6 ms·

Here's how to get tethering on any iPhone right now, no jailbreak, for free

78 points by tortilla 17y ago

treyp 17y ago
If someone has a Windows solution, I'd be honored. :)
- jrockway 17y ago
  Take your iPhone to an Apple store and use their computer to install the "update"? Incidentally, the open-ness of Windows Mobile has meant that WinMo phones on ATT have had unlimited tethering forever. It doesn't have a really pretty icon, though...
  - deleted 17y ago
    [deleted]
  - mrtron 17y ago
    Tethering has very little to do with the platform, and much to do with the carrier. Carriers want to be able to charge for it regardless of which phone you own. As for the 'pretty icons'... Apple/RIM/Google are realizing that users are beginning to care less about what hardware their phone has, and more about what they can do on their phone. All 3 are focusing on providing app driven platforms, and Apple did well to grab the early lead. I don't see a future for winMo in that ecosystem.
    - encoderer 17y ago
      Carrier restrictions are enforced at the platform level, though. If you have a data plan and the OS lets you push bits from your PC thru your phone, it all looks the same to your carrier.
    - jrockway 17y ago
      I don't see a future for winMo in that ecosystem. Sure, WinMo sucks hard. But it's open, and that means you can do whatever you want. Android is probably the most logical successor, although T-Mobile would really like you to pretend that Android is closed.
- ankhmoop 17y ago
  Buy a Mac? Just kidding. Mostly. If you browse to http://help.benm.at/ http://help.benm.at/ from your iPhone (UA checking), you can download a carrier profile that will enable tethering. Reboot your phone and you should be good to go. I recommend downloading the carrier file manually and verifying its contents before applying the setting changes.
  - sp332 17y ago
    User agent checking is easily spoofed. http://paininthetech.com/2007/10/03/fake-iphone-user-agent/ http://paininthetech.com/2007/10/03/fake-iphone-user-agent/
- dejb 17y ago
  Use a Windows Mobile phone?
deleted 17y ago
[deleted]
axod 17y ago
When I heard that the new iPhone would have tethering, I was seriously psyched. I get free unlimited data, so that's cool. Then O2 email me, and tell me it's going to cost money to use that data from my laptop????? Do they think I'm completely crazy? Why would I pay them more money just to use the data I've already paid for. When will big companies stop treating consumers like total idiots. It's like Sony thinking everyone will buy movies on DVD, THEN buy exactly the same movie on UMD just so they can watch it on their PSP :/
- jonknee 17y ago
  > Why would I pay them more money just to use the data I've already paid for. Because you'll use much more of it on your laptop or desktop than you would just your phone.
  - axod 17y ago
    Not really, I mainly use webapps etc on both. If I tried, I could easily make a webapp to max out an iphones connection. Either it's unlimited, eg use as much as you want - really! or it's not - only use basic web/email stuff on your iphone. If it's limited (Which is what you're saying), then they should not market it as unlimited data.
    - jonknee 17y ago
      Statistically speaking you will use more bandwidth on your laptop than on your phone. Quite simply because it's easier. "Unlimited" data isn't really unlimited just like your unlimited cable modem at home isn't really unlimited. The carrier reserves a right to dump you as a customer and you will be dumped if you start losing them money (which is what you'd be doing if you saturated their network 24/7). So I hear what you're saying, but this has been argued 1000 times before and you're not going to make AT&T change. It's much cheaper for them to take the PR hit and fire you. While iPhone users consume a lot more bandwidth than other users, AT&T can sort of keep it in check thanks to the tight restrictions on the AppStore. Once they turn on tethering those restrictions go away and they'll have people using it as their main connection and all that comes with it (BitTorrent comes to mind). Personally I'd rather pay by the megabyte--I don't want to pay $30 a month for data so I can have an iPhone. I just want to SMS and from time to time check a map. I'll let people like you subsidize their network build out.
unfletch 17y ago
Note that "any iPhone" should have read "any 3G iPhone." This won't work for a first-generation iPhone.
- spudlyo 17y ago
  Check out pTerm from the app store. I supports tunneling and port forwarding.
mcav 17y ago
This disables visual voicemail. It did for me at least -- i had a backlog of messages I never saw until I realized what the problem was.
- tortilla 17y ago
  When you do a restore, it'll temporary go away. It returns eventually. At least it did for me. About 30 minutes later. edit:: Also make sure you're on Edge/3G, not wifi.
- rufo 17y ago
  Often after a restore, update or jailbreak I've seen visual voicemail not work until I've dialed in via phone (hold the 1 button on the keypad) and/or left myself a voicemail. It's always come back for me, though.
quizbiz 17y ago
Question: Does anyone here feel that their iPhone has payed for itself? That it has saved you and/or earned you so much money that it outweighs the cost? Cost being the difference in price between an iPhone and its service bills and a basic phone that comes free with a service package.
- jgrahamc 17y ago
  Me. I ride the bus for 1 hour each day. I have 3G access all the way and am able to access email and web with ease. I have used this over and again to do actual work.
- feverishaaron 17y ago
  Yes. The iPhone is unquestionably more useful to me than my Blackberry was, just because the app support and mobile browser is so good. I find myself using the data about 10x more often than I did with the Blackberry. I haven't had a regular "free" phone since 2003, so it is hard to compare. Having constant access to email and the internets seems so essential now, I don't think I could rationally compare the value to of the iPhone to a phone that doesn't have a data plan.
- brianmckenzie 17y ago
  I wouldn't surprised if visual voicemail alone has saved me enough time to justify the cost.

78 points by tortilla 17y ago

treyp 17y ago

If someone has a Windows solution, I'd be honored. :)

jrockway 17y ago
Take your iPhone to an Apple store and use their computer to install the "update"? Incidentally, the open-ness of Windows Mobile has meant that WinMo phones on ATT have had unlimited tethering forever. It doesn't have a really pretty icon, though...
- deleted 17y ago
  [deleted]
- mrtron 17y ago
  Tethering has very little to do with the platform, and much to do with the carrier. Carriers want to be able to charge for it regardless of which phone you own. As for the 'pretty icons'... Apple/RIM/Google are realizing that users are beginning to care less about what hardware their phone has, and more about what they can do on their phone. All 3 are focusing on providing app driven platforms, and Apple did well to grab the early lead. I don't see a future for winMo in that ecosystem.
  - encoderer 17y ago
    Carrier restrictions are enforced at the platform level, though. If you have a data plan and the OS lets you push bits from your PC thru your phone, it all looks the same to your carrier.
  - jrockway 17y ago
    I don't see a future for winMo in that ecosystem. Sure, WinMo sucks hard. But it's open, and that means you can do whatever you want. Android is probably the most logical successor, although T-Mobile would really like you to pretend that Android is closed.
ankhmoop 17y ago
Buy a Mac? Just kidding. Mostly. If you browse to http://help.benm.at/ http://help.benm.at/ from your iPhone (UA checking), you can download a carrier profile that will enable tethering. Reboot your phone and you should be good to go. I recommend downloading the carrier file manually and verifying its contents before applying the setting changes.
- sp332 17y ago
  User agent checking is easily spoofed. http://paininthetech.com/2007/10/03/fake-iphone-user-agent/ http://paininthetech.com/2007/10/03/fake-iphone-user-agent/
dejb 17y ago
Use a Windows Mobile phone?

deleted 17y ago

[deleted]

axod 17y ago

When I heard that the new iPhone would have tethering, I was seriously psyched. I get free unlimited data, so that's cool. Then O2 email me, and tell me it's going to cost money to use that data from my laptop????? Do they think I'm completely crazy? Why would I pay them more money just to use the data I've already paid for. When will big companies stop treating consumers like total idiots. It's like Sony thinking everyone will buy movies on DVD, THEN buy exactly the same movie on UMD just so they can watch it on their PSP :/

jonknee 17y ago
> Why would I pay them more money just to use the data I've already paid for. Because you'll use much more of it on your laptop or desktop than you would just your phone.
- axod 17y ago
  Not really, I mainly use webapps etc on both. If I tried, I could easily make a webapp to max out an iphones connection. Either it's unlimited, eg use as much as you want - really! or it's not - only use basic web/email stuff on your iphone. If it's limited (Which is what you're saying), then they should not market it as unlimited data.
  - jonknee 17y ago
    Statistically speaking you will use more bandwidth on your laptop than on your phone. Quite simply because it's easier. "Unlimited" data isn't really unlimited just like your unlimited cable modem at home isn't really unlimited. The carrier reserves a right to dump you as a customer and you will be dumped if you start losing them money (which is what you'd be doing if you saturated their network 24/7). So I hear what you're saying, but this has been argued 1000 times before and you're not going to make AT&T change. It's much cheaper for them to take the PR hit and fire you. While iPhone users consume a lot more bandwidth than other users, AT&T can sort of keep it in check thanks to the tight restrictions on the AppStore. Once they turn on tethering those restrictions go away and they'll have people using it as their main connection and all that comes with it (BitTorrent comes to mind). Personally I'd rather pay by the megabyte--I don't want to pay $30 a month for data so I can have an iPhone. I just want to SMS and from time to time check a map. I'll let people like you subsidize their network build out.

unfletch 17y ago

Note that "any iPhone" should have read "any 3G iPhone." This won't work for a first-generation iPhone.

spudlyo 17y ago
Check out pTerm from the app store. I supports tunneling and port forwarding.

mcav 17y ago

This disables visual voicemail. It did for me at least -- i had a backlog of messages I never saw until I realized what the problem was.

tortilla 17y ago
When you do a restore, it'll temporary go away. It returns eventually. At least it did for me. About 30 minutes later. edit:: Also make sure you're on Edge/3G, not wifi.
rufo 17y ago
Often after a restore, update or jailbreak I've seen visual voicemail not work until I've dialed in via phone (hold the 1 button on the keypad) and/or left myself a voicemail. It's always come back for me, though.

quizbiz 17y ago

Question: Does anyone here feel that their iPhone has payed for itself? That it has saved you and/or earned you so much money that it outweighs the cost? Cost being the difference in price between an iPhone and its service bills and a basic phone that comes free with a service package.

jgrahamc 17y ago
Me. I ride the bus for 1 hour each day. I have 3G access all the way and am able to access email and web with ease. I have used this over and again to do actual work.
feverishaaron 17y ago
Yes. The iPhone is unquestionably more useful to me than my Blackberry was, just because the app support and mobile browser is so good. I find myself using the data about 10x more often than I did with the Blackberry. I haven't had a regular "free" phone since 2003, so it is hard to compare. Having constant access to email and the internets seems so essential now, I don't think I could rationally compare the value to of the iPhone to a phone that doesn't have a data plan.
brianmckenzie 17y ago
I wouldn't surprised if visual voicemail alone has saved me enough time to justify the cost.