iPhoneModem - Extremely Easy 3G Tethering in OS X

**Kyle Matthews** · 09-12-2008, 11:11 PM

Addition released their application iPhoneModem Saturday through the MMi Cydia source. They describe it as "an application for the iPhone that aims at making it really easy to use the iPhone's internet connection on your computer," and they deliver.

A while back, we posted a how to on tethering the iPhone using NateTrue's method - which required some command line knowledge and a few network tweaks on your OS X box. Until now, this was pretty much the easiest way to tether your 3G iPhone (and still is a great method which only takes a few minutes).

iPhoneModem makes tethering a 10 second process. I've been testing it the past few hours, and its incredibly well-designed and functional. For those of you running OS X Leopard (iPhoneModem is actively working on the desktop client for MacOS 10.4 and Microsoft Windows, as well as a 1.x iPhone version of the app), you simply install their Leopard app (200kb .dmg direct download), open it, and press connect. This will automatically create an ad-hoc network named iPhoneModem on your Mac.

Then, on your iPhone, go to your settings and join the iPhoneModem network.

Once connected, open the iPhoneModem app on the iPhone. It will automatically connect (assuming you've got the iPhoneModem running on your Mac), and that's it - you're tethered. Open Safari on your Mac, you should be browsing already.

It's really that simple. I've tested it on both my MacBook and MacBook Pro, with no issues at all. Browsing over 3G is of course fast, and battery draining.

Make sure your iPhone is plugged in.

The Addition devs note:

If you can use the web, using Safari, but other Internet applications are not working:
- make sure that the application you are using supports a "Socks Proxy" and see how you can enable it, for example Firefox does not look at the System Preferences and you have to manually configure it on it's own preferences dialog.

Their original plan was to release through AppStore, but Apple has yet to approve their request, which was made in July of 08. Also, Apple has a shaky history of approving tethering apps (remember NetShare's approved, pulled, approved, pulled antics?)

The app is shareware, with a $9.99 (PayPal only) price to remove the annoying registration nags (well spent for the quality of this app). The registration codes are based on IMEI.

Nice job, Addition.

edit: previous issues of security have been resolved in current version (2.0.0+).

www.iphonemodem.com

**julianqm2** · 09-12-2008, 11:16 PM

finally!!!

oh first!

**chapelfreak** · 09-12-2008, 11:27 PM

awesome!!!!

**NakedFaerie** · 09-12-2008, 11:39 PM

Sounds good. Just have to wait for the windows version or can we just do it manually?

**vs6817** · 09-12-2008, 11:45 PM

will this work along with netshare? instead of doing all those other steps is it possible to make this work with the netshare app or is there any other software out there that does?

**nickh** · 09-12-2008, 11:50 PM

Great news, well worth the price!

**Dnc95** · 09-13-2008, 12:05 AM

Just tried this on a Macbook Pro and a 2g iPhone on T-mobile's Edge, Not 3g but fairly quick and worked just like Poetic said. Worth the 9.99

**Kyle Matthews** · 09-13-2008, 12:07 AM

you can manually create an ad-hoc network on your non-os x boxes named iPhoneBrowser and connect that way - check their site for detailed instructions.

**Buddy17** · 09-13-2008, 12:29 AM

isn't this just asking to get your service canceled?

**aznpinoy217** · 09-13-2008, 12:42 AM

This looks awesome....sweet now i can have a great internet connection when i finish bootcamp and go off to nuke school thanks iphone modem lol

**h.abdulhamid86** · 09-13-2008, 01:54 AM

ok. i tried this with with my iPhone (2G) and my MacBook Pro. here is what happened.

initial connection was easy and smooth. it immediately created a network called iPhone modem and i was surfing on my macbook via edge from my iphone. but, after visiting a couple of pages, the connection seemed to keep breaking in the middle of loading a page. don't know if that was 2G edge, or the iPhone Modem connection.

The cool thing was realizing that i no longer needed to be connected to a wifi network to ssh into my phone!

here is the bad news: when i disconnected from iPhone Modem to connect my macbook back to my wifi here at home, it seemed to be stuck on the iPhone Modem IP address (as it generates its own). As a result i was unable to connect to the internet through my home wifi network.

luckily, i was able to revert to my old settings (before iPhone Modem) in system preferences/network via the 'revert' button. *whew*

im hoping this mixup was an operator error and not a problem with iPhone Modem's software, because this is a REALLY nice program to have. just need to be able to switch networks (from wifi to iphone modem) without it taking over my IP address and having to revert my network settings each time.

anyone else have this issue? any advise?

**rodeeze** · 09-13-2008, 02:02 AM

Originally Posted by Buddy17

isn't this just asking to get your service canceled?

I am wondering this too!

**bluaeon** · 09-13-2008, 02:06 AM

Originally Posted by rodeeze

I am wondering this too!

or your bill might go up.

**geefourman** · 09-13-2008, 02:24 AM

"initial connection was easy and smooth. it immediately created a network called iPhone modem and i was surfing on my macbook via edge from my iphone. but, after visiting a couple of pages, the connection seemed to keep breaking in the middle of loading a page. don't know if that was 2G edge, or the iPhone Modem connection."

It's shareware, your connection will keep breaking up until you pay for it.

**eugenelee3** · 09-13-2008, 02:42 AM

man i've been waiting for this. + its free

**MetallicaFan1991** · 09-13-2008, 03:36 AM

Another reason to jailbreak. I'm just gonna wait until it's on Installer, then jb my iphone. Cydia takes WAY too long getting back to homscreen after instaling/uninstalling something.

**Craig02** · 09-13-2008, 03:47 AM

Ok this may be a stupid question but how about if im using a pay as you go sim, Will i still get charged?

**geefourman** · 09-13-2008, 04:22 AM

Why is it when using the iPhone as a modem it's much slower?

try this for an example:

Download this file: MyTunesRSS 3.5.2 - MacUpdate

On my iPhone: 280 kb/s (3G)
On my Mac using the iPhone as a modem: 105 kb/s (3G)

Anyone feel like testing this?

**dallasnights** · 09-13-2008, 06:16 AM

looks great how do you use it for windows, can someone explain and write a guide please

Thanks all

**Portdogmc** · 09-13-2008, 06:57 AM

Originally Posted by geefourman

Why is it when using the iPhone as a modem it's much slower?

try this for an example:

Download this file: MyTunesRSS 3.5.2 - MacUpdate

On my iPhone: 280 kb/s (3G)
On my Mac using the iPhone as a modem: 105 kb/s (3G)

Anyone feel like testing this?

didnt test this but it makes sense it would be slower.. it has to resend through wifi to the computer. Though in my experiece it seems just as fast maybe faster

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Thread: iPhoneModem - Extremely Easy 3G Tethering in OS X

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Addition released their application iPhoneModem Saturday through the MMi Cydia source. They describe it as " an application for the iPhone that aims at making it really easy to use

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