Unless You Can Help, I Give Up

[Jef Boyardee]

Hi, I’m the guy that had his Optimus S replaced and had to reinstall
Klink at the PC end to get Klink to connect again. Before the swap it
worked okay, not fast, kinda slow, rather like dialup. Now, on a
Sunday evening, it’s a dead dog -- takes forever. I tweedled around
with suggested settings to no avail, put it all back the way it was (I
think).

I’ve done all this (a) out of curiosity and (b) to pretend I’ve dumped
my ISP, in an effort to save here and there. But right now it appears
that they win. Tethering (or at least with Klink) is amazing but can’t
mimick my cable ISP that I’m all too accustomed with. Oh well, just
four bucks for a backup connection if ISP takes a nap...

[Kevin Ko]

Hi, Jef.

Are you able to make any connections to the internet at all, or is it just painfully slow?  Unfortunately, Klink is entirely dependent on your phone's connection to the net.  It can't work magic to make things faster or more stable than what it is given.  Garbage in-garbage out rules the day in the end.

Unless you are blessed with remarkably stable and fast 3g speeds in your location, these types of tools are really best for incidental usage: backups when broadband goes down, hotels that charge $10+ per day, airports, car trips, etc.  Note that 4g users are in a different and very magical world, which is probably why Verizon went ballistic last week.  (Sprint 4g can give 8mbps down; Verizon 4g can give more.)

Unfortunately for many, 3g speeds can be all over the place, as it really depends on the local congestion at the tower and the tower's configuration.  I've seen painfully slow speedtest results using the speedtest Android app, even with 4-5 bars of signal strength.  A tower only has so much capacity, and that gets shared among all users.

For example, one time I was getting below 100kbps down and 500+kbps up with the speedtest app!  That is inverted from what one would normally expect.  On another day, the speeds went back to a normal ratio, with downstream speeds being faster than up.

Right now, the speedtest app benchmarks 900kbps down and 500kbps up in my area.  Two weeks ago, I managed 2mbps down from the exact location.

Here's a link to the speedtest app so that you can check things for yourself:

https://market.android.com/details?id=org.zwanoo.android.speedtest

By offloading some work to your PC's processor, Klink can sometimes get an improvement over a speedtest that is run directly on the phone; however, this only occurs at very high speeds (4+ mbps) on older phones.  Even then, the difference is almost always less than 10-20%.

Kevin

P.S.  4 bucks, hmm...  I'd better raise prices, since it's currently just shy of $3! :)

[Kevin Ko]

Also note that the performance of Klink's design mainly makes a perceptible difference when using some sort of broadband-level data connection (wifi or 4g).  Handling a hundred simultaneous connections is only really noticeable when you have sufficient speed for each one.  Moreover, a browser like Chrome is probably the only realistic app that generates that many connections.  (p2p when using anything but wifi is not a very good idea at all, because it can be a massive data hog that sticks out.)

Instead, Klink's design primarily benefits battery life by keeping your phone's processor idle and cool.

[Jef Boyardee]

I tried the speed test that was offered with the trial version of
Klink. Seemed reasonable at first, won’t even load tonight. I am doing
3G, so I suppose it’s weak tonight. Thing is, if I can’t count on it
to be at least predictably pokey 24/7, I can’t consider it as my only
way to connect my PC fulltime to the web.

And I owe you a buck for saying four, it is a great price. Thanks for
the quick reply...

[Kevin Ko]

I'll be making some small stability improvements after the update that I am currently wrapping up for release, so hopefully things will get better in the next week or two.  You should always be able to load a web page if your phone can load a web page, so I'll get that much for you.

Out of curiosity, could you try visiting the diagnostic page whenever Klink fails to behave properly?

It's located at the address: http://k.l/glue

(K dot L, like K-Link).  Just type it into your browser when Klink is active, and it should load up a page.  If you can see that, then Klink is active and happy, and the 3g is more to blame.

Kevin

[Jef Boyardee]

http://k.l/glue said :

Redirect Notice
The previous page is sending you to http://k.l/glue.

http://k.l/glue said:
Internet Explorer cannot display the webpage

And yes, they do appear to be the same address. But I did that through
my ISP, will try this evening through Klink.

[Kevin Ko]

Hi, Jef.

The name "k.l" is not a valid internet name and will not show up through an ISP.  It's just something that you can use whenever using Klink to make sure that your computer can still talk to the app.

I pushed out version 1.10 of the Klink app late last night, so now I can get started on a couple of stability improvements that should help your situation.  As an aside, 1.10 mainly fixes some start up issues: certain phones would take 5-10 seconds to begin the Klink connection; that should now be fixed.

Kevin

[Jef Boyardee]

Thanks for your help, Kevin. I put Klink in mothballs for a while but
am trying it again this Saturday evening, and so far it’s behaving
very well. I was allured by the recent update. But just like last
time, it failed to start, with the same errors, so I had un- and re-
install... no big deal.

I have a new question: my original plan involves dumping my ISP and
using my Optimus S as my PC’s modem, like I’m doing right now. Can you
predict what, if any, reaction Sprint will have to this behavior? I
just using the web for light browsing and online poker, nothing hi-
intensity.

(If my mobile data disappears in five minutes, I’ll take that as an
answer.)

[Jef Boyardee]

Oops, forgot to add that I tried your http://k.l/glue link from the
phone just now and got the same “web page not available” claptrap...

[Kevin Ko]

Hi, Jef.

I'd recommend waiting until the next app update before doing anything drastic, because I'll be taking care of two stability issues that have been bothering people.  (No new features in the next version, just these couple of bug fixes!)  I'm in the middle of moving, so development is slower, but you should see it in a week or two unless I get stuck squishing bugs.

Also, when visiting the http://k.l/glue link, please do so from your computer's browser only when it's connected to your phone via Klink.  "k.l" is a dummy name that only exists when one is connecting through Klink.  It doesn't exist on the internet, so your phone and regular PC internet connection will not be able to find it.

As for your question, light web browsing and poker gaming, which is probably very thrifty aside from any gaming software download, will probably fly below the radar.  I think that Sprint and the other carriers now have much greater worries on their hands thanks to the recent release of the Netflix Android app.  A single movie streamed over 3g probably consumes a few hundred megabytes.  In comparison, a full day or two of casual web browsing, with flash enabled and little-to-no youtube/video playback, should use about the same.

To make sure, I'd install a program like FreeMeter (http://miechu.pl/freemeter/) and log your data utilization over a number of days doing normal activities with a regular internet connection.  That program has a logging feature that will let you see usage on a daily basis.

From that you can project your monthly usage level.  Based on what I've read, medium-heavy smartphone users seem to hover in the 2-5GB range per month, so you can make a call using that.

My guess is that carriers worry about the "Unlimited" clauses on smartphone plans in conjunction with common computer activities like streaming video and heavy file downloading.  3g networks just aren't designed for that sort of traffic on the unlimited scale.  However, I doubt that any carrier would want to face the backlash of blocking something like Netflix outright due to its popularity.  Thus, the logical move for someone like Sprint is to immediately implement a traffic throttling system that reduces the speeds for heavy users that pass a threshold in a given time window.

If you use a browser like Firefox, turn off the DNS Prefetching option, reduce the number of simultaneous connections to 4-8, and configure a mobile user-agent for the browser (via Klink or a Firefox extension), your behavior will look a lot like Android's; things will just render a lot faster on your PC.  Considering this, speed throttling is really the best way to handle everything, and that is what I expect will be the reaction to your original idea.  The question is how long it will take for that to be rolled out.  

Kevin

[Jef Boyardee]

Thanks for the concise read on my new ISP-to-be.
I just use IE8 on WinXP, slow in the techno race.

I finally did the glue correctly and got:

v1.11

fd: 65, iport: 1662, port: 80, addr: 74.125.127.100
fd: 66, iport: 1665, port: 80, addr: 74.125.224.211
fd: 54, iport: 1657, port: 80, addr: 74.125.127.100
fd: 53, iport: 1667, port: 80, addr: 10.0.0.1
fd: 55, iport: 1642, port: 80, addr: 74.125.127.100
fd: 57, iport: 1648, port: 80, addr: 74.125.127.100
fd: 59, iport: 1142, port: 443, addr: 91.211.96.32
fd: 62, iport: 1652, port: 80, addr: 74.125.224.217
fd: 58, iport: 1638, port: 80, addr: 74.125.127.100
fd: 43, iport: 1654, port: 80, addr: 74.125.127.100
fd: 56, iport: 4605, port: 80, addr: 174.36.30.8
fd: 41, iport: 1646, port: 80, addr: 74.125.127.100
fd: 64, iport: 1660, port: 80, addr: 74.125.127.100
fd: 61, iport: 1650, port: 80, addr: 74.125.224.198
fd: 63, iport: 1658, port: 80, addr: 74.125.127.100
fd: 60, iport: 1640, port: 80, addr: 74.125.127.100

I downed freemeter but it gagged with:

FreeMeter.exe -.NET Framework Initialization Error

To run this application, you first must install one of the
following versions of the .NET Framework:
v2.0.50727
Contact your application publisher for instructions about obtaining
the appropriate version of the .NET framework.

Otherwise, I will wait for your update before I walk the plank...

[Kevin Ko]

Hi, Jef.

OK.  The "glue" page is just something that you can test whenever your computer loses connectivity, as it is something that should always be accessible when Klink is running, regardless of your phone's internet connection.

Hmm...  It looks like FreeMeter requires the .NET runtime, which is a hefty download (20-50MB through Windows Update).  Here's a different freeware program called Networx that does the same thing and is self-contained:

http://www.softperfect.com/products/networx/

The daily/weekly/monthly reports should be very helpful in gauging your usage.

Kevin

[Jef Boyardee]

Winner -- networx is splendid. The brief averages it fed me are:

Incoming Outgoing
======== ========
Current Transfer Rate 84 bytes/s 42 bytes/s
Average Transfer Rate 181 bytes/s 107 bytes/s
Maximum Transfer Rate 1.05 KB/s 818 bytes/s
Total Data Transferred 21.9 KB 13.0 KB

Since 5/22/2011 9:46:25 AM
Elapsed time: 00-02-04

Are those reasonable numbers? It’s behaving right now...

[Kevin Ko]

Those numbers are reasonable, but I think that the timeframe (2 minutes 4 seconds?) is too short. :)  It's best to gather data over a few days to a week so that you can make a good estimate.  Just use things as you normally do, and see what you get.

Kevin

[Jef Boyardee]

Yes, I realize that two minutes doesn’t prove much, just curious if I
had a decent starting point, Assuming that it’ll pay attention as long
as I launch it at startup, I’ll ignore it and give a report and a
couple...

[Kevin Ko]

Ohhh..  Yes.  In that case, it looks like it's doing the right thing so far...

[Jef Boyardee]

I got this from their Hourly Rates, the only thing I could find that
showed per second stats, assuming that helps. Anyway, it’s been
behaving much steadier, pretty much fast enough for my pedestrian
requirements...
--------------------

Date TimeAvg DL RateAvg UL Rate

5/27/2011 6:00 - 6:59 4.64 KB/s 696 bytes/s
5/27/2011 5:00 - 5:59 860 bytes/s 90 bytes/s
5/26/2011 22:00 - 22:59 484 bytes/s 108 bytes/s
5/26/2011 21:00 - 21:59 9.42 KB/s 1.09 KB/s
5/26/2011 20:00 - 20:59 11.7 KB/s 407 bytes/s
5/26/2011 6:00 - 6:59 2.11 KB/s 694 bytes/s
5/26/2011 5:00 - 5:59 14.9 KB/s 1.23 KB/s
5/25/2011 22:00 - 22:59 1 bytes/s 1 bytes/s
5/25/2011 21:00 - 21:59 177 bytes/s 102 bytes/s
5/25/2011 20:00 - 20:59 662 bytes/s 230 bytes/s
5/25/2011 19:00 - 19:59 261 bytes/s 208 bytes/s
5/25/2011 18:00 - 18:59 1.60 KB/s 528 bytes/s
5/25/2011 6:00 - 6:59 6.49 KB/s 893 bytes/s
5/25/2011 5:00 - 5:59 507 bytes/s 44 bytes/s
5/24/2011 22:00 - 22:59 621 bytes/s 152 bytes/s
5/24/2011 21:00 - 21:59 3.02 KB/s 671 bytes/s
5/24/2011 20:00 - 20:59 260 bytes/s 113 bytes/s
5/24/20111 9:00 - 19:59 7.53 KB/s 924 bytes/s
5/24/2011 18:00 - 18:59 282 bytes/s 60 bytes/s
5/24/2011 7:00 - 7:59 13 bytes/s 7 bytes/s
5/24/2011 6:00 - 6:59 4.81 KB/s 690 bytes/s
5/23/2011 22:00 - 22:59 866 bytes/s 237 bytes/s
5/23/2011 21:00 - 21:59 2.13 KB/s 461 bytes/s
5/23/2011 20:00 - 20:59 2.19 KB/s 252 bytes/s
5/23/2011 7:00 - 7:59 1.30 KB/s 196 bytes/s
5/23/2011 6:00 - 6:59 7.53 KB/s 947 bytes/s
5/22/2011 22:00 - 22:59 146 bytes/s 99 bytes/s
5/22/2011 21:00 - 21:59 3.16 KB/s 764 bytes/s
5/22/2011 20:00 - 20:59 2.59 KB/s 965 bytes/s
5/22/2011 19:00 - 19:59 3.05 KB/s 413 bytes/s
5/22/2011 18:00 - 18:59 3.19 KB/s 560 bytes/s
5/22/2011 17:00 - 17:59 193 bytes/s 23 bytes/s
5/22/2011 10:00 - 10:59 1.21 KB/s 253 bytes/s
5/22/2011 9:00 - 9:59 1.01 KB/s 187 bytes/s

[Kevin Ko]

Hi, Jef.

Could you dig up the information on cumulative data consumption?  That's more relevant to the question at hand, since we just want to make sure that your regular usage is reasonable.

The units should be in something like MB or GB.

Also, the new version of the app that I released last night should improve stability a bit.

Kevin

[Jef Boyardee]

Like this?

Week 5/22/2011 - 5/28/2011
Received 385 MB
Sent 55.8 MB
Total 441 MB

As for the upgrade, my PC end was crashing a lot when clicking it back
on. Only had to restart it to restart it, so no big deal. I reckon an
android upgrade shouldn’t help the PC end, like I know. Otherwise,
Klink’s recent good behavior and Sprint’s recent sleight of hand make
tethering almost irresistible...

[Kevin Ko]

Hi, Jef.

Sorry for getting back so late.  I was on the road all day.  Will be on the road tomorrow too, but I should be back to normal on Monday.

Wow!  Your numbers are truly conservative!  You weren't kidding at all. :)

I've got one more bug to track down (leading to a failed safety check) with the Windows software, but I doubt it's something that will be elusive for long.  I've got to fix one quick thing on the Mac side early next week, and then I'll go back and tackle Windows again, so hopefully that "CHECK():209" error won't bother you and others any further within a week.

Just to verify, were you getting an error message like "CHECK(): 209" with the PC end?

What I did fix with the Android end should eliminate two of the causes for random disconnects, so it certainly won't hurt.

Kevin

[Jef Boyardee]

Well, the PC end hasn’t crashed since you fixed the android, so I
can’t repeat what the error message was. But if it misbehaves again,
I’ll get it over here. Nice to know I browse like an old lady, that’ll
keep the goons off my back.

[Sean McNamara]

On Sun, May 29, 2011 at 12:39 AM, Kevin Ko <ke...@faveset.com> wrote:
> Hi, Jef.
> Sorry for getting back so late.  I was on the road all day.  Will be on the
> road tomorrow too, but I should be back to normal on Monday.
> Wow!  Your numbers are truly conservative!  You weren't kidding at all. :)
> I've got one more bug to track down (leading to a failed safety check) with
> the Windows software, but I doubt it's something that will be elusive for
> long.  I've got to fix one quick thing on the Mac side early next week, and
> then I'll go back and tackle Windows again, so hopefully that "CHECK():209"
> error won't bother you and others any further within a week.
>
> Just to verify, were you getting an error message like "CHECK(): 209" with
> the PC end?
> What I did fix with the Android end should eliminate two of the causes for
> random disconnects, so it certainly won't hurt.

For what it's worth, the Windows TAP driver conflicts very badly with
the Hamachi network driver. I still get random CHECK():209 disconnects
on Windows, but it used to be a lot more frequent (it would say
"CHECK() failed; see the error log for details" or something like that
in earlier versions of the Windows software).

I uninstalled Hamachi and it works somewhat better now on Windows, but
for the best experience, I use the Linux version of Klink. Works well
on Fedora 15 too once you install dpkg and extract the .deb. It has
literally never dropped out on me at all (aside from confirmed network
outages), and it's only on version 1.00 ;)

You weren't kidding when you said you were a Linux developer! :)

-Sean

[Jef Boyardee]

Kevin, Klink is behaving so reliably lately that I’m going to pretend
this my only web access for a couple more weeks, then dump my ISP
account and stop pretending -- it’s amazing to even be able to say
that. It also helped to hear you say my usage was relatively minimal;
that eases my only worry. So if there’s some dark secret I haven’t
learned, please teach me. Otherwise, thanks for your product and the
assistance you’ve provided.

It’s getting to the point that my only deterrent is the prospect of
life without basic cable TV, which I hardly ever watch anyway. But
speaking of video, this Klink connection is livable for everything but
stuff like YouTube, where it stutters and gags. I usually just pause a
video until it loads, which can take several minutes, but then it’s
fine. I don’t expect a phone modem to match cable, but if you know a
trick for that, please spill. Thanks again...

[Jef Boyardee]

It did its liitle crash-instead-of-start thing. I got its gibberish
and posted it below. Again, it’s not a big deal, starts right back up,
but I suppose you’d rather it was gone...

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-16"?>
<DATABASE>
<EXE NAME="kclientgui.exe" FILTER="GRABMI_FILTER_PRIVACY">
<MATCHING_FILE NAME="adb.exe" SIZE="410399" CHECKSUM="0x88CF12D3"
MODULE_TYPE="WIN32" PE_CHECKSUM="0x675E1" LINKER_VERSION="0x10000"
LINK_DATE="11/24/2010 21:33:24" UPTO_LINK_DATE="11/24/2010 21:33:24" /
>
<MATCHING_FILE NAME="AdbWinApi.dll" SIZE="96256"
CHECKSUM="0xD2E44B28" BIN_FILE_VERSION="2.0.0.0"
BIN_PRODUCT_VERSION="2.0.0.0" PRODUCT_VERSION="2.0.0.0"
FILE_DESCRIPTION="Android ADB API" COMPANY_NAME="Google, inc"
PRODUCT_NAME="Android SDK" FILE_VERSION="2.0.0.0"
ORIGINAL_FILENAME="AdbWinApi.dll" INTERNAL_NAME="AdbWinApi.dll"
LEGAL_COPYRIGHT="Copyright (C) 2006 The Android Open Source Project"
VERFILEDATEHI="0x0" VERFILEDATELO="0x0" VERFILEOS="0x4"
VERFILETYPE="0x2" MODULE_TYPE="WIN32" PE_CHECKSUM="0x275C3"
LINKER_VERSION="0x60000" UPTO_BIN_FILE_VERSION="2.0.0.0"
UPTO_BIN_PRODUCT_VERSION="2.0.0.0" LINK_DATE="08/10/2009 20:37:22"
UPTO_LINK_DATE="08/10/2009 20:37:22" VER_LANGUAGE="English (United
States) [0x409]" />
<MATCHING_FILE NAME="AdbWinUsbApi.dll" SIZE="60928"
CHECKSUM="0x13BBF13E" BIN_FILE_VERSION="2.0.0.0"
BIN_PRODUCT_VERSION="2.0.0.0" PRODUCT_VERSION="2.0.0.0"
FILE_DESCRIPTION="Android ADB API (WinUsb)" COMPANY_NAME="Google, inc"
PRODUCT_NAME="Android SDK" FILE_VERSION="2.0.0.0"
ORIGINAL_FILENAME="AdbWinUsbApi.dll" INTERNAL_NAME="AdbWinUsbApi.dll"
LEGAL_COPYRIGHT="Copyright (C) 2006 The Android Open Source Project"
VERFILEDATEHI="0x0" VERFILEDATELO="0x0" VERFILEOS="0x4"
VERFILETYPE="0x2" MODULE_TYPE="WIN32" PE_CHECKSUM="0x18330"
LINKER_VERSION="0x60000" UPTO_BIN_FILE_VERSION="2.0.0.0"
UPTO_BIN_PRODUCT_VERSION="2.0.0.0" LINK_DATE="08/10/2009 20:37:31"
UPTO_LINK_DATE="08/10/2009 20:37:31" VER_LANGUAGE="English (United
States) [0x409]" />
<MATCHING_FILE NAME="kclientgui.exe" SIZE="608256"
CHECKSUM="0x2AF5FA68" MODULE_TYPE="WIN32" PE_CHECKSUM="0x9DB9A"
LINKER_VERSION="0x10000" LINK_DATE="05/11/2011 23:28:59"
UPTO_LINK_DATE="05/11/2011 23:28:59" />
<MATCHING_FILE NAME="Klink_Install.exe" SIZE="479875"
CHECKSUM="0x99C6ECF4" MODULE_TYPE="WIN32" PE_CHECKSUM="0xF4F9"
LINKER_VERSION="0x60000" LINK_DATE="01/05/2010 08:27:18"
UPTO_LINK_DATE="01/05/2010 08:27:18" />
<MATCHING_FILE NAME="tapinstall.exe" SIZE="77824"
CHECKSUM="0x3461D979" BIN_FILE_VERSION="6.1.7600.16385"
BIN_PRODUCT_VERSION="6.1.7600.16385" PRODUCT_VERSION="6.1.7600.16385"
FILE_DESCRIPTION="Windows Setup API" COMPANY_NAME="Windows (R) Win 7
DDK provider" PRODUCT_NAME="Windows (R) Win 7 DDK driver"
FILE_VERSION="6.1.7600.16385 built by: WinDDK"
ORIGINAL_FILENAME="SETUPAPI.DLL" INTERNAL_NAME="SETUPAPI.DLL"
LEGAL_COPYRIGHT="© Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved."
VERFILEDATEHI="0x0" VERFILEDATELO="0x0" VERFILEOS="0x40004"
VERFILETYPE="0x2" MODULE_TYPE="WIN32" PE_CHECKSUM="0x21EB9"
LINKER_VERSION="0x60001" UPTO_BIN_FILE_VERSION="6.1.7600.16385"
UPTO_BIN_PRODUCT_VERSION="6.1.7600.16385" LINK_DATE="09/15/2010
21:37:01" UPTO_LINK_DATE="09/15/2010 21:37:01" VER_LANGUAGE="English
(United States) [0x409]" />
<MATCHING_FILE NAME="uninstall.exe" SIZE="51562"
CHECKSUM="0x892CC93B" MODULE_TYPE="WIN32" PE_CHECKSUM="0xF4F9"
LINKER_VERSION="0x60000" LINK_DATE="01/05/2010 08:27:18"
UPTO_LINK_DATE="01/05/2010 08:27:18" />
<MATCHING_FILE NAME="Drivers\dpinst.exe" SIZE="552328"
CHECKSUM="0xF7AA5B26" BIN_FILE_VERSION="2.1.0.0"
BIN_PRODUCT_VERSION="2.1.0.0" PRODUCT_VERSION="2.1"
FILE_DESCRIPTION="Driver Package Installer" COMPANY_NAME="Microsoft
Corporation" PRODUCT_NAME="Driver Package Installer (DPInst)"
FILE_VERSION="2.1" ORIGINAL_FILENAME="DPInst.exe"
INTERNAL_NAME="DPInst" LEGAL_COPYRIGHT="© Microsoft Corporation. All
rights reserved." VERFILEDATEHI="0x0" VERFILEDATELO="0x0"
VERFILEOS="0x40004" VERFILETYPE="0x2" MODULE_TYPE="WIN32"
PE_CHECKSUM="0x8DFCB" LINKER_VERSION="0x60001"
UPTO_BIN_FILE_VERSION="2.1.0.0" UPTO_BIN_PRODUCT_VERSION="2.1.0.0"
LINK_DATE="05/23/2009 10:15:06" UPTO_LINK_DATE="05/23/2009 10:15:06"
VER_LANGUAGE="English (United States) [0x409]" />
<MATCHING_FILE NAME="Drivers\LG\WdfCoInstaller01005.dll"
SIZE="1419232" CHECKSUM="0x16889E31" BIN_FILE_VERSION="1.5.6000.0"
BIN_PRODUCT_VERSION="1.5.6000.0" PRODUCT_VERSION="1.5.6000.0"
FILE_DESCRIPTION="WDF Coinstaller" COMPANY_NAME="Microsoft
Corporation" PRODUCT_NAME="Microsoft® Windows® Operating System"
FILE_VERSION="1.5.6000.0 (vista_rtm.061101-2205)"
ORIGINAL_FILENAME="WdfCoInstaller.dll"
INTERNAL_NAME="WdfCoInstaller.dll" LEGAL_COPYRIGHT="© Microsoft
Corporation. All rights reserved." VERFILEDATEHI="0x0"
VERFILEDATELO="0x0" VERFILEOS="0x40004" VERFILETYPE="0x1"
MODULE_TYPE="WIN32" PE_CHECKSUM="0x161A61" LINKER_VERSION="0x60000"
UPTO_BIN_FILE_VERSION="1.5.6000.0"
UPTO_BIN_PRODUCT_VERSION="1.5.6000.0" LINK_DATE="11/02/2006 08:54:07"
UPTO_LINK_DATE="11/02/2006 08:54:07" VER_LANGUAGE="Language Neutral
[0x0]" />
</EXE>
<EXE NAME="kernel32.dll" FILTER="GRABMI_FILTER_THISFILEONLY">
<MATCHING_FILE NAME="kernel32.dll" SIZE="989696"
CHECKSUM="0x2D998938" BIN_FILE_VERSION="5.1.2600.5781"
BIN_PRODUCT_VERSION="5.1.2600.5781" PRODUCT_VERSION="5.1.2600.5781"
FILE_DESCRIPTION="Windows NT BASE API Client DLL"
COMPANY_NAME="Microsoft Corporation" PRODUCT_NAME="Microsoft® Windows®
Operating System" FILE_VERSION="5.1.2600.5781 (xpsp_sp3_gdr.
090321-1317)" ORIGINAL_FILENAME="kernel32" INTERNAL_NAME="kernel32"
LEGAL_COPYRIGHT="© Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved."
VERFILEDATEHI="0x0" VERFILEDATELO="0x0" VERFILEOS="0x40004"
VERFILETYPE="0x2" MODULE_TYPE="WIN32" PE_CHECKSUM="0xFE572"
LINKER_VERSION="0x50001" UPTO_BIN_FILE_VERSION="5.1.2600.5781"
UPTO_BIN_PRODUCT_VERSION="5.1.2600.5781" LINK_DATE="03/21/2009
14:06:58" UPTO_LINK_DATE="03/21/2009 14:06:58" VER_LANGUAGE="English
(United States) [0x409]" />
</EXE>
</DATABASE>

[Kevin Ko]

Hi, Jef.

I don't believe that there's much that can be done to improve throughput, as Klink should not be a bottleneck when it comes to 3g speeds.  I will probably make small tweaks in the future, but the differences may not be that noticeable.  Even with a 10mbps broadband connection, Klink manages to eke out 90% efficiency.

Stability should improve further in the near future, as I'm hunting down the cause for the failed assertion that results in the "CHECK(): 209" error that others have reported.

Anyway, I've always viewed Klink as something for incidental usage, but I understand the appeal.  Before making any decisions, it's probably a good idea to know how a user might stick out.

- Bandwidth consumption is probably the biggest factor, but that doesn't apply to you.

- If you browse around discussion forums, you'll see talk of "User Agent" headers.  This is something that your browser sends along with each web request.  If you are not visiting a secure site, this will be sent in the clear, so the carrier can examine it.  The problem with the "User Agent" header is that it is riddled with false-positives.  Android browser replacements like Opera Mobile and Dolphin provide a way to manually configure user agents.  Likewise, PC users can download extensions for Firefox to perform similar substitutions.  In fact, Klink has an "Override User Agent" feature that will effect something similar at the expense of performance, since the phone is relatively slow and needs to examine data to perform the substitution.  For now, this feature of Klink must be explicitly enabled in the Settings menu, because it does slow down performance and because I discovered last week that it is buggy with large uploads.  I'll fix the latter soon.

- You might also see talk of "TTL" values when tethering, which is something that is very easy to detect.  Klink is not affected by this.

- More telling is the nature of what you do.  While it's possible that carriers could get into trouble for examining individual user behavior, a lot of clues are buried in a person's internet traffic.  For example, no iTunes client exists for Android, so one should not expect any iTunes downloads.  However, it's not uncommon for a PC user to download from iTunes.  Similar reasoning follows for Amazon Video and possibly even Hulu.  There are many detectable patterns that could be used, and I'm sure that the easiest ones are already tracked: Windows Update, OS X Update, etc.  Klink can block system updates, but the list can always grow.

If you truly want to keep your behavior hidden, you might want to consider a privacy service based on an encrypted tunnel like VPN.  With such a setup, all traffic between your computer and the third-party VPN provider will be encrypted and secure from snooping.  The VPN provider will know what you're doing, but their service is based on providing a fast and reliable relay, so that's nothing to worry about.

I can provide more info on VPN shortly after I do some compatibility testing on my own.  They typically run from $8/mo or so, so they are not expensive, but it is something to consider.

As for the crash-instead-of-start thing... does that happen only when you run the Klink app on your PC?  I'll note that, though I'm currently focused on the CHECK():209 error, which annoyingly interrupts an active connection.  Thanks!

Kevin

[Jef Boyardee]

Yow... thank you for the enlightening! I have done an XP upgrade, and
do use a version of a game that isn’t available on Android, so I’ll
keep my eyes open for your next mention of VPN.

As for the crash, it only happens after I tap Start on the Android end
then click Start on the PC end, and the Android end isn’t hurt by this
at all. PC Klink is running throughout this, I just right-click Start
from the tray icon.

> On Tue, May 31, 2011 at 12:52 AM, Jef Boyardee <jefboyar...@gmail.com>wrote:
>
>
>
> > Kevin, Klink is behaving so reliably lately that I’m going to pretend
> > this my only web access for a couple more weeks, then dump my ISP
> > account and stop pretending -- it’s amazing to even be able to say
> > that. It also helped to hear you say my usage was relatively minimal;
> > that eases my only worry. So if there’s some dark secret I haven’t
> > learned, please teach me. Otherwise, thanks for your product and the
> > assistance you’ve provided.
>
> > It’s getting to the point that my only deterrent is the prospect of
> > life without basic cable TV, which I hardly ever watch anyway. But
> > speaking of video, this Klink connection is livable for everything but
> > stuff like YouTube, where it stutters and gags. I usually just pause a
> > video until it loads, which can take several minutes, but then it’s
> > fine. I don’t expect a phone modem to match cable, but if you know a

> > trick for that, please spill. Thanks again...- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

[Kevin Ko]

Hi, Jef.

I've done a quick bit of VPN compatibility testing, and things should work fine.

The way this works is to subscribe to a VPN service and initiate a VPN connection between your phone and the service or your computer and the service.  Once you do that, everything will be transparently encrypted between your computer and the VPN provider, making it impossible for third parties to snoop in between.  In fact, with some VPN services, you may even be able to communicate over the HTTPS (secure web browser) port or secure email port, and everything will look like a normal connection, since the transferred data is encrypted and unintelligible to anyone but your computer and the VPN service.  As with Klink, virtually all applications will run transparently over the VPN connection .  A crude picture of the scenario is as follows:

Your Computer <-->  Klink PC <--> Klink Android <--> Internet

Now, you run VPN on top of this layout to get:

Your Computer (via Klink) <-secure-> VPN Service <--> Internet

Everything between your computer and the VPN service is secure and unreadable.

To use VPN, you'll have to do a small amount of configuration on your PC or phone.  Most service providers provide a one-click download of pre-configured PC software or step-by-step instructions, so it's pretty straightforward.  Configuring an Android phone to directly connect to a PPTP or L2TP VPN is also pretty straightforward if you have Android 1.6 or later.  I've copied some instructions at the end of this message.

For VPN providers, I personally use www.cotse.net, as it has been around for years and is very upfront about its logging policy.  VPN access costs $7.95/mo with them.  A number of other companies provide equivalent services for about the same cost; see the list at http://code.google.com/p/tunnelblick/wiki/GettingVPNService.  Note that I have no relation to Cotse, aside from having used them for over a year.  You can enter the referral id "kiwifrut" when signing up, if you care, and they'll give me a couple of months of service in exchange.

Under Windows, a popular VPN package called OpenVPN works perfectly.  Depending on your situation, you might have to force install a second TAP device so that OpenVPN can coexist with Klink.  Those instructions are at the end of this message.  Other software should work without issue, but note that PPTP style VPNs are not supported by a PC using Klink, since that is not possible without rooting your phone.  You can, however, configure Android's built-in VPN software to establish a PPTP VPN connection and then start Klink after doing that.  Communication on both your phone and Klink-connected PC will then be tunneled securely through the VPN.

OS X is a little tricky right now, since OpenVPN under OS X conflicts with Klink at the moment.  I'll get this fixed when I revamp the OS X driver to appear as a proper network device.  However, using Android's built-in VPN software should work fine.  Other VPN software should also work without issues.

Please let me know if anything's unclear.

Kevin

=====

Configuring Android for PPTP VPNs:

- From your phone's home screen.  Press the Menu key.

- Choose Wireless & networks

- Choose VPN settings

- Add VPN

- Add PPTP VPN

  * Set whatever name you like

  * set VPN server to that specified by your provider (vpn1.cotse.net in cotse's case)

  * Enable encryption (this is important to hide VPN traffic)

  * You can leave DNS search domains set to defaults

  * Press Menu key and choose "Save"

Then, simply tap on the newly created VPN profile to initiate a connection.  Tap on the notification icon/entry to disconnect the connection.

=====

Adding a second TAP device under Windows so that OpenVPN and Klink will coexist.  This only needs to be done if OpenVPN is installed after Klink.

Solution #1: The easiest solution is to to install OpenVPN first and then install the Klink PC software afterward.  You can simply uninstall both programs and then install them in the aforementioned order.

Solution #2: This approach requires some commandline work, but does not require that you reinstall any software.

- Go to Windows Start->Programs->Accessories and right click on "Command Prompt".  If you are on XP, just choose Open.  If you are on Windows Vista or 7, choose Run as administrator.

- Then, type the following two lines, each followed by the enter key:

On 32-bit windows:

cd "c:\program files\faveset klink"

tapinstall install oemwin2k.inf tap0901

On 64-bit windows:

cd "c:\program files (x86)\faveset klink"

tapinstall install oemwin2k.inf tap0901

Above, tap0901 is "tap-Zero-Nine-Zero-One".

[Jef Boyardee]

Thank you again, Kevin, I will keep this thread handy. If I do this
whole-hog, I may need it, but based on what you told me earlier, I
assume that Sprint’s nonchalance and my light usage should add up to a
safe enough situation.

On Jun 3, 8:48 pm, Kevin Ko <ke...@faveset.com> wrote:
> Hi, Jef.
>

> I've done a quick bit of VPN compatibility testing, and things should work
> fine.
>
> The way this works is to subscribe to a VPN service and initiate a VPN
> connection between your phone and the service or your computer and the
> service.  Once you do that, everything will be transparently encrypted
> between your computer and the VPN provider, making it impossible for third
> parties to snoop in between.  In fact, with some VPN services, you may even
> be able to communicate over the HTTPS (secure web browser) port or secure
> email port, and everything will look like a normal connection, since the
> transferred data is encrypted and unintelligible to anyone but your computer
> and the VPN service.  As with Klink, virtually all applications will run
> transparently over the VPN connection .  A crude picture of the scenario is
> as follows:
>
> Your Computer <-->  Klink PC <--> Klink Android <--> Internet
>
> Now, you run VPN on top of this layout to get:
>
> Your Computer (via Klink) <-secure-> VPN Service <--> Internet
>
> Everything between your computer and the VPN service is secure and
> unreadable.
>
> To use VPN, you'll have to do a small amount of configuration on your PC or
> phone.  Most service providers provide a one-click download of
> pre-configured PC software or step-by-step instructions, so it's pretty
> straightforward.  Configuring an Android phone to directly connect to a PPTP
> or L2TP VPN is also pretty straightforward if you have Android 1.6 or later.
>  I've copied some instructions at the end of this message.
>

> For VPN providers, I personally usewww.cotse.net, as it has been around for

> years and is very upfront about its logging policy.  VPN access costs
> $7.95/mo with them.  A number of other companies provide equivalent services

> for about the same cost; see the list athttp://code.google.com/p/tunnelblick/wiki/GettingVPNService.  Note that I

> ...
>
> read more »- Hide quoted text -

[Jef Boyardee]

What I do now since I keep getting that error: Like I said, I only
have to restart the PC app to get going, so now I just quit the app
when I’m done webbing, restart it (and click start) to resume. Just in
case that helps...

> > tethering almost irresistible...- Hide quoted text -