[Q] USB tethering to a router?

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dlbiggs

Member
Mar 22, 2009
5
0
What I am trying to figure out is if I can use my Droid Bionic as the internet source to my router, using the usb tether option.

I am trying to provide a stronger signal to other devices in my house, and to have a private network that will work my printer, satellte tv, etc.

Is this possible?
 

douglasmcusmc

Senior Member
Oct 4, 2010
83
4
Not that i know of unless using the wireless tether and using your router to jump the signal.. if tour router supports it.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using XDA App
 

MillionManMosh

Senior Member
Dec 2, 2010
154
36
Wireless signal repeating is a part of the 802.11n spec. If you have a wireless-N router there should be a firmware option to enable it.
 
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fxmech

Member
Nov 5, 2011
23
5
Appleton
fxmech.com
Maybe USB tethering to a PC is the solution. The steps required after that might get complex, but in short your goal is to bridge that connection to your standard ethernet adapter on the PC.

Plug the ethernet from your PC into the router. Put this in place of where your modem typically connects and you should be only a few networking tutorials away from a configuration that works.

USB tethering isn't supported on your router most likely, or any router for that matter. That's why you are going to have to put a PC running Vista+ or Ubuntu 10+ (others may work) for interfacing the connection to a standard ethernet cable.

If a repeater is all you need this won't be useful for you.

Personally, I intend to configure my network to use the 4G connection's superior upload rate, as my ISP at home provides 3Mbps upload while 4G gets 10Mbps.

Using modified firmware on the router will make many things possible. You may want to check out DD-WRT (what I'm currently using) or Tomato.

Do you want both WAN connections (ISP and 4G) to be available to your network?

Sorry if I'm confusing anyone. =)

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using XDA App
 
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dlbiggs

Member
Mar 22, 2009
5
0
Just the 4g.

I currently use the wireless tether option, which provides me 4g internet access for all devices in my house, but I do not have much latitude as far as distance ( the further away the device is from the phone, quality of service declines).

I know that I can USB tether the phone using pda-connect, which works rather well. I just want to use my wireless printer without a lot hassle, and have 1 network that is complete.

Dan
 

chadbh74

Senior Member
Oct 31, 2010
52
16
USB.. Not without additional hardware people have already mentioned.

Your router can pick up the WiFi tether from you phone and use it. I have this setup at home with my LinkSys WRT54G. Its called "repeater" mode. I'm not saying it can do it with the stock firmware, but it can thanks to the DD-WRT firmware I loaded onto it. Just google DD-WRT. Many older routers can install it freely. They started charging registrations for some newer routers. That's why I bought a used WRT54G off e-bay for $20 bucks, since I didn't have a router anyways

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using XDA App
 
Last edited:

calimansi

Member
Jul 4, 2011
15
6
I want to do exactly this.

Currently, I have limited functionality with an old cradlepoint router. The router works fine with PC's and mac's but not the iPad. I narrowed the problem down to the MTU setting which cannot be adjusted on the router or the iPad.

I was thinking about purchasing one of those sapido routers, but I'm not sure if it supports the bionic. The price is right though.

Any update on this thread?
 

calimansi

Member
Jul 4, 2011
15
6
Hey again gang,

So, I did it... I purchased a sapido router from amazon... this one to be exact:

http://www.amazon.com/Sapido-GR-173...OY/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1327437644&sr=8-11

I received the router yesterday and connected it to my phone and it works beautifully... better and faster than any other internet service provider we have out here (Time Warner, Local telcom, clearwire, etc...). Just to let all of you know too, I have the 901 ROM installed on my phone, so no more disconnects. I was watching veetle all night and not one hickup.

All I did to get everything to work was go into settings, Wireless & networks, Tetehring & Mobile Hotspot and check USB tethering. The router finds the connection instantly and the green light comes on indicating that we have internet!!

Ethernet and wireless work great to my desktop and laptop. I did try it out with my iPad. The connection to the iPad mostly works, but it does take forever to get some pages. To remedy this, if you do get the router, change the MTU settings from 1492 to 1400 and then everything works beautifully to an iPad.

Best of luck to all of you who decide to use your phone as the main source of internet to your home through the usage of the outstanding sapido router!

Thanks.
 

mflagg

New member
Dec 4, 2010
2
1
Howdy,
Same here. I went with the Sapido RB-1733 from Amazon. Works fine as a regular router, and I can plug my Bionic into the USB port and charge it while its using the tether option. Much better at having a full size router spreading your wifi around the house, besides wired networked stuff. :)

later...
 
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dlbiggs

Member
Mar 22, 2009
5
0
Purchased gr-1733, but can not get it to work properly. Please tell me the settings you used to get this working. I am using verizon bionic with 4g.
 

fxmech

Member
Nov 5, 2011
23
5
Appleton
fxmech.com
... I purchased a...

I want to tell everybody purchasing routers that support USB built in: your existing network equipment (router) or any old, unused PC can do this for you free.

In fact, there are so many ways to share your 4G throughout your home I won't explain them in-depth unless there are specific questions.

Routers: many routers (Linksys, Buffalo, Belkin, NetGear, ASUS, and many more) contain hardware capable of running open-source firmware. My network contains many flashed routers: Linksys E4200 v1, Linksys E2000, Buffalo WHT-HP-54G, and Belkin F7D7301 v1. These models are all compatible with modified firmware. But keep reading...

ALL YOU NEED IS A USB PORT on your router. The firmwares (assuming your router is compatible) take care of the rest. Be warned, there are ways to brick your routers if you don't read the wiki/forum threads properly. In my opinion, these are much easier to flash than phones.
The DD-WRT supported devices list will let you know if you have a box *already compatible* with DD-WRT. Otherwise, use this reference to shop around for a router with at least:
  • 8 MB flash
  • 1 USB port (you can expand with a powered USB hub)
  • Support for optware (any Broadcomm router will work!)
    This isn't very easy to find but almost any Linksys router has a broadcomm, for example. I can provide reference for any of you that might have questions.

    Your router needs writeable space to keep a couple kernel modules that may/may not be built in to the particular DD-WRT flavour/build. Basically, this is something dependent on a per-router basis.
If you have something listed on the supported devices list, I will be happy to provide some reference on whether or not you will be able to do this.

USING A[N OLD] COMPUTER:
  • Get a linux distribution of your choice (I'll provide links on request)
  • Enable USB tether on your phone while plugged into a high-speed port.
  • Configure the connection to route out of your standard Ethernet adapter.
  • Plug your existing router's WAN/Internet port into the linux computer's Ethernet port.
  • And from here you troubleshoot. And I can try to help.
I will probably write something up on how to do this on my website once I get things running. For now, I'll subscribe to the thread and take questions here. I'd also like to point out there are many other creative ways somebody can do this. Just keep asking.
 
Last edited:

crobs808

Senior Member
Dec 21, 2007
1,238
240
United States
Good luck keeping your battery from draining faster than it can charge; I sincerely mean that. WiFi Tether can be killer if using it as a shared connection.
 

cooljake6

Member
May 12, 2011
5
0
I want to tell everybody purchasing routers that support USB built in: your existing network equipment (router) or any old, unused PC can do this for you free.

In fact, there are so many ways to share your 4G throughout your home I won't explain them in-depth unless there are specific questions.

Routers: many routers (Linksys, Buffalo, Belkin, NetGear, ASUS, and many more) contain hardware capable of running open-source firmware. My network contains many flashed routers: Linksys E4200 v1, Linksys E2000, Buffalo WHT-HP-54G, and Belkin F7D7301 v1. These models are all compatible with modified firmware. But keep reading...

ALL YOU NEED IS A USB PORT on your router. The firmwares (assuming your router is compatible) take care of the rest. Be warned, there are ways to brick your routers if you don't read the wiki/forum threads properly. In my opinion, these are much easier to flash than phones.
The DD-WRT supported devices list will let you know if you have a box *already compatible* with DD-WRT. Otherwise, use this reference to shop around for a router with at least:
  • 8 MB flash
  • 1 USB port (you can expand with a powered USB hub)
  • Support for optware (any Broadcomm router will work!)
    This isn't very easy to find but almost any Linksys router has a broadcomm, for example. I can provide reference for any of you that might have questions.

    Your router needs writeable space to keep a couple kernel modules that may/may not be built in to the particular DD-WRT flavour/build. Basically, this is something dependent on a per-router basis.
If you have something listed on the supported devices list, I will be happy to provide some reference on whether or not you will be able to do this.

USING A[N OLD] COMPUTER:
  • Get a linux distribution of your choice (I'll provide links on request)
  • Enable USB tether on your phone while plugged into a high-speed port.
  • Configure the connection to route out of your standard Ethernet adapter.
  • Plug your existing router's WAN/Internet port into the linux computer's Ethernet port.
  • And from here you troubleshoot. And I can try to help.
I will probably write something up on how to do this on my website once I get things running. For now, I'll subscribe to the thread and take questions here. I'd also like to point out there are many other creative ways somebody can do this. Just keep asking.

FXMech,

So i've had a Linksys E4200 for some time and after reading your instructions have flashed dd-wrt onto my router. There are a lot of neat features now available but i'm not sure how to get the router to use my phone at an internet source. I'm using a motorola usb data cable and have easy tether set to share my internet and when i plug it into my router i get nothing. any help with this would be appreciated.
 

lonwas

Member
Feb 22, 2007
10
1
I want to tell everybody purchasing routers that support USB built in: your existing network equipment (router) or any old, unused PC can do this for you free.

In fact, there are so many ways to share your 4G throughout your home I won't explain them in-depth unless there are specific questions.

Routers: many routers (Linksys, Buffalo, Belkin, NetGear, ASUS, and many more) contain hardware capable of running open-source firmware. My network contains many flashed routers: Linksys E4200 v1, Linksys E2000, Buffalo WHT-HP-54G, and Belkin F7D7301 v1. These models are all compatible with modified firmware. But keep reading...

ALL YOU NEED IS A USB PORT on your router. The firmwares (assuming your router is compatible) take care of the rest. Be warned, there are ways to brick your routers if you don't read the wiki/forum threads properly. In my opinion, these are much easier to flash than phones.
The DD-WRT supported devices list will let you know if you have a box *already compatible* with DD-WRT. Otherwise, use this reference to shop around for a router with at least:
  • 8 MB flash
  • 1 USB port (you can expand with a powered USB hub)
  • Support for optware (any Broadcomm router will work!)
    This isn't very easy to find but almost any Linksys router has a broadcomm, for example. I can provide reference for any of you that might have questions.

    Your router needs writeable space to keep a couple kernel modules that may/may not be built in to the particular DD-WRT flavour/build. Basically, this is something dependent on a per-router basis.
If you have something listed on the supported devices list, I will be happy to provide some reference on whether or not you will be able to do this.

USING A[N OLD] COMPUTER:
  • Get a linux distribution of your choice (I'll provide links on request)
  • Enable USB tether on your phone while plugged into a high-speed port.
  • Configure the connection to route out of your standard Ethernet adapter.
  • Plug your existing router's WAN/Internet port into the linux computer's Ethernet port.
  • And from here you troubleshoot. And I can try to help.
I will probably write something up on how to do this on my website once I get things running. For now, I'll subscribe to the thread and take questions here. I'd also like to point out there are many other creative ways somebody can do this. Just keep asking.

Some advice on how to get Android USB tethering to work on dd-wrt would be much appreciated.

Using a Linksys E3000 - DD-WRT Build 19519 installed
JFFS2 Enabled
usbnet.ko, cdc_ether.ko and rndis_host.ko installed

Now stuck at this point.

Thanks in advance
 

androidifyme

Senior Member
Oct 1, 2011
75
41
Nice before I even read this I was doing usb teather to my computer. Then I would hook my router up to my computers ethernet port to outers internet port. I have windows 7 so I did network bridge and the router had internet. To bad you need the computer but other than that wifi on router is grwat. Lan is also great. I play xbox live from this setup.
 

fxmech

Member
Nov 5, 2011
23
5
Appleton
fxmech.com
Hehe, I was just going to find some reference on the Ubuntu equivalent of "Connection Sharing," and landed back here forgetting completely about how I've helped motivate this search result.

Here's the deal - I was wrong about a few of my previous posts, I am too lazy to retract and edit out the stupidity,

I have since discovered a fundamental flaw in my logic - "USB tether" is NOT equal to "USB modem" - don't ask me why. However, I can say I know the limitations now.

Bad news: All USB-capable routers supporting TomatoUSB ( http://tomatousb.org ) or DD-WRT ( http://dd-wrt.com/wiki [the main site is useless for regular people, stick to the wiki & forums] ) will not allow this. I have just confirmed in the DD-WRT Kong Mod build for the Linksys E4200 won't do it. To cut to the chase, this build included what I suspected to be the additional modules usually needed. Turns out, those modules are for USB modems, which is a separate type of subscription service, not to mention an additional Dongle to buy. I suppose it's useful for some.

I like to skate by on the cheap, so I won't be able to speak to these (awesome sounding) routers previous people bought. For those of us still wanting to have fancy internet sharing (non-phone-WiFi), you will have your answers revealed. Just not this post. :p I am not ready to tear down some of my excess equipment and get it rigged up quite yet.

I will be working with Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 machines at a later date. I anticipate no problems with either, and from my estimation the gist of what's required has already been talked about in this thread.

However, as the resident dork-in-charge of my home office - my specific interest lies in "multiple WAN" on my router. There are 2 reasons to do this. Redundancy or[and?] load-balancing. My new gateway since my last posts in the topic has switched from the E4200 over to an installation of Zentyal 3.0 ( http://zentyal.org ). Zentyal 3.0 is based on Ubuntu Server 12.04 LTS, so I suspect it is possible to tether.

I anticipate a lot of people might stumble here searching The Google. I figure I might as well write this out in a organized, thorough way. More to come as I make room in my brains to type out a relatively coherent tutorial for both OSes.
 
Last edited:
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fxmech

Member
Nov 5, 2011
23
5
Appleton
fxmech.com
Sorry guys, 2 people flashed routers per my speculation. If I find any solid info in the future I'll check back.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using xda app-developers app
 

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  • 4
    Hey again gang,

    So, I did it... I purchased a sapido router from amazon... this one to be exact:

    http://www.amazon.com/Sapido-GR-173...OY/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1327437644&sr=8-11

    I received the router yesterday and connected it to my phone and it works beautifully... better and faster than any other internet service provider we have out here (Time Warner, Local telcom, clearwire, etc...). Just to let all of you know too, I have the 901 ROM installed on my phone, so no more disconnects. I was watching veetle all night and not one hickup.

    All I did to get everything to work was go into settings, Wireless & networks, Tetehring & Mobile Hotspot and check USB tethering. The router finds the connection instantly and the green light comes on indicating that we have internet!!

    Ethernet and wireless work great to my desktop and laptop. I did try it out with my iPad. The connection to the iPad mostly works, but it does take forever to get some pages. To remedy this, if you do get the router, change the MTU settings from 1492 to 1400 and then everything works beautifully to an iPad.

    Best of luck to all of you who decide to use your phone as the main source of internet to your home through the usage of the outstanding sapido router!

    Thanks.
    3
    ... I purchased a...

    I want to tell everybody purchasing routers that support USB built in: your existing network equipment (router) or any old, unused PC can do this for you free.

    In fact, there are so many ways to share your 4G throughout your home I won't explain them in-depth unless there are specific questions.

    Routers: many routers (Linksys, Buffalo, Belkin, NetGear, ASUS, and many more) contain hardware capable of running open-source firmware. My network contains many flashed routers: Linksys E4200 v1, Linksys E2000, Buffalo WHT-HP-54G, and Belkin F7D7301 v1. These models are all compatible with modified firmware. But keep reading...

    ALL YOU NEED IS A USB PORT on your router. The firmwares (assuming your router is compatible) take care of the rest. Be warned, there are ways to brick your routers if you don't read the wiki/forum threads properly. In my opinion, these are much easier to flash than phones.
    The DD-WRT supported devices list will let you know if you have a box *already compatible* with DD-WRT. Otherwise, use this reference to shop around for a router with at least:
    • 8 MB flash
    • 1 USB port (you can expand with a powered USB hub)
    • Support for optware (any Broadcomm router will work!)
      This isn't very easy to find but almost any Linksys router has a broadcomm, for example. I can provide reference for any of you that might have questions.

      Your router needs writeable space to keep a couple kernel modules that may/may not be built in to the particular DD-WRT flavour/build. Basically, this is something dependent on a per-router basis.
    If you have something listed on the supported devices list, I will be happy to provide some reference on whether or not you will be able to do this.

    USING A[N OLD] COMPUTER:
    • Get a linux distribution of your choice (I'll provide links on request)
    • Enable USB tether on your phone while plugged into a high-speed port.
    • Configure the connection to route out of your standard Ethernet adapter.
    • Plug your existing router's WAN/Internet port into the linux computer's Ethernet port.
    • And from here you troubleshoot. And I can try to help.
    I will probably write something up on how to do this on my website once I get things running. For now, I'll subscribe to the thread and take questions here. I'd also like to point out there are many other creative ways somebody can do this. Just keep asking.
    3
    Looks like Android USB tethering to a router is working with the ASUS RT-N66U. I haven't bought the router yet, but I plan to soon.

    See here for instructions: http://support.asus.com/Search/KDetail.aspx?SLanguage=en&no=A02827F8-3DB9-CC0E-5F67-85F7D3FB48E4&t=2
    1
    Wireless signal repeating is a part of the 802.11n spec. If you have a wireless-N router there should be a firmware option to enable it.
    1
    Howdy,
    Same here. I went with the Sapido RB-1733 from Amazon. Works fine as a regular router, and I can plug my Bionic into the USB port and charge it while its using the tether option. Much better at having a full size router spreading your wifi around the house, besides wired networked stuff. :)

    later...