How to get Tethered Internet on your iPhone for free without Jailbreaking

OK, so it’s not exactly free. And it’s not exactly the same as paying for it either. — But, it does give you tethered internet (“tethering”), and it works on iOS 3, 4, and even iOS 5.0!

First off, you have to be a developer. Being an iOS developer (costs $99/year) lets you run unapproved Apps on your iPhone … such as iProxy, which lets you setup a proxy server for your laptop for free web surfing on-the-go.

If you don’t know what a proxy server is, and you don’t know how to compile Apps for your iPhone, I suggest you don’t bother with this. :)

Steps to get this awesome, open-source, Free App working:

1. Compile iProxy with XCode (you’ll need to reset the “Code Signing” settings first)
2. Go to the Project Menu, and click “Archive”. Follow the steps to install via iTunes.
3. DONE. Configure it for your laptop — https://github.com/tcurdt/iProxy/wiki/Configuring-iProxy 

Occasionally, there’s an App that sneaks into the App Store with this code/feature hidden within it, but it’s pretty rare at this point. This approach is way better.

What’s even more ironic, is the $99/year to Apple is cheaper than tethering with AT&T, and it’s a better value if you’re a geek and you like to mess with stuff like this.

The main reason I like this: I don’t actually need tethering, but, it’s handy when I do. I don’t use very much bandwidth, and I’m not willing to sacrifice my unlimited data with AT&T and pay more for tethering on top of that. This is perfect for me. It gives me access to a feature I almost never use.

I just wish it were easier, but if it were, everyone would do it! — Action shot below:

Enjoy, as usual. If you like this, be sure to donate to the guys that built the App.

Apple’s Remote Desktop software is secretly bundled for free with every Mac!

I’d always used Apple’s built-in VNC server for remote system administration via Chicken of the VNC, but today I learned there is a better option based on what Apple includes with their “sold separately” Remote Desktop software. Ironically, it’s essentially the same product (including Clipboard sharing and Image scaling) … just less bloated and hidden for free deep inside most Macintosh computers!

Go to this folder on your computer: /System/Library/CoreServices/
(You can get there quickly by pressing Command+Shift+G in the Finder and pasting that string in as the folder)

In that folder, you’ll see an app called “Screen Sharing” … create a shortcut in your Applications folder by holding Command+Option and dragging it there. Do not move the actual file, make sure you hold those keys down and it will “link” it as a duplicate alias.

This App works just like Remote Desktop, and can even save passwords in your system’s Keychain. Just enter a hostname and remember to enable “Screen Sharing” on the destination machine before starting!

I’m not sure why Apple didn’t just put this in the Utilities folder? Enjoy!