[tadroid]

I have been looking into my ubiquitous connectivity options, and though it might be good to start a thread here for discussion. It'd sure be a sweet thing to be able to take my PDN pretty much everywhere and and connect at 3G/4G speeds.To start things off, I was looking into Clear, and found some interesting (if somewhat confusing - to me at least - information), some of which I also posted on the infrastructure/ad hoc sticky thread, but thought the topic might be broad enough for a broader thread to share info.Anyway, in looking into Clear and its options, they have a new device and plan - the iSpot for $99 (a wireless hotspot/4G modem) and the associated iSpot On-The-Go plan for $25/month, and a Clear Spot 4G device for $99 and associated Get One On-the-Go CLEAR Internet plan for $40/month.A few things sort of confuse me about these devices and plans - mostly why are there two devices (they look identical except the color) and why do the plans have identical features but differing prices? Checking out the the iSpot and plan first (since the device is white and therefore color-coordinates better with the PDN , plus the plan is cheaper), the iSpot FAQ says: What if I want to connect my laptop?iSpot was built and optimized by CLEAR for Apple mobile devices (although Apple isn?t likely to tell you that) . If you want to experience the same kind of tummy-twisting speed on your laptops, cameras or other smartphones, there are some sweet Spot products that will make you very happy.Reading further, the iSpot On-The-Go plan FAQ, says: Will it work with a regular laptop?The iSpot device and the iSpot On-the-go plan were both optimized by CLEAR for Apple mobile devices. If you want to use other wi-fi enabled devices, take a look at our Clear Spot 4G personal hotspot. Now, I have a home network that works with visiting Apple devices, and my wireless router doesn't seem to discriminate against - or even know - they are Apple devices; it's all 802.11b/g/n to it. Is there some sort of OS or device-identifying info that flows during the process of a device connecting to a wireless router? If not, why would you pay the extra $15/month and how the heck can Clear prevent folks from just using the iSpot and iSpot-On-The-Go plan for other sorts of devices (like maybe a PDN)? Side question: If there is a way to determine if a device requesting a connection is Apple or not, can this be spoofed somehow? Surely some of the coding wizards out there know something...As with most PDN hackers, my goal is to get the maximum bang for the buck (OK, I'm a cheapskate - I have gotten both my devices - after all coupons and rebates clear - for under $100). The PDN seems to clearly deliver on value tablet-wise, what's the best deal connectivity-on-the-go-wise?

 

[thebgrian]

This is a review for the iSpot and some answers for your questions. In brief you can spoof the MAC of a device, but I don't know how you can do that for the PDN. The plan is at a great price, don't think there is a better price for 4G mobile connection.Clear iSpot review -- Engadget

 

[nchntrman]

I have a friend with the Cradelpoint Wifi Mobile Hotspot device (she got from eBay for about $160). It accepts a USB cellular data dongle and provides a wifi hotspot (infrastructure mode), she uses it with Alltel/Verizon card. It has a rechargable battery inside and lasts for approximately 3hours. Recharges/powers off of USB port. It works with all wifi devices, laptop and PD Novel. Hope this helps.

 

[lawman]

I have a friend with verizon mifi hotspot device. Works with the pdn, etc.

 

[tadroid]

I used to use MyTether with my Sprint Palm Pre, but a few webOS updates ago, it pretty much stopped working reliably, so I thought I was SOL. Was one of the reasons I started this thread, Actually.About the only affordable seeming option for me - the iSpot from Clear with the $25/month plan for Apple mobile device users I mentioned initially - turns out to actually screen for Apple mobile device MAC addresses connecting to it, thus making it difficult/impossible for use with the PDN. There is a way to override/spoof MAC addresses in Linux, but I don't know if those work in Android, and I found varying reports on the results even if you can get it to work, e.g., routers and other HW devices like the iSpot seem to be able to see the real MAC anyway.So, I went back to seeing if MyTether was working these days since I had more motivation - in the form of my PDN - to do so (and since I had donated to the dev and thus had lifetime free updates...). Turns out not so much, although it did work spottily after I updated the webOS version the other day and re-installed the latest MyTether version.I was sort of irritated until here I found that there is another possibility - a hacked version of the Verison hotspot app for the Pre that also - in combination with another piece of code the article discusses - allows you to use wireless tethering on your Pre. I had all the necessary stuff already installed on my PC, so I downloaded the apps, pushed them across, and viola! It worked immediately!Now I have a wireless hotspot capability my PDN can use for free (well, for no more than I already pay for my Sprint Everything plan). The speed isn't amazing - the best I've seen in great coverage areas is ~1.2 - 1.3 Mbps download speeds - but it is affordable, and browsing on my PDN is a better experience than trying to use the browser on the Pre. I love the Pre form factor most of the time, but for browsing, I just need more real estate. Plus the PDN gives me access to even more apps I won't really use than the Pre does, as Android apps outnumber webOS apps by a wide margin. And, of course, I can read books more comfortably, too.

 

[emajy]

I also use the Hotspot option on my Palm Pre and it works fine for the PDN and my notebook.

 

[hward]

I have the Clearspot on the go plan in Chicago...it works great. From my understanding, the iSpot will only work on Apple devices because of special MAC address filtering built into it's firmware. Not sure if there is an app for Android to spoof the MAC of the PDN, but it may be something to look into if you want to try and save the extra $15 a month...

 

[aludal]

LOL! why stop there? Spoof the MAC of a connected Apple device, phish its password via Ethereal or whatever sniffer, and use your iSpots free of any charge. Don't forget to change the PDN's preamble showing off that it's some stupid s3c6410 device into something decent -- like iPad 2, lol.Just kidding.