is Tethering Free

[mrpbjnance]

I thought that if you tethered to your phone with a cable it was Free but wirelesly it would cost. So I tried it tonight and it took me to a Verizon page that wanted me to sign up for a plan...
I search to see if I could find it in the forums but was unable to find it...

Does tethering cost ?

thanks

 

[mcatdtDroid]

mine takes me there, so I close that tab and continue surfing for free

 

[mrpbjnance]

Tried that...it just keeps taking me to the Verizon page

 

[ashenfang]

what program are you using to tether? From what I understand, there is no way for Verizon to know if your phone is surfing through the phone or through a USB cable.

 

[furbearingmammal]

Rooted tethering is free. Using an app from the market is free (other than the cost of the program, they have free trials, Proxoid not included). Wireless tethering requires rooting.

 

[mrpbjnance]

I was just going to the phone and enabling tethering. Then on the computer and using ie/firefox.

I am not rooted. Is there an app for non rooted phones that I can tether via a USB and not pay verizon?

 

[furbearingmammal]

I was just going to the phone and enabling tethering. Then on the computer and using ie/firefox.

I am not rooted. Is there an app for non rooted phones that I can tether via a USB and not pay verizon?

Proxoid, PDA Net, Easy Tether. If you're not technologically savvy, Easy Tether is half the price of PDA Net.

You'll need drivers and a small application running on the computer you wish to tether. Both will be provided by the app developer, along with install instructions. The geekiest thing you'll have to do is turn on USB debugging in the settings. Again, instructions should be provided by the app's dev.

 

[furbearingmammal]

Also, there should be a free version to try to see if you like it. The free trial lasts 2 weeks and then you can continue to use it without having to pay as long as you don't mind not going to HTTPS (secure) sites.

I spent a month running mine and never paid because I uninstalled and reinstalled when the trial was up. I'm a cheater, though.

 

[mrpbjnance]

I a a tech geek so which one is best?

Thanks For the reply!

 

[furbearingmammal]

Easy Tether doesn't do Bluetooth DUN so if you want that you'll want PDA Net, otherwise the two are identical for practical usage. Proxoid is free, but you have to mess with proxy servers because it acts as one. Give it a try if you don't mind messing about and you'll have free tethering for life. Otherwise I'd stick with Easy Tether because it's cheaper.

I rooted my phone because I needed WiFi tethering (it was one of the reasons the household agreed to foot the cost of the monthly plan for a contract phone), but if you just want USB tethering for one or two PCs then Easy Tether if you don't need Bluetooth Dial-UP Networking or Proxioid if you're comfortable mucking with proxy settings and think $11 is too much to pay.

 

[HamDog]

Officially, tethering is not supported on the original Droid. This means Verizon doesn't even offer a plan at an extra cost. It is available as an extra cost on the DroidX and Droid 2.

Unofficially, there are several apps that allow you to tether the original Droid. But keep in mind that it's against Verizon's TOS (terms of service). IF they catch you, they can charge you on a megabyte basis. That could be a very hefty bill. But current consensus is that Verizon cannot tell if you're browsing pages through your phones browser or your computer, so you should be safe. I've seen people here downloading tons of stuff on their computer using tethering and using up lots of bandwidth and they have no problems.

Feel free to tether, I do. But I just wanted to point out that's it's against your TOS. I used to use PDAnet which allows you to tether using your USB cable or bluetooth. Bluetooth is convenient as you don't need to carry a cable around, but it's not as reliable or fast as using a USB cable. I recently rooted my phone and now use my phone as a wifi hotspot (no cable needed anymore and very fast, but at the cost of using up serious battery juice).

 

[will.anaya]

I rooted my phone because I needed WiFi tethering (it was one of the reasons the household agreed to foot the cost of the monthly plan for a contract phone), but if you just want USB tethering for one or two PCs then Easy Tether if you don't need Bluetooth Dial-UP Networking or Proxioid if you're comfortable mucking with proxy settings and think $11 is too much to pay.

tethering the wifi way, does the pc/laptop you use have to have a special software?

i have a company laptop in which i upload files on a daily basis and it would be cool when i am unable to upload the files from work or home due to some unfortunate communication problems, to use my Droid but the bad part is that i dont have adminstrative access to the laptop so i would be unable to install any third party software.

is wifi tethering, the rooted way, as simple as plug and play?

 

[Crazed_Z06]

Rooted tethering is free. Using an app from the market is free (other than the cost of the program, they have free trials, Proxoid not included). Wireless tethering requires rooting.

Is it not possible for someone to create a Wifi Router program on Android phones that doesnt require rooting? (sorry Im new to this..)

 

[furbearingmammal]

tethering the wifi way, does the pc/laptop you use have to have a special software?

is wifi tethering, the rooted way, as simple as plug and play?

Short answer is yes. Long answer is yes, but not if you can't connect to an ad-hoc network. You can encrypt it if you need to for security reasons.

Is it not possible for someone to create a Wifi Router program on Android phones that doesnt require rooting? (sorry Im new to this..)

The short answer is yes. The long answer is not anymore, because the exploit that would have made such a program possible has been closed. Also, the carriers would have a raging crap fit over such a program.