Rooting and Wifi Hotspot (Newbie question)

[Josh K]

If I would root my phone, would the Wifi hotspot work any different than if I would pay the $30? (Would it still work for 8 devices, for example?) Are there any downsides to rooting, in general? Is it difficult? I'm just trying to figure out why Sprint would assume I would pay for it, if there is a simple way to get it for free.

 

[Rudementry]

If I would root my phone, would the Wifi hotspot work any different than if I would pay the $30? (Would it still work for 8 devices, for example?) Are there any downsides to rooting, in general? Is it difficult? I'm just trying to figure out why Sprint would assume I would pay for it, if there is a simple way to get it for free.

I think you need to realize that at this moment, there has been no way to get around the $30 fee through rooting (that the public knows of). It is only assumed that there will be a method to do this, later on, once people start screwing around with it (some time after June 4th). There is no guarantee however that this would ever come about. Its not as easy as gaining root access and typing in freehotspotplz.

So in other words, no we don't know how it'll work or if it'll work. We can only hope and pray. Or if you're a coder, get to work.

 

[Josh K]

Thanks for the explanation. I really have no clue what rooting is exactly.

 

[Yourdogsdead]

Thanks for the explanation. I really have no clue what rooting is exactly.

It's basically giving you superuser access to the system. In Linux you are restricted with what you can do as a normal user. By Escalating your privileges you can do some pretty neat (And sometimes dangerous) stuff. Rooting the phone grants you those privileges and allows you to modify the phone.

 

[Josh K]

ok so here's my question: Once someone figures out how to root a given device, is it something that I can just copy or is it a complicated thing to do? And if I somehow screw it up, is there a way for me to "unroot" it with no harm done?

 

[Rudementry]

ok so here's my question: Once someone figures out how to root a given device, is it something that I can just copy or is it a complicated thing to do?

Probably both. The longer you wait, the easier it is for the average consumer. At first it'll come out and it'll probably be pretty complex and confusing, but give it some time and it'll be made simpler for those of us who are not tech wizards. (this is all from my experience with WebOS and what I've read of AndroidOS, so things could be a bit different)

And if I somehow screw it up, is there a way for me to "unroot" it with no harm done?

As long as you're careful and make sure theres always a recovery system in place and you don't completely brick your phone then you can probably fix it. It might erase everything on your device, but at least you can still use it. I know with WebOS you could do just about anything to the device, screw it up way beyond repair, and then just doctor it and everything would be fine. I think with Android its not quite as easy, but as long as you follow whatever the guide you're following step by step and research what you're doing first, then you should be ok.