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Linksy PhoneNet 📱⚡

Effortless reverse tethering for Linux.
Share your laptop's Wi-Fi internet connection to your Android phone wirelessly or over a USB cable.

License: MIT Node.js Platform NPM Version

The Problem & The Solution

Most laptop Wi-Fi cards cannot run in standard hotspot mode while connected to a Wi-Fi network. In practice, activating an nmcli or GUI hotspot drops the laptop's existing wireless connection.

Linksy PhoneNet solves this by providing three simple, automated reverse tethering methods:

  1. Wireless Concurrent Wi-Fi Hotspot (linksy on --wifi): On dual-interface-capable Wi-Fi cards, Linksy automatically clones your upstream Wi-Fi frequency and channel into an independent virtual Access Point (ap0) with zero connection drops, automatic DHCP, and real-time device management. Includes Intelligent Regional & Hardware NO-IR Auto-Recovery: if your upstream Wi-Fi operates on a channel restricted from mobile phone scanning (like 5 GHz Channels 36–48 in Nigeria) or your Wi-Fi adapter's regulatory database marks a channel with NO-IR (passive scan only / AP mode forbidden), Linksy automatically switches your connection to the 2.4 GHz band so your phone can detect and connect to the hotspot instantly!
  2. Wireless Bluetooth Reverse Tethering (linksy on --bluetooth): Broadcasts a Bluetooth PAN Network Access Point (NAP) bridge that provides wireless reverse tethering without radio conflicts.
  3. Wired Reverse USB Tethering (linksy on): Wraps adb and gnirehtet into a friendly, single-command experience that tunnels internet traffic through a USB cable without root.

Installation

One-line Setup

npx linksy-phonenet setup

Or install globally via npm

npm install -g linksy-phonenet
linksy-phonenet setup

linksy-phonenet setup will:

  1. Detect your Linux distribution.
  2. Check for adb (Android Debug Bridge) and offer to install it automatically via your package manager (dnf, apt, pacman, or zypper) if missing.
  3. Inspect your Wi-Fi interface capabilities (iw list) and let you know if your hardware supports concurrent hotspot mode.
  4. Dynamically resolve and download the latest Gnirehtet release from GitHub directly into ~/.linksy/gnirehtet/.
  5. Set permissions and prepare everything for one-word commands.

Daily Usage

You can connect your phone using Wi-Fi Hotspot (Wireless), Bluetooth (Wireless), or USB Cable (Wired):

Connection Modes

Mode Command Best For Description
Wi-Fi Hotspot (Wireless) linksy on --wifi
phonenet-on -w		 High-speed wireless Broadcasts a concurrent Wi-Fi hotspot on the matching channel. Connect your phone via standard Wi-Fi (no cable or phone app needed).
Bluetooth (Wireless) linksy on --bluetooth
phonenet-on -b		 Universal wireless fallback Reverse tethers over Bluetooth PAN. Toggle "Internet access" in phone Bluetooth settings.
USB Cable (Wired) linksy on
phonenet-on		 Fast wired tethering Reverse USB tethering via ADB + Gnirehtet VPN tunnel.

Commands Table

Direct Shortcuts

Command Description
phonenet-on Start reverse tethering (pass -w for Wi-Fi, -b for Bluetooth)
phonenet-off Stop all active Linksy connections (USB, Wi-Fi hotspot, or Bluetooth)
phonenet-status Display status across USB, Wi-Fi hotspot, and Bluetooth PAN
phonenet-doctor Run diagnostic checks for ADB, Wi-Fi AP capability, and Bluetooth
phonenet-qr Display scannable Wi-Fi QR code in the terminal for instant mobile connection

Subcommands (phonenet or linksy-phonenet)

Command Description
linksy on Start reverse tethering (options: -w / --wifi, -b / --bluetooth, -n / --name <name>, -s / --ssid <name>, -p / --password <pass>, -B / --band <2.4|5>, --2ghz, --5ghz, --no-password)
linksy off Stop all active tethering and hotspot services
linksy status Display status of USB, Wi-Fi hotspot, connected devices, and Bluetooth sessions
linksy qr Display a scannable Wi-Fi QR code in the terminal for instant phone connection (options: -s, -p, --open)
linksy name [new-name] View or change your default Wi-Fi hotspot name (SSID)
linksy devices View connected devices with hostname, IP, MAC, signal strength, and transfer stats
linksy block <device> Disconnect and blacklist a device by hostname, IP, or MAC address
linksy unblock <device> Remove a device from the blacklist
linksy whitelist <device> Whitelist a device (pass --remove to unwhitelist)
linksy doctor Comprehensive diagnostic checks with copy-pasteable fix commands
linksy update Automatically check for and install the latest version from NPM
linksy uninstall Clean up ~/.linksy/ binaries and temporary files

Example Workflows

1. Wirelessly via Wi-Fi Hotspot (High Speed, No Cable)

# Start concurrent Wi-Fi hotspot on matching channel (with automatic regional mobile compatibility!)
# Automatically uses your laptop model (e.g. "Linksy-ThinkPad-T490s") to prevent room collisions!
linksy on --wifi

# Force 2.4 GHz band for 100% universal phone compatibility:
linksy on --wifi --band 2.4
# Or shorthand:
linksy on -w --2ghz

# Force 5 GHz band:
linksy on --wifi --band 5

# View your current hotspot name anytime:
linksy name

# Or set a permanent custom network name:
linksy name "Adams-Hotspot"

# Or specify a custom network name & password when starting:
linksy on --wifi --name "Adams-Hotspot" --password "<your-password>"
# Shorthand:
linksy on -w -n "Adams-Hotspot" -p "<your-password>"

# Or run with NO password (open network):
linksy on --wifi --no-password

# On your phone: Open Wi-Fi settings, connect to your network
# Or display a scannable QR code on your terminal screen:
linksy qr
# Enjoy high-speed wireless internet shared from your laptop!

# See who is connected to your hotspot (device name, IP, signal, data usage):
linksy devices

# Check connection status & password anytime:
linksy status

# Block an unwanted device (by name, IP, or MAC):
linksy block 192.168.42.29
# or by MAC:
linksy block aa:bb:cc:dd:ee:ff

# Unblock a device:
linksy unblock aa:bb:cc:dd:ee:ff

# Disconnect when finished:
linksy off

2. Wirelessly via Bluetooth (No Cable)

# Start Bluetooth reverse tethering
linksy on --bluetooth

# On your phone: Settings → Bluetooth → tap laptop → toggle ON "Internet access"
# Disconnect when finished
linksy off

3. Over USB Cable (Wired)

# 1. Plug in your Android phone via USB
# 2. Turn on tethering
phonenet-on

# 3. Accept the VPN prompt on screen
# Disconnect when finished
phonenet-off

Supported Distributions (v1)

Linksy v1 supports Linux with automatic package manager detection for:

  • Fedora / RHEL / CentOS Stream (dnf)
  • Ubuntu / Debian / Linux Mint (apt)
  • Arch Linux / Manjaro (pacman)
  • openSUSE (zypper)

Manual fallback instructions are provided if your package manager is unrecognized.

Diagnostics (linksy doctor)

If your phone is not connecting, run:

linksy doctor

Linksy doctor checks:

  1. Is adb installed and on your system PATH?
  2. Is the gnirehtet binary present and executable in ~/.linksy/?
  3. Is a physical Android phone detected via USB?
  4. Is USB debugging authorized (i.e. RSA key accepted on the phone screen)?
  5. Is Wi-Fi AP+STA concurrent mode supported by your Wi-Fi card?
  6. Is Bluetooth PAN available for wireless fallback?
  7. Is your Linksy CLI up-to-date with the latest release on NPM?

For any failed step, doctor provides an immediate, copy-pasteable fix.

Updating Linksy (linksy update)

Linksy automatically checks for updates in the background without adding any latency to your commands. If a new release is available, a non-intrusive alert box is shown at the end of command runs.

To update Linksy to the latest version at any time:

linksy update

Linksy will check NPM, download and upgrade the global package, and verify the installation automatically.

Hardware Testing Checklist

For verifying Linksy on real hardware:

  • Prerequisites: USB cable with data support (not charge-only), Android phone (Android 5.0+).
  • USB Debugging: On your phone, go to Settings → About phone → tap Build number 7 times. Go to Developer options → toggle USB debugging ON.
  • Plug In: Connect phone to laptop via USB.
  • Verify Device: Run adb devices. You should see <serial> device or <serial> unauthorized.
  • Run Doctor: Run linksy doctor to confirm all checks pass.
  • Start Tethering: Run linksy on.
  • Authorize on Phone: Tap OK on the "Connection request" (Gnirehtet VPN prompt) on your phone.
  • Test Connectivity: Turn off Cellular Data and Wi-Fi on your phone. Open a browser on the phone and verify internet access works!
  • Stop: Run linksy off and confirm the VPN closes.

Roadmap

Completed Features ✔

  • Concurrent Wi-Fi AP+STA wireless reverse tethering (see Wireless Reverse Tethering Research)
  • Bluetooth PAN wireless reverse tethering (linksy on --bluetooth)
  • Real-time connected device monitoring (linksy devices)
  • Hotspot access control (blacklist / whitelist with linksy block & linksy unblock)
  • Pre-emptive NetworkManager radio collision prevention (zero upstream Wi-Fi drops)
  • Smart DMI hardware-based hotspot SSID naming & custom names (linksy name)
  • Automatic non-blocking update notifications & one-word update command (linksy update)

Planned for Future Versions

  • macOS & Windows platform support
  • System tray / desktop GUI app
  • iOS reverse tethering support

Credits & Acknowledgements

Linksy is a UX wrapper and workflow orchestrator. It builds upon these open-source tools:

License

MIT License © 2026 Linksy Contributors

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Reverse USB tethering CLI for Linux - share laptop Wi-Fi with Android without root

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