How to share Android phone's Internet over wifi for free

In short, give root permissions to your phone by downloading and installing http://unrevoked.com/recovery/ on your computer with your phone plugged in.

Then install the app that will use the extra permissions rooting allowed. Use the most recent version found here http://code.google.com/p/android-wifi-tether/downloads/list.



In long, apparently rooting a phone voids it of the warranty if the service provider finds out. I had heard that there were some programs that could both root and then unroot a phone. When the phone was unrooted after being rooted, it would theoretically be ok to show to your provider for warranty coverage.

The Sprint Broadband Connect allows up to 8 devices to wirelessly connect to the Internet through the Android phone's Internet connection. However, it costs $29.99 extra a month.


There is a free, but less legit way to get the same functionality. It's pretty easy and takes about 5 minutes. You will need to root your phone by downloading and running the program found here. http://unrevoked.com/recovery/ I had my android phone (running Android 2.2 Froyo) plugged in (without selecting charge only, disk drive, etc.) while I ran this package on my Mac, and it pretty much took care of things on its own. I did have to follow a few on screen prompts that came up.

After the phone has finished flashing and rebooted a few times during the process, it is time to download the app that will give the android phone the ability to broadcast the free wifi Internet signal. Using your phone's web browser (I used Dolphin HD,) search for "android-wifi-tether" and click on the top right blue word "downloads." (This "downloads" link has the most recent files.) (Alternatively just go to http://code.google.com/p/android-wifi-tether/downloads/list. Then download the most recent .apk file. The wireless_tether_2_0_2.apk did not work for me. The "wireless_tether_2_0_5-pre11.apk" did.

Download that .apk to your phone by clicking on it in your browser, opeing it once it downloaded, and installing it by clicking on the prompts.

Hopefully you can open "wireless tether" and click on the mobile signal icon to get the wireless working. Your computer should pick it up as a wireless network, and not only a mobile device to connect to (like mine originally did)

I had to make a few adjustments to get "wireless tether" to work. Originally it only showed up as a mobile device on my computer, not an Internet connection. I opened up "Wireless Tether", then menu-settings-select LAN-Network, and changed that to a different value that worked. I think I had a printer on the IP it defaulted to. You can also try changing the channel while in the settings.

I got between .25 mbps and 1.05 mbps within a span of 15 minutes on www.speedtest.net with "Wireless Tether" using Sprint's 3G Internet. That is pretty much the same speed range as PDANet's completely free USB (perhaps bluetooth as well) tethering that works with only one computer at a time.

I am still not sure if the phone is completely unrootable, but apparently the phone becomes unrooted if you install an official update through the phone. So it may be fine to show off to your carrier if you need to turn it in in case you need to bring it in to service it after you uninstall "Superuser Permissions" and download an approved firmware update from the settings-system-updates-firmware update. Maybe use a file manager, like "astro", to check your phone and SD card for folders that shouldn't be there. In my reading, there is a certain file or lock that has to be intact that rooting breaks. I don't know if the official update repairs this when it makes the phone unrootable again.