Can the Droid act as a WIFI device for a laptop?

[namakan]

When I signed up for the Droid a few months ago I thought the salesperson told me it can act as a WiFi device for say a laptop.

Is this true and if so how do I make the connection work when I'm in an area that does not have WiFi for my computer but I can get a full signal on the Droid?

 

[Backnblack]

Rooted with 2.1 or Running 2.2 and wireless tether from the market and your in business.

 

[namakan]

Rooted with 2.1 or Running 2.2 and wireless tether from the market and your in business.

I believe I have the 2.1 version. I'm not the most technologically advanced individual so could you point me in the direction to find the wireless tether and what exaclty is invloved in setting this up?

Thanks!!!!

 

[Pathos]

There are also 2 programs that do it without having to root your phone.

EasyTether and PDANet

Of course, Verizon sells a service for about $20/month (I think), so they are not going to like you using any of the other ways.

 

[Backnblack]

There are also 2 programs that do it without having to root your phone.

EasyTether and PDANet

Of course, Verizon sells a service for about $20/month (I think), so they are not going to like you using any of the other ways.

Both work Well and are easy to use.

 

[namakan]

Thanks and I appreciate the info. I believe the laptop has Windows Office 3 on it. Will both of these apps support this?

Also, I assume no physical connection between the phone and laptop is necessary?

Thanks again!

 

[nateccnn]

Back the truck up. He said he's a non-techy. How about a bit of explanation on how he gets wifi working?

As mentioned earleir...you have to root your phone. Rooting means you have to gain access to the parts of your phone that Verizon would rather you not have access to. But they can't stop you because you own that device. Android is all about open source and users being able to do what they want with their device and Verizon is well aware of this. So what they say is they don't support rooted phones. Once you root you really do own that phone. You get to figure out how to fix what goes wrong. the good news is many many many non-techy people have succesfully rooted their phones with the help of members of this forum.

Once you gain Root Access you can then install a custom kernel on the phone that opens up the wifi capabilities. Then you install Wireless Tether for Root Users from the market place. Before you root and install the custom kernel, Wireless App will do absolutely nothing for your phone.

If you want to learn about rooting, go to the Hacks forum and read the sticky threads. Going from 2.1 to root is an advanced process...but the guides are well written. Going from 2.1 to 2.0.1 (yes...backwards) and then root is a very simple process, but seems like a lot of unneccesary steps.

Let us know what specific help you need if you decide to go that route. Posting those questions in the Hacks forum will get better results though.

I use my Droid as a WiFi hotspot when I travel and it works beautifully.

Something else to consider is we all think that when 2.2 (Froyo) is released for the Droid it will include WiFi out of the box. No rooting neccesary. So if you can wait, that may be the best way to do it in the long run. But if you need it now, root the phone. You can always return to stock when 2.2 officially rolls out.

Nate

 

[nateccnn]

Thanks and I appreciate the info. I believe the laptop has Windows Office 3 on it. Will both of these apps support this?

Also, I assume no physical connection between the phone and laptop is necessary?

Thanks again!

The two apps he mentioned require a USB connection. If you want to do ti wirelessly, you have to root for now or you have to wait for 2.2 official release.

Nate

 

[Diordna]

I can help you root if ya want too, it's easy

 

[namakan]

The two apps he mentioned require a USB connection. If you want to do ti wirelessly, you have to root for now or you have to wait for 2.2 official release.

Nate[/QUOTE]


Nate

I only need to do this a few times a year so having a cord is no big deal if I don't have to go through with this rooting thing.

Just to clarify now. All I need is one of the apps mentioned and a USB cable from the computer to the phones charging port and I'm in business?

Thanks again and I apologize for being so ignorant with his stuff.

 

[christim]

this is correct. If you connect your laptop to a wifi network at work or home now it works the same way. Instead of connecting to a wireless router you connect to your phone as a router.

Here is pdanet's website:

PdaNet -- USB Tether/Bluetooth DUN for Android
PdaNet for Android FAQ

 

[namakan]

this is correct. If you connect your laptop to a wifi network at work or home now it works the same way. Instead of connecting to a wireless router you connect to your phone as a router.

Here is pdanet's website:

PdaNet -- USB Tether/Bluetooth DUN for Android
PdaNet for Android FAQ

I've been looking at PdaNet but the pre purchase installation instructions are slim to none. Do you have to download both of these to phone and computer seperately?

If so, is it best to do it on the phone first and then access your account through the computer and do that one as well?

Always seems like the directions on these things are limited.

Thanks!

 

[erikfig]

Wireless Tether, free on the market!!!

 

[Jim 777]

Well I had a few quotes to put in here but it's been covered.

PDAnet is great for non-rooted phones and requires a cable OR bluetooth.
The wireless tether is for rooted phones.

From I've read to this point, go with PDAnet (or the other, but I haven't tried it)

 

[christim]

this is correct. If you connect your laptop to a wifi network at work or home now it works the same way. Instead of connecting to a wireless router you connect to your phone as a router.

Here is pdanet's website:

PdaNet -- USB Tether/Bluetooth DUN for Android
PdaNet for Android FAQ

I've been looking at PdaNet but the pre purchase installation instructions are slim to none. Do you have to download both of these to phone and computer seperately?

If so, is it best to do it on the phone first and then access your account through the computer and do that one as well?

Always seems like the directions on these things are limited.

Thanks!

They have a FAQ, Which I linked to. The directions are limited because they like to keep things uncomplicated.

PdaNet is a regular Android application and can be installed on all Android phones. It doesn't require hacking or rooting your phone.
Simply download the installer to your Mac or Windows computer and run it, then follow on-screen instructions to install and connect. You can also install PdaNet directly from the phone by going to Download PdaNet.

Do the above and then let us know how simple it really was....or wasn't and someone will lend a hand.


Doesn't get much easier than that. The free version eventually won't work with https websites, which they say are sites you log into. In reality it means it won't work with secure sites like your bank, amazon, or most places you make payments or transactions.