4G Tethering over WiFi Speed Issues?

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teh roxxorz

Inactive Recognized Contributor
Nov 21, 2010
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That's the very first page that came up on my search, so I guess I did my job well for a noob XD

I created the wireless.tether folder on the root of my sdcard and deposited that .bin file as instructed. It seems to work ok.

Latest Wireless Tether app from google [I think it's 3.0 pre-14] seems to only work for me when I set it to ad-hoc mode, though I'm guessing that's fine. Encryption doesn't seem to work either as my desktop never asked me for my set password and it says the connection is unsecured when encryption is actually enabled.

And yes, I changed the port number on my desktop too.

With this app plus the proxy filter, I am still only pushing about 1.5mbps max; on a good day 2.0mbps, though on average I'm pushing dial-up speeds when browsing for extended periods of time.

Sadly, I think this is something I'm gonna have to live with. Thanks though since I never got the Wireless Tether app to work before.

Well, just looking, you said 'wireless.tether' folder; it should have been android.tether on the root of the sd card, did you name it correctly?
 
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soma1509

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Mar 21, 2011
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Well, just looking, you said 'wireless.tether' folder; it should have been android.tether on the root of the sd card, did you name it correctly?

android.tether is indeed what I named my new folder [after I double checked]. Pardon me for my idiocy of mixing up names here XD

Bottom line is: it works, but I wish it was faster.
 

dezel29

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Jul 12, 2010
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been using this for awhile now with great success...then a few days ago everything disappeared with my speeds...if i run speedtest on the phone i get 5-7 mbs....run it on the pc and its 1-3...but web pages still take forever to load, etc...have reinstalled proxy several times and toggled back n forth with firefoxs proxies...gettting really aggravated...i have excellent coverage of 4G btw..the longer i use the internet the slower the speeds get...is sprint throttling me ?? please help if ya can...ty
 

claycmk

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Jun 11, 2010
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What is the best way to test if this is working. Do I need to run the speedtest.net on the tethered computer or are the read-out speeds accurate on the wifi tether app?
 

teh roxxorz

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Nov 21, 2010
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been using this for awhile now with great success...then a few days ago everything disappeared with my speeds...if i run speedtest on the phone i get 5-7 mbs....run it on the pc and its 1-3...but web pages still take forever to load, etc...have reinstalled proxy several times and toggled back n forth with firefoxs proxies...gettting really aggravated...i have excellent coverage of 4G btw..the longer i use the internet the slower the speeds get...is sprint throttling me ?? please help if ya can...ty

Have you tried clearing out your browser's cache and fragmenting your pc?
 
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djtonyb33

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Jan 1, 2011
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Update

After a couple of months, I have to say that this fix has been one of the most valuable things I have found on xda... I still have some intermittent issues, but with the filter proxy app running I am getting between 1-6 mbps download on 4g, but with the proxy off I can't break 1 mbps at all... I also believe the proxy pushes my 3g a little faster, but that just may be my imagination (3g runs between .8 and 1.5 mbps). I was consistently getting 4g speeds lower than 3g before I was running filter proxy.

Thanks again to Dees, as I was just about ready to throw the EVO out the window!
 

dezel29

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Jul 12, 2010
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Have you tried clearing out your browser's cache and fragmenting your pc?

yes i have...no luck...i keep getting a proxy server is refusing connections...

have restarted the proxy app and pc too, nothing works...

everything was working fine then all of a sudden nothing...my phone will show speed test at 8mb down, but IF i am even able to load a webpage i am getting 2-3 mb down it says, but webpages barely load if at all
 

teh roxxorz

Inactive Recognized Contributor
Nov 21, 2010
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yes i have...no luck...i keep getting a proxy server is refusing connections...

have restarted the proxy app and pc too, nothing works...

everything was working fine then all of a sudden nothing...my phone will show speed test at 8mb down, but IF i am even able to load a webpage i am getting 2-3 mb down it says, but webpages barely load if at all

You also made no system changes? Are you sure the ip hasn't changed from terminal emulator? Run:

su
netcfg

And make sure the IP address is the same. Also, by any chance, would you know how to determine a Proxy hostname? I can tether to my thrive tablet just fine, but have to use the CM7 tether instead of wireless tether because we all know it doesn't work, and it gives an example of 'proxy.example.com'

Nevermind, I fixed it while typing this up: you just enter the ip address from netcfg [my problem]
 

dezel29

Senior Member
Jul 12, 2010
174
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You also made no system changes? Are you sure the ip hasn't changed from terminal emulator? Run:

su
netcfg

And make sure the IP address is the same. Also, by any chance, would you know how to determine a Proxy hostname? I can tether to my thrive tablet just fine, but have to use the CM7 tether instead of wireless tether because we all know it doesn't work, and it gives an example of 'proxy.example.com'

Nevermind, I fixed it while typing this up: you just enter the ip address from netcfg [my problem]

no system changes, the ip address is the same too..have no idea on the proxy hostname...
 

JMAC303

Member
Mar 4, 2008
12
1
Thanked you for this! Awesome info.

I installed the app on my Evo, fired up 4G, did a speed test, and got 1.5 Mbps! I'm used to getting only 1 or less. Just to test, I turned off the proxy and tried again. ....same results? So with or without the proxy running, I'm getting about 1.5 Mbps D/S.

Am I doing something wrong here? Maybe I don't have the correct tethering app?
 

JMAC303

Member
Mar 4, 2008
12
1
Usually I don't post anything until I am absolutely sure I'm stuck, so pardon the noobishness. But unfortunately this isn't working for me.

With or without the proxy workaround I am still pulling at most 1.50mbps over Wireless tethering, while on the phone I can go above 5.00mbps. One other thing I noticed is that in every Speedtest run I've done the server location is way off. I'm in CT and I'm guessing that because of the IP address, it's picking up a server in PA, while my closest server is actually in Massachusetts. Though I'm guessing this is normal. My 4G signal is usually between "Good" and "Excellent" according to the phone.
Same here man. Not using CM7 though (just got off it to get on the OTA). I get the same results pretty much, 1.5 over wireless tethering and the phone goes from 4-6 easy.

Same results for me with Speedtest.net too. I stopped using it because of the inconsistent results. I use Xtremelabs Speedtest now: I'm a noob and it won't let me post links. It's https -> market.android.com/details?id=com.xtremelabs.android.speedtest
 

Raistlin1

Senior Member
Oct 1, 2010
1,214
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I was just crying over how horrible my speeds are while tethered to my Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. Would I be able to do this with the browswer that is included in Honeycomb? Anyone have instructions or tried it? Can't check it till I get home since I have only setup my laptop to connect with my Evo.

I am having a separate issue with WT and 4G not obtaining an IP address, I posted that question in the WT thread.

When I run term emulator and type su then netcfg I get a very different IP address. Do I need to be running the filterproxy app on Evo and the run the emulator?
 
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keejung

Senior Member
Feb 21, 2011
163
7
this a different question, but i didnt want to start a new thread, and to all the flamers, yes i did google first...
has anyone gotten the "wifi tether" to work?... I know that Wireless tether is no longer being worked on.
When i try to use the yellow wifi tether, on my comp it always shows as an "unsecured" network, and yes i did make sure to have all the passwords turned on...
when i go to connect it doesnt do anything.... no dat upload or download...
if i switch the wifi tether to adhoc mode, then it comes up as a secured network.. yaaahhhh... however there is an error when the vital error when it starts up preventing it from working....
 

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    Today, I finally tried a proxy server as part of my tethering testing and it seems to have finally unlocked the 4G tether speeds over WiFi. It's certainly not a perfect solution for all situations, but I thought I'd put something here in the general section where some Sense users would be more likely to run across it.

    Could someone try this under Sense with 4G over WiFi and let me know if it improves your speeds? I went from being stuck at 0.4Mbps to getting the usual 4G speeds I normally see (anywhere from 2.2Mbps to 10Mbps)!

    What you'll need to do is install filterproxy from the Android market (it's free). This will start a proxy server on your EVO. I believe the intended purpose of filterproxy is to block certain sites from your browser on your phone, but only if you browse using the proxy. filterproxy has a side effect allowing the phone to act as a proxy server for other devices that connect to it.

    Once you've installed filterproxy, start tethering and connect your computer to the tether. Configure your browser's proxy settings to use your phone as a proxy. The method for changing your browser's proxy settings varies from browser to browser, but here are a few.

    Internet Explorer 8:
    Click on Tools -> Internet Options -> Connections tab -> LAN settings
    Check the box for Use a proxy server and enter the appropriate settings

    Firefox:
    Tools -> Options -> Network tab -> Settings
    Select Manual proxy configuration and enter the address and port in the HTTP Proxy section
    Check the box for Use this proxy server for all protocols

    Chrome:
    Click on the Customize tool icon in the upper right of Chrome and select Options from the menu
    Click Under the Hood on the left
    Click Change proxy settings
    Click LAN settings
    Check the box for Use a proxy server and enter the appropriate settings

    For the proxy address, you'll need to enter the IP address that your phone is using for its WiFi access point. In CM7 this should be 192.168.43.1. For Android Wireless Tether it can be changed, but by default it is 192.168.2.1 (I think). If you can't find it, open adb shell or terminal emulator and type 'netcfg'. At the bottom you should see something like this:
    wl0.1 UP 192.168.43.1 255.255.255.0 0x00001043

    The 192.168.43.1 is the address being used for the WiFi access point. The port for your proxy is the port that filterproxy is using. By default it is 8000, but you can change it within the filterproxy app.

    NOTE: changing your proxy server settings may prevent your browser from connecting to the Internet whenever you're not tethering. You'll have to check or uncheck proxy boxes or try making different shortcuts like this.

    Originally posted here:
    http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=11580191&postcount=5319
    3
    Is there a way to do this on the PS3? I can tether and play Black Ops but wish it was a little faster.

    You should be able to; when setting up the connection, select your hotspot, then navigate all the nitty gritty menus, using a proxy is one of the last options you come across,
    1
    Wrong thread.

    Thanked you though for your contribution.
    1
    any idea how to do this on a Mac? i can't get it to work. :(

    Get a PC. Easy Fix ;-)

    Just messin with ya a little bit bro, but seriously.
    1
    i dont know if this belongs here but im kinda new to this forum. did you see that sprint is to start charging for data after 5gb. they say its for hotspot "paying" customers. will that affect anyone else? thanks

    That would only really apply to you if you 'officially' use the sprint hotspot, i.e., pay the 30$/mo fee to use tethering. If you use a rom with the hack in it, you're fine.