Borrowing 3G From Your iPhone to Use On Your iPad Wifi Only Model

If you own the wifi model of the iPad, you’re chained to anywhere there’s wifi. Fortunately, wifi is available almost anywhere, except when you’re away from a building or on the road. The new iOS 4.3 enables wifi hotspot on your iPhone which then allows you to tether your 3G to other wifi devices like your iPad. However, it’s a switch to flip on and then its a battery draining experience.

Enter the jailbreak community. Mywi ($19.99) by Intelliborn had provide hotspot functionality before 4.3 enabled that function. The latest update also includes an On Demand function ($4.99 extra). What this does is configures bluetooth between your iPhone and iPad. When your iPad is not connected to a wifi network and you’re attempting to use the Internet, it will automatically connect to your iPhone and create a tethering setup. When you are back on a wifi network, or when you put the iPad to sleep, the connection is broken which saves your iPhone battery.

I’ve been experimenting with this function a few days now and can attest that it works beautifully. As long as I have my iPhone with me, my iPad is always ready to be connected.

The setup was a bit confusing and there weren’t very many guides out there. Here’s my take on the process.

Setting Up Your iPhone

1. Jailbreak your iPhone and install Cydia. This is the jailbreak app store.
2. Open Cydia and click on Manage Account from the Cydia home page. You can connect with either Facebook or Google. This simply ties your login with your Cydia purchases.
3. Click Search from the Cydia dock and find “MyWi”. The purchasing process uses Amazon payments to process. You’ll only have to buy this once as Cydia allows up to three copies on three devices.
4. Open MyWi, from the home screen, click on iDevices. Choose MyWi OnDemand. This will initiate an in-app purchase for the OnDemand license for $4.99.

Setting Up Your iPad

1. Follow the same steps above to jailbreak your iPad and install Cydia.
2. In Cydia, use your Facebook or Google account to log in. You should now be able to download MyWi without paying for it again.
3. Open MyWi and follow the same procedures to install the OnDemand license. Instead of buying, click download license.

Creating the Connection

1. Open MyWi on both your iPhone and your iPad.
2. Click on iDevices and then OnDemand. Click Setup MyWi OnDemand. Your iPhone should say waiting for ondemand clients.
3. Open up MyWi on your iPad and then click on OnDemand. Click Setup Mywi OnDemand.
4. Your iPhone name should show up. Click on that.
5. A notification should show up on your iPhone called OnDemand Request. Click accept.
6. You are done

Using OnDemand

With most installations, I do suggest you restart both devices. You can do so by holding down the home button and the sleep button until it powers down and then powers up again. Carry your iPhone with you and turn off wifi on your iPad. Open up Safari and try opening up a webpage. It should take a few seconds and you’ll see the bluetooth logo light up on your iPad and the page should load. Make sure you have bluetooth turned on in your settings for both the iPhone and iPad.

Watch the YouTube video that shows the click through steps as well.