Mobile tethering - hows it work?

[davidgrimm]

How does a computer tether with the iPhone? Is it through bluetooth or does the iPhone through wifi? How do you manage the devices you allow to connect?


both Verizon and ATT are rumored to be offering this in the next few weeks or so.

 

[draz]

Bluetooth uses the... Bluetooth connection of your computer and the iPhone. This is generally slow and not really recommended for heavy web browsing. Only 1 device at a time.

USB Connection... Plus the cable in on your computer and the other in the iPhone. Turn on the feature and your all set. This feature does not drain the iPhone's battery but instead uses the power from your computer. Only 1 device (obviously!)

Wifi Connection.. aka Wifi Hotspot. This broadcasts a Wifi connection from the iPhone that your computer and other devices can connect to. You can have up to 5 devices connected and also set a password so only your devices can connect to it. This method will drain the battery so don't expect to use it for hours and hours.

 

[davidgrimm]

If the device you were looking to tether was an iPad, you're choices are limited to wifi, correct? There is no USB port on the iPad and you would need a iPod to iPod cable to connect via wires. I've never heard of such a cable.

 

[himesh]

99% sure that you can only tether a computer or mac from your iPhone, not another iDevice. Also pretty sure that tethering costs you extra also, well at least for me in the UK it would on Vodafone.

 

[topmounter]

There is no reason you shouldn't be able to tether an iPad via wifi to an iPhone4 once you have the appropriate version of iOS.

 

[eastercat]

That's not true. There are two options tethering an ipad to an iPhone: wifi and Bluetooth. Both methods require jb.
-Mywi does an adhoc wifi hotspot, but this requires iPhone jb and $20.
-Tetherme is $1.99, but it also requires iPad and iPhone jb as well as purchasing a $5 program, itether, for the iPad; this transmits over Bluetooth.

If the device you were looking to tether was an iPad, you're choices are limited to wifi, correct? There is no USB port on the iPad and you would need a iPod to iPod cable to connect via wires. I've never heard of such a cable.

 

[oakie]

That's not true. There are two options tethering an ipad to an iPhone: wifi and Bluetooth. Both methods require jb.
-Mywi does an adhoc wifi hotspot, but this requires iPhone jb and $20.
-Tetherme is $1.99, but it also requires iPad and iPhone jb as well as purchasing a $5 program, itether, for the iPad; this transmits over Bluetooth.

that is incorrect. you can tether ANY wifi equipped device to the iPhone using the wifi hotspot feature available on the Verizon iPhone.

 

[eastercat]

I'm not on Verizon and, from my sig, obviously don't use iOS 4.6 (4.5 doesn't have the hotspot feature).

that is incorrect. you can tether ANY wifi equipped device to the iPhone using the wifi hotspot feature available on the Verizon iPhone.

 

[Phil A.]

That's not true. There are two options tethering an ipad to an iPhone: wifi and Bluetooth. Both methods require jb.
-Mywi does an adhoc wifi hotspot, but this requires iPhone jb and $20.
-Tetherme is $1.99, but it also requires iPad and iPhone jb as well as purchasing a $5 program, itether, for the iPad; this transmits over Bluetooth.

4.3 brings two ways of tethering the iPad, both without jb: if you have an iPhone 4 you can use the mobile hotspot to create a wireless network that the iPad can connect to. Alternatively, with 4.3, the iPad can tether via bluetooth to an iPhone or other phone. 4.3 should be out within the next few weeks

 

[oakie]

I'm not on Verizon and, from my sig, obviously don't use iOS 4.6 (4.5 doesn't have the hotspot feature).

so? ignorance doesnt make your statement any less incorrect.

 

[eastercat]

I'm not ignorant, since I obviously knew about hotspot not being available on ios 4.5. Since the OP didn't state if s/he was on Verizon, I had to guess the user was on AT&T.

so? ignorance doesnt make your statement any less incorrect.