[Nexus 5 General] CellPhish:
Hey all, I been reading all kinds of methods to tether with the Nexus 5 (also during the Nexus 4 prime), and helped a couple of members here at XDA how I got to tether my T-Mobile's truly unlimited data with 5 GB sharing (it used to be 500, then 2.5GB, now 5GB) connection to my PS3, PC, and other smartphones. Many have PM'd me to explain it further for them how to get it to work, and I figured "I should just make a thread on how I got it to work". In this thread, I will explain to you how I got tethering to work on my phone using T-Mobile's service (it might work for At&T and other carriers). I will tell you the three apps I use and the pros and cons of each app when it comes to tethering a specific device.

Please note:I am not responsible for any consequences you will face with your carrier using my method, nor will I be held responsible if you use my method without having a sharing data plan. This method is for use of a sharing plan that YOU pay for. If you decide to use this method without having a sharing plan, then do what you want, it's your plan, and your money. I have spent a lot of time doing trial and error in order for my tethering to work 100%. I even went over my 5GB of sharing data and I still was able to tether. I think I know why, read the last paragraph of this post. Again, THIS IS FOR MEMBERS WHO PAID FOR TETHERING SERVICE.

Without further ado, you will first need to edit a database located in /data/data/com.android.providers.settings/databases/settings.db. You need to add a new entry that is called "tether_dun_required" with a value of 0. Google and T-Mobile decided to team up and provide a way for T-Mobile to sniff what devices you are tethering to, thus sometimes redirecting you to the T-Mobile page saying you need to add a sharing plan. You can either edit the database with a sqlite app/program, or simply install the install zip (thanks to yakman66). There is an uninstaller if you wish to revert back. I have no idea if you should reflash the zip after you install a new ROM or update it, but I did it anyway. If you need a deeper explanation, refer to the first 4 posts from this thread here:http://xdaforums.com/google-nexus-5/general/fix-nexus-5-tethering-block-t2581035

Installer:https://github.com/marcandrews/hammerhead-hotspot-fix/releases/tag/v1.0

Uninstaller:https://github.com/marcandrews/hammerhead-hotspot-fix/releases/tag/v1.0u

Now we get to the apps. The three apps I use to tether are PDANET+/Foxfi, Clockworkmod Tether, and WiFi Tether Router

PDANET+/Foxfi: Note: There is a free version of PDANET/FOXFI, but you will be kicked off the tethered connection every 20-30 minutes,and I believe there is an a limit of how much MB you share daily. Purchasing the app is only $7.97.

Download from Play Store. Link:PDANET Foxfi:Foxfi Foxfi for At&T and Sprint:Foxfi (Sprint/AT&T Only)

Please make sure you download the correct Foxfi for you carrier. PDANET is for connecting via USB and Foxfi is for bluetooth and wireless. You must install the PC program located here. This app is pretty much self-explanatory. You just set up the network name and password if you decide to use wireless, or plug your phone in PC via USB with PDANET+ for Windows installed.

Pros:

No need to root.

Tethering for your computer: Pretty much instant. Easy setup. Just to be safe install a user switch agent and change it to IE 7.

Tethering for gaming: Using my PS3, I am able to play online with my friends. I am running around 30-40 ms ping, which is not bad for wireless. Smooth.

Tethering for other smartphones and tablets: Easy setup also.

Cons:

You have to pay the app in order to use the app for its full potential.

Computer: For some reason, I get kicked off for a couple seconds from my tethered connection and then connected again. I even enable "Hide Tether Usage" on the options with Google DNS checked on the settings. I think because T-Mobile blacklisted Google DNS (idk?)

Gaming: Your NAT type will never be opened. That means if you join a party that also does not have an open NAT, expect not to be able to join that person. If anyone knows a way to port forward your carriers IP address, please let me know.

Smartphones and tablets: Haven't experienced nothing wrong.

WiFi Tether Router:

Download: WiFi Tether Router

Configure your Network Name SSID, encryption type (whatever works best for you, I use wpa2-psk)m WiFi password, and then enable the tether.

Pros:

Much cheaper than PDA/FOXFI. Only $2.50

There are more setups you can do for this app. You can change the interface, method, drivers, WiFi Mode. There are also tweaks especially for consoles like MTU adjust, enabling DMZ, DMZ Port Forwarding, and DCHP settings. Perhaps you can port forward and have your Nat open with this app, but I'm not expert when it comes to these, perhaps someone out there can find a solution? Let us know!

Computer: Haven't tested it to be honest. If someone is willing to try please let us know how it went.

Gaming: Easy setup. Works just as good as Foxfi

Smartphones and tablets: Works just as good as Foxfi

Cons:

You can only use wireless, there is no USB.

Gaming: Same as Foxfi, Nat is not open.

Smartphones and tablets: None.

Clockworkmod Tether:

Download from Play Store: Clockworkmod Tether (no root)

After that install the drivers of your phone located here

Last but not least, install the tether software on your computer.

Mac: http://download.clockworkmod.com/tether/tether-mac.zip

Linux: http://download.clockworkmod.com/tether/tether-linux.tgz

Windows: http://download.clockworkmod.com/tether/TetherWindowsSetup.msi

Once installed, allow debugging on your phone to PC via usb and start the tether connection.

Pros:

Free, you just need root.

Computers: I don't get kicked out whatsoever tethering on my PC. Not once did I get disconnected for a second and reconnected. Like I said as a precaution switch user agent to IE7.

Cons:

Gaming: Won't accept USB.

Smartphone and tablets: it only uses USB tethering.

So there you go guys, these are the apps I use to tether my devices. You can choose whatever works best for you. When it comes to me playing online or sharing my net to smartphones and tablets, I use Foxfi because it is simple to set up. WiFi Tether Router I just use it as a backup. When it comes to tethering my PC, I use clockworkmod tether because I don't get disconnected from my computer.

I have been using these apps since Nexus 4 and not one time I got temporarily banned from sharing my net. Well actually I did, but it was the first time I ever tried it. Ever since then, I was able to use my tethering to its full potential.I use my data to play online (my home net sucks), and I have not been flagged. Playing online does not consume a lot of data (about 20-30 mb an hour).Here are a couple of ways to keep using your tether without being flagged by your carrier.

1. DO NOT DOWNLOAD BIG FILES ON YOUR GAME CONSOLES. Guys, please use your home internet to update your console version or downloading a patch. As soon as you download a file on your console you will be flagged. I have not tried it with the new 5GB sharing limit but I have tried it on 2.5 and I immediately got flagged, even though I was not close to my sharing limit.

2. Don't download torrents or pronz on your PC using your data. If you want to do that, I suggest going on your phone and downloading it via your phones browser or torrent app. This way your carrier will know you are downloading straight from your phone and not from a tethered device.

Other than that, use your tether how ever you like, but with responsibility. Tethering to other smartphones and tablets seem to not red flag T-Mobile at all. I shared 10gb of data to my coworkers and all they do is stream Pandora and YouTube. I hope this will clear things up and hopefully there will be better alternatives, but I think these methods should let you use your tethering service.