Request Bluetooth/USB cell phone tethering

Originally Posted by devseev

This is currently my #1 feature request for the eDGe. Tethering can be supported via (a) Bluetooth (preferred), (b) USB (also a good option), or (c) peer-to-peer ("ad hoc") wifi network support.

Second that. Why force users to pay for another connection if they're already paying for one on their phone? Phone companies get enough of my money already! And as already mentioned, it could be accessed no matter where you are.

+1.
Tethering to a Blackberry would be nice.
If tether is shown working on some other kind of phone I'd probably buy that phone.

I've just pinged the fine folks at June fabrics, makers of PDANet.

I LOVE PDANet and use it all the time to tether my various Android devices...i've asked them to look into making a client that will run on the eDGe.

Originally Posted by kenjennings

+1.
Tethering to a Blackberry would be nice.
If tether is shown working on some other kind of phone I'd probably buy that phone.

Another +1

Originally Posted by rongoms

I've just pinged the fine folks at June fabrics, makers of PDANet.

I LOVE PDANet and use it all the time to tether my various Android devices...i've asked them to look into making a client that will run on the eDGe.

That makes 2 of us. I emailed them over a week ago with the same request.....so far no response.

Originally Posted by VenturingSoul

That makes 2 of us. I emailed them over a week ago with the same request.....so far no response.

So, our official response on the question of both 3G USB dongles and tethering to an external phone/modem with a data plan is "not supported." That does not mean that we did not build in the plumbing to make this work...it means that we are not going to be your plumber in this case. There are too many 3G modems out there to certify and support and too many carriers adding their own variables. Nothing is stopping anyone from giving it a try .

Originally Posted by kenjennings

+1.
Tethering to a Blackberry would be nice.
If tether is shown working on some other kind of phone I'd probably buy that phone.

Not sure if some of you are aware of this, but if you can turn your phone to a Wi-Fi router (whereby any wireless enabled device could technically access the internet using the data access on your phone), then you shouldn't have any problem accessing the internet from your Edge wherever you have a data connection on your phone. I have a HTC TP2 that I use for my phone service and I am able to log onto the web on my laptop wherever I have data connection on my phone, the Edge wouldn't be different. You just need to have the right .cab or .apk files to do this. (My phone has a dual boot system, WinMo 6.5 & Android, and I can share the internet on my phone using either OS).

Yellowman1, if you don't mind my asking: What kind of phone do you have? I might need to get one of those.

Yellowman1: the problem is that cell phone - generated wi-fi is done via an "Ad hoc network" not a true wifi network. A PC can see and access both, but Android cannot see ad hoc networks. There are apparently some android hacks that make seeing ad hoc wifi possible (i.e. it is not a physical limitation), but I don't think any of them currently work on the eDGe. It's a feature I would really like to see enabled though.

Dontpanic: Thank you for the reply! Just to clarify - is the "plumbing" already there, or will it be there in a future update? Like borisb, I would think the phone model/firmware/carrier would be largely irrelevant, so that if one works, most others should as well. Certainly no need for Entourage to support it officially if the company doesn't want to, but it's probably not officially supported by Microsoft either, yet works on any windows PC.

Originally Posted by dontpanic

So, our official response on the question of both 3G USB dongles and tethering to an external phone/modem with a data plan is "not supported." That does not mean that we did not build in the plumbing to make this work...it means that we are not going to be your plumber in this case. There are too many 3G modems out there to certify and support and too many carriers adding their own variables. Nothing is stopping anyone from giving it a try .

So, does "not supported" apply to USB dongles, USB modems and USB tethering only? Will a bluetooth profile for network sharing be supported/provided?

Originally Posted by skapsal

So, does "not supported" apply to USB dongles, USB modems and USB tethering only? Will a bluetooth profile for network sharing be supported/provided?

The plumbing is there in the software you have for support of USB dongles, modems and USB tethering, not bluetooth tethering.

I should expand on the idea of an unsupported feature. I would not go out and buy a 3G dongle for this purpose, in hopes of making it work. If you have one, there is nothing stopping you from giving it a try. Also, there is the risk that future software updates change or take away some functionality that you discover works but is not supported. Also, your mileage may vary.

Originally Posted by NiaTrue

Yellowman1, if you don't mind my asking: What kind of phone do you have? I might need to get one of those.

@NIaTrue: I have an HTC TouchPro2 for Sprint. You don't need to unlock it in order to turn it into a wi-fi router (there are cab files out there for that), or to run Android over the WinMo OS (Android runs off the sd card).

Originally Posted by devseev

Yellowman1: the problem is that cell phone - generated wi-fi is done via an "Ad hoc network" not a true wifi network. A PC can see and access both, but Android cannot see ad hoc networks. There are apparently some android hacks that make seeing ad hoc wifi possible (i.e. it is not a physical limitation), but I don't think any of them currently work on the eDGe. It's a feature I would really like to see enabled though.

@devseev: My understanding from talking to the Technical folks over @ EE is that their version of Android 1.6 running on the eDGe will allow wi-fi connections through your phone (that Ad-hoc connection is built into their Android OS). I don't have an eDGe (yet, I just placed my order a few minutes ago), so I can't tell how true or not that statement is, but I will let everyone know once I get my eDGe and give it for a spin. (That is a very important feature for me that may be a deal-breaker against my keeping the eDGe, at least for now).

I don't think that the Edge accepts adhoc connections at this point. But if you find a way let us know! I would like to connect to the internet by means of pdanet on the iphone (which requires adhoc)...

it would be great to get on the 3g network. unfortunately, users of an iphone would still have a problem, because the iphone won't see the edge. bluetooth on an iphone is very limited to either another iphone or a car. i tried it on my former edge, but it didn't connect. typical apple crap. now i've got to go to a hotspot, i.e. trainstations, malls or starbuck.