Tethering the Incredible

[jsh1120]

Another interesting tidbit from TechCrunch review this morning...

"...But there’s still no native tethering support and so HTC has provided USB tethering software that’s pre-installed on the phone. Install it on your Windows PC and you can use the Incredible as a 3G broadband modem. We’re thrilled that HTC has made this possible but it seems old fashioned to have to use a cable when Windows Mobile and Palm’s new webOS phones like the Pre Plus can do it wirelessly over Bluetooth or WiFi. Alas, that’s an Android shortcoming..."

As rooted Droid users realize, it's possible to tether the Droid but the more interesting comment is in the first sentence.

If HTC provides tethering support (that is not crippled in the Verizon phones), this raises the whole issue of tethering to a new level. Will Verizon require an additional $30 per month for a "tethered Incredible?" Will all Incredibles be sold only with a tethering plan?

 

[BlooS]

It would suck if they you had to pay monthly for tethering with a usb. You can do that with pdanet from the app market and you don't have to pay monthly so I would think it would be free for usb tethering.

 

[jsh1120]

It would suck if they you had to pay monthly for tethering with a usb. You can do that with pdanet from the app market and you don't have to pay monthly so I would think it would be free for usb tethering.

You can certainly do it technically. However, doing so violates your service agreement with VZW. This is a case of a phone coming stock with the app installed. It will be interesting to see what Verizon plans to do about it.

 

[JhankG]

There is zero chance of Verizon making the tethering plan required. That would run off way too many customers.

 

[JhankG]

It would suck if they you had to pay monthly for tethering with a usb. You can do that with pdanet from the app market and you don't have to pay monthly so I would think it would be free for usb tethering.

You can also wirelessly tether the Droid if you are rooted, but it is against Verizon's TOS and could land you a large bill if you are caught. I use the wireless tether feature every now and then, but I am amazed that people don't realize what they are doing is against the rules...

 

[gwlaw99]

There is a $10 app that allows you to usb tether without monthly fees in the market. Forget the name. PDA net is $30.

 

[Tanknspank]

There is a $10 app that allows you to usb tether without monthly fees in the market. Forget the name. PDA net is $30.

Or you can get WIRELESS tethering, free of charge.

 

[jsh1120]

There is a $10 app that allows you to usb tether without monthly fees in the market. Forget the name. PDA net is $30.

Well, no. There are apps that allow you to tether your droid. They do not, however, absolve you of paying a monthly fee to Verizon. You are violating your service agreement if you do so. Whether Verizon will enforce that prohibition is another question but there is no such thing as an application that enables you to tether your Droid without violating your contract with Verizon.

 

[Tanknspank]

There is a $10 app that allows you to usb tether without monthly fees in the market. Forget the name. PDA net is $30.

Well, no. There are apps that allow you to tether your droid. They do not, however, absolve you of paying a monthly fee to Verizon. You are violating your service agreement if you do so. Whether Verizon will enforce that prohibition is another question but there is no such thing as an application that enables you to tether your Droid without violating your contract with Verizon.

This is true. Verizon doesn't want you abandoning your home internet, since you probably would if you could tether for free.

 

[gwlaw99]

There is a $10 app that allows you to usb tether without monthly fees in the market. Forget the name. PDA net is $30.

Or you can get WIRELESS tethering, free of charge.

i think the point of the first post was that it was not talking about rooted phones.

 

[jsh1120]

There is a $10 app that allows you to usb tether without monthly fees in the market. Forget the name. PDA net is $30.

Or you can get WIRELESS tethering, free of charge.

i think the point of the first post was that it was not talking about rooted phones.

Uh, just to clarify. You can tether your droid whether it is rooted or not. You can WIRELESSLY tether the droid if you are rooted. You may not tether your droid, either wired or unwired, unrooted or rooted, without violating your ToS with Verizon.

Verizon has announced, but I don't believe has actually implemented, a $30 per month "tethering" charge for the Droid. This in effect makes the monthly charge equivalent to their $60 per month "broadband" plan that is used for various devices such as laptops. However, that plan has a 5 gigabyte monthly limit on downloads/uploads. It is unclear whether VZW has intended to enforce that limit on the Droid.

Complicating the matter is that since the tethering plan was announced, VZW has dropped the monthly charge to tether the Palm Pre Plus to $0. And while it's not unusual to have different features on different phones, it's going to be difficult to enforce a $30 per month charge for the Droid but not for the Palm Pre Plus.

Now comes the Incredible with a built-in tethering app. Either VZW will attempt to charge additional monthly fees to use the app or they will likely drop the entire effort. Given the availability of apps that allow you to tether these phones and the difficulty of determining whether a phone is being used as a broadband modem for another device, it's very likely that VZW will simply throw up their hands and forget the entire issue.

 

[logsdza]

Or you can get WIRELESS tethering, free of charge.

i think the point of the first post was that it was not talking about rooted phones.

Uh, just to clarify. You can tether your droid whether it is rooted or not. You can WIRELESSLY tether the droid if you are rooted. You may not tether your droid, either wired or unwired, unrooted or rooted, without violating your ToS with Verizon.

Verizon has announced, but I don't believe has actually implemented, a $30 per month "tethering" charge for the Droid. This in effect makes the monthly charge equivalent to their $60 per month "broadband" plan that is used for various devices such as laptops. However, that plan has a 5 gigabyte monthly limit on downloads/uploads. It is unclear whether VZW has intended to enforce that limit on the Droid.

Complicating the matter is that since the tethering plan was announced, VZW has dropped the monthly charge to tether the Palm Pre Plus to $0. And while it's not unusual to have different features on different phones, it's going to be difficult to enforce a $30 per month charge for the Droid but not for the Palm Pre Plus.

Now comes the Incredible with a built-in tethering app. Either VZW will attempt to charge additional monthly fees to use the app or they will likely drop the entire effort. Given the availability of apps that allow you to tether these phones and the difficulty of determining whether a phone is being used as a broadband modem for another device, it's very likely that VZW will simply throw up their hands and forget the entire issue.

From playing with the phone so far, I notice that there is a Mobile Broadband Connect option when you plug in the device. (Getting to test it out for my store. Playing with the phone is worth the countless webinars and meetings I have to attend. haha) As far as I know, there will still be the MBB charge of $30. It is currently in promotional pricing of $25 for other devices. Excluding the Pre/Pixi Plus at FREE, which to me was a selling point to the phone rather than a regular habit for reducing charges for the service. (Even though I would like to tether without the cost as well.) Palm's devices are on the back burner when you have a new DROID launching and the success from the original.

Anybody who has one, check out the Settings > Connect to PC > Default connection type. It lists, Charge only; HTC Sync; Disk drive; and Mobile Broadband Connect.

As far as the 5GB cap... fat chance of that being lifted.... we can only hope.

 

[givmedew]

Another interesting tidbit from TechCrunch review this morning...

"...But there’s still no native tethering support and so HTC has provided USB tethering software that’s pre-installed on the phone. Install it on your Windows PC and you can use the Incredible as a 3G broadband modem. We’re thrilled that HTC has made this possible but it seems old fashioned to have to use a cable when Windows Mobile and Palm’s new webOS phones like the Pre Plus can do it wirelessly over Bluetooth or WiFi. Alas, that’s an Android shortcoming..."

As rooted Droid users realize, it's possible to tether the Droid but the more interesting comment is in the first sentence.

If HTC provides tethering support (that is not crippled in the Verizon phones), this raises the whole issue of tethering to a new level. Will Verizon require an additional $30 per month for a "tethered Incredible?" Will all Incredibles be sold only with a tethering plan?

Pre plus has free tethering now from vzw and I doubt verizon would sell many phones if they required you pay the extra 30 for tethering just cause it shipped unlocked! It either works and vzw is ok with it or it doesn't work without the feature being added. Vzw a lot more generous than people would believe so who knows

 

[jkhonea]

Another interesting tidbit from TechCrunch review this morning...

"...But there’s still no native tethering support and so HTC has provided USB tethering software that’s pre-installed on the phone. Install it on your Windows PC and you can use the Incredible as a 3G broadband modem. We’re thrilled that HTC has made this possible but it seems old fashioned to have to use a cable when Windows Mobile and Palm’s new webOS phones like the Pre Plus can do it wirelessly over Bluetooth or WiFi. Alas, that’s an Android shortcoming..."

As rooted Droid users realize, it's possible to tether the Droid but the more interesting comment is in the first sentence.

If HTC provides tethering support (that is not crippled in the Verizon phones), this raises the whole issue of tethering to a new level. Will Verizon require an additional $30 per month for a "tethered Incredible?" Will all Incredibles be sold only with a tethering plan?

Pre plus has free tethering now from vzw and I doubt verizon would sell many phones if they required you pay the extra 30 for tethering just cause it shipped unlocked! It either works and vzw is ok with it or it doesn't work without the feature being added. Vzw a lot more generous than people would believe so who knows

I'm definitely interested to try the Mobile Broadband Connect option on the Incredible next week. I know on my current Imagio, when you tether through the phone with the installed Verizon component, it jumps you to the Verizon Broadband portion of their website to make sure you're paid the extra for the tethering. If the mobile broadband connect does just that, hooks the phone straight up as a modem without trying to jump you through the Verizon charges, I'll be ecstatic.

 

[Alteron]

Mobile Broadband Connect

I recently bought an Incredible (on 5/24) and I am still waiting for it to be delivered. I telecommute and have a long road trip coming up, so I wanted to find a way to stay connected while my wife drives.

I originally thought about buying a USB WLAN card or MiFi and be done with it. However when I realized my monthly bill would be $60 and that I would probably not use the service all but once every few months, it made more sense to spend the money on a smart phone and enjoy some droid time! Yes, it costs more than $60/mo, but I will use the phone every day, so that makes it a little easier to swallow.

I have seen threads like this one going back and forth saying that Verizon does and doesn't support tethering. I decided to call VZW and confirm that if I spend the extra $10/mo beyond my standard voice/data - I would be able to run Mobile Broadband Connect on the phone and access the VZW network with my laptop. The word is "yes - you can!".. However I wonder if the person I spoke to has all the info straight.

So at this time I am under the assumption that I will be able to fully utilize Verizon's 3G network using my Incredible as a tethering device - 100% legal - no violation of TOS - no rooting. If someone can confirm or deny this, please do! It is not too late for me to cancel the order if I need to find another solution.

Cheers,
-Alteron