Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

iPhone Internet Passthrough?

N

ndh777

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 25, 2014
6
0
Los Angeles, CA, USA
I remember there being this thing called Internet Passthrough for my HTC Evo and a friend's HTC One where you can use a computer's internet access to be transmitted to your phone through a USB cable.

I was wondering if there was anything similar to this in iOS? I'm sure we would've heard about it if it was included by Apple so I thought maybe Cydia might have a tweak for that instead.

I'm on an iPhone 5 running iOS 7.0.4 with Sprint.
 
ndh777 said:
I remember there being this thing called Internet Passthrough for my HTC Evo and a friend's HTC One where you can use a computer's internet access to be transmitted to your phone through a USB cable.

I was wondering if there was anything similar to this in iOS? I'm sure we would've heard about it if it was included by Apple so I thought maybe Cydia might have a tweak for that instead.

I'm on an iPhone 5 running iOS 7.0.4 with Sprint.
Click to expand...
Couple things.

It's called tethering. Apple calls it a Personal Hotspot, which is also what the carriers call it.

In Cydia: MyWi, TetherMe.

I do not know which plan you have with Sprint, but the All In and MyWay plans had a 1GB tethering option. Not sure about the Framily plans.

I'm on the Everything Data 1500 Family (the plans before MyWay and All In) and I pay $20/month for a 2GB hotspot. I combine that with TetherMe so that if Sprint is looking at me they see a legitimate paid for tethering option, but hopefully not how much data I'm using.

I don't know if you can still get the 2GB tethering option, you may want to call and find out. Or just try one of the tethering options in Cydia. Note that the Personal Hotspot does not appear in Settings until you either purchase the hotspot or install a tethering tweak.

Further note that most of them work by creating a WiFi hotspot that you then connect your computer to (wirelessly). The phone then passes the cellular data back and forth. I think you can also do this with a USB cable, but I've never done it. None of my Macs (PowerPC) work with my iPhone 5.
 
eyoungren said:
Couple things.

It's called tethering. Apple calls it a Personal Hotspot, which is also what the carriers call it.

In Cydia: MyWi, TetherMe.

I do not know which plan you have with Sprint, but the All In and MyWay plans had a 1GB tethering option. Not sure about the Framily plans.

I'm on the Everything Data 1500 Family (the plans before MyWay and All In) and I pay $20/month for a 2GB hotspot. I combine that with TetherMe so that if Sprint is looking at me they see a legitimate paid for tethering option, but hopefully not how much data I'm using.

I don't know if you can still get the 2GB tethering option, you may want to call and find out. Or just try one of the tethering options in Cydia. Note that the Personal Hotspot does not appear in Settings until you either purchase the hotspot or install a tethering tweak.

Further note that most of them work by creating a WiFi hotspot that you then connect your computer to (wirelessly). The phone then passes the cellular data back and forth. I think you can also do this with a USB cable, but I've never done it. None of my Macs (PowerPC) work with my iPhone 5.
Click to expand...

Oh no, I know what tethering is and I use it in MyWi 7, but I want reverse tethering. Tethering is your phone's network connection being shared with others whereas internet passthrough is a computer sharing its network connection with your iOS device.

I want this because I work in an office and we don't have WiFi indoors and no one's cellular data works indoors either whether it be my Sprint, or my friends' various networks through Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T, etc. Internet passthrough would allow me to use the desktop computer's network that it gets through the ethernet port to be used in the phone.

I've done it on Android devices but I haven't seen it anywhere on Cydia or on the App Store, but I thought maybe someone knew what it was called or knew a method to get it.
 
ndh777 said:
Oh no, I know what tethering is and I use it in MyWi 7, but I want reverse tethering. Tethering is your phone's network connection being shared with others whereas internet passthrough is a computer sharing its network connection with your iOS device.

I want this because I work in an office and we don't have WiFi indoors and no one's cellular data works indoors either whether it be my Sprint, or my friends' various networks through Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T, etc. Internet passthrough would allow me to use the desktop computer's network that it gets through the ethernet port to be used in the phone.

I've done it on Android devices but I haven't seen it anywhere on Cydia or on the App Store, but I thought maybe someone knew what it was called or knew a method to get it.
Click to expand...
Oh, ok. I get you now. I'm sure it's possible, but I have no idea how it would be done.
 
This won't help much (because I know most work environments are still stuck with PCs) but I believe OSX's system preferences has settings in the sharing area to share network connection... you can rebroadcast it as wifi and even share the connection over USB or FW connection...

I would expect that there is some similar option on PCs either though system software or installable (third-party) tools that could make this happen.

Basically my thought to share was maybe this is a computer-side thing you should be looking for vs a phone-side thing. (but beyond this bit of theorizing, I'm not much help)
 
Might be easier to run some sort of internet sharing software on a computer and then connect using that (either via WiFi, Bluetooth, or cable). I'm not really sure what the setup would be exactly, but it might be easier to find a solution of this type rather than something on the phone side (even jailbroken).

----------
ivandr said:
This won't help much (because I know most work environments are still stuck with PCs) but I believe OSX's system preferences has settings in the sharing area to share network connection... you can rebroadcast it as wifi and even share the connection over USB or FW connection...

I would expect that there is some similar option on PCs either though system software or installable (third-party) tools that could make this happen.

Basically my thought to share was maybe this is a computer-side thing you should be looking for vs a phone-side thing. (but beyond this bit of theorizing, I'm not much help)
Click to expand...
Yeah, basically that.
 
This was quite possible with Android, and I've tried several options with the Macbook Air\iPhone without success.

For example, if I go to a hotel overseas, and I connect my laptop to a LAN connection for internet, I can share it with my iPhone via wifi. If I connect to a Wifi hotspot in the hotel room, and want to re-transmit to my phone, the connection doesn't support it. Bluetooth network sharing won't work right in conjunction with wifi internet, so the next logical step is using usb cable.... but I just can't seem to find a solution to make it work.
 
shenan1982 said:
This was quite possible with Android, and I've tried several options with the Macbook Air\iPhone without success.

For example, if I go to a hotel overseas, and I connect my laptop to a LAN connection for internet, I can share it with my iPhone via wifi. If I connect to a Wifi hotspot in the hotel room, and want to re-transmit to my phone, the connection doesn't support it. Bluetooth network sharing won't work right in conjunction with wifi internet, so the next logical step is using usb cable.... but I just can't seem to find a solution to make it work.
Click to expand...

think that's because the wifi card is already being used to transmit and receive data and most in laptops have a 1x1 wifi card. unless you have a 2nd wifi card to act as a hotspot, I don't think you can make a wifi hotspot

i don't know if 2x2 wifi cards are any different
 
You can share a Mac's internet connection via a Bluetooth PAN network without any problem. iOS also has the ability to get a network connection through the USB cord, but I do not know how to activate it. Never really looked much into it as I've never had the need.
 
Well if you're looking to share a single hotel connection with multiple devices, only other option is to connect your phone to that wifi connection and then have it be the wifi hotspot. With Jailbroken phone and Cydia app purchase, PdaNet, I use my iPhone sometimes on my laptop with a failing wifi adapter to connect via either USB or wifi to my iPhone that is connected to a wifi signal, not cellular.
 
Yeah, I've actually used one of those programs but with my laptop at home. When our WiFi router was broke, I connected my laptop through the ethernet port and used a program-can't remember what it was called-that created a WiFi network through it. It's nice to know that Mac computers can do it, but...

My issues with these is that none of our PCs at work are Macs and are all XP, Vista, 7, or 8 and they are all desktop computers with no WiFi capabilities. From what I understand, in order to create a WiFi hotspot from a computer connected through ethernet, it requires some sort of WiFi capabilities. The other issue is that none of these computers have Bluetooth so that also puts me at a disadvantage.

I do remember using PdaNet on Android but only remember using it for tethering from the phone. I can't remember if it could do reverse.

richwoodrocket said:
It can work the opposite way you are describing. I do it quite frequently.My iPhone automatically connects to my PC when i plug it in.
Click to expand...

When you do this, are you saying that you no longer need 3G/4G/etc. from mobile networks and your iPhone uses your computer's internet connection instead? If so, do you know how this works and what sort of computer are you using?
 
ndh777 said:
Yeah, I've actually used one of those programs but with my laptop at home. When our WiFi router was broke, I connected my laptop through the ethernet port and used a program-can't remember what it was called-that created a WiFi network through it. It's nice to know that Mac computers can do it, but...



My issues with these is that none of our PCs at work are Macs and are all XP, Vista, 7, or 8 and they are all desktop computers with no WiFi capabilities. From what I understand, in order to create a WiFi hotspot from a computer connected through ethernet, it requires some sort of WiFi capabilities. The other issue is that none of these computers have Bluetooth so that also puts me at a disadvantage.



I do remember using PdaNet on Android but only remember using it for tethering from the phone. I can't remember if it could do reverse.







When you do this, are you saying that you no longer need 3G/4G/etc. from mobile networks and your iPhone uses your computer's internet connection instead? If so, do you know how this works and what sort of computer are you using?
Click to expand...


No. Im saying the OPPOSITE of what you are trying to accomplish can be done.
 
If you're allowed to do any configuration on the work computer at all (and I think you'd have to be allowed to do any of the suggestions) then the easy and convenient way would be to get a $10 USB wifi adapter and share the ethernet connection via that. Or am I missing something?
 
iF34R said:
Here ya go... not sure if you have, or will be able to get, the tools needed.

http://www.whited00r.com/forum/index?topic=10736.0
Click to expand...

I'll definitely give that a try when I get a chance. It sounds like it would work.

BrianBaughn said:
If you're allowed to do any configuration on the work computer at all (and I think you'd have to be allowed to do any of the suggestions) then the easy and convenient way would be to get a $10 USB wifi adapter and share the ethernet connection via that. Or am I missing something?
Click to expand...

I suppose that could be another method if the above doesn't work. I was hoping to get a method that didn't require as much on the PC's end if possible, but that is doable.
 
Might want to check with your IT department before making any kind of modification to your work computer or using it for a personal purpose such as this...I work in IT and we make our users sign an AUP. Any kind of modification (be it hardware or software) or unauthorized access is a violation of the agreement you must sign.

Of course, your situation may be quite different. I'd just hate for you to face consequences for something as trivial as this.
 
Syndicate0017 said:
Might want to check with your IT department before making any kind of modification to your work computer or using it for a personal purpose such as this...I work in IT and we make our users sign an AUP. Any kind of modification (be it hardware or software) or unauthorized access is a violation of the agreement you must sign.

Of course, your situation may be quite different. I'd just hate for you to face consequences for something as trivial as this.
Click to expand...

Very well said.
It would really suck losing your job over something like that but some companies are very strict and serious about stuff like that.
Maybe its not worth it.
 
Syndicate0017 said:
Might want to check with your IT department before making any kind of modification to your work computer or using it for a personal purpose such as this...I work in IT and we make our users sign an AUP. Any kind of modification (be it hardware or software) or unauthorized access is a violation of the agreement you must sign.

Of course, your situation may be quite different. I'd just hate for you to face consequences for something as trivial as this.
Click to expand...


Seeing as there are quite a few that have problems with company phones and employees turning on find my iPhone, that seems like a great idea for every company if they give out iPhones.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back