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kingping14

macrumors member
Original poster
Apr 10, 2010
80
0
Is there a built in feature in OSX that will let me use the 3G signal from the iPhone to let me go online with my MBP? Or do I need a 3rd party program?
 
Not possible just using OSX.

However, this is possible by having one of the new AT&T plans with tethering enabled (subject to extra monthly cost).
 
these days tethr'n (tethering) is phone side functionality. You can jailbreak your phone. Alternatively, ATT will extort take money from you and allow you to do it easily, with a not so generous five gig monthly cap.
 
do you mean eating additional bandwidth? will the amount of bandwidth spent be the same as if I were accessing the net with the iPhone itself?
 
will the amount of bandwidth spent be the same as if I were accessing the net with the iPhone itself?

Pretty much, though some websites are optimized for mobile devices and tone down their layouts.

Eddyisgreat said:
five gig monthly cap

It's even worse lol, the cap for tethering plan subscribers (doing it the official way) is 2 GB. 5 GB is the "fine print" cap that unlimited plan people have. Unfortunately, tethering with an unlimited plan involves already having a grandfathered unlimited plan, along with having downloaded HandyLite or Netshare, or jailbreaking.
 
You can tether your iPhone to your computer provided your provider lets you. It's only in the US of A that this can't be done while you're on AT&T (legitimately, that is). Everywhere else, like here in Australia, I can tether it over the USB cable, or over bluetooth.

Data is data. You will have different browsing habits on a computer than on a laptop which has a lot more freely available broadband at home. So if you're tethering with limited data, then I'd be frugal as needed and consult your 'Usage' on your iPhone via 'Settings.app -> General -> Usage, scroll down'. That is cellular data only, not any WiFi data you've used up.
 
You can tether your iPhone to your computer provided your provider lets you. It's only in the US of A that this can't be done while you're on AT&T (legitimately, that is). Everywhere else, like here in Australia, I can tether it over the USB cable, or over bluetooth.

Data is data. You will have different browsing habits on a computer than on a laptop which has a lot more freely available broadband at home. So if you're tethering with limited data, then I'd be frugal as needed and consult your 'Usage' on your iPhone via 'Settings.app -> General -> Usage, scroll down'. That is cellular data only, not any WiFi data you've used up.

Oh you can do this legitimately in the US; you just have to pay $20 on top of your existing data plan without getting more data out of it.
 
Oh you can do this legitimately in the US; you just have to pay $20 on top of your existing data plan without getting more data out of it.

Right, now I remember.

I can see the tides turning. The US has become one of the most expensive places for wireless MBs while Australia has replaced it at the bottom end of the scale.
 
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