Tethering on the N900 – Part 4 (Hotspot)
In case you didn’t know, the N900 is capable of creating a hotspot and share its 3G internet connection with other wireless devices. Sharing via a Hotspot is the top-dog of all tethering options. There are currently two ways available to get this set up.
Mobile Hotspot (Free)
Like all maemo.org downloads, this comes free – courtesy of the maemo.org community. Setup however, requires installation of a modified kernel (power-kernel), also available in Extras.
Kernel
1. Install the ‘Enhanced Linux kernel for power users’ package from the Application Manager.
2. Reboot.
3. To verify if the kernel was installed correctly enter ‘uname -a’ in X-Terminal. The output should be something like
$ uname -a
Linux Nokia-N900 2.6.28.10power37 #1 PREEMPT Wed May 26 00:24:03 EEST 2010 armv7l unknown
Un-install however requires a couple of commands on the command-line.
Mobile Hotspot
1. Install Mobile Hotspot from the Application Manager.
2. Launch Mobile Hotspot.
3. Select Connection.
4. Select Hotspot name and enter one.
5. Enable WEP encryption and enter a WEP code (at least 5 characters) if you wish. WEP is insecure anyway!
6. Click Start. When ‘Stop’ appears the hotspot is ready for service.
I often have issues with Mobile Hotspot. My wifi-router requires a reboot every time I run Mobile Hotspot at home. Not sure why that happens. You might also encounter some bugs but the app is still usable. It effectively hides all the complexities involved in the setup.
Joiku (Paid)
A paid application that offers a few more options compared to Mobile Hotspot. I think its on sale in the Ovi Store this month at $4.99.
I plan to close out the ‘Tethering..’ series with a summary that will present most (if not all) the tethering options that the N900 can bring to the table. I hope the posts were useful.
Joikuspot is the best and its worth the $5! It also has a nice UI with gauges to show the speed 🙂
Nice articles, thanks for sharing the info!
I also recommend JoikuSpot over Mobile HotSpot. JoikuSpot doesn’t require new kernel to be installed, it’s easy to use and works just as advertised. I’ve had no hiccups with it, haven’t tried MHS though (and that’s because I’d have to install new kernel). So yep, sometimes it’s better to pay for something. 🙂
Rubbish @ Joikuspot posts. It’s unreliable, flakey, SLOW and next to useless. I can’t believe people think it’s worth charging for! Perhaps the only reason they’re advocating it is because they haven’t yet tried anything else (or perhaps they are solely going by their experience with joiku on another phone, where it’s usually alright). I’ve never had Joiku stay up for more than 2 minutes, and I’ve never had it exit gracefully without requireing a reboot to get things right again.
If it doesn’t work for YOU it doesn’t mean it’s rubbish 🙂 I never had problems with it, it’s reliable and fast. I downloaded a 1.2GB through it and I had no problems at all. Except the N900 was hot like a toaster, haha.
will this work on UK T mobile? i would like to use this but i dont know anything about programing or anything. all i know is you ionstall it and it does the work. please could some one get back with some instructions and if it will work in UK
thanks
Yes it should work with any valid GPRS connection. Mobile Hotspot or Joikuspot don’t require any programming. give it a shot!
I use a UK T-Mobile MobileBroadband SIM in my N900.
I also use Joikuspot, both work very well together.
I’ll go along with @asdsad above and recommend Joikuspot.
It obviously doesn’t work for everyone – @Wes, but you can get it for (I think) a 7 day trial to check if it works for you
I’m glad that some were able to use Joikuspot. I bought it when it was like $9. I just unloaded it and loaded Mobile hotspot. The most common problem was that the phone got HOT. To the point where the connection would stop working. Every 20 minutes I’d have to turn off tethering, wait for the phone to cool then restart. I’m just testing mobile hotspot and so far no overheating issues. Not as nice as Joikuspot in terms of usability but the fact that I can use it for a long duration is key. When there is an update to Joikuspot I’ll try it again, but until then it’s $9 down the drain.
It (MHS) works perfectly! I had to wait a while to see that it works. Now, I don’t need an USB cable to have internet connection 🙂 Thanks for sharing this knowledge.
hi, i try to install mobile hotspot but i always get the message indication confliction with maemo and hence it cannot be installed:( please help me out!! I have installed both kernel applications though the second one was settings.. thank you
Good luck using a 100mW crap wifi for ap or adhoc. I was on a 2 weeks trip where I had to use 3G on my n900 and read the guides about how to share the net by using your phone in adhoc mode.
The guide also says its theoretical and unusable and that’s the truth!
I didnt have problem with the speed but the wifi connection was dropping in every 5-10 minutes periodically. I thought it’s because maemos conn manager try to put the interface back to managed mode or something but no.
The best way is to use the USB cable and make usb networking between your laptop and the phone or between your router and the phone.
thank u so much……i returned my data card to the compant tata inidcom in india…thanks a lot u saved me money…….
Hello, every body,
It seems my n900 in very serious problem, I have install hot spot on my N900 and after that I have restarted the mobile using CSU -feature, the device successfully shut down after that it is failed to start again, i have tried force fully switch on the device couple of times, it show the NOKIA screen again the device switching have(Note batter was full , even i have tried with plug-in the power cable). Please help me what can I do?
Thanks
Naveen M
naveenkumar.meda@gmail.com
Naveen, using joikuspot made my 900 real hot and it would shut down even if plugged in. I had to use ice packs then it would stay on. If yours don’t work at all i would do a backup then fresh reinstall of maemo and joikuspot so there isn’t other programs runnung while joikuspot is running.
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Thank you very much