Instructions on how to 'tether' to Bold's ATT wifi hotspot connections

I hope its useful to someone as it was to me.

Bold on ATT with BIS/BES unlimited data plan comes with free wifi connection on ATT wifi hotspots (Starbucks, bookstores, airports). However, you still have to pay for wifi access on those hotspots if you want to use your laptop to access the internet.

There is a way to 'piggy back' off of Bold's att wifi connection and access internet from your laptop. Of course, if you pay $15/mo for tethering, this is moot.

Anyway, here's how:

1) Install AT&T Communications Manager (ACM) http://www.wireless.att.com/businesscenter/solutions/wireless-laptop/software.jsp

When in a ATT wifi hotspot.
2) Make sure no other networks are connected on your laptop.
3) Disable phone radio. (w/o this step, I found that ACM tries to tether using 3G, and it will fail unless you have a tethering plan)
4) Make sure bold is connected to att wifi hotspot
5) Connect Bold to laptop via USB (or bluettoth, but I have not tried using bluetooth)
6) Start ACM. When you see that it has found the device and network. Connect to network.
7) Click Connect from ACM.

I suspect this will work for other wifi enabled att blackberries and phones but, I did not try.

Is this legal?

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

Any way to do this on a Mac?

Originally Posted by ItnStln511

Is this legal?

You are basically accessing a service that there is a fee for but you did not pay for. What do you think?

If you have at&t internet service for your home, at&t wifi hotspots are free. At least with my uverse service its free

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Originally Posted by VZWRocka

You are basically accessing a service that there is a fee for but you did not pay for. What do you think?

reading this made me lol' irl.

Originally Posted by VZWRocka

You are basically accessing a service that there is a fee for but you did not pay for. What do you think?

See, I dont believe this is the case. In my opinion, the tethering fee that AT&T wants you to pay for is for tethering to a computer and using the data connection. But, if your blackberry is connected to a free AT&T wifi hotspot, and you adhoc the connection from a laptop (via bluetooth or whatever) then it shouldn't count.

Originally Posted by dkh587

Any way to do this on a Mac?

Adhoc the connection via bluetooth (assuming you have a more recent macbook).

Originally Posted by VZWRocka

You are basically accessing a service that there is a fee for but you did not pay for. What do you think?

I'm going to say yes, it is illegal...

Is there any wayy for AT&T to find out that you're doing this?

What does disable phone radio mean?

I'm assuming you won't be able to receive any phone calls while tethered correct?

Yes he means Disabling the 3G Radio so that only the WIFI option is turned on.

Why would you tether to your phone while in a wifi hotspot? Why not just use the wifi and your computer directly?

Originally Posted by medium_robin

Why would you tether to your phone while in a wifi hotspot? Why not just use the wifi and your computer directly?

Because the free wi-fi is through your phone with ATT not just any device.

Originally Posted by TexMedic

Because the free wi-fi is through your phone with ATT not just any device.

Is it free if you're using an AT&T LaptopConnect card?

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Thanks for the tip. I'll have try it out sometime.

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Originally Posted by lordcon

Adhoc the connection via bluetooth (assuming you have a more recent macbook).

Okay, dumb question. What is adhoc? lol

When I try to use my home Wifi connection to tether, with the radio turned off, it says "No carrier detected" when I try to connect via bluetooth. I have the new aluminum Macbook. Does it say that because I'm not using an AT&T connection?

Has anyone successfully done this? and does it work?

bump......

have anyone tried this and found to work fine? without a charge in next month's bill offcourse.. :P

any one have any more input on this? I have been thinking of doing this but by hooking it up to a router but I am not actually sure that it will work the way I think it will in my head.

Go to starbucks, drop 20 on a starbucks card, free att wifi.

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Not exactly the same but this came from a co-worker. I use this option as noted - If you have at&t internet service for your home, at&t wifi hotspots are free. At least with my dsl service its free

"on AT&T with tethering. Using the AT&T
communication manager SW
(http://www.wireless.att.com/business...CM-7.1.030.exe)
which looks for both blackberry and AT&T Wifi connections (at Starbucks,
airports, etc....), make sure it finds both your blackberry and
AT&T wifi (it takes a few mins to do that). Once you have both showing up,
you can connect using the AT&T wifi button. It will use the blackberry for
authentication only and will connect you to the wifi. You can then
disconnect the blackberry and you're good to go. I've used it numerous times
when I travel and it works."