Free WiFi hotspot (no root needed)

[may2700]

for anyone who is not aware, there is now an app that allows you to turn on your wifi hot spot feature of your phone without rooting your phone. its called FoxFi

market link https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.foxfi&hl=en

no rooting, no fees, easy to use and works great on my bionic

enjoy

 

[SirEagle]

Been out for awhile now, and works great.

 

[kingnut]

news to me. thanks.

 

[dave1812]

Can't get it to work. Tried hooking up my laptop to the hotspot. Shows as unsecured and limited access at first. then I got the limited access message to clear but NO websites ever show up on my laptop. uninstalled. app needs work


I reinstalled the app and tried it with my touch. it works fine and DL speed is 9Mbs. tried it with the wife's lappy and got 16Mb after an initial problem similar to that on my own laptop.

I hope Verizon doesn't send the Hotspot Police after me...

 

[thamac]

Installed the app last week and works like a champ. I was impressed at how fast video streamed to my laptop with my Dishsling adapter.

 

[smguy101]

THis is an awesome app. I had it for my Samsung Charge and it worked wonders. I switched to the Bionic a couple o fmonths ago and it didnt have support back then, but now it does!!!

 

[dave1812]

see my additional notes on my previous post.

 

[jimburn69]

Works great for me on my Bionic.

 

[BigRedGonzo]

How does this work without paying for a hotspot plan? Are there possible repercussions?

BigRedGonzo

 

[CamoCustom]

This works perfect on my Bionic as well!

 

[BigRedGonzo]

It works great on mine. I would still like to know the repercussions of using it. Surely, VZW has a way to tell if you are using it.

BigRedGonzo

 

[Joe Eris]

for anyone who is not aware, there is now an app that allows you to turn on your wifi hot spot feature of your phone without rooting your phone. its called FoxFi

market link https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.foxfi&hl=en

no rooting, no fees, easy to use and works great on my bionic

enjoy

Thanks for that bro, you Rock! Now my Galaxy Tab can come out and play once again
WOO HOO

 

[Joe Eris]

It works great on mine. I would still like to know the repercussions of using it. Surely, VZW has a way to tell if you are using it.

BigRedGonzo

Relax brother, sometimes things are just free ;-)

 

[Thom]

It works great on mine. I would still like to know the repercussions of using it. Surely, VZW has a way to tell if you are using it.

They know how much data you transfer. If it turns astronomical they might choose to do something (or not).

There have been scattered reports in other forums of transfer rates being throttled down (like 512K download) by Verizon. I have not heard of any consist application of this.

Since I choose to abide by the agreement I made with Verizon I have no further information.

... Thom

 

[Joe Eris]

They know how much data you transfer. If it turns astronomical they might choose to do something (or not).

There have been scattered reports in other forums of transfer rates being throttled down (like 512K download) by Verizon. I have not heard of any consist application of this.

Since I choose to abide by the agreement I made with Verizon I have no further information.

... Thom

Yeah, you're probably right. I'm uninstalling

 

[wildkitten]

They know how much data you transfer. If it turns astronomical they might choose to do something (or not).

There have been scattered reports in other forums of transfer rates being throttled down (like 512K download) by Verizon. I have not heard of any consist application of this.

Since I choose to abide by the agreement I made with Verizon I have no further information.

... Thom

Well to be honest too Thom, if you pay for a 4GB data package, you should be able to use 4GB of data regardless if it's just the phone or using the phone as a hotspot.

Paying extra to use something thats already built into the phone that you already paid for and data you have already paid for is double charging.

 

[doogald]

Well to be honest too Thom, if you pay for a 4GB data package, you should be able to use 4GB of data regardless if it's just the phone or using the phone as a hotspot.

Paying extra to use something thats already built into the phone that you already paid for and data you have already paid for is double charging.

From Verizon's point of view, you are paying for 4GB for a single device, not to be shared with multiple devices. If you want multiple connections at once, they want more money.

Think of it this way: if you have multiple devices all trying to access data at once, Verizon needs to provide more backhaul bandwidth for the tower you are connected to, and that costs them more. I think people forget that the bandwidth to the tower itself is not infinite.

The other way that they could price a data package is to assume that everyone will hotspot and charge everybody more, and that's unfair to the many users who do not want to hotspot.

 

[Thom]

Yes ... that is the rationalization that I have read over and over from people reinterpreting what they previously agreed to.

Their ultimate argument is that the air is free so your cellular service should be free and available to everyone no matter how much you use. How dare those big corporations dare to charge us for anything. Some people are running five PCs on a phone with "no charge" hotspot.

Like most things in life ... there is a choice ... do what you agree to ... or ignore when it suits you.

... Thom

 

[wildkitten]

Yes ... that is the rationalization that I have read over and over from people reinterpreting what they previously agreed to.

Their ultimate argument is that the air is free so your cellular service should be free and available to everyone no matter how much you use. How dare those big corporations dare to charge us for anything. Some people are running five PCs on a phone with "no charge" hotspot.

Like most things in life ... there is a choice ... do what you agree to ... or ignore when it suits you.

... Thom

I don't remember using the word free. I don't want anything for free. I paid for my phone and I am more than happy to have done so. I have paid for my data, and am happy to have done so. What I don't like is being told that to use the tools I already paid for (once again, not something I want for free), I have to pay extra though Verizon has not provided anything additional.

Now I do not understand all of what Doogald was meaning by backhaul bandwidth and such. I also do not believe people will be running multiple devices on a cell phone as a hotspot, not as a general rule.

What I do understand is I bought a phone Verizon went out of there way to advertise as a mobile hotspot and I am paying $30 a month for a data package. If I need to connect my laptop so I can access something at school, I am using no more bandwidth than if I was downloading something directly with my phone, I am in no way cheating Verizon out of anything.

So please do not insinuate I am looking for anything for free.

 

[Thom]

I never insulated anything. I made no value judgment of what you are or are not doing. My statement was relative to the general statement and not to you.

The answer to your question is that the rates were established by Verizon based on estimated use. IF the use is going to go astronomical then you should expect the basic data cost to increase.

The difficulty for me is that I entered into an agreement with Verizon. I don't think it is up to me to reinterpret that agreement. If I don't want to continue what I agreed to then it is up to me to terminate the agreement and go with some supplier who has an agreement with which I can agree.

What am I missing?

Maybe I'm wrong and you can set me straight ... where does it say I can use my grandfathered unlimited data access for five PCs connected to my Bionic without my Mobile Hotspot?

... Thom

 

[doogald]

Now I do not understand all of what Doogald was meaning by backhaul bandwidth and such. I also do not believe people will be running multiple devices on a cell phone as a hotspot, not as a general rule.

Think of it like your house. You have a single connection to an ISP that provides a fixed amount of bandwidth, and many people have several devices in their homes connected to that single service, all sharing that bandwidth. The same goes for cell towers. Verizon needs to figure out how much data will be accessed at peak times by how many users and devices and make sure that there is adequate bandwidth at the tower to provide the service without slowing everybody to a crawl. That backhaul (i.e., the connection from the tower out to Verizon's network) isn't free, and the more bandwidth that needs to be provided, the more it is going to cost.

Of course Verizon threw this argument out the window when they decided to allow hotspot for free on the new iPad... however, you get the deal that you get.

What I do understand is I bought a phone Verizon went out of there way to advertise as a mobile hotspot and I am paying $30 a month for a data package. If I need to connect my laptop so I can access something at school, I am using no more bandwidth than if I was downloading something directly with my phone, I am in no way cheating Verizon out of anything.

Your laptop is using bandwidth at the same time as your phone (remember that the phone is a multitasking device.) You are using bandwidth that Verizon has to budget for.

I know when I bought my Bionic it was very clear from anywhere I researched (and the saleswoman confirmed) that hotspot features cost extra (and comes with its own 2 GB data cap - it doesn't count against your existing data package). The hotspot can also be turned on and off on a per-month basis, so you can use it only when you need it, without any penalty, change in contract, etc. - all this was explained to me when I asked to confirm my understanding of what was on the web site (I was glad that I asked - I didn't know that you could turn hotspot on and off like that.) If you failed to research this or ask about it when you purchased, that's not Verizon's fault.

 

[doogald]

By the way, I am not trying to insinuate anything about anybody, either. I'm just trying to explain from Verizon's point of view why they charge for hotspot services. It's point of view is just as rational as somebody who says that they pay for data, so they're going to use it if they can. I can see both sides of the argument; both are rational, and Verizon's is worth thinking about, whether you agree or disagree with it.

As for legality and contracts, it's a rare internet user who hasn't done something against terms or service, whether it is tethering, downloading music or video without paying, using somebody else's WiFi without permission, etc.

 

[Thom]

As for legality and contracts, it's a rare internet user who hasn't done something against terms or service, whether it is tethering, downloading music or video without paying, using somebody else's WiFi without permission, etc.

Sorry to disagree ... I don't think we are that rare.

(Yes friends ... my root-ed Droid X [when it is allowed to be root-ed] is not activated. I only have wifi access and there is no agreement with Verizon.)

... Thom

 

[wildkitten]

Think of it like your house. You have a single connection to an ISP that provides a fixed amount of bandwidth, and many people have several devices in their homes connected to that single service, all sharing that bandwidth. The same goes for cell towers. Verizon needs to figure out how much data will be accessed at peak times by how many users and devices and make sure that there is adequate bandwidth at the tower to provide the service without slowing everybody to a crawl. That backhaul (i.e., the connection from the tower out to Verizon's network) isn't free, and the more bandwidth that needs to be provided, the more it is going to cost.

Of course Verizon threw this argument out the window when they decided to allow hotspot for free on the new iPad... however, you get the deal that you get.



Your laptop is using bandwidth at the same time as your phone (remember that the phone is a multitasking device.) You are using bandwidth that Verizon has to budget for.

I know when I bought my Bionic it was very clear from anywhere I researched (and the saleswoman confirmed) that hotspot features cost extra (and comes with its own 2 GB data cap - it doesn't count against your existing data package). The hotspot can also be turned on and off on a per-month basis, so you can use it only when you need it, without any penalty, change in contract, etc. - all this was explained to me when I asked to confirm my understanding of what was on the web site (I was glad that I asked - I didn't know that you could turn hotspot on and off like that.) If you failed to research this or ask about it when you purchased, that's not Verizon's fault.

See, here is the thing though, the ISP doesn't come in and charge you extra for other devices you have running. I have a wifi router in my apartment and can run both my desktop and my laptop. I am not using extra bandwidth from Comcast, merely splitting the bandwidth I am paying for.

Now perhaps this is where I may be missing something. Is there no set bandwidth on a cellular network like there is with say a cable internet? Say for example I pay for 20Mb down/5Mb up from Comcast for my home internet, no matter how many devices I am running, I can't go past those speeds, so the number of devices is irrelevant.

Now I don't know what the 4G LTE speeds are so I will make up some numbers just for example so let's say it's 25Mb down and 10Mb up. If I am running both my phone and a laptop, can they both run at 25mb down and 10Mb up simultaneously or do they have to share that speed limit? Because if there is a speed limit capability and since I have a data cap, I am still not understanding how I can be using more bandwidth regardless of how many devices I have running at the same time.

 

[wildkitten]

I never insulated anything. I made no value judgment of what you are or are not doing. My statement was relative to the general statement and not to you.

The answer to your question is that the rates were established by Verizon based on estimated use. IF the use is going to go astronomical then you should expect the basic data cost to increase.

The difficulty for me is that I entered into an agreement with Verizon. I don't think it is up to me to reinterpret that agreement. If I don't want to continue what I agreed to then it is up to me to terminate the agreement and go with some supplier who has an agreement with which I can agree.

What am I missing?

Maybe I'm wrong and you can set me straight ... where does it say I can use my grandfathered unlimited data access for five PCs connected to my Bionic without my Mobile Hotspot?

... Thom

You may have unlimited data Thom, but I do not. I pay $30 a month for only 4GB, and so far I have broken 1GB for only one month. Now I do not expect a refund from Verizon for those unused GB of data, but I am still not understanding where it is wrong to want to use part of the bandwidth I am paying for to be able to use my laptop for school access without paying Verizon extra for them doing nothing extra for me.