This is

as days pass by, by Stuart Langridge

. Here I write about many things. In the past I wrote about other things but the past is past. I write code for people to play with, I write about my life on Twitter, and I write here.

On I wrote Tethering an Android phone to Ubuntu without jailbreaking or installing applications, on the subject of Android, Sundry Hacks, and Linux.

There are many guides out there on the web for tethering an Android phone to your Ubuntu laptop, so that you can use the phone's mobile data network connection when you're out of range of wi-fi. They're all complicated, and they all involve installing some random bit of software: they ask you to download the Android SDK and install Proxoid or install OpenVPN and AziLink or use adb forward to forward a port for a proxy server or put shell scripts on your phone (!) or some similar horrible thing. Here is how to do it. This approach works without jailbreaking your Android phone. It works without installing any software from the Android Market. It Just Works.
  1. Plug your phone (mine is a HTC Hero, aka the T-Mobile G2 Touch) into your laptop with USB.
  2. On the phone, drag down the notifications bar at the top of the screen. Choose "USB connected Select to copy files to/from your computer". In the "USB connected" dialog, say "Don't mount".
  3. On the phone, from the home screen, tick Menu > Settings > Wireless controls > Mobile network sharing. (If you don't have a "Mobile network sharing" option, then your phone doesn't support this easy way of doing it. Sorry. Try one of the above linked approaches; I liked the Proxoid approach, myself.)
  4. Network Manager will now connect.
That's it. That's all you need. Never have an offline laptop again. Who needs "mobile broadband", eh? I'm using Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic), and a T-Mobile G2 Touch with the HTC Sense UI (which comes with it in the UK). If you're not, your mileage may vary. Thanks very much to @phowardcom for this startling revelation! update: it looks suspiciously like this connection sharing feature is specific to the HTC Hero. Updated to correct "mobile network sharing", thanks Stoffe
Marius Gedminas

Ah, but can you do that without wires, i.e. over Bluetooth?

Luis

Not working here in the US with a G1. Sure there isn't some magic to be done once you're at that settings page?

Derek Buranen

For the record, the G2 is an HTC Magic.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTC_Magic

The Hero is way cooler with its 3.5 mm jack, but alas not yet available in the US.

Derek Buranen

Oh, I lied, you're right. I'm jealous Mr. UK!

Stuart Langridge: Tethering an Android phone to Ubuntu without jailbreaking or installing applications | Full-Linux.com

[...] an Android phone to Ubuntu without jailbreaking or installing applications is now available in this link…: News [...]

Vadim P.

"On the phone, from the home screen, tick Menu > Settings > Wireless controls > Mobile network settings."

So you open that settings part and then... ?

Stoffe

The instructions are actually even simpler:

1. Plug in cable

2. Menu > Settings > Wireless controls > Mobile Network Sharing

Note that the menu to be picked is Mobile Network *Sharing*, not Settings. An no need to choose not to mount or anything, either. Seems to just work.

Anonymous Coward

This is indeed specific to the Hero; I got my Hero recently and my friend with G1 does not have this option (and therefore has to resort to the hacks you describe).

sil

Stoffe: thanks, and main article corrected.

ferry

I have a Samsung Galaxy. I'm on Fedora and for me it works as well, Network Manager sees the phone and can connect.

Philip

Does this work on Ubuntu 9.04. Does this work with the Vodafone HTC Magic (UK) or the Orange HTC Hero (UK)?

Just about to ditch my windows mobile phone, which I now have sharing a 3G over bluetooth.

sil

Philip: I don't know about 9.04; I'm running a 9.10 pre-release (I'm a developer). I'm pretty sure it does, though. It does not work on the Magic, but it does work on the Hero.

DaveGK

What about syncing Thunderbird address book and calendar with HTC Hero? Just about to place an order for one of those at eXpansys in UK. I'm running Jaunty 9.04 64-bit.

sil

DaveGK: easiest way would be to sync TB with Google and then sync Android with Google as well; that's what I do.

DaveGK

@sil

Thanks, I've never used my gmail account for anything, other than "email to give to someone I don't care to hear from again" kind of thing. I only check it once a month, if that :)

Does having an Android OS means I have to start using it "properly"? I'd really prefer not to - I'm rather happy with the present setup - I have four private and three business POP/IMAP accounts in TB. I can deal with calendar manually, but the address book I'd really love to sync with Hero. I'll have a look it up at Google to see how I can sync TB with it - I have no idea at the moment... Surely non-Windows PDA must be better at syncing with ubuntu/linix? Hopefully :)

insomniux

@DaveGK,

I use the Hero-Gmail-TB trias for syncing my address book and calender. Works perfect! Initially had the same hesitations, but advantage is: you have an external backup of your addresses.

BTW I was also highly surprised that a linux based OS-smartphone could not directly sync with Ubuntu. Don't understand, but some things in life seem to stay an unresolved mistery... :-)

DaveGK

@insomniux,

I did have a look at different options - ZIndus etc, but there are plenty of reports, or rather complaints, regarding eventual corruption of data on both TB and Gmail. Naturally, I'm a bit worried about that. What do you use and how reliable this process is? Also had a look at gmail contact options - seems very basic. Where all the additional info I have in TB will go? I'd really appreciate your advice as to how to best set it all up.

Squirrelly

I try this on a Sprint HTC Hero in the US, and it does network connect it to my computer, but then my phone drops its data connection to the network until I disable this. Sprint doesn't support data tethering with their current data plans, so I'm figuring this is being blocked in that way then.

Mike

Yes, you can sync the address book simply from Windows Address Book, located in Programs->Accessories. All you need to do is import telephone #s/emails/etc into the Windows Address book from a TXT or CSV file. Then install the HTC SYNC application, and it will sync the phone with the windows address book.

Good luck.

Rob Sharp

Looks like this trick works with the HTC Desire and Ubuntu 10.04. Thanks!

douche

Your article blows...everyone knows you need to hack your phone to tether on Sprint networks. Idiots like you should get a clue and read other forums before posting this worthless drivel and assuming it applies universally.

Niap

Works perfect on Ubuntu and Desire.

Niap

Works perfect on Ubuntu and Desire.

ProbStat

I think most US carriers will have blocked any direct tethering methods; they tend to charge for "internet connectivity" other than solely via the phone, so they'd be giving away for free something that they charge for if they made it readily available.

Joel Parker Henderson

EasyTether app works great for the T-Mobile MyTouch.

Joel Parker Henderson

EasyTether app works great for the T-Mobile MyTouch.

bob

is there any setup required on Ubuntu to get it to work

JasonB

Shouldn't somebody say what version of Android all of this is about? I have a Samsung Galaxy (T-Mobile Vibrant) with Android 2.1. The settings menu choices have different names and options, and none of this works.. but I don't know whether that's because you have Android 2.2 (or a different older version), or if I have the same version of Android where these features have been specifically disabled by the vendor.

It's pretty simple to just say which version of the software you wrote this post about..

sil

JasonB: this was Android 1.6, at the time I wrote it. I haven't kept up to date with what needs to be done to do this since; 2.2 on my Nexus One just works. Sorry if it's been disabled on your Samsung Galaxy.

shazalingle

december 2010: easy as on HTC Magic, vodafone, Android 2.2.1, Ubuntu NBR 10.10, no apps, no rooting around, just works. Thanks a tonne.

Menu > Settings > Wireless & networks > Tethering > USB tethering. Netbook detects, i make this post. awesome technology is.

Dave H

"Just like that!!"

HTC very nicely decided to invite me to a free update of my OS from 1.6 to 2.2.1. It must be Christmas. Now it works a treat.

Go Android

tom jennings

Thanks for the succinct note. My G2 the settings are simply (main menu) Menu --> Settings --> Wireless & network settings --> Tethering & portable hotspot.

However, what is done on the ubuntu 10.10 side? Clearly a driver is needed... nothing obvious turns up in apt-cache searches nor google searches I can conjure up?

tom jennings

Thanks for the succinct note. My G2 the settings are simply (main menu) Menu --> Settings --> Wireless & network settings --> Tethering & portable hotspot.

However, what is done on the ubuntu 10.10 side? Clearly a driver is needed... nothing obvious turns up in apt-cache searches nor google searches I can conjure up?

tom jennings

weeeellll wtf, over?! took a reboot of ubuntu to get it to work. So what worked was:

* G2: enable tethering as above.

* Ubuntu: reboot (what is this, windows?!)

* plug in USB cable

* G2: ignore the offer to mount USB storage

* g2: in (main) Menu-->Settings-->Wireless-->Tethering... select (enable) "USB tethering"

* G2: blue "Tethering..." notification appears, and...

* Ubuntu: network app says "auto USB" and switches to USB networking

lo!

Thanks again!

evan

Do you need htc sync software installed on ubuntu first???

evan

the answer is NO, it 'just works' (htc hero). No htc sync software installed either. Like it when a plan comes together!

ak

I once had Kubuntu on a old PC and my main reason for upgrading to XP was that I couldn't get Mobile Broadband to work (plus I was into computer games back then).

Now XP is getting out of date (and I don't play games on PCs any more) I've been thinking about switching back to Kubuntu, its reassuring to know it'll work with tethering via an android phone because I have a HTC which I use for that on windows at the moment (although since it was updated it can be used as a WIFI router too).

Its good to know I'll be able to use the cable if I switched back because using the router function really drains the battery.

This website belongs to Stuart Langridge. Contact details are available. Don't eat yellow snow. Valid HTML5, at least in theory, except for the bits that aren't because I'm that futuristic that I'm ahead of the spec, oh yes. HTML5 help from Bruce Lawson, among others. Fonts from the superb FontSquirrel. End.