WalkingHotSpot

[wgary]

Hi all,

I just installed the WalkingHotSpot app (see www.WalkingHotSpot.com), which allows your phone to act as a WiFi Hot Spot. It does not claim to have support for the Advantage, but I lied and said I have a Tilt and the software did install. While there were significant display problems (I run 128dpi, and it seemed to not like landscape) the program itself ran flawlessly, automatically turning on WiFi, and establishing the service with minimal setup required... and turning everything back off when done. The options are all there (verify before connecting, AP name, optional WEP password, power control). It was amazingly easy once I figured out the mangled display. Also, you can connect multiple clients. Documentation is decent. I easily connected to the AP using my MacBookPro.

The download is billed as a "trial" edition, and there is mention of "Basic" and "Pro" editions in the documentation, but the trial edition seemed have the "Pro" level features. I could find no mention of price at this point. Maybe that is coming. There are other ways of doing this (manually or WiFiMRouter) but I have always had problems with them. This worked simply and quickly out of the box. I was just wishing for this capability when I was stuck at the airport last weekend for most of a day and wanted to do connect to the internet with my laptop. Wish I had heard about this before then...

[techntrek]

Just d/l it, I'll try it tonight. I noticed when I close it, it does NOT turn my wifi off, that's a bit annoying. Reading the manual, it sounds like it also will have problems if you don't disable the power saving feature "turn off device if not used for...". I don't think WMWifiRouter had a problem with that, either.

However, even with those issues it definitely looks easier to configure/use than WMWifiRouter. Especially setting up security and and monitoring who is using it. WMWR doesn't allow any monitoring, and setting up security is a pain.

[wgary]

Just d/l it, I'll try it tonight. I noticed when I close it, it does NOT turn my wifi off, that's a bit annoying. Reading the manual, it sounds like it also will have problems if you don't disable the power saving feature "turn off device if not used for...". I don't think WMWifiRouter had a problem with that, either.

However, even with those issues it definitely looks easier to configure/use than WMWifiRouter. Especially setting up security and and monitoring who is using it. WMWR doesn't allow any monitoring, and setting up security is a pain.
Hmm. I think it is turning my WiFi back off. Maybe there is a setting? Also there def is a setting where it will auto disable power saving. The point ot that is, I think, to avoid dropped connection. So far, has worked swell for me. Other than ugly display with 192dpi.

[leoni1980]

I've used walkinghotspot and joikuspot with an N95 and an E90, along with wmwifirouter on an Advantage and a Kaiser and I can't fault their usefullness

HOWEVER


It is far more sensible to use a micro bluetooth dongle such as THIS (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Micro-Bluetooth-USB-Dongle-Version/dp/B0013BFQUE) which costs next to nothing and uses FAR less battery than wifi.

Granted bluetooth doesn't have the same bandwidth as WIFI - anything like - but practically speaking it enables perfectly fast web page downloads and stutter-free Youtube streaming: what more would you need on the move?

I have serious reservations about the effect these hotpot applications have on the battery cells. The devices get exceedingly hot in all cases - far hotter than with bluetooth, and such rapid battery discharge is surely unhealthy.


MAYBE it's better just to buy a dongle and play it safe and easy. They're handy to have anyway and very low profile....practically un-noticeable!


Just my opinion based on real-world usage.

[techntrek]

so far this beta is really unstable...

i didnt see a setting for the auto powersaving off, ill look again.

[Menneisyys]

Read http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=2398248 for a review & comparison of WalkingHotSpot

[wgary]

Read http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=2398248 for a review & comparison of WalkingHotSpot
OK, WHS was giving me some problems -- connected OK with Windows but not Mac. So I uninstalled then tried WMWifiRouter... except I get a runtime error; it won't start!! Any thoughts?