Sunday 7 July 2013

Best Android application for tethering - Tether alpha

Tether for Android
Update #1: (Wow, seem to have hit the 500 comment limit, please go here to leave a comment: https://plus.google.com/103583939320326217147/posts/Pe3VVGedTWw)

Update #2: Tether is now live on the Android Market! https://plus.google.com/103583939320326217147/posts/XGgEppQEYYp

Over the last month, I've been working on a new app. Tether Alpha is a USB[2] tether solution for Mac, Windows, and Linux that allows you to use your phone's data connection to get internet access on your desktop or laptop.

ClockworkMod Tether does not require root on your phone and does not require a separate tethering plan. Tether should work with any carrier and phone, and is not blockable or detectable by carriers[1]. To get around the root requirement on your phone, Tether will need to install a virtual network adapter on your computer; so there is a PC side install. [3]

I'm looking for meaningful feedback in the following areas:

1) Did you have problems installing it or getting it working? (If so, operating system? Ie, Windows 7 64 bit, etc)
2) How is your download speed once everything is set up?

The UI is pretty rough, the icons, and general app design are not final. I am just looking to make sure the underlying services all work properly.

Download links:

Mac (10.6/10.7): download
Linux: download [4]
Windows (Windows XP/Vista/7): download

The above links should automatically install the Android portion if you have USB debugging enabled on the phone, but if something goes awry, here's the Android APK:
download apk


I am intentionally not providing any installation instructions, because I feel that if the app can't be set up without installation instructions, I have failed to make it easy enough to use. ;)
So please provide any feedback you may have if you have a hiccup during installation! (The final market released product will have instructions though)

This version will time bomb on January 7th. I'll release new versions before then, so if the app stops working, just check back here.

Thanks all!




[1] It functions as a proxy, and not as a NAT/masquerade solution that other tether solutions use. Though carriers can still check for http user agent string, but I have an idea to work around that. They typically check the TTL for desktop values. All usual carrier data charges and quotas will apply, but you will not need a separate tethering plan.

[2] I'm working on getting Bluetooth working as well.

[3] I wish I could not require a PC side installation, but it is simply not possible if the phone is not rooted.

[4] There is no UI for the Linux interface. Just sudo linux/run.sh after extracting the zip.