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The Poor-Man's iPhone Tethering Guide

nomar383

nomar383

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Jan 29, 2008
1,310
0
Rexburg, ID
DISCLAIMER:
I take no responsibility for you jailbreaking your iPhone, going over on your iPhone data, or anything else. Ever. :)

This guide is meant for OS X Leopard. I am running 10.5.4 and have iPhone software 2.0.1. Thanks to ModMyiFone.com for the basic idea and to the NetShare guide posted elsewhere on these forums.

Jealous of all those NetShare users that get to tether? How about tethering for free? Here's the guide:

Step 1

Follow one of these guides to jailbreak your iPhone (almost identical process for 2.0.1, just substitute the correct firmware file, and make sure you have the latest PwnageTool):

3G iPhone Guide on OS X http://www.modmyifone.com/wiki/index.php/Pwnage_2.0_Guide_3G
Original iPhone Guide on OS X http://www.modmyifone.com/wiki/index.php/Pwnage_2.0_Guide
Windows Guide http://theiphoneproject.org/index.php/faq/32-languages/94-winpwn-20-guide

If you need help jailbreaking your iPhone, browse around the ModMyIfone.com forums until you figure it out. :)

Step 2

Open Cydia on your jailbroken iPhone.
When Cydia prompts you to select a user mode, select "Developer".
Download "3proxy" from the networking category.
Download "MobileTerminal" from the Terminal Support category.
Download "Insomnia" from the Utilities category.

Step 3

(NOTE: These screenshots are supposed to only be for basic reference.)

Open the network preference pane on your computer and add a new location called "Tether":
http://www.grabup.com/uploads/0cef0b730b3297bc9b3b5f890568a926.png

Then delete all of the adapters on the left except for the AirPort one.
http://www.grabup.com/uploads/2de937598c3c42b137b7a6a921db663a.png

Now head up to your airport icon and create a new network.
http://www.grabup.com/uploads/8449d517baf0ac3a784731c8fe33b7f4.png

I called mine "Tether" and left out security for now.
http://www.grabup.com/uploads/9c85813e7d185816de447e66e8164312.png

Now go back to your network preferences, and click advanced. Then click "Proxies". Set it up like so:
http://www.grabup.com/uploads/95ce05745f772de6a85f62a069c21006.png

For TCP/IP use these settings.
http://www.grabup.com/uploads/5282e6d3acc7e416d81bb711cfd37c91.png

Make sure to enter the Proxy settings EXACTLY as I have them. Also make sure to set the correct TCP/IP address (Don't worry about the Subnet Mask and Router in my screenshot, they don't matter).

Now click OK and then Apply.

Step 4

Head on over to your iPhone and go to your Wifi Settings. Join "Tether" and then click on the blue arrow for more options. Tap the Static option and set your IP to 192.168.10.1 and your Subnet Mask to 255.0.0.0

You shouldn't have to change any other options here. Now go to your home screen.

Step 5

Run "MobileTerminal" on your iPhone and type in "socks". The cursor should just jump down to the next line and nothing will appear to happen. This is good. Go to your home screen again. Now open up a webpage in Safari. Now go to your home screen once more.

Step 6

Finally, run "Insomnia" on your iPhone. This will keep your network and background apps running even when you turn your screen off.

Finally

You should now be able to browse the web via Safari on your mac!

To stop the tether just change your location on your mac back to Automatic and select your normal Wifi Network. Then run the "Insomnia" app again on the iPhone. Then run "MobileTerminal" and hold the home button to kill the background utility. That's it!

------------------------------


NOTES:

No I don't have any idea on how to do this on any version of Windows.

No I don't know how to make it work with Firefox.

No I don't know how to set it up so you can WOW/Skype/Adium/iChat/Whatever

I tested "proxifier" out, but couldn't get it to work for the life of me. I don't know what's up with it. Please post an alternative if you know of one!

ADVANTAGES:
Free
Jailbroken iPhone = more third party apps
Ability to keep connection alive even with screen off (better battery life)

DISADVANTAGES:
iPhone may become a tiny bit more unstable, expect to reboot a few times
Initial setup takes a while longer, but worth the extra effort

This is by no means a perfect guide, I expect LOTS of questions :)
 
Thank you for posting this. It helps so much to have pics. At least for me.
 
dukebound85 said:
awesome!

does the computer you wish to connect need to have a wireless card? i ask as i want to turn my touch into a wireless usb dongle for my pc which does not have wireless
Click to expand...

Yeah, this will only wok with a mac with an AirPort card and an iPhone. This process basically just creates an Ad-Hock network between the two. You can't create the Ad-hock network if the computer doesn't have AirPort :)
 
If anyone could try this from scratch, that would be helpful. I have a sneaking suspicion that I left out some tiny step lol. Also, let me know if anything is confusing or needs more pictures. I hope to add some iPhone screenshots later on.
 
There is no reason this shouldn't work with windows or any computer with a wireless card that supports SOCKS proxy. Just the screenshots won't match up :D
 
I'm having a bit of a problem. I completed all the steps, but it doesn't seem to be working. Can you make any suggestions? I downloaded all the programs, created the locations, set up TCP/IP and Proxies, ran Insomnia, typed 'socks' in MobileTerminal, created and joined the Tether network on my computer and iPhone, and set the phone's IP to 192.168.10.1 and subnet to 255.0.0.0.

Thanks so much for your help.
 
jnadel said:
I'm having a bit of a problem. I completed all the steps, but it doesn't seem to be working. Can you make any suggestions? I downloaded all the programs, created the locations, set up TCP/IP and Proxies, ran Insomnia, typed 'socks' in MobileTerminal, created and joined the Tether network on my computer and iPhone, and set the phone's IP to 192.168.10.1 and subnet to 255.0.0.0.

Thanks so much for your help.
Click to expand...

For the final step you remembered to open up a safari page on the phone, correct? This starts the data transfer.

And your iPhone is showing a 3G or Edge icon at the top and not a Wifi Logo, right?
 
Thanks so much. Everything's working now. I'm actually posting from my tethered connection.
 
thanks man, this just what I needed

one question

are the 3rd party apps free? If they are not, how do you pay for them? Do you have to setup an account for every app you dl, or is there something like itunes where you only need to enter payment info once?

thanks again
 
off in the wood said:
thanks man, this just what I needed

one question

are the 3rd party apps free? If they are not, how do you pay for them? Do you have to setup an account for every app you dl, or is there something like itunes where you only need to enter payment info once?

thanks again
Click to expand...

99% of jailbroken apps are completely free. There are two that I know of that require you to register and pay a few bucks after trying them for a period of time. Most jailbreak devs accept donations though :)

Everything I mentioned above (except the iPhone and computer) is free
 
While a guide like this will have you up and running on a tethered connection with your iPhone.. when you go to switch back to other networks (ie. Home/Work) you will find it pretty annoying to have to reconfigure your browsers, programs, etc. to not use the proxy info anymore.

So - go ahead and completely nix the custom IPs, it's unnecessary.. Also completely nix putting in the proxy info into your browsers,programs..

Get Proxifier instead and put all your proxy info there - You can get Proxifier for Windows and Mac OSX.

I'll make a write-up on how to setup a tether connection that won't have you fumbling around with settings every time you want to switch between networks.

Jay
 
Diversion said:
While a guide like this will have you up and running on a tethered connection with your iPhone.. when you go to switch back to other networks (ie. Home/Work) you will find it pretty annoying to have to reconfigure your browsers, programs, etc. to not use the proxy info anymore.

So - go ahead and completely nix the custom IPs, it's unnecessary.. Also completely nix putting in the proxy info into your browsers,programs..

Get Proxifier instead and put all your proxy info there - You can get Proxifier for Windows and Mac OSX.

I'll make a write-up on how to setup a tether connection that won't have you fumbling around with settings every time you want to switch between networks.

Jay
Click to expand...

I mentioned proxifier as a possible solution and this guide is only intended for basic Safari web browsing at this point. Also, proxifier costs a cool 40 bucks and this is the "Poor-Man's" Guide :). I am researching possible free alternatives to proxifier that allow for the same functionality. I will update the guide after I have found and tested a viable solution.

During testing, as long as you have a separate "location" for the tether, it literally takes 10 seconds to switch your computer back to normal wifi. Most people have their "Home" location set to DHCP, in which case the "Tether" location's static IP makes little difference.
 
where do i get 3proxy from? it isnt listed under cydia, with jailbroken 2.0.1....
 
jacobk said:
where do i get 3proxy from? it isnt listed under cydia, with jailbroken 2.0.1....
Click to expand...

It should be under the networking category. Also, make sure you are in "developer" mode so you can see all the packages. In Cydia, go to "manage", then "settings" to change your view mode.

EDIT: Added this to the guide, and I need to fix the screenshot links
 
Hey, wanna help me out? :)

When I turn off the screen off it switches from 3g to the wireless, and I gotta turn on the screen again and try to go to a webpage for it to switch to 3g. Any help? :)
 
Davidkoh said:
Hey, wanna help me out? :)

When I turn off the screen off it switches from 3g to the wireless, and I gotta turn on the screen again and try to go to a webpage for it to switch to 3g. Any help? :)
Click to expand...

You have insomnia installed and "ON" correct? This is the most important part of being able to sleep the screen
 
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