See, this becomes controversial. There are legal means to get around the whole tethering crap by using unbranded phones on AT&T. Is that defrauding the carriers? How is bypassing the AT&T Gestapo Grip on the market any different?

yuck

rtPHg.png
 
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I hear you, Dlerium, but I'd just as soon not go down the road of discussing how to violate the tethering restrictions on data plans and not get caught.

You guys want to talk about how to install ClockWorkMod, that's fine. But if someone says "will I get caught by Verizon if I use this" or "how can I avoid detection by AT&T" and that's getting into blacker hat territory.

People who are affected by this signed legally binding contracts agree to terms and conditions on our wireless data plans. I think I can say with some confidence that Anandtech Forums does not wish to be a party to a discussion of how to bypass those restrictions and not get caught.
 
If every carrier is going to go to tiered data plans, they should throw in tethering for free, it's not like I'm going to replace my home ISP if I only get 2GB of data a month.
 
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