Can smeone explain BT pairing and shared internet for me? This isn't Tethering?

[johnmcd348]

OK, so I've been wondering for awhile now about using either my Note2 or, now my wife's GS4 as a mobile modem for tablets when we're on the road. They are both driving from Florida to Pennsylvania and New York in a couple of months so she'd like to be able to keep the kid happy on the long drive.

On the BT settings, it allows us to pair a device and it says "Internet Access, Use for Internet Sharing"

Now, I've paired the devices and I "think" that the only way the actual internet gets fed to the tablet from my phone is when my phone is linked in with the homes WiFi and not when using the Cell Service Data. I'm thinking the connection is not a real "Tether" for internet sharing purposes.

I haven't got up the nerve to Root my phone and do what I've read about creating the Root and tether options. I really haven't found much on it anyway.

Can someone enlighten me please?

 

[JasW]

OK, so I've been wondering for awhile now about using either my Note2 or, now my wife's GS4 as a mobile modem for tablets when we're on the road. They are both driving from Florida to Pennsylvania and New York in a couple of months so she'd like to be able to keep the kid happy on the long drive.

On the BT settings, it allows us to pair a device and it says "Internet Access, Use for Internet Sharing"

Now, I've paired the devices and I "think" that the only way the actual internet gets fed to the tablet from my phone is when my phone is linked in with the homes WiFi and not when using the Cell Service Data. I'm thinking the connection is not a real "Tether" for internet sharing purposes.

I haven't got up the nerve to Root my phone and do what I've read about creating the Root and tether options. I really haven't found much on it anyway.

Can someone enlighten me please?

You want to download PDAnet+ now known as FoxFi. If you're on AT&T, get it from foxfi.com instead of the Play store. BT is only used for tethering in the sense of replacing a USB cable connected to a device that offers an Internet connection, but isn't a hotspot.

Sent from my GT-N8013 using Tapatalk HD

 

[johnmcd348]

Thanks I'm on Sprint. I had FoxFi on my wife's older Epic4G back a few years ago when she first got it. Then, after the OS was updated, it wouldn't work anymore. I tried PDANet+ awhile back and it didn't seem to work on my Note2. Would it possibly work on the GS4 without being rooted?

Quickie Update:

Read through a bunch of the PDANet stuff and found the other half of the puzzle I'd been missing. I got teh first part installed on my phone with now issue, but didn't know there was a separate app that needed to be installed on the tablet also.

Thank You

 

[jdub1981]

I had foxfi installed when I first got the note 2 and I remember it saying something about needing both pdanet and foxfi together however I remember foxfi worked fine by itself. It was removed from the playstore and I had to download it direct from the foxfi website and sideload it.

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[jdub1981]

As far as using bluetooth or wifi for tether id suggest wifi since I have zero experience with the bluetooth mode.

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[bigcatny]

Why don't you just use the built in teathering app under settings>more settings>teathering and portable hotspot.
Works great.

 

[JasW]

As far as using bluetooth or wifi for tether id suggest wifi since I have zero experience with the bluetooth mode.

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Just to expand on the BT tethering, I used to use it with a BlackBerry that was set up on my laptop to act as a dial up modem. I don't know of any other use for connecting to the Internet with BT.

Why don't you just use the built in teathering app under settings>more settings>teathering and portable hotspot.
Works great.

Gotta pay on AT&T. And even if you have no problem with paying, if you are grandfathered into unlimited data, you'll lose it because you have to select a different plan to use tethering with them.

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[jdub1981]

Yea it sux for att. If you have verizon they HAVE to give it to you for free. While they dont advertise this feature if you ask they will tell what you need to do to get it working.

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[johnmcd348]

I'm with Sprint. I don't think the tethering feature works for us either. I bought the PDANet+ app and it works OK on our Note2. the problem is, I need it more so for my wife's SGS4 and it's not working on that. Maybe they will get an update. I emailed them but haven't heard back yet. Maybe after the Memorial Day Holiday.

 

[karsdroid]

I'm with Sprint. I don't think the tethering feature works for us either. I bought the PDANet+ app and it works OK on our Note2. the problem is, I need it more so for my wife's SGS4 and it's not working on that. Maybe they will get an update. I emailed them but haven't heard back yet. Maybe after the Memorial Day Holiday.

foxfi is the way to go.....works great with no issues. i used to use pdanet but foxfi is much easier. with foxfi its just like connecting your tablet to your wifi at home. you set up your foxfi with a network name and password then connect your tablet...easy

 

[jdub1981]

I'm with Sprint. I don't think the tethering feature works for us either. I bought the PDANet+ app and it works OK on our Note2. the problem is, I need it more so for my wife's SGS4 and it's not working on that. Maybe they will get an update. I emailed them but haven't heard back yet. Maybe after the Memorial Day Holiday.

It should be a wifi signal that is outputted by the note 2. From tha app set the network name and wifi protection mode. Then connect the gs4 to that wifi network. Its not overly complicated and definitely does work using the gs4.

Sent from my Galaxy Note 8.0 using Tapatalk

 

[johnmcd348]

OK, so got it working. Thanks. June Fabrics(PDANet+) was very good at responding to emails and helping out. Installed PDANet+ on the phone and PDANet Tablet on the tablets and they sync up and work great. No Rooting.