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Get Your Computer Online Using Your iPhone's Data Connection

lifehacker.com — When tapping out an email or pinching and swiping on the iPhone's web browser just doesn't get the job done, and you want to use the full keyboard and screen on your laptop in a Wi-Fi-less place, the best way to put your newly jailbroken iPhone 2.0 to good use is to turn it into a cellphone modem for your laptop.

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  • stignordas, on 07/22/2008, -4/+59I still can't believe AT&T doesn't offer this as a feature. You know Apple was probably pushing for it.
    • pauleric, on 07/22/2008, -0/+11I think their data plan has 5GB per month, which I suspect most people don't come anywhere near. Hook it up to your real computer and suddenly it becomes much more useful and convenient. If that happens, expect their rate plans to change radically.
      • ralphthemagi, on 07/22/2008, -7/+14You can go through 5GB easy with a single download. Or if you download the $0.99 iTunes rental every week... that's over 5GB. Leave Bittorrent running overnight? That's 5GB.

        5GB at 3G speeds is about 7 hours worth of intensive use.

        I used to use Sprints 3G EVDO service until they put in a new 5GB cap. I used around 40-50GB a month, and I don't even torrent. You'd be surprised how quick you can go through it.
      • evo8ftw, on 07/22/2008, -5/+2omg ralphthemagi you spoke with logic and not fud and you are getting buried image that.
      • pauleric, on 07/22/2008, -0/+1Yes, you can easily use 5GB a month, and I have no doubt that you do. But you (ralphthemagi and evo8ftw) are not like the vast majority of people, they do not watch movies on a tiny screen and they don't download huge amounts of music. Hook it up to the computer and it's a different story.
      • ralphthemagi, on 07/22/2008, -0/+0But the vast majority of people don't need wireless internet access. It's really only something for power users and those who need to be online all the time. If you are just going to use it for email, you don't really need 3G. And you can get WiFi in most coffee shops, which is where the casual users are anyway. Why would they need wireless 3G internet access?

        It's estimated that about 3% of Sprint's ENTIRE customer base is to be affected by their new 5GB cap. When Verizon instituted a 5GB cap, most people moved to AT&T and Sprint. When AT&T started with a cap, everyone moved to Sprint. Now everyone who actually used the service has no where to go.

        My point is that the big telcos don't want you to use their 3G network to access the Internet, and definitely not at 3G speeds. They like charging people an extra $15/mo to tether their Blackberry with a 5GB cap, because they are only using it for email. If you start letting 3G iPhone users tether their iPhones, they may try to use it as a primary Internet connection, and they don't want you doing that.
      • toetagger, on 07/25/2008, -0/+1The data plan for the iPhone in the USA is UNLIMITED not capped at 5GB or any other level. If someone wants to suggest otherwise, provide a link.
        http://www.wireless.att.com/cell-phone-service/spe ...
    • xsecretfiles, on 07/22/2008, -2/+15It's not a matter of just at&t not allowing this, but Apple for locking down the bluetooh full capabilities on the iphone for whatever easons.

      Anyone on a smart phone with Bluetooth capabilities can already do this btw.
      • NolanFinn, on 07/22/2008, -1/+4That being the case, any good links for using the ATT Tilt as a high speed data connection?
      • cawpin, on 07/22/2008, -6/+11"Anyone on a smart phone with Bluetooth capabilities can already do this btw. "

        Not without paying for it.

        Yes, I know you can hack around it. I'm talking legitimately.
      • jonshipman, on 07/22/2008, -3/+4Yeah all bt hardware immediately codes for all OBEX automatically. :eyeroll:

        Sigh, I'm all for OBEX on the iPhone, but Apple didn't "lock it down." Saying so means it was there before Apple shipped it out they flipped a switch to turn it off. They just didn't write the support in, maybe sometime in the future, but not now.
      • admdrew, on 07/22/2008, -0/+3@cawpin
        There are other options aside from hacking - I have been using PDANet for my Motorola Q (using EVDO from Verizon). It is a retail smartphone application that allows tethering over Bluetooth or USB, and works on Windows Mobile devices with ICS disabled.
      • MellerTime, on 07/22/2008, -1/+3@admdrew Yeah, you're just paying out the ass for drips of bandwidth from Verizon. One of the high points here is that you get AT&T's unlimited 3G for what are basically rock-bottom prices. If they were to actually offer this ability, you can bet it would be an add-on and it would be equally priced: outrageous.

        True mobile broadband just isn't competitive quite yet. Give it a few more years to develop better coverage and for prices to fall.
      • brianara3, on 07/23/2008, -0/+1@NolanFinn

        WMWifiRouter... Older versions are free and new one is pay (www.wmwifirouter.com)

        If you got in on the Tilt with unlimited medianet before they capped you can use as much as you want still. I have used mine before when camping as a wifi access point in an RV.

        Also... check out http://www.xda-developers.com/ They have all kinds of info about hacking the Tilt (HTC Kaiser)
      • ralphthemagi, on 07/23/2008, -1/+0It was competitive. A year ago there were four 3G service providers (AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, & Alltel) in the US who offered unlimited Internet access at 3G speeds from $49.99 to $99.99.

        By the end of the year there will only be three (since Verizon is merging with Alltel), who now offer 3G access at throttled speeds, with a 5GB cap (and no additional plans) for $60 across the board. One service provider (Verizon) is gracious enough to, instead of cutting you off at 5GB and charging you a $300 ETF, charge you $0.25/MB ($256/GB) in overage over 5GB.
    • protogenxl, on 07/22/2008, -1/+8All Windows Mobile 5 and 6 devices have this built in. It seems to be more of a driver/network-subsystem issue on apples part. They can either use Microsoft's ICS framework or write their own and they probably chose the latter so it will take some time.
      • admdrew, on 07/22/2008, -0/+3Though ICS (internet connection sharing) is part of WM5 and 6, carriers have the ability to disable it. I know Verizon does this.
      • dcmjzero, on 07/22/2008, -0/+3while they have it built in, most networks charge. i think at&t charges $50/month to tether.
      • BossKey, on 07/22/2008, -0/+4It is not a technical problem. I've tethered older phones to my Mac laptops. The technology has never been wanting, the problem is that the telcos have gradually withdrawn support for it. With one of my old phones, I stopped being able to tether simply because the phone maker chose to stop writing updates for the USB interface software to keep up with system software upgrades. I could still connect the hardware, but support was intentionally withdrawn. Now you see companies like AT&T expressly stating in their Terms of Service that tethering the iPhone is a violation.

        These are policy issues, not technical issues. They would rather sell me a cellular data card and a second plan.
    • fuzzmeister, on 07/23/2008, -0/+0I have a feeling that the price of an "unlimited" plan would go up a bit if people were allowed to run apps such as Bittorrent over it.
  • smacksaw, on 07/22/2008, -17/+9So what's up there, mklopez? Did lifehacker fire MrBabyMan and hire you? Or was it zaibatsu?

    2nd submission this morning...
  • americaskate, on 07/22/2008, -0/+16Excellent guide. Can't imagine how many times this would have come
    in handy through the past year. Edge just isn't fast to make the trouble
    of tethering worth it.
    • BoneStamp, on 07/22/2008, -1/+11I dunno, I was in some jams where even EDGE speed would have been welcomed.
  • hausome, on 07/22/2008, -3/+53"Warning - Tethering your iPhone is against the iPhone data plan terms. AT&T could slap you with huge fees if you overuse this. I recommend only using it during emergencies."

    -http://cre.ations.net/blog/post/how-to-tether-your ...
    • megamod, on 07/22/2008, -0/+5AKA no running torrents on this connection?
    • mal1964, on 07/22/2008, -0/+4But this is OK?, " jailbroken iPhone 2.0"
      • hausome, on 07/22/2008, -0/+3nah, i think he probably just was referring to the abnormal increase of use with their unlimited internet service? haha that didn't make sense...but maybe some sense...no no...no sense
      • mal1964, on 07/22/2008, -0/+1@hausome , dugg because it made sense to me.
    • spotmonk, on 07/22/2008, -3/+3But what "emergency" situation would you have that you can't just find whatever on your iphone?

      I mean.. you can text and IM and look up information.
      Anything you might need the actual computer for is going to be more than an emergency situation.
      • billbugger, on 07/22/2008, -0/+3System administrator needing ssh access to their server to reboot from a crash would be a good example.
      • digitaldivinci, on 07/22/2008, -0/+3Student/Employee needing to access a file on his laptop and email it to meet a dead line would be another decent example.
  • webkami, on 07/22/2008, -4/+6Good article, one page. Digg!
  • nexmachina, on 07/22/2008, -19/+1So what the ***** is the point of having this piece of useless technology, if you're gonna ***** tether the thing to a PC?

    USELESS!
    • xsecretfiles, on 07/22/2008, -3/+2To use it on your laptop Buddy, not the PC
      • nexmachina, on 07/22/2008, -5/+1Wow, please tell me you did not correct me by stating Laptop. Ok sir, on your "PC" personal computer, laptop, mac (4 you), Amiga, who the ***** cares. A motherboard, a video card, a CPU, a PSU, RAM, and an HD, not to mention the LCD.... A PC! They are all PC's Mac, Linux OS based and Windows....

        geeze. Just the kind of stupid ass person that would do this.
        Get a life son.
      • dark_helmet, on 07/22/2008, -0/+7@nexmachina
        I think you need to take some anger management classes. You may not see a point in it, but think of some businessman, on a trip. He brings his laptop with him to do some work, sitting somewhere with no wifi access, he notices his phone, which has internet access. Now, wouldn't that be great if he could use his laptop, with its full sized keyboard and more capable software, with the internet access that his phone has. Yes he could have a EVDO or UMTS modem in the laptop, but that would require a second data plan to that of the phone, and to carry around a second device (even inside the laptop, it adds weight.) If you can do it all from one device, why not?
      • nexmachina, on 07/22/2008, -5/+11. Businesses are not adopting the iPhone as of yet. Only obsessed fanboys.

        2. A "business" is smart enough to know that an Aircard does the job far better. Ask any respectable business this question. Not to mention the fact that all three major providers offer great solutions to mobile customers who are business orientated. An aircard for $50.00, connects seamlessly, and the data plans are cheaper.

        So, in essence, you are pretty much telling me that, an iPhone (with its ***** battery life), is going to support a full blow tether when you're out in the boonies? Well what if there was no 3G in the boonies? Trust me, this is for the Starbucks crowd, who already have nothing better to do.

        And on another note, just in case anyone decides to bash me, or call me an MS fanboy. I work on all three platforms. I own a Mac for 3D imaging, a Fedora box running my server, and an MS box that i play games on.



        3. Im not angry, i just find this stupid, and pointless.
      • nexmachina, on 07/22/2008, -4/+1Also, would you need to plug in your iphone to a wall so you can tether it? Oh wait, you're in the woods, it's 3 am, and there are no outlets in site. You juice will run good for 30 minutes. PWNED.
      • protogenxl, on 07/22/2008, -1/+4@WoWhead90

        Because He's not your Buddy, Guy
    • 1longtime, on 07/22/2008, -0/+2@nexmachina - Point blank, you're an idiot. The iPhone does some cool *****. If you're not interested, then ***** straight off.
    • nexmachina, on 07/22/2008, -3/+1Also, exactly where did you read that a secondary plan is required to use an Aircard? Aircards use sim cards for GSM networks, and they are 3G enabled. There is no difference whatsoever between the sim in your phone and that in an aircard. You can literally take the sim out and put it in a phone and it works just the same. You can have a voice and data plan on the same sim, and interchange them between devices.

      Thank you, Cingular M&P department.

      Amen.

      Now eat your corn flakes and do some more research.
  • dcollins, on 07/22/2008, -9/+10And with this new revelation, my friends, I am off to my local apple store to purchase one apple iPhone.
    • YURGAY, on 07/22/2008, -1/+17IF U CAN FIND ONE INSTOCK........... LOL
    • nexmachina, on 07/22/2008, -7/+5Can i touch you? i think you're cool.
      • dcollins, on 07/22/2008, -2/+2you may, but just not.....down there.
    • logandurand, on 07/22/2008, -0/+5Or one of the many other phones that can do this. This is by no means an iPhone exclusive feature, this article just focuses on one example.
      • dcollins, on 07/22/2008, -1/+3I understand that, but I really like a lot of the iPhones features, however the fact that it lacks THIS feature has kept me from purchasing one.
  • gtluke, on 07/22/2008, -15/+69awesome, now the iphone can do what my ***** LG phone was doing in 2001
    apple, so ahead of the curve. whats next, picture messages?
    • nexmachina, on 07/22/2008, -13/+8Exactly my point! It's 3G, or uh, better yet, it's a ***** pocket modem? How bout battery life? Oh wait people actually go and sit in Starbucks to show this ***** off. Pointless, useless... This is all to old to be worthy of a digg.
    • zimsters, on 07/22/2008, -3/+10umm don't forget that this is still not a standard supported feature, whereas the LG phone in 2001 it came built in!

      they're still behind the game
    • dcmjzero, on 07/22/2008, -11/+21. apple didn't make phones in 2001.
      2. networks usually charge to tether... with this they can't
      3. mms is old and busted. i like the fact that the iphone uses real technology: email.
      • krische, on 07/22/2008, -1/+7How in the hell is MMS busted?
      • insinuate, on 07/22/2008, -1/+7Because E-mail is such new age technology.
      • PhishTahko, on 07/22/2008, -1/+1I guess I'd better go get an iPhone since my Sony doesn't have push email or tethering. Wait, it does. Plays video, does internet, built-in walkman. You fail. Hard.
      • Stevo23, on 07/22/2008, -1/+1You're right, if Apple didn't make a phone in 2001, then phones didn't exist then.
      • lysdexic, on 07/23/2008, -1/+11. LG still makes phones that do this today. Natively. Like my Dare.
        2. That only cost $99, with a free 8gb microSD card, after renewal rebates.
        3. And an unlimited data plan.
        4. On a better network.

        So, why is this a big deal? Oh, that's right...it says Apple.
      • utahnkid, on 07/23/2008, -0/+1MMS is busted because not all networks support each others' MMS systems, and they never will because MMS is on it's way out.

        Any phone that supports email is compatible with every other phone that supports email.

        The pictures you receive through an email are larger and accessible through any computer with an internet connection.
    • utahnkid, on 07/23/2008, -0/+1Please don't tell me you're so ignorant as to believe the iPhone isn't technically capable of tethering...

      And hate to burst your bubble but trust me, there's a really good reason NO ONE cares about your phone.
    • supermanred, on 08/12/2008, -0/+1Dude, a 2001 LG? Are you serious? How much did they charge you for the tethering service? Rogers sells USB dongles as an addon to do that and charge you extra per month, which is probably why they dont want an official iPhone app to do this..

      And dude... SERIOUS??? You're comparing your 2001 LG to an iPhone? Have you ever even used one?

      Anyways, no more time to comment, I just got an email that I have to reply to so I can get back to finishing the 2nd level on Quake... on my iPhone... Can't wait for Carmack's new game...
  • killerknives, on 07/22/2008, -3/+7why doesn't att just offer this as a feature? what does it take away from them?
    • jonshipman, on 07/22/2008, -1/+13bandwidth.

      If everyone was using 3G at the same time, well, it wouldn't be broadband anymore.
      • admdrew, on 07/22/2008, -0/+2It may be more likely that more bandwidth is consistently used if *everyone* tethered their iPhones to their laptop/desktop, but it's still possible that this bandwidth is used by usage through the phone itself.

        Really, they should be able to offer reliable 3G service to all of those paying for it (and I suspect they are able to do so, to some degree anyway), so this is probably more of a billing issue as slambert90 mentions below.
    • slambert90, on 07/22/2008, -0/+11Money! AT&T wants to sell its Mobile Broadband and Laptop Connect Cards/Service.
  • jhuckabee, on 07/22/2008, -1/+3This might actually be worth jailbraking my phone - which I've never found a need to do.
  • chadian22, on 07/22/2008, -1/+3I've read around at other news sources reporting this / explaining how. No solid word on whether or not they can tell the difference between the source. Some say they can look at the packets for requests of things like flash?

    Any clarification?
    • admdrew, on 07/22/2008, -0/+2As the lifehacker solution is basically just running a proxy server on the phone, and the phone is what is "directly" connected to the internet, page requests will be generated from the phone itself. Essentially the 'inside' host (the laptop or whatever connecting to the iPhone) will be sending requests to the proxy server (running on the iPhone), which attempts connections to the remote webservers independently of the actual source.

      I haven't tried this myself (no iPhone), but this is a fairly standard proxy solution. I *believe* this solution works for web traffic only.
  • Firespray1138, on 07/22/2008, -7/+2***** you Verizon... =(
  • schlagzeuger, on 07/22/2008, -6/+42Rule #1: we don't talk about fight club
    • meannate, on 07/22/2008, -7/+2Like people posting Newsgroup tutorials... STAY OUT!
    • quomen, on 07/23/2008, -0/+1You just did, god..
      brb testicular cancer meetup.
  • SoopaflySAM, on 07/22/2008, -7/+2Is just a damn phone!

    Fact #452 : iPhone owners already own a laptop
    • ultrafez, on 07/22/2008, -0/+1But what about when you need an internet connection when you're out and about?
    • digjam, on 07/22/2008, -0/+2Fact #453: Thats why they want to get it online using the data plan!
    • 1longtime, on 07/22/2008, -1/+3Tired of the "just a damn phone" statement.

      It's NOT just a phone, that's why people are excited.
  • schergr, on 07/22/2008, -8/+0They could simply inspect MAC addresses.
    • admdrew, on 07/22/2008, -0/+1Nope. Traffic is generated by the proxy server running on the iPhone, so there's no convenient way to tell where the requests are originally being generated from.
  • 17999, on 07/22/2008, -2/+3Too bad it's against the TOS and is only a port 80 proxy.

    No good for term services. Blah.
    • chadian22, on 07/22/2008, -0/+2So that means you can't do anything else on it other than browse the net?
      • 17999, on 07/22/2008, -0/+3I didn't bother to read it too carefully, but it looks that way. Since it's against TOS, I only skimmed the article. But, you're setting up a browser proxy, which means other things would have to be set up to use proxies using this approach and I don't know if the IPhone has outbound connections on smtp, ftp, telnet & rdc ports, for example.

        Plus, you'd stand out like a whore in church on their monitoring systems if you did start doing other things on the network from an "Iphone."
      • admdrew, on 07/22/2008, -0/+2@17999
        > Plus, you'd stand out like a whore in church on their monitoring systems if you did start doing other things on the network from an "Iphone."
        Not necessarily... really, you could simulate this traffic using an application built for the iPhone (like another browser, if possible), which I don't think would violate the TOS.
      • chadian22, on 07/22/2008, -0/+1I guess it depends on what protocols the SDK allows for its applications.
      • admdrew, on 07/22/2008, -0/+2@chadian22
        As I haven't used the SDK (or the iPhone, heh), I am really not sure... but I am guessing it does not place any inbound/outbound restrictions. AT&T may restrict some outbound ports, but I don't find that too likely.

        If anything, they'd restrict inbound connections, kinda like how some home ISPs won't allow you to easily set up web/ftp/other servers on standard ports. But again, this would probably be done by the 'ISP' (AT&T) and not by the software SDK.
  • Pittance, on 07/22/2008, -1/+2ATT doesnt offer this? The crappy entry level phones I am testing do this quite easily. With an ATT sim in them. The ATT CDA (customized data account (or something, its how everything is layed out)) allows it as well, dunno why it doesnt work on the iPhone. Either way, almost any phone these days will do this. Just be careful of all that data. Ouch.
  • operationcougar, on 07/22/2008, -4/+2uhh, just buy a $5 ebay bluetooth adapter, and you can use just about any phone.

    i used to have tmobile and a razor like 3-4 years ago, i paid 19.99 (or something like that) for unlimited media. and then i had a very competitive internet speed for the town i lived in for like $40 less
    • dcmjzero, on 07/22/2008, -0/+1tmobile doesn't use 3g data. plus, this method does use battery-burning bluetooth.
    • shoook, on 07/23/2008, -0/+2There's a new technology called broadband out now.
    • operationcougar, on 07/23/2008, -0/+1well you should come talk to my low speed options in central illinois, ive got the best i can cable, and they advertise up to 15 down and 8 up, in real life ive seen, 3. down and 1.5 up. And as ive said, it was just as competitive as i could have offered to me. sure you guys in the metro areas have got tons of choices. ive got two DSL (very unreliable around here) and Cable (very unreliable but a little quicker) so sorry i made it sound as if it was the fastest on the continent. but yeah thats my story.

      ps. as i wasnt on a laptop i wasnt far from an outlet so charging wasnt a problem.
  • borez, on 07/22/2008, -2/+2You can do this with any phone that's online using a bluetooth connection to your laptop.
    • aelias, on 07/22/2008, -0/+1Phone must support DUN profile. Many do not, including some higher end phones. It's one of the reasons I still keep my old phone. Now if I could only find a battery for it.
    • admdrew, on 07/22/2008, -0/+1...unless your carrier locks this ability on your phone :P

      There are ways around this, but my smartphone (through Verizon) will not do this 'out of the box', as ICS is disabled.
  • ramsinks.com, on 07/22/2008, -5/+10This is using SSH. So no, they cannot tell where/what data is coming/going.
    • jebus123, on 07/22/2008, -1/+3But they could do some deep packet inspection and notice it's not the iphone browser... But then again you can change the browser string in Firefox...
      • ramsinks.com, on 07/22/2008, -2/+2I don't think the phone company is that geeky... maybe..
      • Shootfast, on 07/23/2008, -0/+1If the connection was secured (which in this case it isn't, only between the phone and pc, not the phone and the tower) No amount of packet inspection will break the encryption.
    • admdrew, on 07/22/2008, -0/+10mmmm, I believe the ssh tunnel is only between the host connected to the phone and iPhone itself, so outbound page requests generated by the phone aren't necessarily encrypted.
      • ramsinks.com, on 07/23/2008, -0/+1So safari on the mac can go places an iphone cannot??
      • admdrew, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1@ramsinks.com
        Not sure what you mean... I was referring to the fact that the encrypted tunnel is between the host computer you're browsing on and the iPhone... but the encrypted traffic stops there. If you make a request for an unencrypted site (like, http://www.google.com ), the request would leave your iPhone and traverse AT&T's network unencrypted.
  • azninvaznxx, on 07/22/2008, -4/+5my HTC Mogul does this in exactly 3 steps with no additional software needed. I get 1.5mbps on Sprint's 3G network and it's included in my $12/month unlimited data plan.

    Works for Citrix VPN as well.
    • dcmjzero, on 07/22/2008, -0/+1on sprint's website they don't have this $12/month data plan you speak of. i see the exact same pricing scale as at&t. care to fill us in on details of how you get this?
      • dhwebb, on 07/22/2008, -0/+1On a ppc phone, the unlimited data plan is $15.
    • insinuate, on 07/22/2008, -0/+1apples > oranges
  • konsole1981, on 07/22/2008, -3/+9OooOO... tethering is such a novel idea? I am happy to hear about the overcoming of your frustrations with vendor lock-in on outrageous monthly plan rates, at least you get front page on Digg when your phone does *insert_standard_pda_feature_here*. Congrats!
  • woody168, on 07/22/2008, -1/+2no sling mobile player yet, means no iphone for me, yet. But one can hope the official app for it will be out right?
  • LiquidSilence, on 07/22/2008, -1/+1Alright can someone explain.. this articles states "For the curious: The iPhone is joining your Wi-Fi network, but with no internet access on this network it falls back to using 3G for outgoing packets." and it claims you can surf in a wi-fi less area. Now how the heck do you suppose to do this if there is no Wi-Fi network to join or no router giving ip's ?? how is this done?? someone ?
    • ramsinks.com, on 07/22/2008, -0/+13G internets. It's part of the data plane.. over cell network.. and stuff..
    • JoeMcGurty, on 07/22/2008, -0/+1Under step two:
      "Create an ad-hoc network on your computer. On Macs, just click on the Wi-Fi icon in the menubar and select "Create Network." On Windows, set up internet connection sharing."

      Meaning the WiFi network you are creating is directly between the phone and the computer.
      Once the iPhone determines that it has no external internet connection over WiFi, so it falls back to the 3G network connection to get out to the INTARTBUZZEEZZ~!!!1!1one
  • flip360, on 07/22/2008, -0/+2My RAZRv3xx (3G) did this several years ago. Came in Handy once or twice when my home connection got hosed and I needed some new router firmware. Also nice when you're at a relative's house with no internet access and no neighbors with an open AP (Holidays). All for a $20 unlimited text and data upgrade. Not sure if AT&T has that plan anymore.

    I think its a valuable feature.
  • krnldmp, on 07/22/2008, -4/+1How to be an idiot.
  • Rudegar, on 07/22/2008, -4/+5my bet is that att don't have the capacity for that intensive usage if all customers did that
    • trwww, on 07/22/2008, -1/+1You loose the bet. AT&T has several phones that have this feature built in.
      • Rudegar, on 07/23/2008, -0/+1and if less popular and used as teething modems their capacity would never suffer
  • borez, on 07/22/2008, -0/+3Works on my Nokia phones in the UK
    • supermanred, on 08/12/2008, -0/+1That's awesome. Good for you. I'm searching for a picture on google (using my iPhone) of a doggie biscuit so I can email it to you.
  • JoeMcGurty, on 07/22/2008, -0/+4Simple reason why AT&T and Apple together decided not to provide this as a standard feature for iPhones:
    Money.

    Consumers now buy both an iPhone and a 3G network card for their laptop AND data plans for both devices.
  • BOFH139, on 07/22/2008, -0/+1You can do this with some phone, I've been doing this for years first via IR, then BT.
    Normally there is a clause in your data plan that does not allow this, it's counter as a break of the T&C and I've heard of people been billed 1000$'s because the data access from anything but via the phone directly was not included in there "unlimited" data plan.
  • bezdomnoi, on 07/22/2008, -0/+3Is this feature new to the US or just the iPhone? I remember doing this with an old nokia like 3 years ago. Of course that was in Eastern Europe
  • digitalpencil, on 07/22/2008, -0/+1would this be against the TOS in UK where bandwidth's unlimited?
  • super_spyder, on 07/22/2008, -0/+2I would love it if someone was smart enough to create a simple script that would run on your computer. So that all you had to do was double click it, then join your phone to your wifi netowrk that the script created, then put the ipaddress of the phone into the script. This is kind of a pain to do every time
  • ronaldmonster, on 07/22/2008, -0/+2I've been doing this for over a year with my old Sanyo Katana >_>
  • GMEnthusiast, on 07/22/2008, -1/+3Buried inaccurate. This just sets up a SOCKS proxy for web browsing. This does not "get your computer online", it only gets your web browser online. The iPhone still sucks compared to any Palm or Windows Mobile smartphone, which can be used as *real* wireless modems.
  • victorbr, on 07/22/2008, -0/+0So let´s suposed I have a ipod touch, a computer with out wireless conection and a a wireless router at home conected to the internet.
    Is there anyway to use the ipod touch as an external wireless card?
    • bmdt2000, on 07/22/2008, -0/+1I'm sure that it is technically possible, but it wouldn't be anything like what is described here. I guess I have to ask: Why don't you just buy a wireless card for your PC? If you don't have the room, you could always get a USB dongle. If you did somehow manage to use your Touch as a wireless card, you still have to hook it up to your PC and that would be more trouble than using a simple USB connection.
  • bgth021, on 07/22/2008, -2/+2being doing this for years with my Windows based smartphone.
    • supermanred, on 08/12/2008, -0/+1I have 916 apps on my iPhone (9 pages of 16 apps each) right now. I'm pretty sure you're Windows based smartphone has been blown out of the water... I dont see why you guys have to keep jumping onto iPhone comment sections to make stupid remarks.

      916 apps.

      On my phone.

      Quake, every NES game ever made, video ringtones, wifi, full web browsing, GPS....

      Hell, I'm pretty sure you can use the damn thing as a can opener, I just havent got drunk enough to put the ipod cable port to the stress test yet.
  • ibmetom, on 07/22/2008, -0/+0Phone companies must send you people Xmas cards or their execs email from Bali saying thanks for living online via us.
  • d0d4, on 07/22/2008, -2/+1amazing even smart people use
    apple gear, just to work around
    all the stupid barricades. wow. must be a sport ...
    now we either need a mini iptables for the iPhone ...
    don't forget to bump your serial line speed to max
    to get the most!

    so i have identified two kinds of apple user:
    to lazy to understand windows.
    to smart to understand windows hence looking for
    a even more walled-in solution (they DO call it
    jailbreak?) jobs got more allergies then bills? (post a traceroute to digg thru iPhone 2.0 pls)
  • LilBoyLuver, on 07/22/2008, -1/+3Dugg for Beck on the iPod.
  • tomz17, on 07/22/2008, -1/+2If you have a windows mobile phone, and ICS has been ripped out by your carrier, look up wmwifirouter... The earlier versions are free, it's literally a 1 click deal that turns your phone into a wireless access point, along with a full NAT solution, none of this socks over dynamic ssh forwarding *****!

    Suck it iphone!
  • hsinray, on 07/23/2008, -1/+1Just what I've always wanted, a tethered iphone. Does anyone know does AT&T forbids tethering on all 3G phones or just the Iphone? If so, you can always get another 3G phone that tethers if jailbreaking tethering is too risky. Here's a good iPhone news I want to share, "9 ways iPhone 3G can make you more popular on Digg". http://digg.com/gadgets/9_Ways_iPhone_3G_can_make_ ...
  • gregs2500, on 07/23/2008, -0/+1Did anyone ever hear of someone getting a $1000+ charge from a phone company using a tethering method?
  • y0urcl0ne, on 07/23/2008, -2/+1Nothing new.... I could do this like 6 years ago.
  • usingpond, on 07/23/2008, -0/+4Who is saying this is new? Nobody, so can you people please shut the ***** up. It's a tutorial for the iPhone.
  • StankChz, on 07/23/2008, -2/+0People have been doing this for years with other phones, this isn't news.

    Digg needs a dedicated "iPhone spam" option in the bury menu.
    • SmeeegHeeed, on 07/23/2008, -1/+1agreed....

      story buried as "iPhone spam"
    • supermanred, on 08/12/2008, -0/+1You dumb ass, go into your PROFILE, then settings and remove the entire Apple section altogether and stop bitching.

      You don't even know how to use Digg... sad.
  • CalinSchue, on 07/23/2008, -0/+1Tried and worked perfectly.
  • GallopingCow, on 07/23/2008, -0/+0*cough*pdanet
  • jtown, on 07/23/2008, -0/+0"I've successfully done web browsing and IRC, anything that supports SOCKS4/5 should work."

    That's nice and all but what about those of us who want to be able to work without turning proxy access on and off and/or use network applications that don't speak SOCKS? I'm really disappointed in the way Apple and AT&T have handled data connections. WTF is wrong with them? Apple always comes out with these breakthrough products that are great...except for . There's no technical reason why the iphone couldn't function like a wireless router. It's got 802.11g, it's got a cellular data connection. All it needs is the software to bridge the gap. Fine. Charge extra for it. But to have the ability and not exploit it...

    I'd pay and extra $20-30/month to be able to use a 3G iphone as a wireless router without having to mess with network settings. Right now I use t-mobile for cellular data. Two reasons. 1) It's cheap. 2) They don't pussyfoot around tethering. $20/month and no BS. Plus WiFi access at their hotspots. I regularly move a gig a month through that connection using any number of connection methods. Surfing on the phone, USB connection to a PC, bluetooth to a Mac, bluetooth to a PC. I get a "real" internet connection that doesn't require reconfiguring my apps to use a proxy server or wait for the auto-detect delay. And ALL of my apps work.

    Still 3G with SOCKS would be considerably peppier than EDGE...
  • rayburn1976, on 07/24/2008, -6/+0I found a company that I just insured my 3G iPhone, my iPod touch and my wifes BlackBerry through. The service was absolutely top-notch!! Www.iphonereplacementservices.net is the address. I heard it on the radio in Michigan and I emailed them at customerservice@digitalcaboodle.com and they answered me back in less then 8 minutes! 8 MINUTES! I have never seen anything like this site! Pass the word, someone really cares and we know its not At&t or Apple. Get your stuff covered!! Great people to work with and the website was the real deal!!
    • supermanred, on 08/12/2008, -0/+1I call on all hackers from Digg to visit this web site (sounds like a ***** scam) that this man is advertising (spamming) on Digg. I hope you visit his web site very enthusiastically and repeatedly...

      ;)
  •  

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