After spending a weekend wrestling with this, I’ve found three distinct paths to success. Your mileage will vary depending on your distro, kernel version, and carrier aggression.
Prefix any app execution with proxychains4 to route its internet traffic through the phone: pdanet for linux
Several existing solutions have attempted to address the issue of connecting PDAs to larger systems. For example, some PDAs come with proprietary synchronization software that allows users to transfer data to a PC. However, these solutions often require a specific operating system and hardware configuration, limiting their compatibility and flexibility. In contrast, PDANet is designed to be platform-independent and flexible, making it an attractive solution for users who want to access their PDA data on a Linux-based system. After spending a weekend wrestling with this, I’ve
sudo apt install easytether-usb # On Debian/Ubuntu sudo modprobe easytether sudo dhclient easytether0 For example, some PDAs come with proprietary synchronization
If you are reading this post because you need Linux tethering right now , my honest advice is to uninstall PDANet from your phone and install EasyTether instead. The Linux setup takes five minutes:
This works surprisingly well for web browsing and basic tasks. However, many command-line apps (like apt update , curl , or git ) ignore the system proxy. You’ll need to configure proxychains or use environment variables ( export http_proxy=... ). It’s a hack, but it’s a functional hack.
If you need high-bandwidth tasks like downloading large datasets or gaming, many Linux users simply reboot into Windows, tether via PDANet, and accept their fate. It’s inelegant, but it works 100% of the time.