Tethering the Incredible

[Andr0id]

Right now there is an option on the Incredible to turn on Broadband Mobile Connect. You do tether via USB. I don't have the service, but I'm imagining since the option is there, all should go smoothly for you once you have the service activated.

If you not too concerned with Corporate America's red tape, definitely check out pda.net from the market. Sure it may be against VZW's policy, but should they be able to tell you how to use your device? I love Verizon, but I pay enough money to them for my service! Besides, the way I understand it is that the phone actually decodes the data and just displays it on your computer. So 1.) VZW won't even know you are tethering because it will appear that you are browsing the net or using data from your device. 2.) If the computer merely acts as a display, what businees is it of theirs? IMO

It's like them saying even though the Incredible has TV out capabilities, you have to pay extra to view anything on your TV. Oh yeah we are gonna bill you by the honor system, so be honest! No way. So yea if I understand it correctly, they wont even know you are tethering. And if the phone actually does the decompressing or decoding, they shouldn't be able to tell you how you view it. Like I said, I love Verizon and don't mind paying a little more for the great service, but they are just being greedy on this one.

And lastly, this is just my opinion. Not trying to entice you to do anything illegal or to break any contract. Always good to know the rules(and how to break them ). Also, I am no expert on this subject so could not have everything entirely right. It's just from my observations.

TL;DR: Yes if you activate the Mobile Broadband Connect, you simply connect your phone to your computer and turn it on. You will have internet provided by your Incredible on your computer. Sorry for the rushed, sloppy post. I'm in a hurry!

 

[cybertec69]

People who thought that 4G and tethering was going to be free, where only fooling themselves, I have been saying it for a while now that nothing is free, and these companies are surely not going to give you access to all this bandwidth for nothing, they run a business not a charity store. Now this brings me to another post on this forum where this person thought that Sprint and their supposed 4g "which at the moment is a supped up 3g network" and is only limited to certain areas on the map, was going to give everyone 4g speed for free, people have to understand that 4G can do what 3G does ten fold, you thought that you where getting all that bandwidth for free, these telcos have to pay for all that bandwidth and who ever needs it will have to pay for it, that's why 4G will initially be only for big enterprises.

There is also this article "on Engadget" from Verizon, where their CEO says that when they start rolling out their 4G network around 2012 "I say 2013" phones with 4G capabilities will" be rolling out around mid 2011 that the $30 a month unlimited "cap at 5MB a month" will be a thing of the past, and thank God for that.

AT&T just announced "article on Engadget" that starting June 7Th this year they will have two new plans available for the smart-phone users, the $25 a month plan gives you 2GB of data and the $15 a month plan gives you 200MB data, you also have the choice of sticking with your $30 a month 5GB a month cap, now for me the $15 a month data plan sounds fantastic, since I never really go past 100MB month anyways, and most people rarely go above 2GB a month "and for people that go above 5GB a month need to find another hobby", so in all actuality I am only using $5-10 of my monthly $30 that I hand over to Verizon every month. Most of my downloading is done at home anyways while on my Wifi "10-15 mb download speed and 5-10 MB upload speed on my Incredible" which smokes the 3G, even AT&T has said that 98% of their customers never go above the 2GB monthly limit, I am glad someone started to give people a choice, I hope Verizon follows suit, cheers

 

[Mark_Venture]

...So at this time I am under the assumption that I will be able to fully utilize Verizon's 3G network using my Incredible as a tethering device - 100% legal - no violation of TOS - no rooting. If someone can confirm or deny this, please do! It is not too late for me to cancel the order if I need to find another solution.

Strictly following the wording of VZW's TOS for the Email/Web for smartphone/blackberry data plans (found at -> Terms & Conditions ), you are not permitted to tether (use your phone as a modem, share your phone's data connect with PC) unless you subscribe to VZW's Mobile Broadband Connect plan (MBBC)

The cost per month depends on your data plan... If they have you signing up for a Nationwide Voice and Email plan, yes its currently $10 per month extra. For details See the bottom section of -> Verizon Wireless - Mobile Broadband - Plans

MBBC plan can be added/removed as needed, and is pro-rated. So if you subscribe today, use it for 1/2 the month, you'll get charged for only 1/2 the monthly cost.

I'm not going to get into discussions about apps like PDA Net, rooting your droid to tether, etc.. is it ok to do that, will you get caught, etc.. There are plenty of other threads already for that.

 

[frankwilsonv3]

Verizon Sales Feedback

I just ordered a Droid Incredible and the Verizon Wireless sales guy said that Mobile Broadband Connect is required for tethering on many phones, but not on Android phones. He said that I would have a 5GB a month allowance for tethering and if I go over that then I will be notified and repeat violations could end up in disconnection. When I read him some of the info that I have seen on blogs and news sources he said that they currently have no way to add the MBC service to Android phones in their system. I suspect that they will soon enough but it sounds like right now tethering is not only permitted by Verizon Wireless but is included in the price of your data package. I'll call back after I get the phone (3 weeks) and let everyone know if their answer changes.

 

[bmore]

Well, no. There are apps that allow you to tether your droid. They do not, however, absolve you of paying a monthly fee to Verizon. You are violating your service agreement if you do so. Whether Verizon will enforce that prohibition is another question but there is no such thing as an application that enables you to tether your Droid without violating your contract with Verizon.

Who cares about the VZW contract? They cant prove how you are using your data. As long as you dont use it as your primary home ISP you will be fine.

 

[rockin982]

Currently I have an HTC Touch Pro2 and use WMWifiRouter for all my tethering needs. I've been using it for over a year, without paying any additional tethering charges to Verizon, and it works like a charm.

In December when I'm eligible for my early upgrade, I'm looking to get an Incredible and leave WinMo behind altogether. But when I do that, is there any app similiar to WMWiFiRouter that allows both USB and Wifi tethering? The Wifi part is important because often I use it to tether to my iPad, which obviously lacks any USB capabilities.

I am not concerned about the Verizon TOS - I already pay $45 a month for my data, and I'm not interested in forking over an additional $15 just because I want to send that data to another device. It's not as though it costs Verizon anything additional for me to do that, and I'm satisfied that they either cannot detect or don't care about it anyway, since I've had no issues in over a year of use.