iPhone USB Tethering Problem

Question

I have a strange little problem on my hands here.

All this while, I've been using iPhone tethering via USB, and all was well.

However, today afternoon, my iPhone USB interface in the Network pane keeps stating that my iPhone USB interface is 'Not Connected'.

Enabling and disabling the Personal Hotspot option on my iPhone does not seem to get it back.

Does anyone here have any idea how I would solve this? Thanks a lot!

Machine: MacBook Pro, OS X Lion v10.7.3.

iPhone: iPhone4, iOS 5.0.1

Answer 1

Over here the iPhone USB interface in the Network pane also keeps displaying 'not connected' when the USB cable is connected to the iPhone.

• Mac OS X: 10.6.8
• iPhone: 4
• iOS: 5.1
• iTunes: 10.6.3
• iPhone Configuration Utility: 3.5

The cause is a faulty /System/Library/Extensions/AppleUSBEthernetHost.kext, though the version 2.3.0 is correct, its size of 78 KB, 60.892 bytes is not.

A known to be working AppleUSBEthernetHost.kext for iPhone USB tethering is version 2.3.0, but 225 KB, 189.646 bytes.

The fix is:

1. In Terminal: $ sudo rm -r /System/Library/Extensions/AppleUSBEthernetHost.kext # to remove
2. Restart (not sure whether this is necessary)
3. Reinstall iTunes (in our case 10.6.3), this also installs the good AppleUSBEthernetHost.kext

When tethering still doesn't work:

1. Apple menu > System Preferences > Networking > remove iPhone
2. add the iPhone again
3. hit the [Apply] button

PS According to our backup software somewhere around May 7th, 2010 a newer version of AppleUSBEthernetHost.kext was installed.

Answer 2

I've just experienced this problem, and resetting the network settings on the iPhone seemed to fix it.
1. Unplug your phone from your computer
2. On your iPhone: Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings
3. Wait for the iPhone to restart, then plug the phone back into your computer and wait 10-20 seconds

Answer 3

I had this issue, and I have a Mac Mini running Lion that I just installed a week or so ago. I have a Verizon iPhone 4 (no S), running iOS 5.1.

Here is the reality that I just discovered...

Make sure the iPhone "Cellular Data" is active (it will be unless you phyiscally turn it off, like, for testing). Turn on the Personal Hotspot on the iPhone.

Connect your iPhone to your Mac via a USB cable.

Go into the Sharing on the Mac, and go to Internet Sharing. The iPhone USB will appear and from the Internet Sharing standpoint, it will actually allow you to select "from Ehternet to iPhone USB" but, it doesn't actually work.

In reality you can only share this the other way, ie, share internet from iPhone USB TO the Mac. Perhaps Apple is readying the ability share the other way via USB, but it isn't there, yet

However, as long as you have an ethernet connection and a Wi-Fi on the Mac, you can share FROM the Mac to the iPhone via Wi-Fi, essentially setting up a Computer-to-Computer connection between the Mac and the iPhone (or, in more modern terms, the Mac becomes a hotspot).

I have read that perhaps with earlier versions of OSX the USB went the otherway, but I have never gotten it to work, and I highly doubt Apple would have taken that away, as opposed to adding it.

Hope this helps.

Answer 4

In addition to ProBackup's instructions, removing and purging iPhone Configuration Utility seems to help (from here) :

1. Delete iPhone configuration utility.

2. Purge files related to iPhone Configuration Utility :

   sudo rm -rf /private/var/db/receipts/com.apple.pkg.iPhoneConfigurationUtility.*
   rm -rf ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.iPhoneConfigurationUtility.plist*
   

3. Delete the whole folder:

   sudo rm /System/Library/Extensions/AppleUSBEthernetHost.kext
   

4. Reinstall iTunes (just over the previous one)

5. Restart

In my case, I did not have the iphone config util so instructions #3 - #5 worked fine !

Answer 5

Did you try good ol' method from PC days - turning off and on again?

It worked for me with different personal hotspot problem.