So I set went on a trip and thought I would try some tethering with my 3g iPhone. First, I must say the tethering works great. I was able to download and install iTunes on my pc at about 120KB/sec! I was thrilled. However, most places had WiFi so I did not really need to tether.

The problems started on the last night of my trip. I stayed at a place with no WiFi, but my 3g was at 5 bars. So I started up the tethering apps and got in. After a few hours, I noticed that my iPhone was only at 50% charge. This seemed odd to me because I was plugged into the USB port charging the whole time. I thought that perhaps the USB was not providing enough power, so I moved the charger to the wall and continued my work. Checked up on it around 30 minutes later and it was now at 40% charge. Bottom line: iPhone tethering uses more power than charging circuitry can provide! Even powered, I am able to get about 4 hours at best. Finally, I had to disable the 3g and tether EDGE which allowed me to stay about even. Now, it’s possible some other stuff was going on and I will look into this possibility. However, be warned. Tethering uses a lot of power!

For those that are interested in how the tether was performed, I will produce a guide in our guides section on it shortly. I recommend PDANet for tethering. It seems to be about the easiest one.

Tags: Negative power, power, power woes, Tethering