HOWTO: Tether your (linux) laptop with your Captivate now, for FREE

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autoxer

Member
Jul 18, 2010
41
1
Yep, it's actually unbelievably easy with linux.

This is tested with Ubuntu Lucid (10.04), but I expect it should work with pretty much any system that uses Network Manager as the networking applet.

The goal

Tether your Captivate for Internet access over USB.

The procedure

***NOTE: I'm too new to forums to post things that look like outside links, so a quick google of Cingular APN should get you the relevant user/pass combo you'll need in steps 8 and 9***

1. Put your Captivate in USB Debugging mode:

Settings > Applications > Development > select USB Debugging

2. Connect your phone to your computer.

3. Right-click on the Network Manager applet in your system tray, then click "Edit connections..."

4. Select the "Mobile Broadband" tab

5. Click "Add" -- your phone should auto-populate in the little drop-down menu to choose the device to use. I just left it alone and clicked "Forward"

6. Next it will ask you to confirm your location. If you're in the U.S., this will work. I'm not outside the U.S. at the moment, so I can't test anywhere else.

7. Select your provider. If you have a Captivate, chances are you're on AT&T, so pick that and click "Forward"

8. Next you need to pay attention or you may be paying $$$. In the drop down menu at the top, select "My plan is not listed" then fill out the APN info, and then click "forward" at the next window that pops up.

9. In the next screen it will autopopulate the "Default number" and then ask you for your username and password. The username is ATT/Cingular's info from the carrier file.

-- note the use of all caps in both places here. I don't know if it matters, but I know it worked in all caps. I left the other fields blank and left the other two tabs at default settings.

10. The setup is nearly done. Click "finish" or whatever it says on the last tab, and you're ready to rock. Disconnect from your WiFi (assuming you're testing this from home) and click Network Manager, connect to your new network (mine was named AT&T Connection 1. It hooks right up and runs.

The happy dance

There you go, 10 steps to free USB tethering with your Captivate, and all you need is a free OS and about 5 minutes. And yes, this was posted via a tethered Captivate.


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I'm also working on getting Bluetooth tethering working, but it fails at the last step. Don't have time to figure it out tonight, but I'll give it another shot tomorrow after work.
 

Milpitas Sanjose

New member
Apr 25, 2011
1
0
Awesome...

Thanks a bunch..it worked like a charm!!
ubuntu=10.04
Device=AT&T Samsung Captivate Andriod 2.1-update1

Got 4Mpbs down
 

Harveythedog

Member
Oct 28, 2010
19
0
Nokia 7.1
Provided the ROM you're using allows tethering (and you've turned it on..) it should appear as a network adapter, usb0 probably, and you can just treat it like a an Ethernet connection.

# ifconfig -a

Will tell you what you have plugged in network-wise.

I use Wicd, not Network Manager, and can add usb0 in place of eth0 and use it as any other wired internet connection?