A couple of weeks ago I was without Internet (thanks to AT&T), and was forced to go to Starbucks to check email and commit work I had done. While I like going to Starbucks, it was not the best working situation for someone who works from home.
Since I have an Android (HTC Evo) I thought about USB tethering the device to my laptop and Internet sharing, but Sprint hits you with a $29.95/month fee to use that option. Since I am completely able to work locally without a connection to the Internet, I decided to tough it out and wait until AT&T figured out their mess and got me turned back on.
Fast forward a couple of weeks later… (yes, I am back on the net)
I found some neat applications for my phone that enable someone to bypass the tethering options that Sprint charges for. One popular application is PdaNet, but it is limited to Windows and Mac. (For those who are still limited by those two platforms, give PdaNet a try.) Another application I stumbled across called EasyTether has Linux support, so I gave it a try. (I am actually writting this blog post while using it)
The application for the Droid was available on the Droid Market Place, and their website has the Ubuntu file available for the PC connection. http://mobile-stream.com/easytether/drivers.html
I installed the “Lite” version from the Droid Market Place (FREE!!! but limits you to non-SSL pages, unless you pay the $9.99 for the full version) The application walks you through the couple of simple steps needed to use it, and even gives you the address above to get your Windows/Mac/Ubuntu/Fedora up and running.
Once I installed the DEB file on my laptop, after downloading it, all I had to do was connect my phone to USB and open the connection via command line.
The command to link up is:
easytether connect |
Now the next time I am without Internet I am ready. 🙂