Mobile broadband via your phone?!

[KickButt]

well had a gent come in to see me today who tells me he managed to configure his laptop (acer timeline1410) running windows 7 to use the signal from his mobile (samsung) to use the 3g he gets on his phone so that he can browse the interwebs on his laptop.

this sounds pretty darn cool :cool:

anybody have any idea how he managed to do this?

[DoubleTop]

it's called tethering

[alexnifty]

Yeah that's tethering.

Your computer connects to the phone via WiFi then the phone acts like a modem/router and shares it's 3G connection with the computer. Should be doable on all modern smartphones however you are technically supposed to have a tethering plan for most of them.

[R1gg4]

You need a phone that support tethering, i.e. connecting your laptop to your mobile via WiFi. Then it's easy.

The gent probably had one of the Samsung Android mobiles, and with Froyo 2.2 tethering is quite easy.

HTH.

[alexnifty]

EDIT: Oops, how was I able to doublepost?

[KickButt]

wow thanks guys :)
may give this a go at some point!

[alexnifty]

Yeah I have done it in the past with my Jailbroken 3G. It worked ok apart from dropping the connection every now and again. Useful if you can't get to a proper WiFi connection.

[KickButt]

will try when i get my new iphone! can't help but imagine my nokia 9800 will struggle ;)

[michaelkenward]

You need a phone that support tethering, i.e. connecting your laptop to your mobile via WiFi. Then it's easy.

Wifi phone not necessary for this.

Bluetooth and USB cable will also work.

I have done this for years.

It is one reason why I have a contract phone rather than PAYG.

I haven't tried it on my latest phone now that I have a USB modem.

[wonderlust]

I have only worked out how to do it via bluetooth USB on my antique Windows 6 phone

but they do give you internet connection sharing to make it a little easier ;)

[Aaron]

Yeah - the difference between that (bluetooth/cable) and tethering is that the phone will actually appear as a wireless access point in your network connections box on your computer. Its just a lot less fiddly than bluetooth etc. was.

However, I also used to use the bluetooth method a lot, even as recently as earlier this year, as my main method of internet access, and its worked well - once it was set up!

[f12f12]

every time i plug my Skype s2 phone in to charge on my usb cable it will try to install its self as a modem, but this will only give me 3g internet not wifi.

[KickButt]

seems a pretty cool idea, will give it ago tonight, always useful to be able to wirelessly connect on the move without having to buy a stupid dongle :D