WalkingHotSpot software morphs your smartphone into WiFi router
TapRoot system's WalkingHotSpot seems to deliver the cure for what ails many would-be tetherers by get the job done in a snap. For just $24.99 a year -- we do miss the free JoikuSpot days -- your Symbian S60 or UIQ phone, and Windows Mobile 6 device can be setup to act as a WiFi hotspot for you or anybody around you. Start the software, connect your laptop of what have you via WiFi -- which authenticates against the TapRoot servers -- and you are free to surf. Why the yearly fee and authentication via the WalkingHotSpot servers, you ask? Well, likely because they can, it helps curb piracy, or simply because it seems the software's original home was going to be carrier-based, and the infrastructure was planned that way. Not surprisingly, CEO Sean O'Leary was quoted as saying "Their first impression is cautiousness," of the carriers, as tethering has always been a bit of a gray -- and at times black -- area. They do offer a six day demo, so if you're curious, give it a whirl.
Filed under: Handsets, Software, Others, Symbian, Windows Mobile
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
PeterF @ Sep 11th 2008 5:24PM
This is better for Windows Mobile users.
http://www.wmwifirouter.com/
Why pay yearly for something like this? This isn't a service, its an application and shouldn't require a subscription.
Mobile Enthusiast @ Sep 11th 2008 6:50PM
I've been doing this forever using software developed at ppcgeeks and xda-developers, and blogged about it almost a year ago here:
http://mobile-enthusiast.blogspot.com/2007/11/make-your-ppc-phone-portable-wifi.html
NexVision @ Sep 11th 2008 7:09PM
I must agree y would u pay 25$ a yr for a service when WMR is a one time purchase rate plus you cant be the support you get from it works phenomenally everytime and u only pay once....
Engadget has some poor choices of articles to promote sometimes.
SoCoolCurt (PSN: KillaKornbread) @ Sep 11th 2008 7:37PM
well i use PDANet personally from JuneFabrics (actually using it right now to type this) to tether my Q9c to my laptop. i dont know why i would necessarily need it to be WiFi when the wired connection works just fine for me. i think it was only $24 too, one time.
JerryA @ Sep 11th 2008 9:53PM
Because it's nice to be able to provide an internet connection for yourself or others around you without the need for wires.
AstainHellbring @ Sep 11th 2008 7:44PM
The problem with this is its soooooo limiting on the user. Wmwifirouter has been allowing this for over a year is cheaper and works far better. Also wmwifirouter has been doing this very thing for long over a year.
NuShrike @ Sep 11th 2008 7:51PM
How is this news? Not only has WMWiFiRouter been doing this a lot longer, works with more devices, and with more features besides just wifi!
These guys are a joke if they continue to claim that they have patent-pending technology with so much priori-art such as WMWiFiRouter, JoikuSpot, PDANet !
ChrisP @ Sep 11th 2008 8:09PM
Heh, WMWifiRouter ( http://www.wmwifirouter.com/ ) and JoikuSpot ( http://www.joikuspot.com ) - and I think PDANet ( http://www.junefabrics.com/pdanet/ ) does this now too - have been doing this for a long time now, I've been following their progress closely for quite a while now, as well as WalkingHotSpot's.
As somebody above already posted (you can make it out from the link), the very first release of WMWifiRouter was in November of 2007 and came from the PPC hacker community. That's almost half a year before WalkingHotSpot even made their first announcement - Joiku was also already around by then (January 2008, I think), and PDANet has been around like forever (though not offering the wifi thing and requiring a seperate application on the client).
Also, neither of the others are a subscription service (and why would it be) ? WMWifiRouter offers a lot of options (aside from cell to wifi, also things like usb to wifi and in reverse, bluetooth, etc - and lots of advanced configuration stuff for the real geek) and very good support.
Besides, look at what the WalkingHotSpot guys have done. They see two companies already make a cool app - Joiku and WMWifiRouter - and try to steal the idea. Now I can somewhat agree with 'better stolen right than badly thought of', but how they continue makes it worse. The first thing they try to do is sell it to providers with the option for the providers to disable or limit it's usage for the end-user. Now they find they could not get the carriers to work with them, they offer it to consumers directly, but still limit the users by being a subscription service and limiting the number of devices. Also I've noticed that the 1.20 release of WMWifiRouter was today, and this was widely known to all who were interested. Is it a coincidence they released this press release now as well? I think not - and their release seems very rushed - you can't even download the WalkingHotSpot trial, or at least I haven't been able to.
Seems to me like they want you to try it out for a few days, make you think 'ah thats nice, I may need that sometime', so then you order it for a month. Then you start to use it more, and you will pay the annual license because, hey, you use it often cause it's a good idea. By then you will have payed more than for JoikuSpot, WMWifiRouter or PDANet, for less features, and being artificially limited.
Do you really want to be a customer to a company that employes those tactics? I sure wont. (Yeah, I do own copies of both WMWifiRouter and JoikuSpot)
And you know what the worst thing is.. you mister poster present this as something new, while Joiku, PDANet and WMWifiRouter have been around quite a while now and worst... Engadget Mobile has posted about these several times!
Mordy @ Sep 11th 2008 10:27PM
Ya, double lame-o. There are at least 2 other software packages that broadcast your cell connection as a wifi router.
Neither of them require subscription, and one of them is free!
Mr. H @ Sep 12th 2008 12:45AM
I got the full version of WalkingHotSpot not more than 4 or 5 months ago for free I believe. Did they just start charging for it recently? I'm pretty sure it used to be free. Or maybe my copy doesn't work anymore and it was just a trial. Haven't tried it in months.
Andrew @ Sep 12th 2008 10:00AM
I need some advice as far as hardware setups are concerned.
Would using a WiFi Router program on my phone be an applicable replacement for a DSL line for a single user? Do the phone serve as a 56k wireless or will it have "lighting fast speeds" of 3G from an HTC Touch Pro?
NuShrike @ Sep 15th 2008 3:39PM
Running at the same data speeds as your phone, you could use it as a replacement for your DSL line if you can hide from your wireless carrier that you're tethering and that you're going to run afoul of some usage cap, no matter how 'unlimited' it is.
You could be missing a firewall, and all the options a normal router provides.
ScottBob @ Sep 12th 2008 11:59AM
What about Wfifofum? I think that is what it is called. Search google for it, it is a free app that does this same thing and does it well. Several times I have tethered my phone to my notebook while in the car in a pinch.
Andrew @ Sep 12th 2008 5:36PM
Does this make it so you don't pay a tethering fee to the telecoms or...?
charles @ Sep 15th 2008 5:59PM
I've tried both Joikuspot and WMwifirouter - and Walkinghotspot totally blows both competing solutions away. Walkinghotspot works every time -- the easiest to configure - has superior security and power management features - and is very intuitive. I'm happy to pay a few Dollars extra per year for premium software that works every time! And I'm saving +$800 per year..
These guys launched a rock solid product - which is important when launching this to the average end-user -- not just early adapters as you. I need a rock solid solution now. I gave up my wireless data card! Chris - competition is healthy! May the best man win...
NuShrike @ Sep 16th 2008 4:24PM
Okay, I call you WHS troll considering the amount of fluff and strawman arguments you just put out. What is this "works every time" since you give no metric versus anything else. What is this security, and power management features.. what is intuitive?
How is it saving you $800 because it "works every time" versus other software packages which also save you your $800 and also "works every time"?
Isn't using WHS the very definition of being a early adapter[sic] since it only came out March, and officially, sorta, not really, launched versus other products that have been vetted for much longer on the market? Rock solid solution, what does that mean, and how does this vagueness make it better exactly?
Just more PR trolling from WHS.