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As many of you are aware, the Thunderbolt offers USB Internet Connection mode. This allows you to connect your thunderbolt via USB to a PC and use the phones internet connection. This is similar to the WiFi tethering thats currently free for a limited time. Eventually Verizon will start charging for WiFi tethering, but I'm wondering if they have the ability to cut off (unless your pay) the Internet Connection mode once the promotion ends.
The difference I've noticed is that the WiFi tethering is an actual installed application (hence very easily controllable by VZW), whereas the Internet Connection mode is embedded into the operating system (evinced by the fact thats its in the menu options, as well as the option to change what type of connection you want when you plug the USB cable into your computer).
I think once the promotion ends for free WiFi tethering, the USB tethering will still work and remain free unless VZW pushes an update to non rooted phones preventing this?
I ask because I just switched from my Thunderbolt (very poor battery etc even when rooted) to a Droid Charge. I instantly noticed that when I check the settings for internet connection mode, its not 'integrated' in the same sense as the Thunderbolt. Instead, both the WiFi hotspot tethering, as well as USB tethering are in essence a 'third party' application, which upon being launched, present you with a message stating the ability to tether is free during the promotional period, and thereafter you will be charged for data usage.
Any input on this? It's a shame to see it completely changed on the Droid Charge.. Maybe Verizon missed out on the Thunderbolt and USB tethering will always be available for free? We shall see in the months to come.
I know the word of a VZW store associate isn't really worth anything, but, before I bought my ThunderBolt, I was told that wired tethering will go "under the radar", as long as the data usage "isn't too much". The rep directed me to download "PDANet" from Market for this functionality, and she didn't even know at the time that native wired tethering was present on the ThunderBolt.
Also pdanet has been removed from the market though you can just download the apk from their site and install it now. Also I have not herd of anything with verizon but i know AT&T did send out a message to all the people that were using free teathering apps on thier iphones a text messages letteing them know they would be charged if continuing use. I guess Cell companys can tell if your using them some how.
thetwiztidfreak said:
Also pdanet has been removed from the market though you can just download the apk from their site and install it now. Also I have not herd of anything with verizon but i know AT&T did send out a message to all the people that were using free teathering apps on thier iphones a text messages letteing them know they would be charged if continuing use. I guess Cell companys can tell if your using them some how.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ATT never sent me a text and I dont have a tether plan. I am a heavy barnacle user at work, makes my 4gclear look like a joke. My gf just got a fascinate(galaxy s), and it seems verizons has native blocked-ish. i rooted my boss's captivate (galaxy s), and he has no tether plan, and he uses USB tether at work everyday. He didnt get a message either. But my GFs natives /ad hoc make her go to the verizon web site.
I'm worried now about using my barnacle. It should be someting like. 3g free, pay for 4g, something lame like that, rather than be phonenazis.
dumb question, how do you use the USB tethering?
Sent from my thunderbolt 4G using Tapatalk
I doubt it has anything to do with app vs. built-in functionality... they can't "easily track it" just because it's an app. I think it would have to do with the way the packets are being routed, and I don't know *how* they're (supposedly) tracking it when you use wifi tethering, so I wouldn't be so sure they won't be able to track it via USB.
It could have to do with looking for packets for protocols that apps don't support (bittorrent?). I'm really not sure. Anybody know the details of how they can tell?
dbow32 said:
dumb question, how do you use the USB tethering?
Sent from my thunderbolt 4G using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
in settings - > wireless & networks at the bottom there is internet connection mode.
Just bringing this topic back up, but I tried this mode today, and I got a popup like this. It seems they can find out about ICM. I guess this sucks for those of us who thought we could get away with it.
what25 said:
Just bringing this topic back up, but I tried this mode today, and I got a popup like this. It seems they can find out about ICM. I guess this sucks for those of us who thought we could get away with it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This, my friend, is why god invented PDAnet.
Yep... Pdanet works flawlessly. Go find it, worth the leg work. It's not in the market, but still very easy to find and set up.
miketoasty said:
This, my friend, is why god invented PDAnet.
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Click to collapse
I don't use PDANet. I use Wireless Tether and then tunnel all traffic through an encrypted VPN, so Verizon has no way to identify the traffic. Also secures things on public WiFi.
nerozehl said:
then tunnel all traffic through an encrypted VPN,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you point me to a tutorial on how to set up the vpn part of this?
I've already got wireless tether installed and working.
zxsix said:
Can you point me to a tutorial on how to set up the vpn part of this?
I've already got wireless tether installed and working.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What O/S are you running on your server? If you're running FreeBSD, I'll gladly give you the configuration scripts/files I'm using.
nerozehl said:
What O/S are you running on your server? If you're running FreeBSD, I'll gladly give you the configuration scripts/files I'm using.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No server of my own. Windows 7 x64 machine.
I think my router has vpn capability. I'll play with that.
Normally I use PPTP and L2TP/IPsec VPNs for work, but I used OpenVPN instead since it's easier to use and doesn't require too much server-side work. It's natively supported in CM7 and you can get a binary of openvpn with a nice GUI on the market, if you're using Froyo or the new GB leak.
Make sure your phone's kernel supports TUN/TAP. If enough people care about setting up tunnelling, I'll make a post somewhere with a full tutorial.
Here are some of my configuration files (FreeBSD 8.2-RELEASE)
/usr/local/etc/openvpn/openvpn.conf:
Code:
# OpenVPN configuration on Mephisto
# Up/Down Scripts
up /usr/local/etc/openvpn/up.sh
down /usr/local/etc/openvpn/down.sh
# Bridge/Adapter and UDP/IP settings
server-bridge 10.4.11.10 255.255.255.0 10.4.11.200 10.4.11.220
port 1194
proto udp
dev tap0
keepalive 10 120
comp-lzo
# Force all-traffic tunneling and push a DNS server
push "redirect-gateway def1"
push "dhcp-option DNS 67.19.72.206"
# Certificate locations
dh /usr/local/etc/openvpn/keys/dh2048.pem
ca /usr/local/etc/openvpn/keys/ca.crt
cert /usr/local/etc/openvpn/keys/server.crt
key /usr/local/etc/openvpn/keys/server.key
# De-escalate permissions
user nobody
group nobody
# Logging information
status /usr/local/etc/openvpn/openvpn-status.log
verb 4
mute 20
/usr/local/etc/openvpn/up.sh: (chmod +x)
Code:
#!/bin/sh
# xl0 is the ethernet NIC on this server
/sbin/ifconfig bridge0 create
/sbin/ifconfig bridge0 addm xl0 addm $dev up
/sbin/ifconfig $dev up
/usr/local/etc/openvpn/down.sh: (chmod +x)
Code:
#!/bin/sh
/sbin/ifconfig bridge0 deletem $dev
/sbin/ifconfig bridge0 destroy
/sbin/ifconfig $dev destroy
/etc/rc.conf: (snippet to show what you need to add for OpenVPN)
Code:
gateway_enable="YES"
if_tap_load="YES"
openvpn_enable="YES"
openvpn_if="tap"
openvpn_configfile="/usr/local/etc/openvpn/openvpn.conf"
openvpn_flags="--script-security 2"
Make sure the following kernel states are enabled:
Code:
net.inet.ip.forwarding: 1
net.inet.ip.fastforwarding: 1
These files are for FreeBSD, but the configurtion file should work on any implementation.
I take it apps like barnacle and wireless tether go undected right?
Sent from Desire HD or Inspire 4G or whatever this thing is called via premium XDA app.
lrs421 said:
I take it apps like barnacle and wireless tether go undected right?
Sent from Desire HD or Inspire 4G or whatever this thing is called via premium XDA app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So far i didn't get notices while using wireless tether. Never used barnacle tether though.
I remember reading somewhere about a 3G phone on Verizon that when you turn on the native hotspot app, the NAI used by the phone to obtain an IP address for your networked devices, and subsequently service the IP requests for those devices, is made through a DIFFERENT NAI than the phone when you are making requests from your mobile phone.
There must also be some other differences. Recall a while ago in the general forum someone made a complaint about their Thunderbolt mobile browsers being unable to access images from imgur.com. I experienced the same issue. The REALLY wierd thing though is that if I turned on hotspot and went on my laptop through the hotspot, I COULD see images on imgur.com. This means that native wifi hotspot also sends you to a different DNS server than internet requests made through the phone.
It would be interesting to see at what level that happens in the application/operating system/radio stack. It's possible (likely even probable) that wired tether apps specifically like PDAnet somehow work around these differences. If the NAI is spoofed or if the requests are masked to look like they are coming from an application on the phone, I don't see how it is possible for Verizon to know the difference, or ever limit it. They would have to do deep packet inspection and see what you are doing with your internet traffic at the application level, which I think would be much more trouble than it is worth, not to mention bordering on illegal.
tl;dr: I don't think Verizon can ever stop PDAnet.
I know that so far I have not had any issues on my Dinc using both the wired and wifi tethering native in OpenVPN. If verizon gets too smart about it all I will just set up a VPN to hide everything from them even more
I believe the native browser on the thunderbolt didn't give you the option of being recognized as a mobile browser or desktop browser, which could affect the way certain websites will show.
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App
Hi guys (girls?. I had problem to tether with my verizons d2g, running stock GB update 606. I'm in central europe running on gsm/edge. I've tried plenty of tether applications/widgets but non of them works. Is there some workaround which works?
There's a tethering hack for the droid 3
It should word for droid 2 G
Sent from my DROID2 GLOBAL using XDA App
Have you tried the built-in tethering app? It always worked for me great. May depend on your operator though.
Yes, I have tried original tethering application, also I tryied other tethering application which I found marked as working workaround - newer version of tethering.
On other side leobg - are you using gb or froyo? becasue as I checked, I'm not alone who have those problems.
The built-in app somehow doesn't work for me. Sure, it assigns IP addresses and such, but there's no traffic whatsoever.
You can try this workaround that functions state-side to bypass Verizon's blocking screen:
Start the built-in tethering app
Dial *#*#4636#*#*
Go into "Phone information"
Scroll to bottom and toggle "Turn off radio" until it turns off. Then turn it back on, connect your device and with luck, you'll be tethered.
idk if its the same as tethering or what you wanna do, but if you are rooted, look in the marketplace for an app called 'barnacle wifi tether'. it is a free app that turns your phone into a mobile hotspot
(hope this works, since im currently having issues with superuser and this app since i did the ota gb update )
Now did that actually work with the gb update? Or did you get stuck at the verizon "buy our 20 buck a month data package" like i usually get when i use that program.
No I didn't get barnacle to work on GB so I went back to froyo too. But now my bluetooth won't work
Sent from my DROID2 GLOBAL using XDA App
The builtin app works perfectly, android wireless tether works too choosing the droidX (not droid2) profile.
Afaik the Verizon lock has nothing to do with GSM tethering.
Was just wondering if anyone knew what if any repercussions there would be using the Wifi Hotspot and USB tether app from SVTP (from the Android Market) on a non-rooted Verizon GN. The app works great and was quick to setup but I am interested to know if I will be automatically popped into a Mobile Hotspot plan (which I do not have now) if I use it.
That being said would it make more sense to root my phone to circumvent these potential charges?
Any help would be much appreciated.
Thank you in advance.
Verizon has recently adopted new changes in how it monitors for tethering and when unauthorized tethering is detected it redirects you to a verizon web page on how to order a tethering package. I have heard PDA net still works, you might want to check out Koush's tether app, reported to be undetectable.
I say either way root your phone, then load a custom rom many of them have work arounds for wifi tethering
so just so i can verify. i tried out the svtp tehter app. and it changes the name of your tether id. its not an actual tehter app just gives you access to the hotspot app already baked in android. its more for verizon users that have the app disabled. ANYWAY suddenly i dont get the upsell page. so just to make sure (because the app is $15) i uninstalled and ran native tether and still no upsell page. so i tried it on my wifes phone (just changing the name of the tether), keep in mind my wifes phone is completely virgin so its not rooted, and BAM it works on that one too. so if anyone has time to try this out to confirm it for me or maybe i just flooked out twice lol
Edit: decided to just buy the app but it didn't work after the few times I changed the names manually on the phone so I just returned it. Changed the title to a question to stop confusion. Maybe someone else made more progress.
T-Mobile sucks for this crap
BTW im using chrome now and tried it in IE both got through
also its not tied to the name. just change it tether and change it back and the page is still gone. just got and upsell text but i usually get 2-5 before seeing the page and thats after i stop the tether and re-enable it later.
never mind upsell page is back but it did last a bit
One thing which was working for me up until a few days ago, was using Firefox Aurora (an alpha, but very stable, way more than nightlies). But at random that stopped working. Of course I installed some updates so IE 10 would work on W7 and it was after that I was blocked on FF. One other thing to note is that I can run a torrent client with no issues, so if it's possible to route a web browser through a different port, that would also work.
Sent from my LG-P999 using xda premium
thank for the reply. im wondering if there is a way to hide the tether SSID from tmobile or even make it dynamic name. honestly im trying to get all my free DLC for Halo 4 on my xbox and its driving me nuts lol. the way i figure that tmobile blocks us is that they packet sniff and when there is X amount of data flowing through a port then that is when they flag your ssid (or hash tag) and sends the upsell page. im not claiming to know anything about network security but that is how it seems to be. im going to see if i can change the port that tether uses to send and receive, as you said torrenting works with no problem as does mine but they also dont use a UA to work. that is really the only way for them to find out you are tethering, otherwise they would be blocking normal traffic from our phones.
why dont you guys just use a user agent extension and choose safari? works perfect for me.
khanh1289 said:
why dont you guys just use a user agent extension and choose safari? works perfect for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
that is what im using now but my xbox wont connect for updates, it did before i got the upsell page
well t-mobile block tethering based on devices they have set up to use their towers. So you have to "masked" it as another device. If Xbox, or IE explorer (I'm assuming this is what Xbox uses) is on their blocked devices list, then you can't use the internet from their towers. Is it possible for you to download the update on a usb drive then update it through that? Sorry, I don't own an xbox so I don't know.
get fox fi app and use the proxy add on and connect through the proxy and they can not detect it.
You can download the updates but only major ones like ui updates not fixes or security sweeps. And if I don't at least do the security sweeps I can't play some of my downloaded games because this isnt the original Xbox I downloaded them to. I have tried foxfi with no luck. Perhaps you have a better tutorial I could use?
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium
Why don't you tether your phone to your computer then hook your Xbox's Ethernet cable into your computer and bridge the connection between the Ethernet connection to the Xbox and the tethered connection? Would that work?
Sent from my LG-P999 using xda app-developers app
i would if i could. But i have the unique problem that the only phone signal i get is in my window, the complete other side of the room of my 360. i cant get a repeater from tmobile because its not my house and i dont have $600+ to spend on one without a contract. i also dont have a 30ft ethernet cable.
projectzro said:
so just so i can verify. i tried out the svtp tehter app. and it changes the name of your tether id. its not an actual tehter app just gives you access to the hotspot app already baked in android. its more for verizon users that have the app disabled. ANYWAY suddenly i dont get the upsell page. so just to make sure (because the app is $15) i uninstalled and ran native tether and still no upsell page. so i tried it on my wifes phone (just changing the name of the tether), keep in mind my wifes phone is completely virgin so its not rooted, and BAM it works on that one too. so if anyone has time to try this out to confirm it for me or maybe i just flooked out twice lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What is this upsell page? Do you see this when you use the portable Wi-Fi hotspot, or just when doing USB tethering? I heard about a year ago that T-Mobile would be charging $15/mo for these capabilities. I do not pay for it, but I still use my phone as a hotspot once-in-a-while. In-fact, I am using it right now! BTW... I am on a "Classic 1000 Ulimited Plus" package that does not show the"Mobile HotSpot Service" of the "Ulimited Premium" plan. I use CM7 based ROMs. I use the hotspot functionality that's already in CM7 based Temasek135.2.
Xura08 said:
Why don't you tether your phone to your computer then hook your Xbox's Ethernet cable into your computer and bridge the connection between the Ethernet connection to the Xbox and the tethered connection? Would that work?
Sent from my LG-P999 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That would cause DNS translation issues.
G2x-CM7 Nightly 11/25/12 Build, Trinity ELP Kernel
I just did this to help a friend out with his upsell page problem. Use chrome and then add the add on User agent switcher to mask as an android device. https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/user-agent-switcher-for-c/djflhoibgkdhkhhcedjiklpkjnoahfmg
@projectzro I feel your pain I was up in Rochester this summer and Tmo signal sucks there
I don't have any problems other than this house lol. Its the freekiest thing, if you look at the network map for all services this house is a black hole all the way to the drive way. I do use the user agent changer but its for my Xbox so it can update.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium
I've been using the user agent switcher since the new unlimited plan with no issues till 3 weeks ago.everything works fine between Firefox and chrome except I can no longer watch YouTube videos. It has to be something between the agent and T-Mobile ( flash player?) because I can use a VPN and YouTube magicly works again. Other wise I get a black screen in the YouTube video that says error occurredlease try again later.
Would be nice if there was a hotspot app out there that would fix this without having to use agent switcher.
Sent from my G2X on life support.
Me too lol. If you go to the full site and right click and click on pop out it works
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium
outlawbiker said:
I've been using the user agent switcher since the new unlimited plan with no issues till 3 weeks ago.everything works fine between Firefox and chrome except I can no longer watch YouTube videos. It has to be something between the agent and T-Mobile ( flash player?) because I can use a VPN and YouTube magicly works again. Other wise I get a black screen in the YouTube video that says error occurredlease try again later.
Would be nice if there was a hotspot app out there that would fix this without having to use agent switcher.
Sent from my G2X on life support.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here's my guide to use tether on tmobile without the user agent switcher .
Xbox updates work with this method as well .
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2063043
I will try this thank you. Didn't realize they moves my thread. To Q and A
Sent from my LG-P999 using xda premium
This didn't work for me in fact it broke my g2x for an hour and a half :'( I'm on cm7 if that helps
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium
Hi guys,
I am loving the Nexus 5. I've ordered it, and should be here in 2 days. Only issue is, I need the program android-wifi-tether https://code.google.com/p/android-wifi-tether/ to be working on this phone.
You see, I have a data plan from my carrier which DOES NOT ALLOW you to tether = (. However, the program wifi tether works great to get around this. Previously I used to use an App called Fox-Fi which did something similar.
Currently I'm running a TW based Samsung S3, because WiFi Tether will only work on TW-based roms, not AOSP-based roms.
Do you think there is any chance to get WiFi Tether, (or similar) App that will work on the Google Nexus 5?
Thoughts?
It looks like the biggest requirement is Netfilter, which is essentially IP tables. Try installing IP tables, and see if the program will run. Otherwise, you can always use another tethering app like easytether, or another program (I know that there are loads out there). If you are rooted, it should not be much of a hassle to install.
Es Filexplorer will do it for you once rooted and a great file management app also
Thanks guys. I'll give it a shot once device is in my hands. Thanks.
Another method for this I use that sometimes works is to tether using the default app and just use a User Agent switch in google chrome for HTML traffic. My video games as well as spotify ETC work like normal I only need the UA switcher for traffic within the browser.
Wait, am I missing something here? OP, tethering is a standard feature in Nexus phones, esp now that Verizon is out of the equation.
Why can't you just use the built-in tethering? If it's an issue of your provider being able to track that, then I don't think any of the 3rd party tools are going to help. Typically, just a user-agent switcher can take care of the problem on the device that you're tethered to.
I'm dealing with this issue right now. I had a note 2 running macks rom on my sprint note 2 that let you hotspot free. The N5 tether/hotspot does not work. We need a work around..
Engineer4life said:
I'm dealing with this issue right now. I had a note 2 running macks rom on my sprint note 2 that let you hotspot free. The N5 tether/hotspot does not work. We need a work around..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My carrier has 2 data plans. 6gb for $30 gives you LTE and tether/hotspot. Or Unlimited LTE for $45 -but tether/hotspot is disabled/not allowed.
I'm on the $45 plan and built-in tether does not work. But the app "wifi-tether" gets around this and works Great!
The issue isn't user-agent. With built-in tether I can't even get a data signal. It will create the a dud Wi-Fi hotspot.
Let's hope IPTables works! I'm sure Bluetooth tether and USB tether may still work, but is much more annoying.
prettyha8 said:
My carrier has 2 data plans. 6gb for $30 gives you LTE and tether/hotspot. Or Unlimited LTE for $45 -but tether/hotspot is disabled/not allowed.
I'm on the $45 plan and built-in tether does not work. But the app "wifi-tether" gets around this and works Great!
The issue isn't user-agent. With built-in tether I can't even get a data signal. It will create the a dud Wi-Fi hotspot.
Let's hope IPTables works! I'm sure Bluetooth tether and USB tether may still work, but is much more annoying.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
which version of the wifi tether app did you use that works? It seems some versions are picky about some phones I just want to get everything I need for when my Nexus 5 arrives
orthonovum said:
which version of the wifi tether app did you use that works? It seems some versions are picky about some phones I just want to get everything I need for when my Nexus 5 arrives
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For my TW-based Samsung Galaxy S3, I used the file "wifi_tether_v3_4-experimental1.apk", then I changed the SSID and changed the WPA2-PSK phasephrase.
*** I think the trick was, if you did NOT change the default SSID or added a WPA2 password the App did not work. After you set a WPA2 password, you can then turn off encryption or change the SSID back to default.
But I don't think know if this will work for the Nexus 5. **Fingers-crossed!
bump
There is another thread with more discussion on this matter here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2512674
prettyha8 said:
The issue isn't user-agent. With built-in tether I can't even get a data signal. It will create the a dud Wi-Fi hotspot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is that the case on a Nexus device or something else? In theory my plan doesn't allow tethering, but I've never had an issue with the built-in hotspot. I'm just trying to figure out how your carrier would even know you were using a hotspot versus having data requests come from the phone itself. The traffic should look the same, for the most part.
bobalias said:
Is that the case on a Nexus device or something else? In theory my plan doesn't allow tethering, but I've never had an issue with the built-in hotspot. I'm just trying to figure out how your carrier would even know you were using a hotspot versus having data requests come from the phone itself. The traffic should look the same, for the most part.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe when you tether, your phone creates a secondary data connection pipe for tethering data. Apps like WiFi-Tether spoof this, and can even create an internal proxy server, such that all tethered data will look like on-device mobile browsing data.
My carrier let's me only create one data connection, thus tether is not allowed. However if I insert my SIM into a "MiFi device", then I can "share" the data connection, as only 1 data connection is being established.
I MIGHT BE WRONG, but this is what it looks like is happening in my findings. Hence the use of IPTABLES to re-route.
I'm not sure why AOSP-based custom Roms could never get WiFi tether working, but TouchWiz (TW) based roms could. I assume something in the kernel. However, I need this working badly.
Interesting, I'd never really given the process a detailed consideration but that sounds like a plausible explanation for both how they detect it, how they block it, and how software modifications let you get around it.
I am currently using wifi tether on evo lte on sprint, fine. Thinking of getting nexus 5. Will this app work on it? that link to the other thread was about tmobile and data plans and stock hotspot app. I am interested in wifi tether app with root. What are the settings to make this work on N5?
Thanks
Dungeon47 said:
There is another thread with more discussion on this matter here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2512674
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dig through this thread. Somewhere there's a post explaining what to do to stop your carrier from checking if you are tethering. It requires editing a database and changing the proxy to ipv4 instead of ipv6.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk