Enable WiFi Internet Tethering on Nexus One Phone

Tethering on Nexus One running Android 2.1 can be enabled on rooted android device. Follow our step by step guide on how to root Google Nexus one. Before rooting make sure to unlock the Nexus one bootloader. Unlocking the bootloader lets you install other firmware images that provide the user root access of system files. Once the root access is obtained, you can override protected operating system features and install 3^rd party software and enable internet tethering to share the phone’s 3G network connection over Wifi.

Follow the step below to update your Nexus One phone with a kernel that supports internet tethering and works with both Wireless and Wired (usb) tether.

How to enable Tethering on Nexus One Phone using android-wifi-tether

Instructions for userdebug or eng build:

1. You must be running a userdebug or eng build. This update won’t run on the ‘user’ build, you will get ‘verification failed’.
2. Download the nexusone-2.1-update.zip update.
3. Rename it to ‘update.zip’ and copy it to the top directory of your phone’s SD card.
4. If you have ‘adb’:
   1. adb reboot recovery
5. If you do NOT have adb
   1. Power off your phone.
   2. Turn it on whilst holding the trackball down
   3. At the boot screen, use the volume keys to select ‘bootloader’ then press the power button to select.
   4. At the next screen, select ‘recovery’ and press the power button to select it.
6. The boot ‘cross’ will appear, and shortly after a ‘!’ graphic will appear. Hold down the power button, then press ‘volume up’.
7. You will see a menu with blue text. Use the trackball to highlight and select ‘apply SD card update’
8. The process should take a few seconds, after which you can reboot your phone.
9. If you get ‘verification failed’ you probably have a user build. See below.
10. You now have a tether-enabled kernel.

Instructions for user build (with root hack only):

1. Get a copy of ‘adb’ and ‘fastboot’ (check the SDK or google for them).
2. Grab the Nexus One update zip and ‘nexusone-zimage’.
3. Plug your phone’s USB in.
4. adb reboot bootloader
5. When the bootloader screen appears: fastboot boot nexusone-zimage
6. Make sure the phone boots, if not, STOP
   1. Note that Wifi will not work at this stage.
   2. If the phone fails to boot, something is wrong. Pull the battery to reboot.
7. Unzip the update zipfile, then ‘adb push bcm4329.ko /sqlite_stmt_journals/’
8. adb shell
9. su
10. insmod /sqlite_stmt_journals/bcm4329.ko
    1. If an error appears doing this, STOP
11. lsmod
    1. You should see ‘bcm4329′ listed. If not, STOP.
12. mount -w -o remount /dev/block/mtdblock3 /system
13. cat /sqlite_stmt_journals/bcm4329.ko > /system/lib/modules/bcm4329.ko
14. Logout out of the phone.
15. adb reboot bootloader
16. When the boot screen appears: adb flash zimage nexusone-zimage
17. fastboot reboot
18. Your phone should come up, you are done!!