Use your smartphone to take Windows online

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	TOP STORY Use your smartphone to take Windows online
	By Fred Langa Getting your PC online can be a challenge when there’s no Wi-Fi, cable, or other standard network immediately available. But with cell service and a compatible phone, free or low-cost tethering software can connect Windows to the Web — with no added charges to your phone’s data plan.

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The full text of this column is posted at windowssecrets.com/top-story/use-your-smartphone-to-take-windows-online (paid content, opens in a new window/tab).

Columnists typically cannot reply to comments here, but do incorporate the best tips into future columns.[/td]

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I understand the article was specifically about physical tethering, however this requires a cable and an app. Android devices come standard with the ability to utilise the device’s data plan via a Portable Wi-Fi hotspot (which also enables sharing of the connection) and Bluetooth tethering (single private connection). I have used both the above methods with great success and to prove the point, I am using my Bluetooth tethering right now!

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There’s a Portable Wifi Hotspot option available for Windows Phone also. Works like a treat and has saved my bacon during DSL outages in the office. I think only Apple’s iPhone requires the physical cable connection to do this.

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There’s a Portable Wifi Hotspot option available for Windows Phone also. Works like a treat and has saved my bacon during DSL outages in the office. I think only Apple’s iPhone requires the physical cable connection to do this.

Apple iPhone provides a wireless hotspot.

Group "L" (Linux Mint)
with Windows 10 running in a remote session on my file server

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The smartphone tethering option is becoming more and more popular these days, especially for those who
travel for their living and use RV parks to live in. Most of the time the wifi in these places are weak and
cellular access will often give better speeds and reliability. Prices for this have usually been high, but they
are now starting to become more reasonable.

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As a quick web search [will reveal,

[Q] “What if I have an…unlimited data plan? Can I download an app and avoid the [xxx] tethering fee too?”

[A] Either your company has blocked tethering entirely or “nfortunately, the answer to this question is no…customers under the unlimited plan are required by the company’s terms of service to pay an additional fee to tether their device.”

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I use PDANet+ on my android phone.

It creates a Wifi hotspot using my phone’s wifi. I haven’t tested speeds, but I can’t imagine I would gain a whole lot using USB tethering. I can set it up password protected or open. From my computer, it looks just like any other wifi broadcast.

What’s nice is this is a free app (I think the free version has some volume limitations, the paid version does not), doesn’t require any kind of modification or payment to my provider plan. It takes about 45 seconds to set up on the phone.

Seems like a no brainer to me!

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I have a Motorola Droid 4 (Andriod-based) device with an unlimited data plan and now pay Verizon $30/month for tethering (Yikes!). Somewhere along the way I got the impression that anything other than the Verizon-furnished tethering plan was counter to my agreement for services with Verizon. Is that still the case? Any first hand experience?

I get the impression that Verizon is trying to move those of us who have grandfathered unlimited data plans to more restrictive data plans, and I don’t want to jeopardize my relationship with them.

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PLease be aware that JellyBean on Verizon breaks Easy Tether USB tethering….. you can still use bluetooth (used from phone to Nexus 7) but USB tethering is broken.

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I have a Google/LG Nexus 4 phone and this webpage https://support.google.com/nexus/4/answer/2812516?hl=en-CA describes how to use the phone for tethering. So, why complicate things with Easy Tether when Android already solves the problem??

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Thanks for the article. I tried Easy Tether and it worked great both on my Windows 7 laptop and Android Tablet. Suggestion: You might want to tell people that you need to get EasyTether for a Tablet in order to get the tablet to work with the app that goes on your smartphone. The tablet version uses Bluetooth only. It is probably a good idea to turn off USB tethering from within Easy Tethering and turn on Bluetooth tethering when using a tablet.

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Wow, the timing of Fred’s article is amazing. Because of some new options my employer is providing, I am looking to invest in a smartphone for the first time. I visited the friendly folks at Best Buy a few weeks ago, and one of their helpful cellphone reps, who appeared to be very knowledgeable, suggested that using a smartphone’s wi-fi to tether will degrade the phone’s longetivity. She wasn’t talking about the battery but, rather, that the phone itself will wear out sooner. That surprised me, but given that the phones are already relatively (for me) expensive, I would not want to have to replace it before the two-year contract expires. Does anyone here have any insight on that point? (She advised that, instead of using the phone’s wi-fi to provide the hotspot, I should buy the Jetpack device and pay Verizon the extra monthly fee to use it, but that was more than I wanted to spend.)

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dbale –

Go someplace other than that store. That person was just trying to sell you stuff you do not need — an additional box with an additional bill. Using tethering will not wear out your phone sooner. There might be other reasons for a separate device, such as being able to let someone else in your family take it someplace you (and your phone) won’t be. But wearing out the phone sooner? What malarkey!

Have fun: Ask the salesman for PROOF of their claim: A scientic study, a document from the phone MANUFACTURER (not the cellular provider), preferrably more than one. Watch them stammer and weasel. Then tell them you don’t do business with liars or incompetents and walk out.

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It’s not a physical tether solution, but if you have an iPhone (or maybe iPad too, not sure), http://www.tether.com is an option. Or, of course, paying for the tethering service from your cell phone provider.

An iPad would be nicer to use for this, as they have a MUCH bigger battery than a phone!

[UPDATE: Tether.com also support Blackberry and Android]

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Wow, the timing of Fred’s article is amazing. Because of some new options my employer is providing, I am looking to invest in a smartphone for the first time. I visited the friendly folks at Best Buy a few weeks ago, and one of their helpful cellphone reps, who appeared to be very knowledgeable, suggested that using a smartphone’s wi-fi to tether will degrade the phone’s longetivity. She wasn’t talking about the battery but, rather, that the phone itself will wear out sooner. That surprised me, but given that the phones are already relatively (for me) expensive, I would not want to have to replace it before the two-year contract expires. Does anyone here have any insight on that point? (She advised that, instead of using the phone’s wi-fi to provide the hotspot, I should buy the Jetpack device and pay Verizon the extra monthly fee to use it, but that was more than I wanted to spend.)

The only way using the phone’s wifi will wear out the phone is if it causes the phone to overheat, and you do it a lot. But that would only happen if there’s something already wrong with the phone.

Group "L" (Linux Mint)
with Windows 10 running in a remote session on my file server

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I’m a new member of the Lounge, but I go “way back” to the early ’90’s subscribing to Langalist. Think I was using AOL back then.

Anyway, in regards to this column. Fred I’ve had a cell modem for the laptop for 8 or 9 years with ATT being the carrier. If my cellphone can connect, so will the cell modem. The price has remained the same for all these years, and, when it’s time, I get a free modem upgrade, same as with the ‘Droid smart phone. And “No Batteries Required.”

Just wanted to point out another alternative.

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I’ve grown used to not getting much love as I’m still a Crackberry addict. I don’t really expect you to put your step by step instructions in the article for a BB, but after mentioning Blackberrys, you could at least have mentioned a place or two to find some software. The one I was using hasn’t seen fit to publish a version for BB 10 (yet).

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I don’t use an iPhone or Windows Phone, but it appears that tethering on those platforms requires either an added service from your phone provider or, in the case of iOS, jailbreaking

Wikipedia has served your wrong on two counts, at least with respect to the iphone.

iPhone Tethering is Built in, no Jailbreak required[/b]

“Tethering” has been built right into iOS since version 4.3, over 2 years ago. No addons required. It is called “Personal Hotspot,” and is insanely simple:

Settings > Cellular Data > Personal Hotspot > ON

That’s it. You can now connect via Wifi, Bluetooth, or USB. (If you want to connect by USB, your computer must have iTunes installed. When you connect, the network will be detected and set up automaticallly.)

You can turn it on/off by going to Settings > Personal Hostpot. You can also set up a password for wireless use.

Carrier plan add-on requirement not specific to iPhone

The need for an add-on service depends on your plan, and is not device specific.

For example, ATT has the SAME rules for Android and iPhone. Some plans require an add-on, some do not. See http://www.att.com/esupport/article.jsp?sid=KB102856&cv=820&title=An%20overview%20of%20device%20tethering#fbid=gRHJwJFmkn3

On Android, if you have a plan that does not include tethering, you can do what is described in the WS article, but you will be in violation of the agreement.

The main difference with iPhones is that, with OS-level support, the carrier can enforce the rules. This means that it is harder to cheat on an iPhone — which is why you may read about jailbreaking to tether.

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I fyou have a grandfathered unlimited data plan, the carriers do not allow you to tether. So it depends on how long you’ve been a subscriber.

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I just wanted to add my $.02 worth.

When I read Fred’s article I was really interested because I was building a desktop from spare parts but it was too far from my router for my long Ethernet cable to reach, so I installed Easytether on My Galaxy S3 and on the desktop. Everything worked fine and I was able to download windows updates, and since my wifi was working my S3 used that instead of my cell connection.

I am also experimenting with Linux and installed the Linux version of Easytether and this setup also worked.

Also while i was doing some trouble shooting I discovered that my S3 has built in support for USB tethering (as well as Bluetooth) so there was no need for Easytether. I think someone else also mentioned this.

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