Verizon says original Droid 'doesn't have the hardware' to support a mobile hotspot
By Donald Melanson 
posted August 2nd 2010 12:19PM
posted August 2nd 2010 12:19PM
This is the week that the original Droid will be getting the Android 2.2 update, but it looks like that update won't be bringing two of the most oft-requested features: tethering and a mobile hotspot. Why's that? While tethering seems to be simply due to a lack of an app that "isn't part of this update," the mobile hotspot issue is a bit more curious -- Verizon spokesperson Brenda Raney says that the Droid "doesn't have [the] hardware to support a mobile hotspot." No further explanation than that, but we have a sneaking suspicion that Motorola and Verizon aren't passing over the feature because of a lack of hardware, but because of too much hardware -- namely, the Droid 2 and Droid X.
Correction: It's Verizon making this claim, not Motorola.
Correction: It's Verizon making this claim, not Motorola.
Calma calma....there is some fire in this thread
Do you think that the Droid 1 community is going to take this lying down?
Even if they did release a 2.2 with tethering they would probably want to charge you that extra $20-30 a month for it. Anyone with Droid X that can testify to this?
We will continue to do what we always have with this phone. Root it and do whatever we can with it. Tethering works anyway there. It may only be adHock Tethering but works just fine, most users won't even realize the difference. Heck just grab PDAnet for a one time fee of $30 and get all the tethering you can handle. That is simple enough.
I know we are all mad at corporate America, but in addition to screaming back lets also fight back.
Off to the rooting block as soon as 2.2 gets its due process.
I just want the manual update......now
Android is a good OS but Google seriously needs to stop manufacturers from blocking (or trying to block, as the case usually is) features from coming to phones because they have decided they would rather you buy a new phone. The fact that gaining access to the feature can be achieved in other ways is not good enough - Google should be the only one that can deem if something can't be run on a phone (that is, the supporters the openness of the OS and who does not have any monetary reason to block the feature)
I rooted my droid about a month ago and I have been using it as a hotspot just fine for my laptop all the while. Nice try big red
Seriously?! This sucks! I was really hoping to use that on my Droid. What a bunch of liars.
Droid does!
Even my G1 can be a wireless hotspot.
@pi rules my mistake. I do an ad-hoc network.
Well it looks like when I wake up tomorrow morning ill be having some fresh Froyo for breakfast. Yum.
This is the reason why I'm boycotting Motorola : this firmware is typically a small hack away from perfect ... but eFuse is making this small step more and more difficult.
Don't give those "selling but not selling" companies a good feedback of their eFuse politics!
It disappoints a lot of moto-fans.
Seriously guys, the original Droid was a groundbreaking device, a great phone. Does it matter if it does wifi tether out of the box? There are ways to accomplish all of this without it being baked in.
Total b s been running tether and hot spot on my droid for weeks without a hitch!!!
Has anyone actually got the supposed 2.2 update? I havent! Is it still getting it?
Someone please shed some light on this!
@alfonso559 Still nada here. Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?
I could see this, honestly. I've been using Cyanogenmod-6 on my admittedly much older G1, and IIRC 2.2's wireless tethering isn't supported due to a lack of hardware, so you have to use the mentioned adhoc wifi tether as a workaround. I think what they're really saying is that it has the hardware to support wireless tethering, just not the kind included with Android 2.2.