121 replies to this topic

[gengaro86]

Liquid Tether

As promised somewhere else on this forum, I release the first public beta of my App which allows you to use your Acer Liquid device as a full-working wireless router.

System Requirements

• ACER LIQUID (that's it, I don't know if this would work on LiquidE too but I think so. I'm sure it won't work on any other phone around )
  
• Running Android 2.1 or above (probably it could even run on Donut if you're using disc0's kernel with NETFILTER enabled)
  
• Phhusson hacked kernel with NETFILTER enabled (thank you phh, you're great) http://android.modac...r-v1-7-and-1-6/
  
• Rooted device (well.. of course )

How it works
That's quite simple. Open the app (is the one in the middle of your launcher, with that ugly icon) and click "Start" to start Tethering. Please note that after having clicked "Start" you have to wait a few seconds (7, to be precise), after that, some output will be provided, you will see the "Done, tethering started.." message, this means that you can actually connect to your phone using your laptop, everywhere you are.
While tethering, the "Start" button is disabled, while the "Stop" button is enabled (and viceversa if you're not tethering).
When you're done, just press the "Stop" button and wait 4-5 seconds, tethering will be stopped.
Also, while tethering you're able to see who requested a DHCP Lease to dnsmasq, in this way you may see who's connected.
I've used it the whole day today, it's fairly stable and the connection is really FAST (depending on your mobile provider of cours). I was used to Proxoid but this is another world, believe me.


Things that are missing
Yep, something is missing. I've developed the whole app and scripts in one night and released it after less than 7 hours from the first stable version, so I forgot something on the road and something needs to be fixed. This are the things that I'd like to implement in future versions (which will be released based on weekly snapshots), in descendant priority order:

• White/Black list filtering of MAC Addresses
  
• Disable beaconing the SSID if you are already connected
  
• Configurable DNSs
  
• Better graphics
  
• A real "Who's connected right now"

Known bugs
Err yes, there are known bugs too. In priority order:

• If you have tethering on and for some reason you try to enable the Android's Wifi Manager (by clicking the power control widget, for example) your phone will reboot. That's actually a kernel panic.
  
• If you receive a call while tethering, connection becomes unstable (you won't be disconnected, but pages loading will be very slow)
  
• Log screen doesn't scroll when text is received
  
• Log screen doesn't "live update"
  
• If you're under GNU/Linux and are experiencing troubles in connecting to the Ad-Hoc network please read this!

Disclaimer
This software is released AS IS. I'm not in any way responsible if your Liquid:

• gets bricked (I don't think this may happen for real)
  
• takes fire (call the fire department)
  
• starts talking dirty to you (smash it on the ground until it learns the lesson)
  
• insults your parents (same as above)
  
• sends OTA updates to aliens and you get raped (may happen for real)

Also, this is an open beta, this means that I know that's something could be better but I strongly need your feedbacks as I'd like to deploy this app into the Market too.


Sources
Sources will be released during the next weeks, I just need to clean up the code, make use of a real design pattern and so on.


Credits
phhussons, I was waiting a NETFILTER enabled kernel since I've bought my Liquid.
malez, piter1225, vachounet, LCR is just the best ROM out there.
Ginseng Coffee, without it I wouldn't even have released this.

Downloads
Liquid Tether 0.3.9
If you're coming from version 0.2.0 you have to uninstall the old version first!
If you're coming from version 0.3.8 AFTER HAVING INSTALLED, OPEN THE APP, GO INTO THE CONFIG PANEL E PUSH "RECREATE FILES", OTHERWISE IT WON'T WORK!



PLEASE, provide feedbacks. PLEASE, do not upload this to a mirror. PLEASE, provide feedbacks.

Changelog
Version 0.3.9-1:
- Compatible with Froyo (FRF91 by Phhusson!). I hope I didn't break the compatibility with Eclair.

Version 0.3.9:
- Rewrote the scripts to be full compliant with the newest official Acer BIN. Please note that YOU HAVE TO INSTALL A NETFILTER ENABLED KERNEL, you can find it in this forum, in the thread about the newest BIN (thanks to Pretoriano for linking it). You also need a full working BUSYBOX, you can install it via malez recovery ("Replace busybox", under "Other" menu).
- Included iptables in the APK. If the script doesn't detect iptables in your system it will use the one included, otherwise it's always better to use original binaries (and this is what the app will do)
- Added in the tether_on script a check to see if you've got NETFILTER enabled in your kernel.

Version 0.3.8:
- Added Configuration Panel (Open app, press MENU Key and then click on "Config"). You will see three input fields: the first one is the SSID of the Ad-Hoc network which will be created; the second one is the wep key (it must be 13 charachters long!) and the third one (currently disabled, will be enabled on next version) will let you select the ip class of the connection. There are also three buttons: Submit actually stores your configurations, Clear re-parses the configuration files (useful to see if your files actually changed) and Recreate Files restores the default APK files (overriding your settings). The third button may be useful in case you'd like to hack the provided scripts (which are in /data/data/net.gengaro.liquid) and made some mistakes.
- Liquid Tether is now a background service, that's it. Android may kill the Activity for the App but the Wireless connection will be kept on. This is a great change and I've worked on this almost 2 days to have it run in the most comfortable way, now nothing may kill your wireless connection.
- Code rewriting, something is re-writed from scratch so now the code should be faster than before and more compliant to the Android Standards. I'm not ready to open the sources yet, I'll do it in a few weeks.


If you find this to be useful to you, please consider donating me a Ginseng Coffee!

Edited by gengaro86, 03 August 2010 - 02:49 PM.

[andrew2511]

let's try!  

p.s. AWESOME disclaimer ahahahahaha!

Edited by andrew2511, 30 June 2010 - 06:28 PM.

[HustlinDaily]

Using it right now. Thank you very much!

[nameless']

Won't use it since I don't have a data plan anymore, but anyway, great app

I think you already planned this, but a configurable WEP Key would be nice

So, just thanks to provide some tools for the community

edit : Yeah, no feedback, but I think a "thx" post is always welcome

Edited by nameless', 30 June 2010 - 06:33 PM.

[gengaro86]

nameless', on Jun 30 2010, 18:32, said:

I think you already planned this, but a configurable WEP Key would be nice

So, just thanks to provide some tools for the community

edit : Yeah, no feedback, but I think a "thx" post is always welcome

Yes it is, obviously


And yes, the configurable WEP Key is part of the "Config Panel" which I'm already developing and will be included (I hope) in the next weekly snapshot.

Thank you again

[Piter1225]

Damn, I love your sense of humour friend

Lets test it

[ahsid]

works like a charm for me. Thank you very much, this is very good work !

[14.]

This is a good program,Thank you for your work

[Robety]

Really nice
Thanks alot m8

[liquid_it]

Well, I know it's just me.. but I can't connect!!!  
I can test it only with my laptop (Acer 1810tz), and both with W7 or Ubuntu 10.04 the SSID is not in list, nor I can force  a connection to an hidden network.
No errors are shown when tethering is started.
Any idea???
BTW the only bug I found (apart this weirdness) is that changing from portrait to landscape tethering is stopped and if you try to re-enable it app FC.

[alfarobl]

liquid_it, on Jun 30 2010, 19:17, said:

Well, I know it's just me.. but I can't connect!!!  
I can test it only with my laptop (Acer 1810tz), and both with W7 or Ubuntu 10.04 the SSID is not in list, nor I can force  a connection to an hidden network.
No errors are shown when tethering is started.
Any idea???
BTW the only bug I found (apart this weirdness) is that changing from portrait to landscape tethering is stopped and if you try to re-enable it app FC.

Same here from Macbook there is no SSID, running LCR 1.6 with 883Mhz kernel with netfilter. No go.

UPDATE: Reading info on first post I never see "Done, tethering started.." my log gets stuck on "PowerLock isn't held.. holding it!" then nothing more is shown... only I can press Stop button.

UPDATE2: Fixed upgrade to LCR 1.7 and now it works! Seems LCR 1.6 or kernel is missing something (iptables?)

Edited by alfarobl, 02 July 2010 - 10:26 PM.

[gengaro86]

alfarobl, on Jun 30 2010, 19:33, said:

Same here from Macbook there is no SSID, running LCR 1.6 with 883Mhz kernel with netfilter. No go.

Where does the script stop?
Can you see the "Done, tethering started.." line or it stops somewhere else?

Also, could you please provide the output of "adb shell which iptables" ?

Edited by gengaro86, 30 June 2010 - 07:39 PM.

[Piter1225]

I'm running Vista and everything works great, will check that with Ubuntu too, but I'm too lazy to reboot my PC now

[gengaro86]

I'm on Debian and everything seems to work.

BTW, I think that the problem for LCR 1.6 is related with how phhusson built that kernel, seems like iptables is missing (still waiting output, tho) because it stops on "Flushing iptables"

[liquid_it]

gengaro86, on Jun 30 2010, 21:38, said:

Also, could you please provide the output of "adb shell which iptables" ?

Ok it seems like I've no iptables..

captive@homer:~$ adb shell which iptables
captive@homer:~$

I'm on phh kernel @920.
edit: installed iptables bin from lcr, still no go. I have an "you may now start tethering" and everything shown in the screenshot.
edit2: I bet is some other missing bin. can you provide a list of the bin your apk makes use of?

Attached Files

•  device.png   56.44K   42 downloads

Edited by liquid_it, 30 June 2010 - 08:50 PM.

[Dona']

Sorry if this is a noob question but can I have to pay if I use this ?

I mean can my data provider notice that I use this and make me pay more ? I already have a data plan but I don't know if my provider allows tethering.

[gengaro86]

Dona', on Jun 30 2010, 21:16, said:

Sorry if this is a noob question but can I have to pay if I use this ?

I mean can my data provider notice that I use this and make me pay more ? I already have a data plan but I don't know if my provider allows tethering.

THEORICALLY they can't know wether you're tethering or not because all traffic passes through your phone, they just see normal phone traffic.
ANYWAY it's better for you to ask to your provider..

[gengaro86]

liquid_it, on Jun 30 2010, 20:06, said:

edit2: I bet is some other missing bin. can you provide a list of the bin your apk makes use of?

Hell yeah!
ifconfig, dnsmasq (included in the apk), iptables and wpa_supplicant.

Please provide a logcat | grep -i wpa_supplicant while starting tethering

Edited by gengaro86, 30 June 2010 - 09:29 PM.

[liquid_it]

gengaro86, on Jun 30 2010, 23:27, said:

Please provide a logcat | grep -i wpa_supplicant while starting tethering

Which is empty..  
BUT!!! I found what was wrong: in tether_on you do a rm -rf, which somehow won't work on my liquid (it doesn't like -f option)
I'm trying if it works with the "debugged" script.
edit: client keeps asking pwd and won't connect. I'm investigating..

Edited by liquid_it, 30 June 2010 - 10:02 PM.

[nameless']

gengaro86, on Jun 30 2010, 21:21, said:

THEORICALLY they can't know wether you're tethering or not because all traffic passes through your phone, they just see normal phone traffic.
ANYWAY it's better for you to ask to your provider..

No I think you're wrong, because if I remember well, they know that you're using tethering by you user-agent of your browser. And off course, if you make p2p, or anything else, they know, as it's not communicating on default browsing port (80, 443 mainly).

The only way to bypass this, is to change the user-agent of your browser. To do this :

There are extensions for Firefox for sure, and I think there are for chrome too. Just hit "user-agent extension firefox/chrome" on google and you'll find it.

Then go to http://whatsmyuseragent.com/ from your phone, and copy paste the whole string to the extension.

Enable it when you're using tethering, and THEORYCALLY you should be ok

Don't know if it's ok for others programs like msn though...

So, be careful and take care of your data plan when using tethering for the 1st time. And don't try dowloading your next movie with it

edit : btw, at least in France and Spain, there is no operator allowing tethering as I know, or only with extra option in your dataplan

Edited by nameless', 30 June 2010 - 09:50 PM.