GNUBOX Utility for Mobile - go to the Internet through a big brother

Once I asked myself a question: “If you can start up a computer on the Internet using a mobile phone (smartphone), can it be done the other way around?”. It turned out that you can. In this article I will share my searches on this issue and help to avoid some problems, if you, of course, want to mess around with it. At the end of the article you will find related links.

How it works?

The main problem is the creation of an alternative access point in a mobile phone. There are no standard methods for its solution in most devices, but there is a wonderful GNUBOX program that will help us (the list of supported devices is below). Having installed this program in the phone, we can create an access point for USB, Bluetooth or IrDA connections with it. I will not stop at the actual configuration process - below are links to manuals.

Further, it remains only to set up masquerading on the big brother (a computer that has bluetooth and Internet access).

How can this be used?

I use this scheme to communicate via Skype. The phone has Fring installed and, accordingly, GNUBOX. In a computer (running Ubuntu) bluetooth dongle sticks out and a masquerade is set up. Those. My phone completely replaces my headphones and microphone. I can safely communicate on Skype while walking around the office (within the limits of bluetooth). Thus, I use cheap high-quality internet on optics, rather than expensive and buggy EDGE / GPRS and at the same time I use the usual “phone” device, which was originally intended for conversations.
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List of supported phones:

Uiq

* SonyEricsson P800
* SonyEricsson P900
* SonyEricsson P910
* Motorola A920
* Motorola A925
* Motorola A1000

Series60 v1, v2

* Nokia 3600
* Nokia 3650
* Nokia 6600, 7650

Series60 v2 feature pack 1

* Nokia 3230
* Nokia 6260
* Nokia 6620
* Nokia 6670
* Nokia 7610

Series60 v2 feature pack 2

* Nokia 6630, 6680, 6681
* Nokia 6682

Series60 v2 feature pack 3

* Nokia N70
* Nokia N90

Series90 phones

* Nokia 7710

The list is taken from the official site, but it is not complete. This is only a list of those phones for which the ready-made binaries are compiled (also, there are source codes). I managed to download a binary compiled by someone for my Nokia E50 (s60v3), but I had to sign it before installation.

To subscribe to your phone (once again, this is only for S60v3)
will need IMAI. Having suffered a little with getting certificates and trying to do it manually, I used the free service www.symbiansigned.com . Everything is simple there: I fed my IMEI, uploaded the necessary application to them, and in about a minute I received an email link to the download of the file already signed for my phone. Very convenient - I recommend.

Also, it is worth noting that GNUBOX has not been developed for a long time, the latest source code update on the official website is dated 2007-01-31.

GNUBOX Utility for Mobile - go to the Internet through a big brother

How it works?

How can this be used?

List of supported phones:

Related Links:

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