Database Info

[Q] Tether for a computer that is currently on a network WITHOUT internet access

Well, let me go over the situation and then I will explain in more detail. I know that this question is probably a bit technical and will probably require some knowledge of windows networking in order to tether with my Android. I'm trying to use usb tether from my Nexus one (froyo 2.2) running Rod R4 based off of Cyanogen R3. It works fine on any other computer. I'm trying to tether it to a Windows 7 corporate computer. I would like to get internet on a work computer . The pc at work is hooked to a inTRAnet and is firewalled, and IT is taking FOREVER to get my new login. Even though I don't have admin, I can easily run Firefox portable and hook up my Nexus to the pc with usb tether without a problem. Now HERE is the problem! Firefox keeps looking to the company network to access the internet as opposed to my Nexus usb tether. I have messed around in Firefox connection settings Tool>Options>Advanced>Network>Settings. Tried changing the proxy several times. I was able to stop Firefox from "looking" for internet on the company inTRAnet, but not able to redirect it to my Nexus usb tether. I have used Tmobile proxys and ports, I have used apps such as NetGenie Lite, NetTools,Network Discovery, Network Info II to attempt to find the necessary IP config to proxy, but no luck. Any help would be GREATLY appreciated! I have searched all over Google and XDA but I couldn't find anything even close to this situation. Thank you in advance for any help in the matter.

EDIT: Sorry, I didn't read your post all the way through, sorry. I'm not sure how you'd do that. I'm pretty sure you'd actually need admin to do it, the only way I can think of doing that would be to set your phone's connection as the default one in windows networking. As far as I know, Firefox asks windows what network interface to use. There MAY be a way to change it in the config files, but I don't know how you'd go about doing that (be careful if you're going to mess with them, or else you might break your FF install).

Well from what i know i dont think you would be able to get the computer to set up the virtual connection adapter in the network connections since you have no admin privileges on that computer, What you can however do is get another Portable USB drive or a blank cd-rom disc and set up/burn a live image of the Ubuntu distribution onto it.
(you can find many other live linux set up distributions though...but i prefer Ubuntu)
Then just boot into the BIOS device selection by restarting the computer, select the USB drive/cd-rom disc which contains the live image.
Once you are in the operating system, connect your phone let the system find the phone's network adapter connection and voila, you should have internet access.
This method is sort of a hassle, but would work for many people behind proxies, firewalls, etc in schools, government buildings, and etc.
Just ask if you need a more detailed explanation.

Cable Tethering on a Mac

Hey guys, I've been trying to figure out how to use Internet Connection Mode on my Thunderbolt and MacBook Pro. Every time when I plug TB to my mac and choose Internet Connection mode, I can see my Android device in Network preferences on my Mac but I have no idea which settings to put in. It clearly doesn't work out of the box, and I expected that.
I've been trying to research and figure out what the solution to this problem is, but had absolutely no luck. Do I need to install anything on a mac in order to get this to work? Any help is appreciated.
Thank you!

I remember this issue from my EVO, so it's probably the same. Macs for some reason or other can't use the USB tether on Android phone. It has something to do with how the USB driver in OSX is implemented.
It works in Windows after installing a driver. And, surprisingly, it works in Linux automatically.
For Mac the alternative is to use something like PDAnet or Easytether if you want to do USB tethering.

stoli412 said:
I remember this issue from my EVO, so it's probably the same. Macs for some reason or other can't use the USB tether on Android phone. It has something to do with how the USB driver in OSX is implemented.
It works in Windows after installing a driver. And, surprisingly, it works in Linux automatically.
For Mac the alternative is to use something like PDAnet or Easytether if you want to do USB tethering.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So there is no way to tether it on a MAC? That's a downer.
What needs to be installed on Windows 7 in order to use cable tether?
Thanks.

Just plug the phone in and install the drivers, it will then work in windows with the built in "internet connection mode", however i still use pdanet, easy and I like the built in sms agent

milan03 said:
So there is no way to tether it on a MAC? That's a downer.
What needs to be installed on Windows 7 in order to use cable tether?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Mac will need PDAnet or Easytether. The built-in option will not work.
On Windows, it will prompt you to install the drivers automatically.
I take back my "it just works" on Linux. It used to with my Evo, but I can't get the Thunderbolt to work at all.

Hey guys!
So is there no way to get a free usb tether of the 3g/4g internet on a mac computer? You would think all it would take would be to figure out the DHCP info that the TB requires. I could be wrong, but that is how I used to get my blackberries to tether to my macbook pro back in the day. If anyone has any info on this, I would appreciate it! I would love to be able to tether my TB to my iMac or mbp thru usb and have it be free and get the full speed that the TB can pull down. Also, it means Verizon has no way of detecting that you are tethering (after all the free Mobile Hotspot is only until May 15th). I need to use this as my main internet source. Hopefully they get 4g deployed to River Falls, WI soon. They have a little bit now on the north end of town, but it should be coming here soon!
Thanks again for all your guys' help
Long live xda

jjensen2 said:
Hey guys!
So is there no way to get a free usb tether of the 3g/4g internet on a mac computer? You would think all it would take would be to figure out the DHCP info that the TB requires. I could be wrong, but that is how I used to get my blackberries to tether to my macbook pro back in the day. If anyone has any info on this, I would appreciate it! I would love to be able to tether my TB to my iMac or mbp thru usb and have it be free and get the full speed that the TB can pull down. Also, it means Verizon has no way of detecting that you are tethering (after all the free Mobile Hotspot is only until May 15th). I need to use this as my main internet source. Hopefully they get 4g deployed to River Falls, WI soon. They have a little bit now on the north end of town, but it should be coming here soon!
Thanks again for all your guys' help
Long live xda
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure how Verizon wouldn't be able to detect that you're using Internet Connection Mode on their own phone. I hope you're right.

Verizon can definitely track that you're tethering - I use Easy Tether on my MacBook Pro and it works great

Could someone explain to me how they would know if you are tethering if you are not using their mobile hotspot application? If you tether with a rooted phone or use a cable tether with a 3rd party app, all Verizon should see is that data is being requested by the phone. The phone then uses the 3rd party app's api to direct the traffic to your laptop/computer, etc. The only indication you might be tethering Verizon should be able to see is the increased amount of bandwidth you are using every month. Someone please tell me if they have changed this on the TB because I think it would violate privacy laws as they have never been able to do this in the past. Thanks

I believe he was saying that Verizon can detect that you're tethering if you use the built-in functionality, even on a custom ROM.
They cannot detect it if you use a 3rd party app like PDAnet or Easytether, since that data appears to be coming from the phone itself.

How to connect Android to the internet via USB - New Reverse tether app

This is a new app, that allows you to reverse tether your android (access your computer's connection via usb).
It doesn't require any extra software, or windows installations, or ADB/debugging, or tech savviness, and your connection looks like 3G so that all your apps work seamlessly including Market, Downloads and Talk. it requires a rooted device.
As you can see the process is very simple and takes only a few seconds... the app is called Reverse Tether and it's on the android market now.

A new version has been released

thanks.....

Thanks for this. By any chance would this happen to work on USB Dongles? And how would you setup the connection?

I can't see why not. Just use the wizard that is integrated in the app to help you set it up. The best way to find out really is to try it yourself, worst case senario you uninstall it.

not working
Hi!
I'm trying to do this on a droid x with the Apex ROM. When I start the app, it says "Failed to start Tethering. Make sure this device supports or allows Tethering. Otherwise, you won't be able to use this app.
There's not a whole lot of instructions on how to do a 'usb reverse tether' out there with this app. I have my connection set to "PC Mode" and I'm running on osx. I have to imagine that there's something special that needs to be done on the PC end that the instructions just aren't saying...
Thanks

wiz561 said:
There's not a whole lot of instructions on how to do a 'usb reverse tether' out there with this app. I have my connection set to "PC Mode" and I'm running on osx.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You don't need any instructions. It's just one button you click it and it's supposed to connect you.
Maybe it's because you have your connection set to "PC MODE"??? Dunno.
On some phones like mine, when it's set to PC mode you can't do anything else with it. So try to turn off PC mode, if you can't then set it to debugging, that will turn off for sure.
You can also test if tethering works on your device by going to settings > wireless and network - and enabling Tethering yourself.

Just curious as to why you would need this?
The phone has WiFi and/or the network.

thanks
Thanks for the info. I'll have to try this. I guess I just have a hard time believing that you just plug the phone in the computer and it automagically works. I would imagine you would have to bridge usb0 or do something.
I tried to enable the 'tether' mode and the computer sees usb0, but that's about as far as I get with it.
As for why I'm doing it... I don't want to be mean, rude, or start anything, but because I have to. I get annoyed because most of the 'reverse tether' threads ask 'why' and 'why not just use wifi', instead of posting something useful. Here's the reason.
When I'm at work, I'm in the middle of nowhere. I get no cell signal, even if trying to use a wilson repeater. I also get no wifi, since the AP's are far away from me. I can't install my own AP because of policies, so what other option do I have? Either a BT PAN or a USB reverse tether. I'm kinda pissed about it and why Verizon won't install anything to get a signal. I'm paying 90 bucks a month and can't use my phone for 8 hours a day.

Once you enable tether, keep it on and try running the app again while it's on. Maybe that will work.
Also, sorry, yes there's a guide in the app that helps you set up your computer, but it's just sharing, a one time thing.. you don't need to bridge anything. But to get there you need to get tether option working.

daybis13 said:
Just curious as to why you would need this?
The phone has WiFi and/or the network.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why?
Not everyone have an unlimited mobile data plan. And if you have a limited plan, they're usually very expensive, so when you're at home or at work or at school why not spare your bytes and money?
And not everyone have access to WIFI or even need WIFI, it's silly to setup a WIFI network just for your phone. Besides, USB is musch faster, and more secure.
And since you're already connected to USB to recharge or sync, why not also have unlimited super fast internet for free?

RainZzz said:
Why?
Not everyone have an unlimited mobile data plan. And if you have a limited plan, they're usually very expensive, so when you're at home or at work or at school why not spare your bytes and money?
And not everyone have access to WIFI or even need WIFI, it's silly to setup a WIFI network just for your phone. Besides, USB is musch faster, and more secure.
And since you're already connected to USB to recharge or sync, why not also have unlimited super fast internet for free?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
agree... :thumbup::thumbup:
Sent from my PHONE

RainZzz said:
Why?
Not everyone have an unlimited mobile data plan. And if you have a limited plan, they're usually very expensive, so when you're at home or at work or at school why not spare your bytes and money?
And not everyone have access to WIFI or even need WIFI, it's silly to setup a WIFI network just for your phone. Besides, USB is musch faster, and more secure.
And since you're already connected to USB to recharge or sync, why not also have unlimited super fast internet for free?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I'm agree with RainZzz. This threads is useful. Thanks
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda premium

droid x
I'm wondering, has anybody got this working on a droid x with the Apex rom? I've just about tried everything. USB Tethering loads drivers in Windows and works fine. The reverse tethering app still says the same error message. I'm starting to wonder if it's not compatible with the dx.
Thanks!

Hey wiz561, have you by any chance tried the most recent version? It seems like your issue have been fixed according to What's New.
If you don't have access to update, you can dowload the Reverse Tether APK file from the developer's website.

Dongle Support
Not compatible with the Transformer Prime. Though I'd instantly donate if it would allow dongles to work.
My question earlier was referring to the compatibility of this app with 3G/4G dongles. I ask because aren't dongles required to connect first via their dashboard/software before sharing the internet via USB? If that's the case, how then would this app reverse tether the dongle's connection? Is there a settings page for these things?

I wonder if it doesn't work for some of us because we have a LAN connection instead a wifi router or ethernet cable connection as the app says...

bad.bad.bad, when you connect your dongle, aren't you supposed to see its own Network Adapter in your Network Connections? I mean that's how Windows works. So just follow the same steps but share that network adapter instead.
Same goes for Netagirl, an ethernet connection is a LAN connection. So whichever network adapter connects you to the internet, share it with your phone's network that is created by the app.

RainZzz said:
bad.bad.bad, when you connect your dongle, aren't you supposed to see its own Network Adapter in your Network Connections? I mean that's how Windows works. So just follow the same steps but share that network adapter instead.
Same goes for Netagirl, an ethernet connection is a LAN connection. So whichever network adapter connects you to the internet, share it with your phone's network that is created by the app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I think I made a mistake, my connection from my pc to my external modem, is not via ethernet but USB, so I don't know if that affects. And yes, I do exactly what you said and the app says that I have to respect trial's limitation, at every single hour I'd try =/

I wonder how much battery consumption will reduce using this over wifi tethering... gonna have to try it out. Thanks

[Q] wireless mobile hotspot hacking for android devices help.

Hi my name is jacob and I am a new on XDA and i have started a new thread because I have been all over the internet looking for a solution to this problem and none of them work. After i waved through all of the b******* i decided to come and see if any of you veterans can solve my problem.
i have been messing around with root and custom roms here recently maybe for a month and so far its great breathed new life into my old phone. Although I am having trouble with hacking my mobile phones hot spot (phone specifications and model listed below) i have tried everything wifi tether by TreVe, (hope I'm typing that right) changing tethering.dun in global settings database, (worked great until T-mobile eventually found me out) and everything else related to that. I am looking for a hack into my hot spot where T-mobile wont know s*** and it will work indefinitely. Reason why is I need internet for school and work purposes at home but, I live with my father and hes is on parole and can not have internet service at his home. I am a beginner but do have a little bit of sense in what I am doing if someone would kindly walk me through steps on how to completely unlock and hide my hot spot usage from T-mobile it would be greatly appreciated.
Also new thread for hacking native hot spot methods on any rooted android device.
My phone
Samsung Galaxy S2
carrier: T-mobile
model: SGH-T989 Hercules
no custom kernel (I understand I need some kind of net filter but can not find that online)
custom rom version: carbon 4.4.2 nightly
Thanks XDA community :good:

It won't be wireless, but PdaNet+ and USB tethering works just fine with a computer as long as you select the "hide tether usage" option. The program on the computer side also has a feature that turns your computer's wi-fi into a wi-fi router, which'll allow you to connect other devices.

Planterz said:
It won't be wireless, but PdaNet+ and USB tethering works just fine with a computer as long as you select the "hide tether usage" option. The program on the computer side also has a feature that turns your computer's wi-fi into a wi-fi router, which'll allow you to connect other devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes i have tried PDAnet and that does not work for my needs as i also play the occasional online game with my PS4 I forgot to mention that sorry. I have tried to send out a wifi signal from my computer through CMD on my computer and none of my devices pick it up even though CMD says the signal is going out also done this with ADhoc networks with a LAN cable but did not work either. Thanks for the suggestion :good: I probably should have went into more detail with my post but I did not want to make it to terribly long sorry.

Planterz said:
It won't be wireless, but PdaNet+ and USB tethering works just fine with a computer as long as you select the "hide tether usage" option. The program on the computer side also has a feature that turns your computer's wi-fi into a wi-fi router, which'll allow you to connect other devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
May it possibly hide my online gaming if I figure out a way to get reverse WiFi on my computer working will it still hide that or will it be detectable. I see my self as a somewhat computer buff but I put myself to shame when i cant get a reverse WiFi connection going from my computer. seems like a lot of trouble to go to for internet i wish there was a way to unlock native tethering and not jump through hoops. It would seem that it would be a simple fix and should also be free anyway since it is dealt with the phone's hardware not through the carrier american cell network providers are greedy that is like getting xfinity internet but before you can send internet to your devices you have to pay thirty dollars extra.

When you USB tether your phone to your computer with PdaNet+, all you have to do is select the "WiFi Share" option and set it up like any other hotspot (network name, password, etc). Couldn't be easier. I don't know how well this'll work for playing PS4 (or whatever) games, but I can use this setup to watch Netflix or youtube on my well enough.
There are ways to use the native hotspot on an Android phone, but all the "hacks" are done on the computer side. VPNs, browser masking, etc.

Planterz said:
When you USB tether your phone to your computer with PdaNet+, all you have to do is select the "WiFi Share" option and set it up like any other hotspot (network name, password, etc). Couldn't be easier. I don't know how well this'll work for playing PS4 (or whatever) games, but I can use this setup to watch Netflix or youtube on my well enough.
There are ways to use the native hotspot on an Android phone, but all the "hacks" are done on the computer side. VPNs, browser masking, etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i will try this method browser masking right now unfortunately don't have the money to buy a VPN maybe one of the ad supported free versions will suffice will report back tomorrow.

jacobis16 said:
i will try this method browser masking right now unfortunately don't have the money to buy a VPN maybe one of the ad supported free versions will suffice will report back tomorrow.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Method not working i still get the T-mobile up sell page through VPN's of all kind it masks the internet going through the computer but not the phone where the service originates. They still detect everything I am doing. I understand T-mobile has bots going through their lines that detects devices that are not mobile devices and shuts them down. If maybe there is a way to block T-mo completely from a mobile device and just sounds ridiculous but I know someone out there can find a way I have heard of peoples mobile data usage and their mobile hot spot gauge has not moved only mobile data was detected. I am not sure if this was false statements and was made up.

bump

Hi Jacob, I got my Note 3's native personal wifi hotspot connected to my ps4 with around 18Mbps Download and 6Mbps Upload, I adjusted the APN settings on my phone and managed to get around the data restriction.
I can post the exact settings I changed if you think it might work for you?

Working Options for Unlimited Tetherting, Hotspot, Carrier Check Bypass Methods

Some research into bypassing T-mobile’s tether restrictions reveals there are several things carriers can do to detect hotspot usage and block those packets:
-is hotspot data sent through a second anp?
-does carrier mark the packets coming through the wlan interface?
-do they filter by user agent strings?
-do they view the ttl?
-do they block urls that phones do not use?
-do they have a monitoring app pre-installed? (ex delete com.tmobile.pr via titanium backup)
Getting around these restrictions while using the native hotspot functionality requires work-arounds that I did not go far enough to successfully implement. One cannot by default edit the APNs for instance. I had to set up a duplicate, but theorize T-mobile was still routing to the hotspot APN I could not edit. With root access (which I have) it should be possible to achieve success, but I have found satisfactory non-root ways of achieving unlimited internet with MetroPCs (owned by T-mobile). I have, however, compiled a number of resources and may look back into what hacks must be used on the native app in the future. If anyone has a good guide on how you're getting hotspot with the Nougat LG V10 please post!
It stands to reason that one must use a non-native application to disguise the tether usage, or significantly modify the native one. After stalling with the mods, I pursued the non-native of attack and found (2) independent working ways to get unlimited tethered internet.
Wifi Tethering apps
I tried various wifi tether apps and without additional modifications or configuration I could not get them to work including:
-native hotspot (which works despite not having a hotspot plan, but t-mobile blocks)
-Wifi tether router by Fabio Grasso ($2.90) (requires root access)--(t-mobile was blocking the connection)—in discussion with developer on how to get working, will update. UPDATE: After back and forth with dev, he recommended using a VPN. His app does route the VPN through the hotspot connection if that feature is toggled. I have not tested. Potentially, changing the TTL of the computer may do something.
-Open Garden Wifi Tether—crashed when attempting to start service
Wifi Direct apps:
Wifi apps such as NetShare (red-themed play store entry is completely free, several paid versions) which use the native wifi direct functionality create a proxy server through which you can connect to via wifi. These DO WORK without additional modifications, but most native desktop apps on your computer cannot access the internet. All websites will load however. You have to set up your internet connection as through a proxy server on the client side but do not need to install additional software. A GOOD OPTION TO HAVE. I have found that one sometimes may need to stop and start the service to get it to give you internet access. The way I do it is start then quickly bring up the wifi menu, computer recognizes the network and connects quickly. If there is too much of a delay between starting and connecting via the client Netshare(Pro) doesn’t seem to work without a quick disable/enable afterwards.
USB tethering apps:
Rely on the phone’s native USB debugging feature in the hidden developer tools menu. (Go to about phone, software info, and tap on build repeatedly until enabled.) NO ROOT required. I tested Easy Tether ($9.99) and ClockWorkMod Tether ($4.99). Both worked well. PDAnet+ may also fall into this category but I have not researched. THIS IS MY PREFERRED METHOD so far. It is also possible to USB tether to certain types of wifi routers and thus get wifi for the home.
-There are PC, Mac, or Linux applications and drivers which must be installed on the computer side.
-Must have USB debugging enabled, and USB options set to Photo Transfer (Media Transfer does not work, and why I originally failed with ClockWorkMod…otherwise probably would have not pursued root!)
-These USB tether apps have the benefit of reducing the heat generated by your phone (no wifi signal generation), so runs cooler (think chips last longer) and uses less energy than when you have wifi hotspot enabled. For this reason, and for the phone being so handy when connected to my laptop, I actually prefer this method. Plus you have access to the pictures and DICM folders of internal storage so you can transfer stuff to the phone fairly immediately. To get full access, however, you’ll have to switch to MTTP mode, which on LG phones such as this V10 will break the internet connection. Other phones may not have this particular issue.
Bluetooth Tether apps:
Easy Tether and probably PDAnet+ support Bluetooth tether. With easy tether I wouldn’t suspect any issues at all using this.
Potential other methods WHICH SEEMED PROMISING, I sorted through a lot! For your inspiration:
-One youtuber mentioned using a desktop hospot application + PDAnet+ to get legit wifi hotspot functionality. The desktop PDAnet+ application apparently disguises the tethering operation. Video here: https://youtu.be/D98abWOkkQI
-Exposed framework and tether for rooted devices (did not try): https://highonandroid.com/android-a...n-rooted-android-att-t-mobile-sprint-verizon/
-Claims you’ll be able to tether any rooted android with this rooted wifi app and particular settings (similar to wifi tether router) https://highonandroid.com/android-a...android-smartphone-or-tablet-universal-guide/ (UPDATE: I tried, app is not compatible with the phone)
See comments section of this article for the below quotes: https://www.groovypost.com/howto/hide-data-usage-get-truly-unlimited-tethering-tmobile-one/
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
“The main issue I see people having is the lack of apn editing. This has been my setup for four years now
-Dd-wrt with iptables to edit the ttl value to 65 -Change TTL on windows PC to 65 so that it appears data is coming from the phone. (41 in hex = 65 in dec) https://social.technet.microsoft.co...o-live-ttl-in-windows?forum=w7itpronetworking
-Changed apn of hotspot to match the apn of normal mobile date. Doesn’t matter if you use fast.xxxx.com or alpha/beta BUT YOU CANT USE THE ORIGINAL HOTSPOT APN it’ll say mobile web or some ****. If you do you will be routed through their hotspot server and tracked. I’ve done this on iOS and android.
-FOR THE FOLKS THAT SAY THE VPN DOESNT WORK. Once again you MUST change the apn AND you have to make sure that your traffic is actually being routed through the VPN, in my experience on both android and iOS hotspot traffic bypass your phones VPN, and VPN on the router/computer traveling through the phone can be tracked if the phone isn’t the one using the VPN, to make it force traffic through the VPN I had to use the for data option in the tether me app on iOS. These things all work if you do it properly.”--Wifi tether router does have this VPN routing function but I have not tested.
"My COMBO works for me on T-Mobile unlimited.
Nexus 5x – rooted 6.01 with “settings put global tether_dun_required 0”
PLUS
Asus n31u router (w/ net.ipv4.ip_default_ttl = 65, bridge mod)
Works for Window 7 desktop and laptop, chromebook, and tablets. All about 80 Gigs last month”
“The TTLstands for “time to live” it is a counter on the data you send for its maximum hop count, or the number of devices it can travel through, for ever device it goes down by one, windows has a default TTL of 128, while Android has one of 64, if you change the TTL for windows to 65 when it gets to the phone the TTL will go down by one makeing it equal 64 the same as the phone. There are more adwanced way to do this so you can run a whole network off this by using a router with either DD-wrt, Tomatos or open-wrt or a dedicated pc running either pfsense, linux, or freebsd to act as a router and mangle the TTl on the fly, the benefits of this is it gets ALL of the data(windows seem to miss a small amount arohnd 5%) and its possible to edit the User agent in ways that dont mess up websites with squid and just appending the device.”

Reserved
For USB tether clients, ClockWorkMod seems to be programmed in a lower-level fashion and produce significantly less heat than running Easytether. I will be monitoring and update.

Arr123 said:
Some research into bypassing T-mobile’s tether restrictions reveals there are several things carriers can do to detect hotspot usage and block those packets:
-is hotspot data sent through a second anp?
-does carrier mark the packets coming through the wlan interface?
-do they filter by user agent strings?
-do they view the ttl?
-do they block urls that phones do not use?
-do they have a monitoring app pre-installed? (ex delete com.tmobile.pr via titanium backup)
Getting around these restrictions while using the native hotspot functionality requires work-arounds that I did not go far enough to successfully implement. One cannot by default edit the APNs for instance. I had to set up a duplicate, but theorize T-mobile was still routing to the hotspot APN I could not edit. With root access (which I have) it should be possible to achieve success, but I have found satisfactory non-root ways of achieving unlimited internet with MetroPCs (owned by T-mobile). I have, however, compiled a number of resources and may look back into what hacks must be used on the native app in the future. If anyone has a good guide on how you're getting hotspot with the Nougat LG V10 please post!
It stands to reason that one must use a non-native application to disguise the tether usage, or significantly modify the native one. After stalling with the mods, I pursued the non-native of attack and found (2) independent working ways to get unlimited tethered internet.
Wifi Tethering apps
I tried various wifi tether apps and without additional modifications or configuration I could not get them to work including:
-native hotspot (which works despite not having a hotspot plan, but t-mobile blocks)
-Wifi tether router by Fabio Grasso ($2.90) (requires root access)--(t-mobile was blocking the connection)—in discussion with developer on how to get working, will update. UPDATE: After back and forth with dev, he recommended using a VPN. His app does route the VPN through the hotspot connection if that feature is toggled. I have not tested. Potentially, changing the TTL of the computer may do something.
-Open Garden Wifi Tether—crashed when attempting to start service
Wifi Direct apps:
Wifi apps such as NetShare (red-themed play store entry is completely free, several paid versions) which use the native wifi direct functionality create a proxy server through which you can connect to via wifi. These DO WORK without additional modifications, but most native desktop apps on your computer cannot access the internet. All websites will load however. You have to set up your internet connection as through a proxy server on the client side but do not need to install additional software. A GOOD OPTION TO HAVE. I have found that one sometimes may need to stop and start the service to get it to give you internet access. The way I do it is start then quickly bring up the wifi menu, computer recognizes the network and connects quickly. If there is too much of a delay between starting and connecting via the client Netshare(Pro) doesn’t seem to work without a quick disable/enable afterwards.
USB tethering apps:
Rely on the phone’s native USB debugging feature in the hidden developer tools menu. (Go to about phone, software info, and tap on build repeatedly until enabled.) NO ROOT required. I tested Easy Tether ($9.99) and ClockWorkMod Tether ($4.99). Both worked well. PDAnet+ may also fall into this category but I have not researched. THIS IS MY PREFERRED METHOD so far. It is also possible to USB tether to certain types of wifi routers and thus get wifi for the home.
-There are PC, Mac, or Linux applications and drivers which must be installed on the computer side.
-Must have USB debugging enabled, and USB options set to Photo Transfer (Media Transfer does not work, and why I originally failed with ClockWorkMod…otherwise probably would have not pursued root!)
-These USB tether apps have the benefit of reducing the heat generated by your phone (no wifi signal generation), so runs cooler (think chips last longer) and uses less energy than when you have wifi hotspot enabled. For this reason, and for the phone being so handy when connected to my laptop, I actually prefer this method. Plus you have access to the pictures and DICM folders of internal storage so you can transfer stuff to the phone fairly immediately. To get full access, however, you’ll have to switch to MTTP mode, which on LG phones such as this V10 will break the internet connection. Other phones may not have this particular issue.
Bluetooth Tether apps:
Easy Tether and probably PDAnet+ support Bluetooth tether. With easy tether I wouldn’t suspect any issues at all using this.
Potential other methods WHICH SEEMED PROMISING, I sorted through a lot! For your inspiration:
-One youtuber mentioned using a desktop hospot application + PDAnet+ to get legit wifi hotspot functionality. The desktop PDAnet+ application apparently disguises the tethering operation. Video here: https://youtu.be/D98abWOkkQI
-Exposed framework and tether for rooted devices (did not try): https://highonandroid.com/android-a...n-rooted-android-att-t-mobile-sprint-verizon/
-Claims you’ll be able to tether any rooted android with this rooted wifi app and particular settings (similar to wifi tether router) https://highonandroid.com/android-a...android-smartphone-or-tablet-universal-guide/ (UPDATE: I tried, app is not compatible with the phone)
See comments section of this article for the below quotes: https://www.groovypost.com/howto/hide-data-usage-get-truly-unlimited-tethering-tmobile-one/
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“The main issue I see people having is the lack of apn editing. This has been my setup for four years now
-Dd-wrt with iptables to edit the ttl value to 65 -Change TTL on windows PC to 65 so that it appears data is coming from the phone. (41 in hex = 65 in dec) https://social.technet.microsoft.co...o-live-ttl-in-windows?forum=w7itpronetworking
-Changed apn of hotspot to match the apn of normal mobile date. Doesn’t matter if you use fast.xxxx.com or alpha/beta BUT YOU CANT USE THE ORIGINAL HOTSPOT APN it’ll say mobile web or some ****. If you do you will be routed through their hotspot server and tracked. I’ve done this on iOS and android.
-FOR THE FOLKS THAT SAY THE VPN DOESNT WORK. Once again you MUST change the apn AND you have to make sure that your traffic is actually being routed through the VPN, in my experience on both android and iOS hotspot traffic bypass your phones VPN, and VPN on the router/computer traveling through the phone can be tracked if the phone isn’t the one using the VPN, to make it force traffic through the VPN I had to use the for data option in the tether me app on iOS. These things all work if you do it properly.”--Wifi tether router does have this VPN routing function but I have not tested.
"My COMBO works for me on T-Mobile unlimited.
Nexus 5x – rooted 6.01 with “settings put global tether_dun_required 0”
PLUS
Asus n31u router (w/ net.ipv4.ip_default_ttl = 65, bridge mod)
Works for Window 7 desktop and laptop, chromebook, and tablets. All about 80 Gigs last month”
“The TTLstands for “time to live” it is a counter on the data you send for its maximum hop count, or the number of devices it can travel through, for ever device it goes down by one, windows has a default TTL of 128, while Android has one of 64, if you change the TTL for windows to 65 when it gets to the phone the TTL will go down by one makeing it equal 64 the same as the phone. There are more adwanced way to do this so you can run a whole network off this by using a router with either DD-wrt, Tomatos or open-wrt or a dedicated pc running either pfsense, linux, or freebsd to act as a router and mangle the TTl on the fly, the benefits of this is it gets ALL of the data(windows seem to miss a small amount arohnd 5%) and its possible to edit the User agent in ways that dont mess up websites with squid and just appending the device.”
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I recently been looking into this as well. I've currently been using the new pdanet with with wifi direct but it seem to be hit or miss when getting a internet connection when using the proxy method. I have a few devices where i cant install the interface so im looking for reliable method
Few scenarios im looking at. The first one you cover quite a bit, was wondering if your using IPV4 or IPV6 with your different apn settings? 2nd scenario is being able to tether when connected to wifi like from a hotel and being able to pass that to other devices and the 3rd is being able to pass along a vpn connection if connected to free wifi places

Sorry for the necropost, I just wanted to point out that currently the only method you can use to hide tethering from T-mo is PDANet with it's "Hide Tether Usage" feature.
All other methods are detected and if you have tethering, will count against your tethering allotment.

majikfox said:
Sorry for the necropost, I just wanted to point out that currently the only method you can use to hide tethering from T-mo is PDANet with it's "Hide Tether Usage" feature.
All other methods are detected and if you have tethering, will count against your tethering allotment.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the heads up. Just wanted to make sure since I wanted to try the TTL method, but that is also blocked by T-Mobile correct?

TTL 65 didn't work on my computers, but 85 and 99 did. So don't be afraid to try different things.
However, the phone should be able to modify the TTL before it forwards the packet. How is there not an app that does this, or is there a setting or hack we can do to make it change the TTL as it passes through the phone?
edit: have searched more and learned some apps do, but they don't work on my phone. Not sure why.

I have metro pcs with 15gb of hotspot data.. i run out every month.. once my data runs out i use hotspotvpn. A free app on the google play store and it works for everything.. been doing it for months..never had any issues

CHEEF WALKING-FROG said:
I have metro pcs with 15gb of hotspot data.. i run out every month.. once my data runs out i use hotspotvpn. A free app on the google play store and it works for everything.. been doing it for months..never had any issues
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which one do you use? I saw a few that had the same name

Same here metro
13crigby said:
Which one do you use? I saw a few that had the same name
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Im also wondering which app you're referring to. Theres quite a few with that name

CHEEF WALKING-FROG said:
I have metro pcs with 15gb of hotspot data.. i run out every month.. once my data runs out i use hotspotvpn. A free app on the google play store and it works for everything.. been doing it for months..never had any issues
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Let me third the request. I just clocked through 8 or 9 different apps with that name. Who is the publisher?
Thanks!

Bypass With Termux
I've done this for ever and it's not going to be restricted to who you have but it will 100 percent get around any data throttling.
Download Termux app and install openssh-server on it. Go ahead and hotspot your phone, then run ifconfig inside Termux to get your current tethering local IP. It will be the only 192. spit out when you run ifconfig. Save this. Run sshd -dD inside Termux which starts an openssh server waiting to be connected to in debug mode to audit traffic. Now pop onto a PC or router you can SSH into, whatever and connect it to your hotspot from your phone. Now SSH tunnel all the traffic from the device back through the openssh server your running on the Termux app. Now that you are on the same local network you can SSH tunnel into that IP address you saved earlier. As long as you make sure all your traffic passes through the tunnel it 100 percent shows that all your internet is being used by Termux app not your hotspot app so you need no other spoofing of hops or anything because to your phone and carrier you are just using a bunch of data in termux, you do it right you will never be throttled I've used 150GB data multiple times.
Step by step > https://github.com/RiFi2k/unlimited-tethering

RiFi2k said:
I've done this for ever and it's not going to be restricted to who you have but it will 100 percent get around any data throttling.
Download Termux app and install openssh-server on it. Go ahead and hotspot your phone, then run ifconfig inside Termux to get your current tethering local IP. It will be the only 192. spit out when you run ifconfig. Save this. Run sshd -dD inside Termux which starts an openssh server waiting to be connected to in debug mode to audit traffic. Now pop onto a PC or router you can SSH into, whatever and connect it to your hotspot from your phone. Now SSH tunnel all the traffic from the device back through the openssh server your running on the Termux app. Now that you are on the same local network you can SSH tunnel into that IP address you saved earlier. As long as you make sure all your traffic passes through the tunnel it 100 percent shows that all your internet is being used by Termux app not your hotspot app so you need no other spoofing of hops or anything because to your phone and carrier you are just using a bunch of data in termux, you do it right you will never be throttled I've used 150GB data multiple times.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is amazing. How do I use my Windows PC to connect to the openSSH server to create the traffic tunnel? Also, how do I force my Windows 10 traffic through the tunnel?
I am guessing with Putty and then setup SSH proxy in a browser to force traffic? Won't that only allow browser based traffic through the tunnel and not all traffic from the Windows computer?

VICosPhi said:
This is amazing. How do I use my Windows PC to connect to the openSSH server to create the traffic tunnel? Also, how do I force my Windows 10 traffic through the tunnel?
I am guessing with Putty and then setup SSH proxy in a browser to force traffic? Won't that only allow browser based traffic through the tunnel and not all traffic from the Windows computer?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So I am an everyday linux user and for me personally I use sshuttle to route everything back through the tunnel because it already handles the TCP over TCP problem because the guy that wrote it is a boss. This here explains that.
If I was on windows I would go with their vagrant solution because then you get the benefit of sshuttle and all your responsible for is making sure all traffic goes through the VM. Also you could use something like proxycap and putty works as well although I guess it's slow people have said.
Browser traffic can be handled with SOCKS proxies.
I feel like it's a pretty great solution overall and can benefit some people so I started a repo and I'll fully document how it works, I'm just too tired tonight so keep an eye out https://github.com/RiFi2k/unlimited-tethering and I'll step by step linux and windows for everyone as much as possible, plus if anyone else has scripts and whatnot feel free to contribute.

RiFi2k said:
So I am an everyday linux user and for me personally I use sshuttle to route everything back through the tunnel because it already handles the TCP over TCP problem because the guy that wrote it is a boss. This here explains that.
If I was on windows I would go with their vagrant solution because then you get the benefit of sshuttle and all your responsible for is making sure all traffic goes through the VM. Also you could use something like proxycap and putty works as well although I guess it's slow people have said.
Browser traffic can be handled with SOCKS proxies.
I feel like it's a pretty great solution overall and can benefit some people so I started a repo and I'll fully document how it works, I'm just too tired tonight so keep an eye out https://github.com/RiFi2k/unlimited-tethering and I'll step by step linux and windows for everyone as much as possible, plus if anyone else has scripts and whatnot feel free to contribute.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks a lot, will read up on this. Adding your github to my bookmarks as well. :good:

RiFi2k said:
I've done this for ever and it's not going to be restricted to who you have but it will 100 percent get around any data throttling.
Download Termux app and install openssh-server on it. Go ahead and hotspot your phone, then run ifconfig inside Termux to get your current tethering local IP. It will be the only 192. spit out when you run ifconfig. Save this. Run sshd -dD inside Termux which starts an openssh server waiting to be connected to in debug mode to audit traffic. Now pop onto a PC or router you can SSH into, whatever and connect it to your hotspot from your phone. Now SSH tunnel all the traffic from the device back through the openssh server your running on the Termux app. Now that you are on the same local network you can SSH tunnel into that IP address you saved earlier. As long as you make sure all your traffic passes through the tunnel it 100 percent shows that all your internet is being used by Termux app not your hotspot app so you need no other spoofing of hops or anything because to your phone and carrier you are just using a bunch of data in termux, you do it right you will never be throttled I've used 150GB data multiple times.
Step by step > https://github.com/RiFi2k/unlimited-tethering
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Had any user tried this already and confirm that it works with metropcs?
Pdanet+ documentation details that only usb tether+hide tether usage works with metropcs. It took me a while to go around all of it, but I haven't tested due to I want to switch carriers to metropcs.

RiFi2k said:
I've done this for ever and it's not going to be restricted to who you have but it will 100 percent get around any data throttling.
Download Termux app and install openssh-server on it. Go ahead and hotspot your phone, then run ifconfig inside Termux to get your current tethering local IP. It will be the only 192. spit out when you run ifconfig. Save this. Run sshd -dD inside Termux which starts an openssh server waiting to be connected to in debug mode to audit traffic. Now pop onto a PC or router you can SSH into, whatever and connect it to your hotspot from your phone. Now SSH tunnel all the traffic from the device back through the openssh server your running on the Termux app. Now that you are on the same local network you can SSH tunnel into that IP address you saved earlier. As long as you make sure all your traffic passes through the tunnel it 100 percent shows that all your internet is being used by Termux app not your hotspot app so you need no other spoofing of hops or anything because to your phone and carrier you are just using a bunch of data in termux, you do it right you will never be throttled I've used 150GB data multiple times.
Step by step > https://github.com/RiFi2k/unlimited-tethering
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey bro!! Thank you !!
This is great idea, I would try it on my country to see if this works

myself379 said:
Hey bro!! Thank you !!
This is great idea, I would try it on my country to see if this works
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For sure! See the nice thing about this method is that your phone doesn't register any of the data used as coming from the tethering app, it 100% all gets attributed to the Termux app because of the SSH tunnel. So basically there is no way for anyone at your carrier to know, or prove that you actually were tethering at all. If you open up the apps section and check out the part where it shows you how much data each app used you will see what I mean. So basically it really doesn't matter what country / carrier / phone you have, as long as you have access to be able to tether and you have a computer you can use for the SSH tunnel it's impossible for them to throttle you because they can't prove you actually used the data tethering. When you read the fine print about them throttling it basically says the same thing, if they can't definitively prove the data came from tethering it doesn't go on your tethering cap.

Hello RiFi2k,
OK, thanks for the information. I'm trying to translate this into a windows environment(Windows 10 phone and PC).
Here is what I have so far, but a few of your points are unclear. A little clarity would be fantastic.
Translation for Windows 10 phone
Since, I'm on a windows phone there is no Termux app. I guess Termux is used to install the SSH server and gain access to a command prompt, correct?
1. Ok since openssh server is built into the windows phone OS and I can access the command prompt via putty, I should be fine, right.
2. Generate key pair and stored public key on phone. Working fine.
3. Hotspot connection to phone.
4. Run ipconfig(windows) on phone or local machine. On local machine, gateway address is the needed ip, same as hotspot address on phone.
5. SSH Server is started on phone once the phone is placed in development mode.
Can't put server in debug mode on phone, but I'm pretty certain that it's hard coded to listen on port 22.
6. Your instructions on github.com have duplicated the step number 5, which should be 6 and I am having a little trouble sorting through it.
7. I guess the only way to tunnel to the phone is to run a putty session from the Windows machine configured per your instructions.
Are these commands executed on the device or phone?:
ssh -D 8123 -fqgN [email protected].1 -p 22 (ssh client)
sshuttle -r [email protected].1:22 0.0.0.0/0 0.0.0.0 (sock proxy)
Either way, I will need to use putty for the SSH Client portion. What are the switches in your example "-fqgN"? Are the switches concatenated?
-f Specifies a per-user configuration file.
-q Quiet mode
-g Allows remote hosts to connect to local forwarded ports.
-N ???
And finally, depending on where the above commands are run, I will need to find a sock proxy solution, if I want all traffic going through the tunnel.
Again, thanks for all your hard work.

davy4620 said:
Hello RiFi2k,
OK, thanks for the information. I'm trying to translate this into a windows environment(Windows 10 phone and PC).
Here is what I have so far, but a few of your points are unclear. A little clarity would be fantastic.
Translation for Windows 10 phone
Since, I'm on a windows phone there is no Termux app. I guess Termux is used to install the SSH server and gain access to a command prompt, correct?
1. Ok since openssh server is built into the windows phone OS and I can access the command prompt via putty, I should be fine, right.
2. Generate key pair and stored public key on phone. Working fine.
3. Hotspot connection to phone.
4. Run ipconfig(windows) on phone or local machine. On local machine, gateway address is the needed ip, same as hotspot address on phone.
5. SSH Server is started on phone once the phone is placed in development mode.
Can't put server in debug mode on phone, but I'm pretty certain that it's hard coded to listen on port 22.
6. Your instructions on github.com have duplicated the step number 5, which should be 6 and I am having a little trouble sorting through it.
7. I guess the only way to tunnel to the phone is to run a putty session from the Windows machine configured per your instructions.
Are these commands executed on the device or phone?:
ssh -D 8123 -fqgN [email protected].1 -p 22 (ssh client)
sshuttle -r [email protected].1:22 0.0.0.0/0 0.0.0.0 (sock proxy)
Either way, I will need to use putty for the SSH Client portion. What are the switches in your example "-fqgN"? Are the switches concatenated?
-f Specifies a per-user configuration file.
-q Quiet mode
-g Allows remote hosts to connect to local forwarded ports.
-N ???
And finally, depending on where the above commands are run, I will need to find a sock proxy solution, if I want all traffic going through the tunnel.
Again, thanks for all your hard work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, so the N is `-N Do not execute a remote command. This is useful for just forwarding ports (protocol version 2 only).` reference https://linux.die.net/man/1/ssh
It's completely fine if you don't have debug mode on when you start the sshd server on your phone, you actually don't technically need any flags. One is debug and one is detached so it runs in the background, which you are generally going to want.
Both those commands are run on your computer, but you only use one or the other. Follow my link to sshuttle they have information for using it on Windows, it will transparently route all your traffic through the tunnel for you already so it's way better than anything else.
So just to recap, you start the sshd (ssh server) on your phone and it will spit out a port. Then you go to your PC and ssh or sshuttle (ssh client) connect to your phone.
I'm around if you need more help!
---------- Post added at 12:44 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:40 AM ----------
Also once you get it working on Windows with your phone if you don't mind letting me know what version of Windows and what model your phone is, and where the directions hung you up, because I'll mention it all to help the next person.

Thanks for the quick reply. I'm going to have to dig a little deeper. It looks as if Microsoft is doing some kind of filtering on the WiFi interface and blocking this approach. Again, thanks for the great start.