Hotspot Control v1.0 released
Posted on 2013-04-11, 63 comments, 208 +1's, imported from Google+/Chainfire

NOTICE: This content was originally posted to Google+, then imported here. Some formatting may be lost, links may be dead, and images may be missing.

Hotspot Control is a tiny app that enables or disables Portable Hotspot functionality of Android. Usually you could just do this in Android settings, but on some devices this option is hidden, or only works if you have a SIM inserted.

Hotspot Control does away with those requirements, assuming that the hotspot functionality itself is actually still present on the device. Rooting is not required.

You can configure the access point (hotspot) name and password, encryption used is alway WPA2 AES + TKIP, to keep it simple.

I personally need this to create a private network (even without a SIM, and thus without an actual internet connection) in the field between a number of my devices (yeah, DSLR Controller). Some genius at Samsung decided that my Note II shouldn't create an access point if no SIM is present - I beg to differ! Maybe someone else has use for this as well.

This is probably not useful for more than a handful of people, but still ... I had to build it for myself anyway, might as well share it !


Hotspot Control

+1208
James Mason commented on 2013-04-11 at 21:12:

Take that, VZW!

Bjørn Julin commented on 2013-04-11 at 21:18:

This will come in handy, once my wife gets her new phone, and I get to play with the old one. Thanks a ton mate. :-D

Chainfire commented on 2013-04-11 at 21:37:

Tethering should work as well if you have an active data connection. The app issues the same calls as the settings app would !

Hrvoje Mesing commented on 2013-04-11 at 21:49:

Perfect!

Chainfire commented on 2013-04-11 at 21:52:

+Christopher M What are you using it for exactly? Which device? What is the problem? As stated in the OP, I wrote it specifically to bypass the SIM requirement in my Note II, I'm not sure if it will actually do anything else people seem to expect from it :)

Hrvoje Mesing commented on 2013-04-11 at 21:58:

".. need this to create a private network (even without a SIM, and thus without an actual internet connection) in the field between a number of my devices .." == <3.

Chainfire commented on 2013-04-11 at 22:02:

+Christopher M Well, don't leave us hanging, let us know how that works out :) Though if it does work, I don't think it'll take long before that hole is closed ...

Daniel Monteiro commented on 2013-04-11 at 22:06:

Great, keep it up :-D

Bryan L commented on 2013-04-11 at 22:08:

If if does work for +Christopher M AT&Greed will send you a nasty gram in short order to "inform" you that doing so requires said plan and will tell you that should you choose to continue, they'll take it upon themselves to switch you to that plan.

Bryan L commented on 2013-04-11 at 22:15:

Rest assured, they'll "educate" you shortly.

Chainfire commented on 2013-04-11 at 22:17:

+Christopher M Epic! And unintended too. Wait, I mean, that's totally what it was designed to do. True story! ;)

Bryan L commented on 2013-04-11 at 22:20:

I've read countless theories on how carriers detect the use of tethering and tried the prescribed measures to circumvent detection, all to no avail. I HATE that they feel it's justified to charge for data that's data that's data, alas they do.

Chainfire commented on 2013-04-11 at 22:27:

+Bryan L I have some experience with this - after all, I wrote WMWifiRouter way back when (if you look carefully, you'll notice that I'm actually using the WMWifiRouter icon), which was the very first mobile Wi-Fi tethering solution ever - and in the end it's really simple: if you're using it a lot, they will always be able to detect it, if they really want to. Aside from browsers identifying differently and reporting back, if you tether a computer, the network usage pattern is very different from a phone or tablet ...

Radha Shankar K commented on 2013-04-11 at 23:02:

Thank you for this; I now have a little use for my non-SIM phones !

Roger Baird commented on 2013-04-11 at 23:16:

Awesome, I always wanted a shortcut to turn on the hotspot on my N4 to tether my 7

Assis Brandão commented on 2013-04-11 at 23:22:
Edwin Pallens commented on 2013-04-11 at 23:27:

I am use foxfi it works wonderful and Verizon don't know lol 

Edwin Pallens commented on 2013-04-11 at 23:31:

Have you try this week with the new updates

Chainfire commented on 2013-04-11 at 23:40:

+Edwin Pallens No offense, but this is a release thread of one product, why would you even comment that you're happily using a different product ? A product this isn't even designed to compete with, I might add.

+Christopher M It'd be hard and highly unlikely, but not completely impossible, to fix this on their end. It can be done in theory, but it's infinitely more likely that if they will attempt to block this, it will be in a software update.

Bryan L commented on 2013-04-11 at 23:45:

+Chainfire common courtesy is something that's sorely lacking in society these days...

Assis Brandão commented on 2013-04-11 at 23:52:

+Chainfire +Christopher M Yes it works, even in my TAB Plus who does not have the native function and has no SIM Card

Arvin Atal commented on 2013-04-11 at 23:57:

Question: if I have an Android device that's connected to WiFi but without a SIM card, can I use this to make it a hotspot so other devices can connect to it?

Joe Bear commented on 2013-04-12 at 00:45:

Was hoping it would work with my Tmo galaxy s2, but alas, no. Same as usual it takes me to Tmo's sign up page. I just got the jellybean update but Iooks like back to cm 10.1 for the hotspot.

Christian Göllner commented on 2013-04-12 at 01:07:

+Chainfire , is it supposed to also work on devices that don't have that functionality visible in the system? I'm asking because my Nexus 10 (Wi-fi version) doesn't have the hotspot option in the system settings.

When I create the hotspot using your app, it is created with no problems but when I try to connect other devices to it keeps saying "obtaining ip address..."

Serbian Life commented on 2013-04-12 at 02:24:

I will try it tomorrow, maybe I find other use... otherwise I'll use it like a shortcut for tether from my wildfire to tablet (very painful turning it on everytime) and tasker sometimes works, sometimes won't, at least for me on wildfire... ((btw can someone point me about difference rev 2 and rev 10 processor, can't find anything about it. I know off topic sry.. ty.))

Vasiliy Shadrov commented on 2013-04-12 at 02:36:

It doesn't work on Nexus 7 just because it has no such an option at all, right? Or does it?

Christopher Wilkes commented on 2013-04-12 at 02:39:

WiFi connection is automatically disabled when HotSpot is enabled

Antonio Franco commented on 2013-04-12 at 04:22:

As I saw some posts about this working on stock devices, i had hope...oh well Sprint, i still will not dish extra $$$ to use my data plan as i see fit...CF if you can break sprint's 'hotspot check' even for 5 minutes before they block the 'hack' i'll not only buy you a beer, but a damn case! And a bottle of Jack ;)

Zahid Hasan commented on 2013-04-12 at 04:29:

So FREE tethering without the plan itself?

David Freeman commented on 2013-04-12 at 04:47:

Does it work for game systems?

Daniel Lukas Dienlin commented on 2013-04-12 at 05:40:

This is also great for sharing stuff over ftp with your computer, if you forgot your USB cable.

jezreel hutton commented on 2013-04-12 at 09:42:

Thank you Chainfire and thank for sharing with us your solutions. You didn't have to let us know but you did and for that am most grateful.

Chainfire commented on 2013-04-12 at 13:00:

FYI, I've updated to v1.1 (Play will take a few hours) that can work around the problem with the Nexus 10 not giving out IP addresses. That does require root, unfortunately.

Nana-Banyin Koranteng commented on 2013-04-12 at 19:40:

Would it be possible to use same with bluestacks on windows laptop?

Eric Ahn commented on 2013-04-13 at 16:41:

+Chainfire I'm interested in how you managed to make the tethering calls without root (I assume FoxFi uses the same method). Am I correct in thinking Java reflection is being used?

Chainfire commented on 2013-04-13 at 21:24:

+Nana-Banyin Koranteng I suggest you try it and see.

+Eric Ahn I have no idea what FoxFi uses, but this does indeed work through reflection.

Tse Gabriel commented on 2013-04-14 at 00:13:

great app

thanks

tural pashayev commented on 2013-04-14 at 07:37:

Hello

Joris Dirks commented on 2013-04-14 at 14:44:

I seam unable to view Christopher M's comments, thus I don't know exactly whereto you're using this hotspot.. and I'm curious! Without a SIM, I can only imagine sharing the data connection you have over USB, or for a device-to-device transmission (when an ad-hoc network would not work on the client device)

Bakeel Aljradi commented on 2013-04-14 at 22:27:

I like it , it's very easy

Cameron Schluchtner commented on 2013-04-15 at 19:24:

great concept for those without tethering enabled.  but i may for it so it is not for me

Ronald Ajtaji commented on 2013-04-17 at 23:07:

Unfortunately I am unable to download this on my 2.3.6 phone from the play store, and the apk off my nexus download says parser error when transferred to my phone for a try at this hotspot feature

shah white commented on 2013-04-21 at 18:48:

Nice, it would be nice if i could use this as a hotspot internet connection for my nexus 7 to my pc, but i cant..although i figured out easytether with usb cable, it can tether internet connection from my nexus 7 to my pc, but i wish i could use wireless hotspot from my nexus 7, +1

Ronald Ajtaji commented on 2013-04-22 at 16:11:
Chainfire commented on 2013-04-22 at 16:37:

+Ronald Ajtaji It's for Android 4.0+ ...

Yasintorn Panudom commented on 2013-05-07 at 21:26:

Good

Markus Ehrlich commented on 2013-05-21 at 08:25:

Cooool. Must have.

adam pace commented on 2013-05-23 at 22:34:

Grousest

nhil sokuntheara commented on 2013-08-12 at 14:06:

Good

gerardo de losantos commented on 2013-11-21 at 09:22:

Un saludo a todos.Os leo y como novato no entiendo nada de nada ¡disculpad¡, os explico mi problema:

He comprado u Haier W 910 y va de cine pero....NO SE CONECTA a wifi

la pregunta es ¿alguien me puede ayudar? ¿tiene solución? os ruego que la contestación sea para un NOVATO. GRACIAS

Markus Ehrlich commented on 2013-11-22 at 20:00:

+gerardo de losantos deberias explicar bien como te tratas de conectar cada paso. Pero de hecho este Hilo no es para tratar esos problemas. Si deseas via pm.

gerardo de losantos commented on 2013-11-22 at 22:20:

Ah mil perdones.ok

Cindy Alcedo commented on 2014-05-16 at 01:13:

Hay alguna manera que tu conozcas de desbloquear el tethering de AT&T i777? +Chainfire 

Luis Binet commented on 2014-07-26 at 22:08:

esta APP no funciona en el SPH-L720 te pide que seas root, si no lo eres no lo reconoce la opcion.

Lachula Davila commented on 2016-01-24 at 00:11:

Hola! Tengo un celular at&t desbloquiado y lo estoy usando con metro pcs pero mi problema es q no puedo usar el hotspot del celular porq es At&t.

Habrá alguien q me pueda decir si tiene solución? Para poder usar el hotspot.

Cindy Alcedo commented on 2016-01-24 at 01:01:

cámbiale el sistema operativo.

Jens Lambert commented on 2016-02-04 at 16:35:

Does this app affect data usage or can it be set without having to remove the sim...funny thing is I want to use it for dslr remote as well

Jorge Luis Frias commented on 2016-06-25 at 11:55:

Podrias desarrollar una aplicación parecida que pueda quitar el bloqueo de la zona WiFi móvil en celulares zte z992 de at&t y en motorola Atrix mb886 por favor. Yo use SQ lite pero veo que se activa pero no funciona no pasa los datos a los dispocitivos conectados

Jorge Luis Frias commented on 2016-06-25 at 11:55:

Nesecito ayuda

Cristian Ulloa commented on 2016-07-07 at 03:10:

Buenas

Jerry Gomez commented on 2017-01-25 at 13:59:

la verdad no me sirvio at&t

Mudassar Iqbal commented on 2017-07-01 at 16:33:

my phone Hotspot not support problem

Mudassar Iqbal commented on 2017-07-01 at 16:34:

sm n900p

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