iPhone 4 tethering using USB

[infosprt]

Hi,

I was wondering if anyone has tried using the ATT supported method for tethering a netbook to the iPhone 4 using USB?

The questions I have are:

1.) How well does it work?
2.) Can you turn tethering on and off? For example can you use tethering one month and not the next.
3.) How quickly does it drain the iPhone 4 battery?

Thanks.

 

[Bandolier]

Hi,

I was wondering if anyone has tried using the ATT supported method for tethering a netbook to the iPhone 4 using USB?

The questions I have are:

1.) How well does it work?
2.) Can you turn tethering on and off? For example can you use tethering one month and not the next.
3.) How quickly does it drain the iPhone 4 battery?

Thanks.

It works as fast as normal 3G speeds under normal conditions.
Uh, what is forcing you to use tethering next month?
Why the **** would it drain battery if it's connected via USB?

 

[shandyman]

It works as fast as normal 3G speeds under normal conditions.
Uh, what is forcing you to use tethering next month?
Why the **** would it drain battery if it's connected via USB?

quite a hostile response. could use some common decency....

sometimes people want tethering one month as they're on the go, but the following month, not so.... people have reasons, so fair question.

 

[infosprt]

It works as fast as normal 3G speeds under normal conditions.
Uh, what is forcing you to use tethering next month?
Why the **** would it drain battery if it's connected via USB?

If I take a business trip I may want to use a netbook instead of the iPad for example. So for maybe 4 months out of the year I would use tethering but not the other 8.

As far as the answer on the power drain. I would assume that it would use more power than not using tethering. Just a guess though.

Have you used the ATT supported method for tethering a netbook to a iPhone?

Another question that I forgot in the first email is if you need to run an extra 'add on' program in the netbook since you are using USB and not Wifi (which I would of hoped ATT selected but they didn't)?

 

[draz]

The iPhone would drain the Netbooks' battery as it charges itself while connected via usb.

Once connected via usb and enabled on the iPhone, the computer would recognize it and switch to the iPhone's internet service. It should take preference, but if required just disable your WiFi, Lan, and any other connection you have just to make sure.

 

[JediMeister]

I think the first and third questions have been addressed, but no one has given an answer to #2. Using tethering on the iPhone requires one of the 2 GB data plans, it will not work on an unlimited data plan. This means that unlike the 3G data service on the iPad you cannot opt in and out at will, you have to change your data plan which, I'm not sure, but may re-up your contract.

Take a look over these relevant support articles:

tethering requirements
troubleshooting tethering

 

[DroidRules]

I say jailbreak your i and spend the $20 on mywi. It is the cost of one month of at&t tethering and you keep your unlimited data. This also allows you to make your phone a hotspot AND use usb tether. That means you can also cancel your iPad monthly service assuming you typically have your 2 i's in the same place at the same time.

 

[eastercat]

If you don't need the wifi hotspot, there are other programs that do usb tethering and cost less than $5. Even though I only tether occasionally, I'll be buying it soon because it's so cheap.

I say jailbreak your i and spend the $20 on mywi. It is the cost of one month of at&t tethering and you keep your unlimited data. This also allows you to make your phone a hotspot AND use usb tether. That means you can also cancel your iPad monthly service assuming you typically have your 2 i's in the same place at the same time.

 

[ItsJustafnPhone]

I say jailbreak your i and spend the $20 on mywi. It is the cost of one month of at&t tethering and you keep your unlimited data. This also allows you to make your phone a hotspot AND use usb tether. That means you can also cancel your iPad monthly service assuming you typically have your 2 i's in the same place at the same time.

Agreed

Also consider donating to the Jailbreak team

the iPhone 4 is so fast, there is 0% speed decrease when you jailbreak it

In previous 3g/3gs phones there was about a 5-10% lag sometimes

I can 100% recommend jailbreaking the phone

Here are some helpful hints

1) Rename your iPhone ( something like Stock)
2) Backup your phone
3) rename your iPhone again (something like Custom)
4) Jailbreak your phone
5) Backup your phone again

Now you wil have two separate backups, one 100% stock, the other Jailbroken, incase you need to return it to apple and worried about warranty issues

Sync your phone but do not make full backups of your phone if its not necessary ( I'm not sure but there is probably a limit of how many backups Itunes saves)

 

[tehfrag]

Also consider donating to the Jailbreak team

The iPhone Dev-Team does not take donations.

 

[SFStateStudent]

The iPhone Dev-Team does not take donations.

+1 ^^^ I 2nd that motion...

 

[infosprt]

If you don't need the wifi hotspot, there are other programs that do usb tethering and cost less than $5. Even though I only tether occasionally, I'll be buying it soon because it's so cheap.

Do these programs require you to jailbreak your iPhone?

Thanks

 

[infosprt]

Thanks to everyone for their replies.

I called ATT relating to be able to switch tethering ON and OFF. The rep mentioned that you can do it either online or by calling in. One thing that I found interesting is, say you want to go on a 2 week trip. You can switch the tethering ON then turn it back OFF when the trip is completed. The charge for tethering would be prorated so you would only get charged approximately $10 (for the two week period).

 

[IrishVixen]

Thanks to everyone for their replies.

I called ATT relating to be able to switch tethering ON and OFF. The rep mentioned that you can do it either online or by calling in. One thing that I found interesting is, say you want to go on a 2 week trip. You can switch the tethering ON then turn it back OFF when the trip is completed. The charge for tethering would be prorated so you would only get charged approximately $10 (for the two week period).

You do need to be careful if you're doing this though--they may prorate the data as well as the actual charge.

Case in point--I opted for their outrageous international roaming setup last year for a one week trip to Ireland and set it up online. Nothing in my notifications showed the prorating. Watched my data usage like a hawk, and did NOT exceed the 20 MB plan limit that I'd requested. Just one small problem...my billing period fell right in the middle of that trip, so they'd prorated that 20 MB for the 4 remaining days of the period. It came out to some ridiculously low number for those days, which naturally I'd exceeded, even though I'd stayed under their overall limit. It took a rather lengthy and heated conversation with them to get the charges bumped back down.

I'd never simply trust AT&T on something like that type of plan switching again. I've had great service with them over the last eight years, but that incident made me a lot more wary. Especially for those of us who would have to give up unlimited data to just to tether officially.

(And yes, the apps that allow tethering unofficially all require a jailbreak, unless you already have HandyLight, which snuck briefly into the App Store. It's long gone, obviously.)