Tethering for dummies

[Medman]

Not really a hotspot as the droid needs to be connected to the laptop with a cable, but your laptop would have internet access.

PDAnet also allows you to tether through bluetooth. I use that when I need a quick connect and am too lazy to root through my bag and dig out the cable.

jc

I have bluetooth in my car, so how would it work in that situation?

 

[Milehighjc]

Not really a hotspot as the droid needs to be connected to the laptop with a cable, but your laptop would have internet access.

PDAnet also allows you to tether through bluetooth. I use that when I need a quick connect and am too lazy to root through my bag and dig out the cable.

jc

I have bluetooth in my car, so how would it work in that situation?

Sorry if I misled you... it doesnt. PDANet allows you to use the Droid as a connection to internet for your PC... you can accomplish that by connecting the droid to the PC through a cable, or through BT.

 

[Medman]

PDAnet also allows you to tether through bluetooth. I use that when I need a quick connect and am too lazy to root through my bag and dig out the cable.

jc

I have bluetooth in my car, so how would it work in that situation?

Sorry if I misled you... it doesnt. PDANet allows you to use the Droid as a connection to internet for your PC... you can accomplish that by connecting the droid to the PC through a cable, or through BT.

No problem at all. I'm easily confused.

Am I correct in that the PC I'm connecting must have the Pdanet program loaded on prior to me tethering to it?

 

[dylanthecat]

Am I correct in that the PC I'm connecting must have the Pdanet program loaded on prior to me tethering to it?

That is correct.

 

[c_law23]

pdanet was really easy. step by step instructions! just download it on your computer and your phone and adjust network settings and thats pretty much it. took me about 3 minutes to use my droid to run my macbook!

very cool! Thanks for helping me find it

 

[lifesavin]

I've seen PDANet. Seems like it would be easy enough to install. Would I just use the charger usb cable that came with the Droid to connect to my laptop?

 

[samredman]

You certainly can use the usb cord provided for charging (remove it from the provided electrical plugin cartridge so that it will then plug into your pc).

I used that for a few days, but then I went to Fry's electronics and bought a "Retrak" retractable usb cord (which has the same fittings on each end as the cord provided). I have used retractables previously for other uses but was never satisfied, because after a few uses they don't retract completely. But, this "Retrak" cable is amazing. It goes right back snugly when not being used and there it just dangles on the side of my laptop without getting in the way when I put it in my briefcase or use the computer not connected. I have used it for over a month and it still functions perfectly.

When I connect with Pdanet, I pull it out the (very thin) retractable cord and I can even have my phone in my pocket. And, by the way, Pdanet is an amazing tether app (works perfectly without having to have your phone rooted). Another nice benefit is that your phone is charging while you are connected and tethering and surprisingly you can get a phone call without having to disconnect, and after the call is complete the internet cruising continues uninterrupted.

 

[Dxun]

You certainly can use the usb cord provided for charging (remove it from the provided electrical plugin cartridge so that it will then plug into your pc).

I used that for a few days, but then I went to Fry's electronics and bought a "Retrak" retractable usb cord (which has the same fittings on each end as the cord provided). I have used retractables previously for other uses but was never satisfied, because after a few uses they don't retract completely. But, this "Retrak" cable is amazing. It goes right back snugly when not being used and there it just dangles on the side of my laptop without getting in the way when I put it in my briefcase or use the computer not connected. I have used it for over a month and it still functions perfectly.

When I connect with Pdanet, I pull it out the (very thin) retractable cord and I can even have my phone in my pocket. And, by the way, Pdanet is an amazing tether app (works perfectly without having to have your phone rooted). Another nice benefit is that your phone is charging while you are connected and tethering and surprisingly you can get a phone call without having to disconnect, and after the call is complete the internet cruising continues uninterrupted.

Are you saying you don't lose internet connection at all while on the phone? Or is it that after the call is terminated you can resume tethering without restarting the program?

 

[samredman]

The internet connection itself doesn't seem to be active, but dormant during the phone call, so that when you terminate the phone call you don't have to take any further action... the internet connection is automatically resumed. The Pdanet tether appears to work the same way as when you are connected to the internet on 3g on your phone using a program like Pandora streaming music (or tv.com watching streaming video) and you get a phone call... you take the call, the music (or the video) stops during the call, you hang up and the music starts again seamlessly. It appears that the tethering "dormant during phone call" mechanism works the same way.

What is nice is that all your apps work while tethered (you can listen to Pandora, you can check your email or use other apps without interrupting or pausing your laptop session).

So...the summary is; a phone call pauses, but then, on hang up, continues the internet connect seamlessly, all other apps multitask during tether without any interruption.

 

[smg69]

Tethering with unrooted Droid 2.1

I have an unrooted Droid with the 2.1 update and am using pdanet tether just fine, my son is also using a tehering program with his Droid with no problems.:icon_ banana:

 

[Bamaguy727]

Does anyone know if the PDA will get you around the 30.00 fee Verizon wants to charge for tethering?

 

[dylanthecat]

Does anyone know if the PDA will get you around the 30.00 fee Verizon wants to charge for tethering?

yes, but it does violate the terms of service you signed. I don't think Verizon offers a tethering plan for the droid yet.

 

[MarkO]

If your laptop has bluetooth, you can use pda net wirelessly. That's how i set mine up before I rooted. But it's still a bit more of a PITA than tethering.

 

[marcogiudice]

So, if I did the Pdanet dl to my droid could I say, be in my car with my laptop and use my droid as a hotspot?

what your looking for is wifi tethering and u need to d/l the app to the root of your sdcard and install it.

 

[dylanthecat]

Your phone has to be rooted for wifi tether to work.