Tag Archives: app
Android App Review: FoxFi – Free non-root WiFi tethering
The Google Play store is filled with Android apps for enabling mobile phone users to turn their phones into mobile WiFi hotspots, a practice known as tethering. With smartphone data plans hitting several gigabyte monthly allowances, and LTE wireless connections that sometimes provide speedier connections than cable modems, the ability to use your phone’s Internet connection on your other devices is incredibly useful. One of the major roadblocks involved in many of the tethering apps on Google Play is that these apps require your device to be rooted. The answer? A nifty app called FoxFi.
FoxFi is able to run on any non-rooted phones, provided that your carrier supports it. If Google Play says that the app is not compatible with your device, chances are that your carrier has blocked it. Never fear – the FoxFi developers provide the APK online at http://foxfi.com/bin/ for you to download and install.
Once installed, the app has a single screen for all of its settings – enable or disable the hotspot, set the network name, and enter a WPA password (so that not everyone in the area with a WiFi card can piggyback on your phone’s data plan).
In my limited testing of the app, I found that the connection was reliable, and just as fast as my phone’s connection to the network was (I was in an area with AT&T LTE coverage – so it was quick). Be aware that some battery-saver apps such as JuiceDefender may turn your WiFi or data connections off while you’re using the app, which, needless to say, would be undesirable. Remember to keep tabs on your data usage – it’s fairly easy to use up several GB of data watching YouTube videos over LTE.
