Hello all! I'm quite sure the answer is already out there somewhere, but looking in some similar topics I have not found the answer to my specific question.
A little background; my wife and I both have AT&T 8525's (HTC Hermes'), and we are both running vp3G's WinMo6 v3.62 AT&T cooked ROM (if that makes a diff in this). We have several multiplayer games we regularly play using our wi-fi router at home, which works fine as long as we are in range of the router.
MY QUESTION IS: Is it possible to network our two phones together via wi-fi for the purposes of multiplayer gaming, file sharing, etc? If so, can you point me to instructions on how to do this? I would like to be able to setup my phone to be the "hot spot", and then her phone would detect my phone as an access point. Again my primary goal in this is simply for multi-player gaming, but I would also like to be able to share files in this manner (as in a Windows Explorer or similar type setting, where we can browse each other's phones, copy/paste files, etc. much like using the "Map Network Drive" in PC Windows). I don't need to use this setup to access the internet, but if the capability is there then that is fine (keep in mind I only use wi-fi for internet and never use AT&T's data network).
So basically I'm looking for one of two setup schemes here:
Scheme #1 (simple, preferred, basically a tiny network consisting of our two PPC's):
{PPC#2 Connected to PPC#1 via WiFi} --> {PPC#1 Acting as WiFi Hot-Spot for PPC#2, can do multiplayer gaming & file browsing/sharing, etc} --> {NO EXTERNAL NETWORK CONNECTION, works everywhere our 2 phones are in wi-fi range of one another}
Scheme #2: (only if it HAS to be this setup for some reason I can't fathom)
{PPC#2 Connected to PPC#1 via WiFi} --> {PPC#1 Acting as WiFi Hot-Spot for PPC#2, Gets Internet Connection from WiFi router and shares with PPC#2} --> {Linksys WiFi Router}
Ok, so there's what I'm after. If for some reason both of the above setups are not possible, what about Bluetooth (WiFi still my first choice)? I am still learning Windows Mobile so I apologize if this is something elementary or considered to be self-evident, or if it is something I have overlooked on this forum already.
(I also have some more challenging questions I will post separately at a later time, but this seems as if it should be relatively simple & easy to setup so first things first).
THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR TIME IN READING AND/OR RESPONDING TO THIS, IT IS APPRECIATED!
Paul
The Dragon
(dragonfire613)
Somebody? Anybody? Nobody knows how to do this, or if it is possible? or difficult? or nobody has done it? surely the info is out there... what am I doing wrong?
Hi all,
I've got an android device without any phone chip or any phone module.
Since this is a weird project I don't know where to post it and I've posted here... I'm sorry if I've chosen the wrong section.
Anyway, my idea is:
USB Internet keys (dongles) should contain a phone module (GSM/UMTS/HSDPA) that is used for estabilishing data connections....
Normally at least 99.9% of the people are using their phones as WiFi HotSpot or as an USB Tethering device without using an USB internet key for connecting to the internet with a SIMCard.
I'm searching infos on doing this weird thing: USB internet key as a phone module
The only thing is that I can't find any info on that and I don't know if USB GSM/UMTS/HSDPA modems are able to work as phones. I mean, they can be connected to a mobile operator without an active connection, so maybe they can be used as phones.
In less words...
Project: USB internet key as a phone for an android device that hasn't got a phone module
Is it possible hardwarewise?
If it is, I'll start the development.
Thanks!
Long Version:
I can only speak for the carriers I have dealt with myself (Sprint, AT&T, Verizon)
But, this is a topic that angered me a while back.
With my Sprint Wireless cards, I used to be able to set laptops up to send and receive faxes with them, and did on a regular basis for about 5 of my end users.
About two years ago, I tried to switch to AT&T thinking everything would be the same. I spent hours and hours trying to figure out why it wouldn't work with the new carrier before I finally threw in the towel and called AT&T tech support. Within seconds I had my answer "we don't support switched calls on data cards". This meaning that no actual calls in or out from the card were possible.
Fast forward a couple weeks, I switched a few users back over to Sprint because they really liked being able to send and receive faxes from anywhere. Low and behold, Sprint has followed suit and disabled the feature also. So I call Verizon to see what their capabilities are, same thing.
So it seems to be the industry standard now (at least in the US) to not allow this type of service anymore. I have no idea why, it honestly seems stupid to me to disable what I consider to be 50% of the functionality of the device/service... But it is what it is.
Short Version:
3G data connection: probably(depending on driver support)
cellular/dial connection: probably not
Hi all,
I dabble in security, so my reason for taking up Android programming was mainly to see what kind of information I could pull out of a Android-based smartphone.
Getting information like Device ID, SIM no., preferred networks and such, turned out to be fairly simple, but when I got to trying to read the settings of the phone, I hit a roadblock. For the life of me, I can not seem to figure out where to get those settings from.
What I want to get from the phone, is stuff like this:
Is the lock-pattern/PIN enabled?
Is the SIM PIN enabled?
Is GPS on? (this was quite simple for bluetooth, but apparently not so for GPS)
Does the phone allow installation of 3rd party software.
...and settings of that nature. I would think this was a simple matter of getting some kind of "settings" object, and then read the various variables, but so far, this object eludes me.
Any and all ideas are welcome.
Best regards
Hi!
So I'm new to Android (not so much XDA...left WM after a few years).
I switched to Verizon from AT&T right before VZ dropped the unlimited data and secured a Droid Charge based off some of the rave reviews from Engadget among others.
I've installed Humble 1.4 and it seems to be working great (Thanks!). I have run into a couple questions that I was hoping to get some conclusive answers to.
With regards to Data Tethering I use tethering about once or twice a month and not for a lot of data so I feel less inclined to pay $30/mos for something I'll hardly use. However, for those occasional occasions I installed android-wifi-tether and it seems to work, but I saw a comment indicating that VZ could track the unauthorized usage through that app- how is that possible? What is the best tethering app I could/should be using? (I'm good with any connection, wifi/bluetooth/usb)
Now for my biggest point of pain- the battery- I've read through the various guides, and tried bump charging (extensively)- tried the simpler methods with wiping stats via CWM etc, and at most I seem to get about 10-12hrs of minimal usage...I haven't been able to tell conclusively are there truly 'defective' batteries, or just miscalibrated ones? I don't want to make a futile attempt at calibrating this if it'll never work right. Since I'm new to Android is there anything I could be missing in general that's being blatantly assumed in all the battery discussion threads? I've tried Juice Defender, but it's been spotty for me with re-enabling mobile data which is frustrating in its own right.
Finally- are there any 'must have' or cool apps out there? What are your favorites? Also- what would you recommend for the following areas: Speech-to-txt for text/e-mail etc; profile automation (e.g. when at gps location 'x' turn off mobile data, turn on wifi etc)
Thanks!
Edvard_Greig said:
With regards to Data Tethering I use tethering about once or twice a month and not for a lot of data so I feel less inclined to pay $30/mos for something I'll hardly use. However, for those occasional occasions I installed android-wifi-tether and it seems to work, but I saw a comment indicating that VZ could track the unauthorized usage through that app- how is that possible? What is the best tethering app I could/should be using? (I'm good with any connection, wifi/bluetooth/usb)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They can do it by analyzing the traffic going through their network. There are a variety of hints that the traffic is coming from a PC instead of phone, in addition to more obvious things like requests hitting Apple or Microsoft Update (our Android phones won't need to update iTunes or Windows 7 ).
Edvard_Greig said:
Now for my biggest point of pain- the battery- I've read through the various guides, and tried bump charging (extensively)- tried the simpler methods with wiping stats via CWM etc, and at most I seem to get about 10-12hrs of minimal usage...I haven't been able to tell conclusively are there truly 'defective' batteries, or just miscalibrated ones? I don't want to make a futile attempt at calibrating this if it'll never work right. Since I'm new to Android is there anything I could be missing in general that's being blatantly assumed in all the battery discussion threads? I've tried Juice Defender, but it's been spotty for me with re-enabling mobile data which is frustrating in its own right.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not totally hopeless, but ultimately if you have LTE on with this first generation of phones the battery life won't be the best. It has a tendency to wander on and off of it in my case (especially 3 bars and lower), there are two radios running drawing power and the re/connection process is the most power-hungry thing they can do. Disabling LTE with one of the apps or digging into wireless settings is the number one way to get more out of the battery.
Edvard_Greig said:
Finally- are there any 'must have' or cool apps out there? What are your favorites? Also- what would you recommend for the following areas: Speech-to-txt for text/e-mail etc; profile automation (e.g. when at gps location 'x' turn off mobile data, turn on wifi etc)
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For speech I don't know of anything better than the Google service already there (maybe Vlingo?). I don't know if anything exists for that automation though, it'd be helpful for me too though - got a promotion and my new desk has horrible signal.
If you plan on getting into ROMs you can't go wrong with Titanium Backup, restoring apps quickly with data intact is absolutely wonderful as even if the ROM doesn't require they tend to always run fastest when data is wiped when you install. Alternative SMS apps and Launchers can add a lot to the experience (I like GO SMS and GO Launcher or LauncherPro).
Danrarbc said:
I don't know if anything exists for that automation though, it'd be helpful for me too though - got a promotion and my new desk has horrible signal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Finally found the apps I was thinking of...take a look at the following (still haven't decided which I like best)
Locale
Tasker
Setting Profiles
Timeriffic
Smarter Profiles
Tasker appears to be one of the most powerful, but a bit complex to setup and use...it's basically guided scripting from what I can tell....Locale looks pretty simple to use, but can get pricey. Haven't played enough with the others.
I have concerns related to the security of S4 as a hotspot. While using the device as a hotspot it
became extremely hot, and started to malfunction. I could see that no one other than myself was
connected to the hotspot. Other unusual activity was observed as well, and the carrier has taken
extreme & unusual steps to prevent me from discussing it with their employees.
When using an S4 with (selinux enforcing) as a hotspot, is there any risk that a malicious webserver operator
can somehow access the device using the carrier assigned (dynamic) ip address?
What type of protections (on the wan side) should be in place to properly secure an S4 with 4.3 for use as a hotspot
so the device itself can't be compromised? (assuming no 3rd party apps are installed) I assume device encryption would
not help this situation because the device has to be decrypted to run the hotspot. It's unclear samasung knox 1.0 could
provide anything useful, and I think they force packets through lookout so it slows the connection.
greens1240 said:
I have concerns related to the security of S4 as a hotspot. While using the device as a hotspot it
became extremely hot, and started to malfunction. I could see that no one other than myself was
connected to the hotspot. Other unusual activity was observed as well, and the carrier has taken
extreme & unusual steps to prevent me from discussing it with their employees.
When using an S4 with (selinux enforcing) as a hotspot, is there any risk that a malicious webserver operator
can somehow access the device using the carrier assigned (dynamic) ip address?
What type of protections (on the wan side) should be in place to properly secure an S4 with 4.3 for use as a hotspot
so the device itself can't be compromised? (assuming no 3rd party apps are installed) I assume device encryption would
not help this situation because the device has to be decrypted to run the hotspot. It's unclear samasung knox 1.0 could
provide anything useful, and I think they force packets through lookout so it slows the connection.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
bump
greens1240 said:
Other unusual activity was observed as well, and the carrier has taken
extreme & unusual steps to prevent me from discussing it with their employees.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
would you elaborate on that?
keen36 said:
would you elaborate on that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Those are actually 2 separate issues even though the carrier's actions may seem unusual.
I don't see https in the url for this site, and when I try to force https it redirects to remove the ssl,
so privacy didn't matter here?
Some of the unusual activity involved messages about "sim data" refresh/change when no 3rd party
apps were ever installed, the phone wasn't rooted, and updates turned off. Apps that were turned off
showed subsequent network activity. After a factory reset, disabling some apps and changing other
settings, the main issue was the phone getting extremely hot when using the hotspot to test a vpn
service (vpn settings config on pc not on android).
If your phone number ends up on that "list" you should expect management to take an approach with you
as if litigation is underway. Expect very little cooperation, leave 15 messages over a 30 day
period with 5 different corporate managers to finally get a return call from yet a different manager who
finally admits they have ways to prevent your phone from getting through to support or customer service.
They must have thought none of their customers would figure out that advanced call rejection features
can do all kinds of things, such as put select callers on hold indefinitely, forward the call to a number that
rings but never answers, have the caller hear fast busy signals, have the caller hear a message that no
one is available to take their call, etc, etc. A word to anyone with a cell phone - If you can't get through
using 611 or the carrier's toll free numbers, try calling from a different phone, and if you get through
with the different phone, then you know.
xda admins probably thought that encryption is not overly important, this being a public forum and all... i would also prefer ssl everywhere, but it does add a layer of complexity and also increases demand on the server, so i can see why it is not implemented here.
what do you mean with
Code:
"sim data" refresh/change
? what do you mean when you say you have apps "turned off"?
i can easily see you getting blocked if you annoy any support-hotline too much. i do not see something especially suspicious about that.
if i may be honest: you appear to be a little paranoid.
keen36 said:
xda admins probably thought that encryption is not overly important, this being a public forum and all... i would also prefer ssl everywhere, but it does add a layer of complexity and also increases demand on the server, so i can see why it is not implemented here.
what do you mean with
Code:
"sim data" refresh/change
? what do you mean when you say you have apps "turned off"?
i can easily see you getting blocked if you annoy any support-hotline too much. i do not see something especially suspicious about that.
if i may be honest: you appear to be a little paranoid.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As network packets travel over the Internet, anyone with physical access to a network device (within the packet route) can view your activity without your knowledge. There are redirection protocols used by thousands of businesses and ISPs to divert port 80 traffic to web caches, internet filtering appliances, and data mining "honeypots". Not sure if still true today that network router and Layer 3 switches manufactured by Cisco ship with a redirection protocol (WCCP) that can be used to re-reroute HTTP traffic through an external filtering or a logging device. Most would agree when it comes to discussions about network security- exchanging plain text email, and requesting advice on plain text message boards is not the best practice.
"refreshing sim data" was a message I observed after the s4 was rebooted. It seemed odd that the message appeared when there was no update or installations. But I'm not an expert on the device, for all I know it might be normal to see the message when there's no activity. As far as turning off apps, it's normal to turn off apps that use resources, drain battery, etc. if you don't need them. Turning off, not deleting, and changing permissions doesn't appear to be an option on 4.3 without a 3rd party app.
As far as sounding paranoid, there's a lot more to the story that I didn't go into involving what looks like attempted identity/phone theft by the carrier's own employee(s) or reseller(s). The way the situation was handled it genuinely looked like a cover up, and still does.
There is still the issue of securing a hotspot which no one from any tier 2 support centers has been able to answer. Not sure if a droidwall or other firewall would be doing anything beneficial since I assume any port scanning would be of the device connected to the hotspot rather than the s4 itself.
yes, anyone along the route can intercept the packets and even read them if they aren't encrypted. yes, there exist man-in-the-middle attacks. yes, most would agree that when exchanging security related information, it would be best to encrypt. that doesn't change what i said: this board is not security oriented, it is a public, developer oriented board. encryption is not very important here, so the admins must have thought that the benefits of not encrypting outwheigh the risk. if you really have sensitive security-related questions, this is not the right place to ask them, i fear.
what do you do exactly when you "turn off" an app? step-by-step?
have you tried googling what "refreshing sim data" does and why it is happening? it looks harmless to me!
last thing, to get this clear: you think that someone hacked your hotspot because the phone gets hot and unstable when you use it? no, wait, you have about a thousand small other things that also point to that explanation, right? this sounds like a case of unfounded paranoia to me. i have some experience with paranoid schizophrenics, and while i am not (!) calling you that, i have to advise you that the way you argue reminds me of them.
you are looking for suspicious things and you do not understand enough about these phones (they are ridiculously complex, so that is quite normal i might add) to see whether something is suspicious or not.
keen36 said:
yes, anyone along the route can intercept the packets and even read them if they aren't encrypted. yes, there exist man-in-the-middle attacks. yes, most would agree that when exchanging security related information, it would be best to encrypt. that doesn't change what i said: this board is not security oriented, it is a public, developer oriented board. encryption is not very important here, so the admins must have thought that the benefits of not encrypting outwheigh the risk. if you really have sensitive security-related questions, this is not the right place to ask them, i fear.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you know a better place to ask advanced security related questions about Samsung/Android? Google and Samsung tech support are unable to answer many basic security questions. Anything advanced is a foreign language to them.Ask 1000 Samsung employees "What is Knox?" and 999 will answer "Never heard of it." Most don't care about security, and never will unless and until they become a victim, and have a substantial loss.
keen36 said:
what do you do exactly when you "turn off" an app? step-by-step?.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used app manager. I'f you're familiar with S4 running 4.3 then you're familiar with app manager.
keen36 said:
have you tried googling what "refreshing sim data" does and why it is happening? it looks harmless to me!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This message may be related to updating network tower(s) info which I agree, by itself would be harmless.
keen36 said:
last thing, to get this clear: you think that someone hacked your hotspot because the phone gets hot and unstable when you use it? no, wait, you have about a thousand small other things that also point to that explanation, right? this sounds like a case of unfounded paranoia to me. i have some experience with paranoid schizophrenics, and while i am not (!) calling you that, i have to advise you that the way you argue reminds me of them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's constant network inbound/outbound activity while the device is idle according to the indicator. The activity could be perfectly benign. Many native apps communicate with the network, but it is also possible to turn off (restrict) background activity to limit which apps have network access. I wouldn't know what it is without running a program such as wireshark. A paranoid schizophrenic might think an app that had permission to access the microphone, recorded audio in the room, then encrypted & uploaded it to a server for later retrieval. That could never happen in the real world right?
I'm merely asking questions about various events which may or may not be signs that there's a problem, but I've not concluded anything. More importantly I'm hoping to find information on how to properly secure a hotspot. You've not offered any information about this so I assume you feel no hardening, modifications, or additions are necessary, and in using default settings the device is impenetrable.
keen36 said:
you are looking for suspicious things and you do not understand enough about these phones (they are ridiculously complex, so that is quite normal i might add) to see whether something is suspicious or not.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree, they are complex. Tech support is of no use, they simply are not trained to respond to a question such as "Is there a firewall running on the device?" "Is code checked for malware by human eyes before an app is put on playstore, or simply trust unknown authors and feedback?"
no, i am sorry, i do not know about any android security related web communities.
i use a sony phone on kitkat, so no, i have no idea what you mean with "app manager". i just want to know what that program did; did it uninstall the apps, did it disable them, did it freeze (rename) them? i have never heard of an app being "turned off", that's why i ask.
what you describe with the microphone listening and uploading what it records to the internet, that is happening every time you open google voice search or -if you use the google now launcher- everytime you go to the homescreen
i do not know how you got the idea that i think that your device is impenetrable ([email protected] sentence btw. )? that is a ridiculous thought, i would never say such a thing. in fact, i am of the conviction that no absolute security can exist on a device which is connected to the internet. there is a reason why some security-related programs are built on machines with no internet access at all.
if you know how to use wireshark, why don't you just use it? if i had to take an uneducated guess, i would think that you would then realise that the network activity you see is benign (not malicious i mean, you might very well discover some nice datamining activity by google etc. ).
i do not know your usecase, if you are living in a country which has an oppressive regime, if you are a general target for hackers somehow (public figure / working at a security-related position etc.), then yes, it might make sense to look at your phones security in detail. if that is not the case, however, then no, i do not think that additional hardening of your hotspot is needed...