Motorola says original Droid 'doesn't have the hardware' to support a mobile hotspot

[Agrajag]

We seem to be mixing concepts here:

1. Mobile WiFi hotspot allows your phone to act as a wireless access point for several other devices at the same time without any connection to the phone. This I haven't seen done with the Droid.

2. Tethering is using your phone to connect another single device to the Internet with a physical connection (thus, the term tether). In this case a USB cable. If your laptop can then share that connection to another device then IT'S acting as a mobile hotspot and NOT the phone. I've tethered my Droid and I've never rooted nor have I paid for an app or service from Verizon. PDANet does this without any difficulty.

 

[czerdrill]

people here are arguing that now they can tether at will and verizon won't/can't do anything about it.

Actually that was already true anyways.

yeah probably, doubt verizon will go after anyone, but my point is if they wanted to they surely would win any argument between themselves and tether-er

 

[czerdrill]

We seem to be mixing concepts here:

1. Mobile WiFi hotspot allows your phone to act as a wireless access point for several other devices at the same time without any connection to the phone. This I haven't seen done with the Droid.

2. Tethering is using your phone to connect another single device to the Internet with a physical connection (thus, the term tether). In this case a USB cable. If your laptop can then share that connection to another device then IT'S acting as a mobile hotspot and NOT the phone. I've tethered my Droid and I've never rooted nor have I paid for an app or service from Verizon. PDANet does this without any difficulty.

i think they're talking about wireless tethering.

 

[barcodelinux]

This is a win for us rooters. Since there's no official mobile hotspot for the DROID, we will less likely be harassed by VZ for using WiFi tether.

This is what I've been saying. I'm loving this whole "your phone can't do that" BS. Do they not listen to their olwn marketing catch phrases? DROID DOES! I swear some people have yet to understand the power of linux.

So now I can tether all I want and, by their own press releases, they have no way to charge me. I'm lovin it!

 

[twofourturbo]

For a true mobile hotspot the phone would push out a infrastructure signal.. The droid 1 on can only send aad hoc signal.. Which not all devices with hook to.

 

[barcodelinux]

This may be true but both my work and home laptops, as well as my wifes laptop, see/accept this ad-hoc signal and tether just fine.

Just curious about something, and I'm not trying to be condescending here, but what devices would not see/accept an ad-hoc signal?

 

[czerdrill]

This may be true but both my work and home laptops, as well as my wifes laptop, see/accept this ad-hoc signal and tether just fine.

Just curious about something, and I'm not trying to be condescending here, but what devices would not see/accept an ad-hoc signal?

to be honest this is all that matters for me too...i've tethered maybe twice but both my laptops and my desktop see the signal and can connect...i have no interest in allowing some other device from connecting....for all intents and purposes my phone is a mobile hotspot haha dancedroid

 

[barcodelinux]

This may be true but both my work and home laptops, as well as my wifes laptop, see/accept this ad-hoc signal and tether just fine.

Just curious about something, and I'm not trying to be condescending here, but what devices would not see/accept an ad-hoc signal?

to be honest this is all that matters for me too...i've tethered maybe twice but both my laptops and my desktop see the signal and can connect...i have no interest in allowing some other device from connecting....for all intents and purposes my phone is a mobile hotspot haha dancedroid

W0rd!



10chars

 

[twofourturbo]

This may be true but both my work and home laptops, as well as my wifes laptop, see/accept this ad-hoc signal and tether just fine.

Just curious about something, and I'm not trying to be condescending here, but what devices would not see/accept an ad-hoc signal?

The nintendo wii..

 

[Agrajag]

So is there a PDANet-like app for us non-rooters that will allow for putting the phone in hotspot mode? I love PDANet for tethering though I'm surprised to find Froyo with a setting that seems to totally allow for full tethering without any additional software. Just haven't tried it yet.

 

[Wavefunction]

So is there a PDANet-like app for us non-rooters that will allow for putting the phone in hotspot mode? I love PDANet for tethering though I'm surprised to find Froyo with a setting that seems to totally allow for full tethering without any additional software. Just haven't tried it yet.

the only page the built in tethering lets you go to is a 'this is what you'll have to pay/month to get tethering!!'
page

 

[Shadez]

I dont see how verizon expects to make alot of money off this. I mean, whats a wireless plan cost? like $30 a month with a network card?

 

[Agrajag]

the only page the built in tethering lets you go to is a 'this is what you'll have to pay/month to get tethering!!'
page

Ah! hahahaha

So much for that useless crap. No way I'd bother. I use it infrequently at best. Verizon never seems to get the use of some things. So it's PDANet for tethering and I guess I won't be doing hotspot as I have no interested in rooting really.

 

[harv2000]

Being someone who prefers not to violate TOS documents after signing them (yeah, I know that some read the TOS differently than I do ... and that's fine for them), I want to know that what I'm doing is legal. Although, after waiting 8 months for Verizon to fulfill a "shortly after the first of the year" promise, I may change my mind.

As someone who has researched all the connection options for tethering or hotspot (I'm currently running a Mifi) to do this with Verizon, you will pay $60/month to get anything resembling a reasonable volume (more than 1 Gig). $20 for 2 Gig begins to sound reasonable. No, it won't be good for streaming, but for browsing, email and basic functionality, it will be fine.

I called the number listed and am still waiting for the tech (who told me that tethering IS AVAILABLE) to call me back and tell me that they'll charge me $20 and let me have the 2 Gig. It's not perfect, but it's a start. I'm not holding my breath, but I felt that there was hope.

Having said that, he also told me that the hotspot would work as well, but I'm calling ignorance on that one. I found it significant that the update included a setting for tethering, but no setting for hotspot. I'm hopeful that that is not an accident.