Should I root my N7? If so, what will I get?

[EquiPro]

Hello. I have checked the forums for a similar post and have not seen it, so I'm posting this here. Sorry, in advance, if I missed a previous post for this.

I just bought a new Nexus 7 tab and have been reading about rooting is (something I've never done before). I have a couple of questions which I would like to have answered before I try doing this. I'm hoping that I can get those answers here.

I'm considering rooting my tab because I want to be able to use my Verizon Mifi with it to have internet access away from regular wifi. From what I'm able to find, I need to root this tab in order to do this.

I'm a relatively competent computer user, am able to follow good directions very carefully and feel that I'm able to follow the video provided in order to root my devise. I have watched the video very carefully several times, downloaded and installed the necessary files onto my computer's c-drive and am ready to go. My Nexus is only a few days old, so there isn't anything on it that I'm too worried about backing up. However, this brings me to my first question.

Question 1: Even though this is a new devise with almost nothing on it, should I back it up? If so, how do I make sure that I've copied the correct files to my computer? Is there a program that I should use to do this?

Question 2: Once I've rooted this devise, will it behave as it does now? I'm only interested in rooting it for a couple of items and I would want it to behave like a new tablet with regards to being able to ad apps from Google Play and such. How will the rooted tablet behave differently from one that isn't rooted with regards to every day use?

Question 3a: The most important reason for me to root this is to able to tether either my phone or my Mifi to it to have internet access to it away from wifi. Will rooting it allow me to do this?

Question 3b: Both my phone and my Mifi have a USB micro slot going into them. Of course, so does the N7. Do I use an adapter to connect the N7 to either of these, or is there a special cable that has a micro on both ends? Not sure about this hardware/ cable issue.

Question 4: After I root it, will I have to re-install ("flash", right?) anything? Will it automatically install Jelly Bean?

Any more information on the results of flashing would be so very much appreciated.

Thanks for your help.

 

[2defmouze]

Just want to say I would double-check to confirm that you NEED to root to use your mifi hotspot.. that sounds wrong to me, but I'm not sure....

Question 1: Even though this is a new devise with almost nothing on it, should I back it up? If so, how do I make sure that I've copied the correct files to my computer? Is there a program that I should use to do this?

IMO... nah, and you wouldn't really be able to anyway. If you happen to have anything on the internal sd you will want later, you can copy it to your computer first, as the process of unlocking the bootloader will wipe everything, sd included.

Question 2: Once I've rooted this devise, will it behave as it does now? I'm only interested in rooting it for a couple of items and I would want it to behave like a new tablet with regards to being able to ad apps from Google Play and such. How will the rooted tablet behave differently from one that isn't rooted with regards to every day use?
It should behave exactly as it does now. Rooting just installs an app and a binary which gives you the capability to allow apps "root" access, giving them elevated permissions which would normally not be available to them. The act of rooting alone should not alter the behavior of your device at all.

Question 3a: The most important reason for me to root this is to able to tether either my phone or my Mifi to it to have internet access to it away from wifi. Will rooting it allow me to do this?
As I said up top.. I'm not sure about this "rooting for mifi" idea.. just sounds to me like you should be able to use the mifi hotspot without rooting your device. And if you are trying to tether your phone then it should make no difference at all whether or not the tablet is rooted.

Question 3b: Both my phone and my Mifi have a USB micro slot going into them. Of course, so does the N7. Do I use an adapter to connect the N7 to either of these, or is there a special cable that has a micro on both ends? Not sure about this hardware/ cable issue.
No, when you are tethering, the device with the signal broadcasts it like a wifi hotspot. Your tablet should pick it up like any other Wifi network.

Question 4: After I root it, will I have to re-install ("flash", right?) anything? Will it automatically install Jelly Bean?
Your tablet came with Jellybean already
If you unlock and root, through the process you will wind up installing (yes, flashing ) a custom recovery. Having a custom recovery will likely prevent you from installing future updates pushed by Google... however, if that's the only thing you alter within the system, it is quite easy to restore the stock recovery in just a minute so that you can accept OTA updates in the future.


Any more information on the results of flashing would be so very much appreciated.

Thanks for your help.

 

[chosenhobo]

I agree, Verizon Mifi is a service Verizon provides, I am pretty sure you did need to root your N7. Either way you wouldn't need to, actually.

 

[retsaw]

I don't see why you'd need to root to use the Verizon Mifi, it should just work like a normal wifi access point, shouldn't it? But you may want to root to take advantage of some useful apps which require root permissions, such as, Stickmount which lets use USB drives connected to the USB port, Sixaxis Controller which lets you use PS3 controllers wirelessly, and Titanium Backup for making full backups of apps and the app data that goes with them.

But even if you don't want to root your Nexus 7 now, you may later, but before you can root you'll need to unlock the bootloader which will automatically factory reset the device wiping all your data and installed apps, therefore you may want to at least unlock the bootloader before you put much more on the device that way if you want to root it at a later point you'll be able to do so without wiping the device. Also it is possible to root the Nexus 7 without installing a custom bootloader if you would prefer that.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Android Central Forums

 

[EquiPro]

Thanks. I think that I'm going to go ahead and root it.

Regarding the Verizon Mifi, I thought that I had to tether the Mifi TO the Nexus in order for it to work. This is what I thought that I had to do in order to use it with my computer. The Mifi works off of my phone plan. After reading your replies, I'm not wondering if I never got correct training from Verizon on the Mifi use. Perhaps I need to start with Verizon tech support.

OK. I'm now a bit more confused. I thought that I rooting and unlocking the bootloader went hand in hand...in other words, you couldn't do one without the other.

Could you please expand a bit on the difference between the two and why I might want to do one but not the other.

BTW, thanks for the detailed replies. It's essential that I really understand what is going on here before I just "do it", so that I know what I am doing. I also purchased a Sony tablet and might want to do the same to it.

 

[2defmouze]

Thanks. I think that I'm going to go ahead and root it.

Regarding the Verizon Mifi, I thought that I had to tether the Mifi TO the Nexus in order for it to work. This is what I thought that I had to do in order to use it with my computer. The Mifi works off of my phone plan. After reading your replies, I'm not wondering if I never got correct training from Verizon on the Mifi use. Perhaps I need to start with Verizon tech support.

OK. I'm now a bit more confused. I thought that I rooting and unlocking the bootloader went hand in hand...in other words, you couldn't do one without the other.

Could you please expand a bit on the difference between the two and why I might want to do one but not the other.

BTW, thanks for the detailed replies. It's essential that I really understand what is going on here before I just "do it", so that I know what I am doing. I also purchased a Sony tablet and might want to do the same to it.

Highly recommend reading this thread: http://forums.androidcentral.com/ve...ont-panic-hitchhikers-guide-galaxy-nexus.html

Yes its for the galaxy nexus, but besides the bit about radios just about everything applies the same to the Nexus 7. Check it out!

 

[EquiPro]

Thanks! I've read it and re-read it...originally posted this in that forum. :-[

 

[dpwaters72]

Thanks. I think that I'm going to go ahead and root it.

Regarding the Verizon Mifi, I thought that I had to tether the Mifi TO the Nexus in order for it to work. This is what I thought that I had to do in order to use it with my computer. The Mifi works off of my phone plan. After reading your replies, I'm not wondering if I never got correct training from Verizon on the Mifi use. Perhaps I need to start with Verizon tech support.

OK. I'm now a bit more confused. I thought that I rooting and unlocking the bootloader went hand in hand...in other words, you couldn't do one without the other.

Could you please expand a bit on the difference between the two and why I might want to do one but not the other.

BTW, thanks for the detailed replies. It's essential that I really understand what is going on here before I just "do it", so that I know what I am doing. I also purchased a Sony tablet and might want to do the same to it.

I use my Verizon Mifi everyday during my commute to work (it is actually sitting on my desk now charging). You do not have to tether to it. Just turn it on and use it as a WIFI hotspot. When you search under available WIFI connections, it will show up.

 

[Mellimel22]

Thanks. I think that I'm going to go ahead and root it.

Regarding the Verizon Mifi, I thought that I had to tether the Mifi TO the Nexus in order for it to work. This is what I thought that I had to do in order to use it with my computer. The Mifi works off of my phone plan. After reading your replies, I'm not wondering if I never got correct training from Verizon on the Mifi use. Perhaps I need to start with Verizon tech support.

OK. I'm now a bit more confused. I thought that I rooting and unlocking the bootloader went hand in hand...in other words, you couldn't do one without the other.

Could you please expand a bit on the difference between the two and why I might want to do one but not the other.

BTW, thanks for the detailed replies. It's essential that I really understand what is going on here before I just "do it", so that I know what I am doing. I also purchased a Sony tablet and might want to do the same to it.

In a way u right and u wrong u cant root without unlocking the bootloader but u can unlock it without rooting it

Sent from my Nexus S 4g rockin jellybean using Tapatalk 2

 

[EquiPro]

I use my Verizon Mifi everyday during my commute to work (it is actually sitting on my desk now charging). You do not have to tether to it. Just turn it on and use it as a WIFI hotspot. When you search under available WIFI connections, it will show up.

OMG. I'm such an IDIOT! I need to look into this ASAP. I've had trouble with my Mifi showing up as a wireless network without tethering it to my computer. I should have gone into Verizon a LONG time ago. GEEEZE.

OK. Thanks. Might not need to consider rooting yet (will probably do it sooner or later, since I really want to USE my tablets as much as possible), but definitely need to contact Verizon and find out WTH is going on with my Mifi.

I wouldn't have figured this out without everyone here. Thanks so much. I'll get back to the rooting issue after I sort this out. At least I now know what rooting is (sort of) and can do more research about it. I don't like to jump into things because I know just enough to truly screw them up!

 

[dmmarck]

Yes. My Kraken guide is written to explain this type of stuff, give it a read .