UPDATE 9/11/2010 *new easier method in bold* : Even easier tethering instructions:
No root required, only drivers, your phone, usb cable, and windows.
Tethering will allow you to access the Internet on your computer anywhere there is cellular coverage, through your Vibrant. As long as you have unlimited data, you shouldn't get charged, but you should always review your T-Mobile terms and conditions of service before you tether. If you do decide to tether, use tethering responsibly. We are fortunate that T-Mobile offers us Unlimited Data(however 3G is actually capped if you abuse tethering, they will knock you down to Edge). So don't abuse tethering, abuse will only lead to T-Mobile getting rid of unlimited data and switching to tiered plans.
For windows 7: (other versions of windows should be similar, just make sure you have the correct drivers and make a similar dial up connection)
1) do a google search, find the drivers for your phone and windows version. For example I used win7 64 drivers for my samsung vibrant
2) Install the drivers first, don't have your phone pluged in yet depending on which driver installation you use. Just install drivers for now.
(however, there are several driver installs roaming around the net, depending on which one you use, you may need your phone plugged in first)
3) setup your phone...go to settings>applications>usb settings> set your phone to "Ask on connection" Then exit out. (step 3 here is optional, if you don't do this, everytime you want to tether you will have to manually go in and tell the phone to choose "samsung kies" its best to just go ahead and use step 3)
4) Connect the usb cable to your computer and phone
5) if you did step 3, you will be promoted to choose either samsung kies, media player, or mass storage. Choose samsung kies. (ps...this is another advantage of installing drivers, and having your phone promt you for a usb mode, you no longer have to mount the sd cards, to get access to internal/external memory!!)
6) once you choose samsung kies mode, give your computer a good minute or 2 to finish installing the drivers and your phone onto your computer.
7) IF SUCCESSFULLY installed, you can now proceed
8) In windows 7. Create a new dial up connection. (if you dont know how to do this, just go to start in windows, use the windows 7 search bar and search "set up dial up" ...in search results click on "set up dial-up connection"
9) Now, when creating a dial up connection, it should find your phone as a modem. it lists mine as "Samsung Android USB Modem" choose this
10) next it asks for your phone number put in *99#
LEAVE EVERYTHING ELSE INCLUDING USERNAME AND PASSWORD BLANK.
I also like to change the Connection Name, to something of my liking, I named mine "vibrant thether"
Click connect...thats it you are done!
11) To create an easy dial up short-cut onto your desktop. Simply open network connections. Find the dial up connection you just made. Right click on it, create a shortcut, place the shortcut onto your desktop. Whenever you want to tether, click on the shortcut, dial in, you are done. When you want to disconnect, click on the shortcut again, and disconnect. Easy. (If you don't know how to view network connections, just go to windows start, in the search bar type "view network connections"
Hope you enjoy this method, totally fast, simple, no software needed at all!
Alternate method, Use Samsung Kies below:
Tethering will allow you to access the Internet on your computer anywhere there is cellular coverage, through your Vibrant. As long as you have unlimited data, you shouldn't get charged, but you should always review your T-Mobile terms and conditions of service before you tether. If you do decide to tether, use tethering responsibly. We are fortunate that T-Mobile offers us Unlimited Data(however 3G is actually capped if you abuse tethering, they will knock you down to Edge). So don't abuse tethering, abuse will only lead to T-Mobile getting rid of unlimited data and switching to tiered plans.
*you do not need to be rooted to use this method of tethering!*
Okay, so first download Samsung Kies via this link:
http://downloadcenter.samsung.com/content/SW/201008/20100818144348234/Kies_1.5.1.10074_2_6.exe
While that is downloading, I personally like to set my phone to prompt me as what to do when I plug in a usb cable. To be prompted, do the following:
Settings>Applications>USB settings> Then set your phone to "Ask on Connection"
Next time you plug in your USB cable, the phone will prompt you to select a USB mode. Quick note about this, when you get the prompt and you choose mass storage, you still have to go pull down your notification bar and mount the phone by clicking usb connected. I think this is some sort of bug, by choosing mass storage the phone should be smart enough to give you access to the SD card, you shouldn't have to mount again. Oddly enough, if you choose media player, you get access to your SD card without mounting.
Okay, so if kies is done downloading, just install it. When Kies asks you what commponents to install, just select All.
When it is done installing, connect your phone via usb. When prompted choose Samsung Kies on your phone. Or if you didn't set up automatic prompt, please go to settings>applications>usb settings>samsung kies. You will have to do this each time, unless you set up automatic prompt.
So at this point, the program Samsung kies should have connected to your phone. Now go into the program Kies on your computer, and in the application bar below move towards the right and find tethering. Click and open tethering.
Enter the settings, its that nut looking icon. Here we will touch only 2 settings, nothing else.
For APC name, enter epc.tmobile.com
For phone number enter *99#
Click ok
Now you are ready to tether, just click the icon that looks like two phones connected to eachother.
Hopefully this works for you, and please don't abuse tether, nobody wants T-Mobile to discontinue unlimited plans and do what At&t did. Also keep in mind, both At&t and Verizon have said the following in regards to tiered plans. They have said something to the effect, that a select few customers(something like less than 5 percent of the customers, and presumably those who tether) use up most of the bandwith, something like 80 percent of the bandwith. That is why switching to tiered plans, prevents people who don't abuse from having to pay for those who do. Basically respect tethering, I guess I drilled that point enough.
*optional useful tip, put a copy of the Kies install file that you downloaded onto your phones sd card. This way, incase you are ever out and about, and you need to tether, but you are using someone elses laptop, you conveniently have Kies install file at your fingertip to install onto that persons laptop.*
No root required, only drivers, your phone, usb cable, and windows.
Tethering will allow you to access the Internet on your computer anywhere there is cellular coverage, through your Vibrant. As long as you have unlimited data, you shouldn't get charged, but you should always review your T-Mobile terms and conditions of service before you tether. If you do decide to tether, use tethering responsibly. We are fortunate that T-Mobile offers us Unlimited Data(however 3G is actually capped if you abuse tethering, they will knock you down to Edge). So don't abuse tethering, abuse will only lead to T-Mobile getting rid of unlimited data and switching to tiered plans.
For windows 7: (other versions of windows should be similar, just make sure you have the correct drivers and make a similar dial up connection)
1) do a google search, find the drivers for your phone and windows version. For example I used win7 64 drivers for my samsung vibrant
2) Install the drivers first, don't have your phone pluged in yet depending on which driver installation you use. Just install drivers for now.
(however, there are several driver installs roaming around the net, depending on which one you use, you may need your phone plugged in first)
3) setup your phone...go to settings>applications>usb settings> set your phone to "Ask on connection" Then exit out. (step 3 here is optional, if you don't do this, everytime you want to tether you will have to manually go in and tell the phone to choose "samsung kies" its best to just go ahead and use step 3)
4) Connect the usb cable to your computer and phone
5) if you did step 3, you will be promoted to choose either samsung kies, media player, or mass storage. Choose samsung kies. (ps...this is another advantage of installing drivers, and having your phone promt you for a usb mode, you no longer have to mount the sd cards, to get access to internal/external memory!!)
6) once you choose samsung kies mode, give your computer a good minute or 2 to finish installing the drivers and your phone onto your computer.
7) IF SUCCESSFULLY installed, you can now proceed
8) In windows 7. Create a new dial up connection. (if you dont know how to do this, just go to start in windows, use the windows 7 search bar and search "set up dial up" ...in search results click on "set up dial-up connection"
9) Now, when creating a dial up connection, it should find your phone as a modem. it lists mine as "Samsung Android USB Modem" choose this
10) next it asks for your phone number put in *99#
LEAVE EVERYTHING ELSE INCLUDING USERNAME AND PASSWORD BLANK.
I also like to change the Connection Name, to something of my liking, I named mine "vibrant thether"
Click connect...thats it you are done!
11) To create an easy dial up short-cut onto your desktop. Simply open network connections. Find the dial up connection you just made. Right click on it, create a shortcut, place the shortcut onto your desktop. Whenever you want to tether, click on the shortcut, dial in, you are done. When you want to disconnect, click on the shortcut again, and disconnect. Easy. (If you don't know how to view network connections, just go to windows start, in the search bar type "view network connections"
Hope you enjoy this method, totally fast, simple, no software needed at all!
Alternate method, Use Samsung Kies below:
Tethering will allow you to access the Internet on your computer anywhere there is cellular coverage, through your Vibrant. As long as you have unlimited data, you shouldn't get charged, but you should always review your T-Mobile terms and conditions of service before you tether. If you do decide to tether, use tethering responsibly. We are fortunate that T-Mobile offers us Unlimited Data(however 3G is actually capped if you abuse tethering, they will knock you down to Edge). So don't abuse tethering, abuse will only lead to T-Mobile getting rid of unlimited data and switching to tiered plans.
*you do not need to be rooted to use this method of tethering!*
Okay, so first download Samsung Kies via this link:
http://downloadcenter.samsung.com/content/SW/201008/20100818144348234/Kies_1.5.1.10074_2_6.exe
While that is downloading, I personally like to set my phone to prompt me as what to do when I plug in a usb cable. To be prompted, do the following:
Settings>Applications>USB settings> Then set your phone to "Ask on Connection"
Next time you plug in your USB cable, the phone will prompt you to select a USB mode. Quick note about this, when you get the prompt and you choose mass storage, you still have to go pull down your notification bar and mount the phone by clicking usb connected. I think this is some sort of bug, by choosing mass storage the phone should be smart enough to give you access to the SD card, you shouldn't have to mount again. Oddly enough, if you choose media player, you get access to your SD card without mounting.
Okay, so if kies is done downloading, just install it. When Kies asks you what commponents to install, just select All.
When it is done installing, connect your phone via usb. When prompted choose Samsung Kies on your phone. Or if you didn't set up automatic prompt, please go to settings>applications>usb settings>samsung kies. You will have to do this each time, unless you set up automatic prompt.
So at this point, the program Samsung kies should have connected to your phone. Now go into the program Kies on your computer, and in the application bar below move towards the right and find tethering. Click and open tethering.
Enter the settings, its that nut looking icon. Here we will touch only 2 settings, nothing else.
For APC name, enter epc.tmobile.com
For phone number enter *99#
Click ok
Now you are ready to tether, just click the icon that looks like two phones connected to eachother.
Hopefully this works for you, and please don't abuse tether, nobody wants T-Mobile to discontinue unlimited plans and do what At&t did. Also keep in mind, both At&t and Verizon have said the following in regards to tiered plans. They have said something to the effect, that a select few customers(something like less than 5 percent of the customers, and presumably those who tether) use up most of the bandwith, something like 80 percent of the bandwith. That is why switching to tiered plans, prevents people who don't abuse from having to pay for those who do. Basically respect tethering, I guess I drilled that point enough.
*optional useful tip, put a copy of the Kies install file that you downloaded onto your phones sd card. This way, incase you are ever out and about, and you need to tether, but you are using someone elses laptop, you conveniently have Kies install file at your fingertip to install onto that persons laptop.*
