Do I have to root my ET4G to get free wifi tethering?

[kpazzo6]

Or what are my options. Sorry I'm coming from a windows phone and Android is new to me.

 

[darrenf]

To get free WiFi tethering, yes you need to root.

Alternatives: you can purchase hot-spot service for $30/mo from Sprint (the software is pre-loaded on the phone) or purchase PDAnet for a one-time fee of $16 and tether to a single computer over USB or bluetooth.

Keep in mind that if you could run WiFi hotspot, you would likely want to charge the phone while it's running the hotspot software because it's a battery hungry application. If you are only connecting one computer, using PDAnet over USB cable (which charges the phone at the same time) is a pretty attractive option.

-darren

 

[kpazzo6]

To get free WiFi tethering, yes you need to root.

Alternatives: you can purchase hot-spot service for $30/mo from Sprint (the software is pre-loaded on the phone) or purchase PDAnet for a one-time fee of $16 and tether to a single computer over USB or bluetooth.

Keep in mind that if you could run WiFi hotspot, you would likely want to charge the phone while it's running the hotspot software because it's a battery hungry application. If you are only connecting one computer, using PDAnet over USB cable (which charges the phone at the same time) is a pretty attractive option.

-darren

thanks but I really only use it less than 3x a week for maybe 30 min each time during my lunch break to connect my Ipad... I know I can not connect internet to Ipad using a usb, not sure about bluetooth

 

[darrenf]

thanks but I really only use it less than 3x a week for maybe 30 min each time during my lunch break to connect my Ipad... I know I can not connect internet to Ipad using a usb, not sure about bluetooth

Ahh - iPad, then no the PDAnet USB solution would not work for you because it requires running software on the client. Here's a link to someone using PDAnet over Bluetooth with an iPad:

Tether any phone to iPad via Bluetooth with no monthly plan (ipad wifi ftw!) - MacRumors Forums

-darren

 

[edgar.nalchad]

Please don't cheat sprint with free WiFi tethering.. It's the only carrier left with unlimited data lets try to keep it that way.

 

[michaeljc70]

Maybe if they came out with a reasonable plan, people wouldn't "cheat". If you tether your tablet to your phone like I do for on average 1 hour per month, who is going to pay $30/month for that?

Also, data is data. Some people stream music/video to their phone and eat up tons of data. Why should I pay more to use a few MB here and there when my total data usage is way below most people?

 

[edgar.nalchad]

You should pay because if you don't then you are stealing. Just because some people steal cars doesn't make it ok to steal a piece of gum. I use maybe 500 MB of data a month tethering from my phone to my tablet and I pay that $30 even though my phone is rooted. If you don't want to pay $30 a month because its expensive which i totally understand, but, are willing to pay less, other carriers have limited data access for cheaper then $30 a month. ATT has plans as low as $15 a month

 

[justinblott]

Yes - using your data connection on a laptop a few times a month for convenience is equivalent to stealing a car.

 

[expertzero1]

lol... im sorry, but who is going to pay 29.99 for a service they barely use?

/facepalm

 

[GusRandall]

Yes - using your data connection on a laptop a few times a month for convenience is equivalent to stealing a car.

The difference between a $50 street walker and a $5000 escort is merely the price - both are whores.

 

[edgar.nalchad]

Point is stealing is stealing.. Car, Gum, Data.. whichever you take without paying it's still stealing. In any case.. I just would hate to see capped data just because you (and everyone else who does it) thinks "it's ok to cheat the system as long as were not over doing it". And as to your "on average 1 hour per month" 10,000 people with your logic = 10,000 hours a month.

 

[edgar.nalchad]

lol... im sorry, but who is going to pay 29.99 for a service they barely use?

/facepalm

The person who barely uses it. If you don't want to pay for it then don't use it.

 

[AntikytheraTech]

Point is stealing is stealing.. Car, Gum, Data.. whichever you take without paying it's still stealing. In any case.. I just would hate to see capped data just because you (and everyone else who does it) thinks "it's ok to cheat the system as long as were not over doing it". And as to your "on average 1 hour per month" 10,000 people with your logic = 10,000 hours a month.

Well according to AC news sprint will now begin capping tether and PAM data to 5GB as of 10/5/11. Now I will definitely not pay for it!


good thing I am rooting this weekend.

Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk

 

[michaeljc70]

The difference between a $50 street walker and a $5000 escort is merely the price - both are whores.

Your analogy is incorrect. The law DOES differentiate. That is why there is larceny for small theft and grand larceny for large theft.

I think there is a difference between legal authority and moral authority. When an oligopoly of companies rig plans and services to maximize profit, I will do what I can to maximize my benefit from those services. I don't lose sleep using a few MB of data from my phone on my tablet.

If Sprint wanted to stop it, it could. AT&T and Verizon have taken steps to do so.

 

[JasonF]

Please don't cheat sprint with free WiFi tethering.. It's the only carrier left with unlimited data lets try to keep it that way.

Sprint should include tethering with the $10/mo "premium data" service fee which seems to otherwise provide a cost with no value. $30/mo for tethering is a ripoff.

 

[GusRandall]

Your analogy is incorrect. The law DOES differentiate. That is why there is larceny for small theft and grand larceny for large theft.

You made my point for me - small thefts and large thefts are both still larcenies it's just a question of the scale.

 

[bboykin87]

The way I look at it is if I'm only using tethering here and there I am NOT paying $30/mo. For mobile hotspot. Is it technically stealing? Yes, but I am not gonna lose any sleep over it and to the argument that it will make unlimited data go away, that is going to happen eventually, especially if sprint gets the iphone.

 

[dr_elusive]

You should pay because if you don't then you are stealing. Just because some people steal cars doesn't make it ok to steal a piece of gum. I use maybe 500 MB of data a month tethering from my phone to my tablet and I pay that $30 even though my phone is rooted. If you don't want to pay $30 a month because its expensive which i totally understand, but, are willing to pay less, other carriers have limited data access for cheaper then $30 a month. ATT has plans as low as $15 a month

Wifi Tethering is not stealing. You are paying for the data, you can use it how you choose. Paying extra for wifi tethering is like Comcast charging me Per Computer for internet, or Per TV for cable. Tethering is a huge money maker for the carrier and just another way to screw the public. I personally dont have a use for it.. But if you do, root and be happy.

 

[rogerntami]

Wifi Tethering is not stealing. You are paying for the data, you can use it how you choose. Paying extra for wifi tethering is like Comcast charging me Per Computer for internet, or Per TV for cable. Tethering is a huge money maker for the carrier and just another way to screw the public. I personally dont have a use for it.. But if you do, root and be happy.

Exactly. You pay to use data. You should be able to use it how you like. It's not stealing....unless you use serious amounts of data, like if you use it as your main internet connection at home for a PC, etc. If you're only using a few MB on an unlimited plan, it's hardly a big deal. On all the other carriers these days, you pay a certain amount to use a certain amount of data. What I do with that certain amount of data...how I use it...is none of the carriers' business. If I use 1 GB of my 2 GB monthly data to tether, it doesn't cost the carrier anything. It's no different than if I used the data on my phone. It's also like a gas station saying "You buy 2 gallons of gas, you have to use it all in your car. If you want to use gas in your lawn mower, you have to pay us an extra $50 just for the privilege of using it in your lawnmower." It's just stupid.

 

[xtn]

Morally, I have no problem with anybody using a bit of data, that you've paid for, by tethering. But regardless of that, you ARE violating the contractual terms of service that YOU AGREED TO.

In other words, I don't think you're a thief, I think you're a lier.

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