How to tether your Android without root

If you've always wanted to use your Android phone as a hot spot, there's a new solution available to you. 

ClockworkMod has created an app that makes your Android and computer work together to share Internet service. This is a great alternative to expensive carrier fees, or tethering apps from the Android Market that simply can't deliver. Tethering used to be a rather painless process, so here's how to bring back that simplicity:

Step 1: Turn your Android's USB debugging on and plug your phone into your computer.

This is found in Settings > Applications > Development. Just click the box next to USB debugging.

Step 2: Download the Tethering client for your operating system from ClockworkMod.

• Mac (10.6/10.7):  http://download.clockworkmod.com/test/tether-mac.zip
• Linux:  http://download.clockworkmod.com/test/tether-linux.tgz [4]
• Windows (Windows XP/Vista/7):  http://download.clockworkmod.com/test/TetherWindowsSetup.msi

This example will work with Windows 7.

Step 3: Run the install file on your computer. You may be prompted to install additional drivers by the install wizard.

If you've ever connected to your device to your computer using ADB, this will not be necessary. If that's not the case, open a browser and go to http://www.clockworkmod.com/tether/drivers (if the installer didn't open it for you already) and follow the instructions for your particular brand of device. You'll likely just need to download an executable file that does the work for you.

What the tether app looks like before it's connected with your Android phone.

Step 4: Run the tether app on your computer. You can search Tether from the Start menu. This will install the application APK for tethering on your Android phone.

If you come across a problem with this step, you can always grab the Tether APK directly from ClockworkMod.

Step 5: Once the APK is installed on your phone, click the Start button within the Tether application window on your computer to establish a connection. (Note: the Tether app on your phone will run on its own.)

This is how the Tether app will look on your phone.

Take note that the Tether app is still, as said by the developer, very alpha. As such, it's prone to bugs and a not-so-pretty UI.