EasyTether - Android Tether Solution: September 2010

Some carriers inspect your HTTP traffic for the so-called user agent string in order to detect tethering. They use the fact that different web browsers use different user agent strings.
It is not hard to work-around this limitation by changing the user agent string in the web browser on your computer. Here are the instructions:

Visit the www.useragentstring.com from your smartphone and carefully write down the user agent string in some text file on your computer.

Change the default user agent string in the web browser on your computer to the string from your smartphone:

Internet Explorer: Download the free IE add-on called UAPick to your computer, install it, restart IE, click Tools → Set UA String, paste the saved user agent string, set the "Reuse this UA string for new windows" check, then click Save Changes.

We will release the updated version with the automatic user agent string substitution soon.

What is the difference between free and paid versions?

EasyTether Lite will block secure (https://, TCP port 443) sites (such as gmail, facebook, amazon or ebay) and any UDP-based applications (including L2TP VPNs, most instant messagers and Xbox 360 / PS3 / Wii games) after some time. The paid/activated versions have no such limitations.

Is it a one-time payment or are there any tethering fees?

One-time. EasyTether is an application, not a service. It uses exactly the same data connection as any other networking applications on your smartphone (such as a mail or youtube app) so the same carrier's (not ours) fees apply.
Note however, that most "unlimited" data plans are not that unlimited. Some carriers start to throttle your bandwidth when you exceed several GB per month.

May I install the computer-side software on multiple computers or different operating systems?

Yes. One license is tied to one phone so you may install the computer-side software on as many computers/systems as you need. The easiest way to setup another computer for EasyTether is to re-run the setup wizard in the smartphone-side application.

Does EasyTether void my phone warranty?

No. As distinct from many other tether apps, EasyTether does not require root and uses only official APIs, it is a normal low-priveleged Android application.

Is EasyTether compatible with Froyo (Android 2.2), Gingerbread (Android 2.3) or Honeycomb (Android 3.0)?

Absolutely yes, EasyTether is fully compatible with these Android versions.

How can I purchase EasyTether?

At our site.: Payment is done via PayPal and you will receive the activation code for EasyTether Lite.
In Android Market (see the standard Market application on your smartphone): See Google's Android Market Help for more information on payment methods etc.
In Amazon App Store
In Pdassi Android App Shop: If you are from Europe, you can purchase EasyTether via bank transfer from Pdassi Android Shop

How can I re-download my purchased EasyTether copy for free to my phone?

It depends on how you purchased it. A general rule: if you are asked to pay again for EasyTether, you are probably doing something wrong. Please review the notes below carefully to avoid such situation:

At our site: Download free EasyTether Lite from Android Market and re-enter the activation code from your purchase confirmation e-mail. If you get the "Activation code is invalid" notice, do not touch the Buy Now button and see here on how to resolve this.
In Android Market: you should be able to download the pre-activated paid version for free assuming you use the same GMail account on your phone. If Android Market wants you to pay again or the pre-activated paid version is not visible at Market at all (carriers may hide applications there from their customers), send us your order number so we can arrange the alternative download link for you. See Google's Android Market Help article on how to restore your order number.
In Amazon App Store: Follow the instructions on the Amazon web-site.

All of the above applies to the smartphone-side application only. If you need to re-download the computer-side software, see here.

I have problems with purchasing EasyTether via Android Market

There is a bug in Android Market: sometimes Google Checkout fails to authorize a payment and Market gets stuck forever when you try to download the purchased application. Order processing is performed solely by Google so we, as the developers, have no control over it.

Let Google know about the problem. Contact the Android Market support team and/or post a bug report in the Google's Android Market support forum.

Refund that order (consult with the Google's Android Market policies on the allowed refund period) and consider other ways to purchase the application as described here.

I get the "Activation code is invalid" message when I enter the activation code

This message is expected if you replaced your phone after purchasing EasyTether because the activation code is tied to the phone's unique IMEI/MEID number.
To get the new activation code for free, update IMEI/MEID (exactly as it is shown in EasyTether → Menu → About) in your account at www.mobihand.com (use your purchase e-mail address as your user name).
Alternatively, send your new phone's IMEI/MEID along with your order number to our support e-mail address, we will generate the new activation code for you.

I cannot copy the downloaded drivers from my smartphone to my computer

As a general note, the support to copy files using USB is implemented in every Android-powered smartphone and this feature does not depend on EasyTether at all. Consult the User Guide for your smartphone if the instructions below do not help.

Connect your smartphone to your computer with a USB data cable.

Pull down the notification area (sliding down your finger) on your Android and tap Mount; this will allow you to access the SD card inside your smartphone from your computer.

Look for the EasyTether computer-side packages in the downloads folder, copy them to your computer first (do not run installers off the exported SD card) then launch and follow the wizard-like setup.

I used EasyTether Lite, then I purchased the paid EasyTether version. Do I need to reinstall anything on the computer side?

Absolutely not. This also covers any update of the smartphone-side application: do not re-install the computer-side software if you are not asked explicitly to do this.

How can I install EasyTether on an AT&T smartphone?

Please e-mail our support team, we will send you the instructions on how to work around that issue.

Installation fails with the "EasyTether requires Service Pack for Windows" message

See the corresponding Microsoft article on how to update your Windows installation.

Windows Vista: How to obtain the latest Windows Vista service pack
Windows XP: How to obtain the latest Windows XP service pack

Installation fails with the "Installation ended prematurely" message (or something similar) when I try to install EasyTether on my computer

If you use Windows XP, open Control Panel → System → Hardware tab → Driver Signing and verify the "Warn - Prompt me each time to choose an actions" check is set. If it is set as suggested or you have Windows 7/Vista, try to disable temporarily any third-party applications that may prevent the installation of non-WHQL drivers.

Installation fails with the "This installation package is not supported by this processor type" message

You seem to be trying to install the 64-bit EasyTether computer-side software package (easytether_x64.msi) on 32-bit Windows version. Download the 32-bit package (easytether_x86.msi) instead.
Note it is perfectly possible to have 32-bit Windows version on a 64-bit capable processor. See the Microsoft's support article on how to determine wheither your computer is running 32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows.

I get the "Error code 67 registration failure PCS vision username and/or passwork may be incorrect" message on my phone

This is not EasyTether, it never displays this error. You are likely trying to use the built-in tethering feature which (unlike EasyTether) requires the special tethering plan. Do not enable Internet sharing mode on the smartphone when you attach it to your computer. Instead select "Charge only" or "Disk drive" and click "Connect via Android" in the EasyTether taskbar menu:
EasyTether popup menu

I cannot get my VPN to work with EasyTether connection

TCP-tunneled VPNs: These really should just work assuming you have the paid/activated or unexpired free version of the smartphone-side application.
UDP-tunneled VPNs (such as L2TP or some kinds of Cisco VPN): Enable EasyTether → UDP passthrough on the phone. Note this option is ignored if you have the expired Lite version.
PPTP VPN: PPTP will not work because there is no way to implement GRE passthrough on a non-rooted smartphone. Instead configure VPN on your phone in Settings → Wireless & networks on your phone, activate it there then establish the EasyTether connection from the computer.

How do I tether my Android phone to PS3, Xbox 360 or Wii?

Prerequisites:

An Ethernet cable; Wii also requires the Wii LAN Adapter from Nintendo (other USB-to-Ethernet adapters may or may not work).

A computer with an Ethernet (LAN) port and the fully configured EasyTether installation.

A smartphone with the paid/activated or unexpired free EasyTether versions. Do not expect the instructions below to work if you see the "Free feature-limited mode" status in EasyTether on your smartphone. The "Full-featured trial mode" status is okay though.

Connection setup:

Enable EasyTether → UDP passthrough in your smartphone.

Configure Internet connection sharing on your computer. For Windows this means you need to enable ICS in Properties → Sharing tab for the EasyTether network adapter (not for the Ethernet port where you will attach the gaming console). Here is how to find it.

Windows 7:: Control Panel → Network and Sharing Center → Change adapter settings (on the left side) → right-click Local Area Connection N → Properties → Sharing tab.
Windows Vista:: Control Panel → Network and Sharing Center → Manage network connections (on the left side) → right-click Local Area Connection N → Properties → Sharing tab.
Windows XP:: Control Panel → Network connections → right-click Local Area Connection N → Properties → Sharing tab.

Establish the EasyTether connection from your computer and make sure it works.

Finally attach your Xbox 360 / PS 3 / Wii to your computer's Ethernet port using an Ethernet cable. For Wii you will need a USB-to-Ethernet adapter.

I do not see the EasyTether icon in the Windows taskbar

Open Windows Start menu → All Programs → Mobile Stream → EasyTether and left-click the EasyTether entry to start the app manually. If you do not have EasyTether in Windows Start menu at all, make sure you installed the core package from our drivers page.

Look in the Windows taskbar for the added icon (usually lower-right corner of the computer screen). If you do not see the EasyTether icon there, press small Up arrow (right-left arrow for Vista/XP) to unhide all the icons. If that does not help either, open Windows Task Manager, switch to Processes tab, find easytthr.exe there, right-click it and select "End Process".

Now right-click the EasyTether icon in the Windows taskbar. You should see the popup menu: EasyTether popup menu

Click the "Connect via Android" option. If you see "No devices to connect" instead, see here.

I see "No devices to connect" instead of the expected "Connect via Android" option when I right-click the EasyTether icon in the Windows taskbar

First make sure USB debugging is still enabled in Settings → Applications → Development on your phone. If the problem persists see the advice below depending on your phone vendor.

Motorola smartphones (especially DROID X/2/Pro): Make sure the USB Mass Storage mode is active on your phone (these devices may ignore the USB debugging option in Charge only mode).
Samsung smartphones: Install the supplementary driver either from our site or from Samsung support site.
LG smartphones (including Verizon-branded models): Install the supplementary driver either from LG support page (preferred) or from our site.
Huawei smartphones (including Verizon / T-Mobile / Vodafone-branded models): Install drivers from the built-in installation media. These devices also suffer from a very buggy USB debugging option; for the best result, unplug the device, turn USB debugging off, reboot the device, enable USB debugging then re-attach the device.

I cannot open any web pages after successfully establishing the EasyTether connection

Disable any other LAN and/or a WiFi connections on your computer before connecting via EasyTether.

I get the unexpected "Connection closed" (or "Connection dropped") message on my computer

Make sure to update the smartphone-side application to v1.0.1 or higher. See the version number in EasyTether → Menu → About on your phone.

Make sure to either disable any third-party task killers or task managers on your phone or add EasyTether to their exceptions list.

I was on dial-up and my browser keeps trying to dial-up

Close all browser windows, open Internet Explorer (even if you use another browser), click Service → Options and enable "do not use dial-up connections" checkbox.

I get the "Connection failed. Enable Easytether network adapter in Network Connections" message

It looks like the EasyTether network adapter driver disappeared for some reason. Try to find it in Device Manager → Network adapters and enable it (right-click -> Enable). If it is not there, unplug the device, close EasyTether tray agent, uninstall the EasyTether software, reboot the computer then install the latest version from EasyTether drivers page.

How can I make EasyTether work with Windows 2000?

Install the USB drivers for your smartphone from the vendor site. Be aware that some smartphone vendors have no USB drivers for Windows 2000.

Update your Windows 2000 installation to the latest service pack. See Microsoft's support article for the details.

Launch EasyTether under the Administrator account.

ADB on Mac OS X stops recognizing the attached device after installing EasyTether driver

Do not follow this advice if you are not a developer who use the Android SDK on Mac. Otherwise run "sudo kextunload /System/Library/Extensions/EasyTetherUSBEthernet.kext" to unload the EasyTether driver manually. Load it again with kextload when/if necessary.

How do I tether a computer with Ubuntu or Fedora installed?

Open Terminal and run "easytether connect". Once it says "connected as easytether0", wait while Network Manager configures the connection automatically.
Only if you do not use Network Manager, run "sudo dchclient easytether0" manually in another Terminal window.

My problem is not described here

Please describe the problem in more details. Email us at support(at)mobile-stream(dot)com

Sunday, 5 September 2010

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