[HowTo] Tether Galaxy Tab to your Phone

Skatedawg

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How to Tether Your Galaxy Tab to Your Phone

Written by Skatedawg

Warning: I, nor to any other members of this community, do not take any responsibility for the possibly of you "bricking" your devices or any other things that could harm your device. Also rooting your device does void your warranty so do this at your own risk and judgment.


Update: Works for DroidX 2.2.1 BUT wifi will not connect to a network unless changed back to the original wpa file.

Prerequisites
  • Rooted Android Phone
  • Rooted Galaxy Tab
  • Root Explorer (Purchase) and AndroZip/Astro (Free) (Available on Market - You may use any program you like but these are the ones that worked best for me and in this tutorial)

Instructions
1) Root your Galaxy Tab. There are many one-click root application available. Just do a search for them. I'm the kind of person that likes to do it manually so I used a tutorial by blacklevel over at XDA Developers. That link is: [HOWTO] manual rooting of Galaxy Tab (EURO with JM6) - xda-developers

2) Download the file attached to this post titled wpa_supplicant.rar (Originally posted by daveba over at XDA Developers as a .7z file). I changed the format to .rar so that more file file managers could use it.

3) If you downloaded this file to your computer, extract it and then put the file on your sdcard. If you downloaded the file by your tab, just open your file manager (astro or androzip) and find the file. Long press the file and extract the contents. Remember this location.

4) Important: Turn OFF your wifi.

5) Go to the Root Explorer and find that location of the file you just extracted which is most likely in sdcard/download/ depending on the browser you used to download the file on your tab. (Dolphin HD was used in this case)

6) Long press the file you extracted and tap Copy. Go back to the root menu and then navigate to system/bin. Tap "Mount R/W" at the top so you can modify files in the system folder. Long press on the wpa_supplicant that is already in the folder and rename it to "wpa_supplicant.bak" press "OK" then you can click on the "paste" button now to paste the copied file from your download folder to this system folder.

7)
Click on the "Mount R/O" at the top to turn off Read/Write mode and back out of Root Explorer.

You just completed modifying your Galaxy Tab for tether to any Ad-hoc network.

Testing
To test it, we are going to turn off any kind of data transmitting to the carrier network (if you have a data plan on it).

1) From the home screen. Menu Key > Settings > Wireless and network > Mobile Networks. Un-check "Use packet data". Check to see if you can access any web page (WiFi should still be off). If you cant then you have successfully turned off network connection.

2) Go to your phone and turn on your hotspot. This can either be Wireless Tether or any other root wireless tethering application.

3) Now go back to your tab. Turn on your wifi. Scan for devices around you. You should see "devicename (adhoc)" (ex. my device name SSID is AndroidTether so on my tab it shows up as "AndroidTether (adhoc)".

4) Select your phone from the list of wifi hotspots on your Tab. Put in the password if you have one.

5) Once its connected. Back out and try to access the internet. If you can connect to a page then you have successfully done everything correct and your ready to browser via your phones data plan.

Special thanks to dave_t (android central), daveba (XDA), blacklevel (XDA) and of course the Android Central community for all its fantastic members and moderators.

Please leave comments and let me know if this help everyone.
 
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Upright

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I have rooted both my EVO and Galaxy tab so I can wifi tether the Gal Tab,...all is well but the Gal Tab doesn't seem to want to connect it reads :Obtaining IP address from AndroidTether(adhoc)

I'm sure this is something pretty simple..

Thanks
 

RC46

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Believe it or not, this mod my not even be necessary...

I just got my Tab for Christmas and I was all read up and all ready to do this mod. I had my Tab rooted 45 seconds after it's first boot. I was all ready to switch out the wpa_supplicant file but on a whim decided to try to tether it to my rooted EVO first to see if I could figure out how to make my EVO not look like a adhoc network. For some reason my Tab saw the EVO as "AndroidTether" and I connected no problem. I turned off my home WifI network and downloaded a 30 meg file as a test. It worked fine and I never even changed my wpa_supplicant file.

Very strange huh?

The only that I can think of is that I did switch out the wpa_supplicant in my EVO a long time ago. My EVO can see adhoc networks and my Tab does not see them. This does not seem to matter because my Tab does not see my EVO as a adhoc but instead see's it as a regular WiFi network.

BTW, my Tab is the ATT version and my EVO is rooted with a (mostly) stock ROM.
 
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mclarryjr

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Like rc46 I didn't have any problems connecting by Tab to my rooted Dinc using wireless tether I'm not sure why but glad it did.

Going to sticky this in case some people are having problems.
 
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Upright

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Believe it or not, this mod my not even be necessary...

I just got my Tab for Christmas and I was all read up and all ready to do this mod. I had my Tab rooted 45 seconds after it's first boot. I was all ready to switch out the wpa_supplicant file but on a whim decided to try to tether it to my rooted EVO first to see if I could figure out how to make my EVO not look like a adhoc network. For some reason my Tab saw the EVO as "AndroidTether" and I connected no problem. I turned off my home WifI network and downloaded a 30 meg file as a test. It worked fine and I never even changed my wpa_supplicant file.

Very strange huh?

The only that I can think of is that I did switch out the wpa_supplicant in my EVO a long time ago. My EVO can see adhoc networks and my Tab does not see them. This does not seem to matter because my Tab does not see my EVO as a adhoc but instead see's it as a regular WiFi network.

BTW, my Tab is the ATT version and my EVO is rooted with a (mostly) stock ROM.



Yeah,....this is very strange. I did the z4root to both my Tab and EVO. I haven't installed any custom Roms as I was hoping this would work without need to do anything like that. One thing is for sure I want to get to the bottom of this as soon as possible.

PS my Tab is the Verizon version
 

highwayman1224

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Sheesh, this whole process looks like a p.i.t.a. I unrevoked my EVO, installed wireless tether & my Sprint Tab connects just fine. Why is it different for some people?
 

Upright

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Sheesh, this whole process looks like a p.i.t.a. I unrevoked my EVO, installed wireless tether & my Sprint Tab connects just fine. Why is it different for some people?



I'm not sure why it's different. I'm using a Verizon Gal Tab,...maybe this has something to do with it but I doubt it. Is unrevoked a one click method? if so please drop a link.


nevermind,...I found UnreEVOked.

Thanks
 
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Skatedawg

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Awesome! Thanks for the sticky.

This only happens with some phone and tabs. Im not sure what the criteria is for when you have to use this method or not. I just know I had to do it for my droid x and Verizon galaxy tab.

Thanks for the feedback guys.
 

clevin

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T-Mobile tab has mobile AP out of box for no additional charge, connection speed is up to 500kb/s (>4 mbps)

don't sprint, ATT, VZ version have this?
 

Skatedawg

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Wireless Tether from the market place just updated the app so that it supports infrastructure mode on the Droid X. So you may not have to use this tutorial of you are using a Droid X. I have not tested it without this hack so i will have to undo changes and try it. Ill update this if successful.

EDIT: Confirmed. With the update of Wireless Tether. This tutorial is not required for the Motorola Droid X while using Wireless Tether.
 
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phazelag

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I tethered my Rooted Droid Incredible to the non rooted Verizon Tab at Best Buy and it worked fine. It was not connected to any other 3G or wifi.

Z
 

yulost

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Good Lord, I need HELP. I did the install step by step, and now my wifi wont turn on, it says error after trying to connect. Any help will help me sleep tonight - well actually now, I renamed the wpa_supplicant.bak to its original wpa_supplicant and the wifi turned on. But I still cant tether.

Today I paid a supposedly Pro to do all this for me, and he didnt do anything I wanted! I got scammed. So any help, literally you are doing the world for me. Thanks
 
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jayhawkfan18

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Good Lord, I need HELP. I did the install step by step, and now my wifi wont turn on, it says error after trying to connect. Any help will help me sleep tonight - well actually now, I renamed the wpa_supplicant.bak to its original wpa_supplicant and the wifi turned on. But I still cant tether.

Today I paid a supposedly Pro to do all this for me, and he didnt do anything I wanted! I got scammed. So any help, literally you are doing the world for me. Thanks

Same problem or me here. Renamed wpa_supplicant and copied the new file but not my wifi won't turn back on and connect to my home wireless router. Please help

Edit: also undid the modification to wpa_supplicant so i can again access my home wifi but is there a fix for allowing the GTab to see both wireless routers and adhoc signals? Im trying to use my jailbroken iphone4 and mywi as a hotspot that my GTab can connect to.

Edit 2: all fixed and working now
 
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ehernandez

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Same problem or me here. Renamed wpa_supplicant and copied the new file but not my wifi won't turn back on and connect to my home wireless router. Please help

Edit: also undid the modification to wpa_supplicant so i can again access my home wifi but is there a fix for allowing the GTab to see both wireless routers and adhoc signals? Im trying to use my jailbroken iphone4 and mywi as a hotspot that my GTab can connect to.

Edit 2: all fixed and working now

how did you fix it??
 

hakkikt

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Same problem or me here. Renamed wpa_supplicant and copied the new file but not my wifi won't turn back on and connect to my home wireless router. Please help

Edit: also undid the modification to wpa_supplicant so i can again access my home wifi but is there a fix for allowing the GTab to see both wireless routers and adhoc signals? Im trying to use my jailbroken iphone4 and mywi as a hotspot that my GTab can connect to.

Edit 2: all fixed and working now

When you say "all fixed and working now", do you mean you're able to connect the GTab to a tethering phone sharing internet connection?

I would like to know how you did it.
This wpa_supplicant file apparently exists in many, many versions.

My current (factory installed) version is 352944 bytes long, dated 2011, Feb 28.
My device is Galaxy Tab GT-P1010 Android FROYO
Firmware : 2.2.1
Kernel : 2.6.32.9 se.infra@SEP-24 #1
Build Number : FROYO.UJKB4

The proposed replacement is 312440, dated 2010 August 17th, which makes me think is a much older version.

Did you find an alternate version of the file? Please post it or refer to version, size, source device or URL to find it.

Thanks in advance.
 

jayhawkfan18

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It turns out I didn't even need to do anything other than install MyWi and I was good to go my GTab could connect right to it so I don't know if I got lucky or if there is an update to MyWi or what but my set up is in my signature and it works great.
 
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hakkikt

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It turns out I didn't even need to do anything other than install MyWi and I was good to go my GTab could connect right to it so I don't know if I got lucky or if there is an update to MyWi or what but my set up is in my signature and it works great.

Thanks for answering. I get it!
If the GTab doesn't connect is not only because of GTab's software, but also because of the software sharing the connection running on the phone.

After a lot of workarounds, I made it work using Wireless Tether 3.0beta on my Galaxy5 (android) phone and my Gtab using ZT-180 adhoc switch. Kinda messy but it works. A bit flaky, tho'.

Two days ago, I had flashed my phone using latest Madteam custom firmware, to upgrade to Android 2.2 FROYO. This firmware includes (just now I discovered) a wifi tethering option inside the Wireless settings and, upon activating, is normally listed in the available wifi networks in the Gtab. I'm so happy!

Now if only there were a way to tether using bluetooth to avoid battery drain...