GPS Tether

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AlwaysLucky

Senior Member
Oct 2, 2014
388
228
I often tether my HP Touchpad to my phone's Hotspot Access Point. However sometimes I wanted to use it for navigation in the car, but alas, it has no built-in GPS!

So I developed GPS Tether that easily shares any Android phone's GPS location to the HP Touchpad through the phone's Hotspot AP, simulating an actual built-in GPS in the HP Touchpad. I originally developed and tested it for the HP Touchpad, but I found with a few tweaks it will work on almost any Android v4.2+. It works great for me and it's a pretty dependable and lightweight app, and I wanted to share it with all of you. Enjoy!

DOWNLOAD IT HERE


Note: If you do not have access to the Play Store, you can download the APK here

EDIT: Big update posted to the Play Store. New features included Bluetooth functionality and NMEA sharing! Check it out!
 
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volfan22

Senior Member
Apr 3, 2011
378
60
Thank you so much for this! I was just trying to set up my touchpad in my car and absolutely no apps would work correctly. I finally found yours and it is by far the most simple and it just works! So awesome that you can tether the gps and data all at the same time with it. Works like a charm!
 

AlwaysLucky

Senior Member
Oct 2, 2014
388
228
Thank you so much for this! I was just trying to set up my touchpad in my car and absolutely no apps would work correctly. I finally found yours and it is by far the most simple and it just works! So awesome that you can tether the gps and data all at the same time with it. Works like a charm!

I'm glad it works for you and I'm glad you like it! If you notice any bugs or would like to suggest new features, feel free to let me know. Also, if you have the time to rate or review it on the play store that would be awesome. :angel:
 
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Studio1b

Senior Member
Nov 28, 2008
214
50
Thanks alot , I plan on adding this 32GB touchpad to a car one day for the hell of it. Would be great to have it running as a NAV system the screen is nice and big :)
what ROM are you running on your touchpad ?
 

AlwaysLucky

Senior Member
Oct 2, 2014
388
228
Thanks alot , I plan on adding this 32GB touchpad to a car one day for the hell of it. Would be great to have it running as a NAV system the screen is nice and big :)
what ROM are you running on your touchpad ?

You're very welcome! A big update adding Bluetooth and NMEA functionality is coming soon! If it works for you, I would love a 5-star rating! :cowboy:

On my Touchpads I run Evervolv nightlies right now. It's on Marshmallow and runs great.

I also use one of my Touchpads on my boat for dash info/navigation. I am also working on a home replacement for dedicated Android navigation devices, so keep a look out!
 
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AlwaysLucky

Senior Member
Oct 2, 2014
388
228
Open Beta Posted

I attached an open beta for anyone to try. If you do, please give me any feedback and report any errors. Be sure to check out the widgets and try them out! Thanks for helping!
 

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  • gpstether-2.0.6.apk
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AlwaysLucky

Senior Member
Oct 2, 2014
388
228
If anyone is having stability or functional problems with the WiFi Hotspot sharing, I'm curious about your hotspot setup. Are you using the integrated hotspot AP in Android? If not, what 3rd party hotspot AP app are you using? Also, what device are you using for the hotspot sharing device? That information may be a good clue as to what I need to look at to stabilize the WiFi hotspot sharing. Feedback suggests the WiFi hotspot location sharing is working and stable at this time for a very large majority of devices and hotspot setups, so I'm very curious what is different about your setup that prevents it from having success and/or stability over the WiFi hotspot.

Stable delivery of the location to the receiving device (regardless of the accuracy) is really what I'm looking at here, because the accuracy is dependent on the sharing devices' GPS receiver and its ability to see open sky to obtain a satellite lock. Of all people I know how frustrating that can be, because I live in heavily wooded area, and the accuracy of my sharing location is somewhere around 3000m before it can finally obtain a GPS satellite lock. :eek:

I found a bug that makes the sharing notification disappear/reappear when restarting the app while sharing, and the fix will be in the next version. Thanks for anyone's help in testing!
 

AlwaysLucky

Senior Member
Oct 2, 2014
388
228
Update 2.1.1 posted to Google Play Store

I posted another update addressing stability issues and Play Store/Play Services compatibility issues, as well as some miscellaneous bugs. I also made great advances in the NMEA functionality, and it seems to consistently and reliably work great with GpsGate for Windows for me. If anyone else uses the NMEA sharing to a non-Android device, I would love to hear any results you come up with.

Check it out!
 

googlephone

Senior Member
Jul 7, 2010
793
277
I posted another update addressing stability issues and Play Store/Play Services compatibility issues, as well as some miscellaneous bugs. I also made great advances in the NMEA functionality, and it seems to consistently and reliably work great with GpsGate for Windows for me. If anyone else uses the NMEA sharing to a non-Android device, I would love to hear any results you come up with.

Check it out!

Great work.
 
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AlwaysLucky

Senior Member
Oct 2, 2014
388
228
With the new 2.1.1 version, I've had rare reports of high battery drain, even when everything is disabled. Could anyone confirm this for me?
 

HP_TOUCHPAD

Senior Member
Jan 18, 2017
1,386
584
I would like your opinion on the following:
FreedomPop offers the Novatel Mifi modem : http://www.comparecellular.com/mobile-internet/novatel-wireless-mifi-2/specifications.asp
It provides location using : A-GPS, S-GPS, GPS over Wi-Fi.
The idea is to use only the GPS coordinates, while the cellular signal is off. ( No internet access )
The connection will be Wi-Fi. There are drivers for Linux to use GPS over Wi-Fi and to use port number 11010.
By turning cellular signal off and using off-line maps, the HP Touchpad could work as a regular gps and reducing battery and also data. It will be something like an NMEA receiver to pass on the coordinates to any App that required location access. From your experience, would this be something that will work?
Thank you!
After testing:
It needs the network to be active to use as location. I installed a Firewall to prevent data bleeding, and all works!
 
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  • 4
    I often tether my HP Touchpad to my phone's Hotspot Access Point. However sometimes I wanted to use it for navigation in the car, but alas, it has no built-in GPS!

    So I developed GPS Tether that easily shares any Android phone's GPS location to the HP Touchpad through the phone's Hotspot AP, simulating an actual built-in GPS in the HP Touchpad. I originally developed and tested it for the HP Touchpad, but I found with a few tweaks it will work on almost any Android v4.2+. It works great for me and it's a pretty dependable and lightweight app, and I wanted to share it with all of you. Enjoy!

    DOWNLOAD IT HERE


    Note: If you do not have access to the Play Store, you can download the APK here

    EDIT: Big update posted to the Play Store. New features included Bluetooth functionality and NMEA sharing! Check it out!
    2
    Big update posted!

    Big update posted to the Play Store. New features included Bluetooth functionality and NMEA sharing! Check it out!
    1
    Thank you so much for this! I was just trying to set up my touchpad in my car and absolutely no apps would work correctly. I finally found yours and it is by far the most simple and it just works! So awesome that you can tether the gps and data all at the same time with it. Works like a charm!

    I'm glad it works for you and I'm glad you like it! If you notice any bugs or would like to suggest new features, feel free to let me know. Also, if you have the time to rate or review it on the play store that would be awesome. :angel:
    1
    This is a GREAT utility...I'll try it out on my commute home tonight! Thanks for sharing this! I'll rate it on Play Store also.
    1
    Thanks alot , I plan on adding this 32GB touchpad to a car one day for the hell of it. Would be great to have it running as a NAV system the screen is nice and big :)
    what ROM are you running on your touchpad ?

    You're very welcome! A big update adding Bluetooth and NMEA functionality is coming soon! If it works for you, I would love a 5-star rating! :cowboy:

    On my Touchpads I run Evervolv nightlies right now. It's on Marshmallow and runs great.

    I also use one of my Touchpads on my boat for dash info/navigation. I am also working on a home replacement for dedicated Android navigation devices, so keep a look out!