Category: Wi-Fi

How to Tether on a HTC Inspire using Straight Talk!

Paul1 Reply

iPhone -> eee pc tether.

Is it possible?

You might be asking this because you don’t know if Straight Talk allows this.  I don’t know if they do or not but I’ve been using my HTC inspire to tether to my Laptop without much problems but then again, I’ve had to root my device.  Is it possible to do this to all Straight Talk Android Phones for instance:

To be truthful these are the only two that I could find out when you need to use Straight Talk as your carrier but I am sure there are going to be more ways to root your device for using the Tethering option.  

Will I get In trouble?

I don’t know about you but I am have had several calls in the past about to much data usage but I have not been terminated by them.  I am not sure if they are just trying to scare people or are just warning people.  I do know that I’ve been using tethering when I’m at a class and don’t have any wifi available.  That is kind of the reason why I haven’t been posting as much because I am hard at work trying to accomplish keeping my grades up.

I would like to warn people that they could very well disable your account if they find you are constantly teethering, so only use when you need.  If you are like me and you need it while going to class or something like that, they might not know but don’t constantly try to stream your Amazon [Affiliate link] or Netflix accounts to your laptop, that might be a red flag with them.

How do I teether?

After you’ve Rooted your device, like me using my HTC Inspire that I’ve rooted so I could unlock it and use it with Straight talk.  You will need to use one of these many apps to teether:

  • WiFi Tether for Root Users — This is what I’m using and it works really well with my current setup.  I can use the wifi on the HTC to make a connection with my laptop and have had no problems with tethering with this app.
  • 1-Click WiFi Tether No Root — It says no rooting needs to be done but I didn’t even try this because the first one that I did work well.  So I am guessing you will probably be ok with this one.  Let me know if this works or not!
  • Barnacle Wifi Tether — I don’t know if you need to be Rooted or not but you can try this before you root your device to see if it works.
  • Wireless Tether for Root Users — It looks like you will need to be rooted user like me so, you have a good chance of succeeding with this one also if your rooted.  I don’t think you can use this without being rooted but you could try!

These are just a few that I found that look promising but the one that does work on my HTC Inspire is the Wifi Tether for Rooted Users and It works flawlessly while I am in my class doing class work that is to be done.  I will remind users that you use this information at your own risk.  I can’t be held responsible if Straight Talk starts to terminate accounts for tethering.  Only time will tell if they will keep allowing this in the future.

Paul Sylvester

Reviewing the Novatel Wireless MiFi 2200 Prepaid Mobile Hotspot (Virgin Mobile)

Paul

Click picture to see the Price! (Affiliate Link)

My Review of the Mifi 2200 Card!

I probably am not the only one who will be reviewing the Novatel Wireless MiFi 2200 Prepaid Mobile Hotspot(Virgin Mobile) card (Affiliate link).   I do however have used this card for over 3 weeks and I wanted to give you my opinions on this.  I know I originally bought this for a really good deal for $69.99 and I said a few weeks ago that I was going to talk about this little card.

Technical details:

  • What’s in the Box: MiFi Broadband2Go Prepaid Mobile Hotspot, AC charger, USB cable, battery, carrying pouch

  • experience faster average download speeds of 600 kbps – 1.4 Mbps

  • Ready-to-connect with no software to install

  • Universal Wi-Fi for ultimate compatibility

  • Connect up to 5 devices simultaneously

 

Observations on the Mifi Virgin Mobile!

I have had several weeks to play around with the Mifi card.   I must say that I am really impressed with this.   I don’t have a lot of options on having broadband in my neck of the woods, so when I found this on sale.   I really couldn’t help myself because I could now do what I have always wanted to do.   Having internet where I am live and be able to blog more readily available to me.

Pro’s:

  • Stream Hulu, CBS, NBC, Royal Pains (Affiliate link), Mythbusters (Affiliate link) and Netflix!  (Might require less quality and some buffering but I had no problems watching what I wanted, when I wanted to.)

  • Portability of having WPA connections wherever I went.

  • I even used my Sisters Ipad to stream Netflix and YouTube on the Mifi card.

  • Uses the Sprint Network

  • Can use Linux and other Operating systems with the card.

Although, I don’t stream all the time and thus I am probably not one of those who is going above their ceiling cap they have.   I’ve heard once you get above a certain limit.   Probably 10 gigs or something like that they will cut you off but that is something they will not say for sure.   The 2.5 gig limit will slow your speed down but I’m fine with that.  I haven’t had any problems with the slow down.

Con’s:

  • Battery life — I was able to use my battery for over 6 hours without recharging it but that was with me using it almost all the time.   If you have a long drive or am planning on use it more in your house.   It is best to just keep it plugged in when you use it.  (You can use a Dual USB Car charger to keep the Mifi working while travelling!)

  • Signal Strength — You basically have to keep it close to the windows to get any decent signal strength from the closest cell tower.   I haven’t had much problems with speed but I occasionally have had signal drops and reconnects from time to time.

  • Cricket Wireless broadband — This is just as good as Cricket Wireless broadband but since they aren’t in the are or have 3g services in my area, I had to go with Virgin Mobile.

 

All in All!

To sum it up, this isn’t a really a bad deal for the price.   Even though the so called “unlimited” is slower than normal speeds after 2.5 gb used, it is probably not going to be any faster than when you use it on a daily basis and thus it is still a good way to have internet in areas where there may not have many internet options.  The Novatel MiFi 2200 from Virgin Mobile (Affiliate link) isn’t a bad choice with a no contract.  I’ll definitely recommend it for those who might just be needed for spots that don’t have internet!

Paul Sylvester

 

 

Related articles

 

 

The Novatel Mifi 2200 is coming!

Paul

Image via Wikipedia

It’s Been ordered!

I ordered a Novatel Wireless MiFi 2200(Virgin Mobile) from Amazon and was it a deal.   Normally Priced at $129.99 to $149.99, I paid $69.99 and that was Half off the price.   I am just waiting for it to come!  I don’t know how well it will work but I am quite eager to try it out.   I even got free shipping with this deal.

What does that mean to you guys, I will be looking into the connection speeds and actually maybe even testing the 2.5gb limit to see how far I can go before they start complaining to me.

I won’t expect much!

This isn’t going to be a mifi killer but it will at least help me do what I have needed.   You will need to pay $20 to $50  per month for a top up card or have them charge you credit card directly.   I never really like doing that, they always seem to include sales tax.   It is always best just to go buy them at the store and use them that way.   I have always found them to be cheaper than charging my credit card.

I’ll review this later on!

I think this will be a good alternative for people who might need occasional internet.   I don’t expect to be able to stream videos and such all the time or even a lot.   I will review this later on for a complete assessment of it’s capabilities and critic how well the batter last and such.    I don’t know a lot about it but you can be sure, I will dive in and give it my best!

Paul Sylvester

 

Got Backups? Try Crashplan!

 

 

Related articles

 

 

How to Get a Free VPN for Ubuntu/Kubuntu!

Paul3 Replies

 

Is there a Free VPN for Linux?

Use Coupon Code “savenow15” AND SAVE 15% on the lifetime of your account!I had to search both high and low.   It took me several hours and searching to find a viable option for me.   I wanted to share this so others wouldn’t have to work as hard to surf safer on the web.   If your like me, I like to go to free wifi spots to blog or even just surf the web.   I don’t want anyone getting my personal information so I would always have to use Windows.   I really got fustrated having to always load Windows when It was just easier to load up Kubuntu.   I know in the past this was something that was never really an option because you’d have to be a real geek to do anything like this.   Thanks to the open community of Linux, we have a viable option now for those who aren’t technically geeks but would still like to keep their web surfing secret from prying computers on an open wifi spots.

How to setup your free VPN for Kubuntu!

 

  • If you haven’t updated to Kubuntu 11.04  or later then you will need to make sure you have that version or later for this tutorial to work.  You can also use Ubuntu 11.04 or later but the screenshots will be for Kubuntu, so there may be some difference in looks and names but should be relatively the same.

  • Book Mark the FREE US PPTP VPN site — This is essential because the problem with this free VPN service is that changes every 12 hours.   This however isn’t a big problem because if your using a VPN for Wifi Hotspots.   It just means everytime you go to a wifi spot you will be unsecure until you go to the bookmark and change the password.  To Bookmark the site you can easily just press CLT-D.

If you have done those two steps then you are ready to setup your VPN.

Setting up the VPN

This is going to be relilitivly simple, because if your using the Linux you will know some of this already.

  • Go to your Network Manager —  There are 2 ways to do this.   You can find it on your toolbar either being a Ethernet or Wireless icon, just right click it and choice “Network Manager Settings” or you can click the “Start > Applications > Settings > System Settings > Network Settings”.

  • Once there you will want to click VPN

Click to see larger picture

  • Click the Add Button

  • As you can see if you have booked mark that page I told you earlier to go to.  You will need to add the Gateway, username and password(remember this password is only good for a few hours, so remember this step). Then click “Advanced”

 

  • You will only need to do this once.   Uncheck all in the Authentaction area but the MSCHAPv2 and Check “Use MPPE Encryption” but do not check the “Use Stateful Encryption”, if it is checked uncheck it.   Then click OK!

  • Hit Ok or Apply and exit out of the manager.   You may have to reboot to get the new settings to activate.   I had to with my current system but that was only when creating the new VPN, after that it work fine.

 

You will need to edit the password everytime you want to use the VPN but if you have made it this far than you should be all set to use the VPN to safely surf the web.   In order to change the password just remember the first 2 steps and instead of adding a new VPN just edit the one you created and change the password and hit Apply when done.   I hope this has helped other Linux users to surf the web safely on free wifi spots.   Enjoy!

*Update*

There seems to be a kde4d Bug and ntrack bug that causes the menu bar and toolbar to freeze.   Just thought you’d like to know!!

*Update #2*

There are another site that you should also check out for a Free VPN Service:

 

If I find more sites that you can use to get a free VPN with PPTP then I’ll update this as soon as I find them!

 

Paul Sylvester

 

 

 

Related articles

 

Wi-Fi Signal Status for You and the World!

Paul

Here at ThinkGeek we’re pretty lazy when it comes to technology. We expect our gadgets to do all the busywork while we focus on the high level important tasks like reading blogs. That’s why we hate to have to crack open our laptops just to see if there is any wi-fi internet access about… and keychain wi-fi detectors, we would have to actually remove them from our pockets to look at them. But now thanks to the ingenious ThinkGeek robot monkeys you can display the current wi-fi signal strength to yourself and everyone around you with this stylish Wi-Fi Detector Shirt. The glowing bars on the front of the shirt dynamically change as the surrounding wi-fi signal strength fluctuates. Finally you can get the attention you deserve as others bow to you as their reverential wi-fi god, while geeky chicks swoon at your presence. You can thank us later.

I might have to buy one myself. These look cool, go check out the picture at Thinkgeek.com