Enabling Internet Connection Sharing in the WindowsMobile 6.1 Registry
Everybody has a mentor. I’m no exception. When I first started working as a Technology Engineer, my mentor told me:
Optimist: The glass is half full.
Pessimist: The glass is half empty.
Engineer: The glass is twice the size it needs to be.
I’ve told that line at parties many times and have always gotten a laugh. Tell it to a group of senior engineers who have heard it a hundred times, though, and you’ll get a polite, stony silence at best.
Though it is humorous and when first explained to me it was done so with humour, if you honestly consider the statement, it is in fact very true. The truth is, as engineers we are expected to think quick, act (certainly not react) quicker and implement solutions even faster.
As such, we must constantly be aware of potential problems. As well as plausible and realistic solutions. In my case, my clients expect solutions wherever and whenever needed, and that’s as it should be. Today, with laptops this not exactly hard to accomplish. With that said, an internet connection can sometimes be hard to come by.
Well, a known connection anyway. Most people look at a cellphone as exactly that, but the truth is, it is likely just a modem. That’s right, 96% of the cell providers in the world simply provide a network connection. Then based on services purchased network access is granted or restricted.
I’m going to show you what I mean, using a WindowsMobile device as an example. My carrier is AT&T. I have a basic “phone only” data plan. A data plan of some sort is required. This provisions a gateway to your account which grants you access to access networks external to your provider.
Many phones have restrictions which are internally provisioned by your provider. WindowsMobile 6.1 stores these settings in the registry of your device. There are two sections we will need to adjust.
In the ConnectionSharing section make sure your settings match this:
The above settings ensure no phone based restrictions are preventing your phone from sharing its connection.
With AT&T I also needed to enable the connection “AlwaysOn” flag.
Next, you’ll want to check and ensure your default phone data connection is being used for InternetSharing requests.
At this point you need an Internet Connection Sharing software package on your phone if it did not ship standard. Google can assist you there.
Then you’re all set. Enjoy 
