Bluetooth Tethering a device TO a 4g OpenWrt 4G Hotspot to get internet access

Installing and Using OpenWrt
1

I have a bit of Leica survey gear that Bluetooth tethers to an ancient Nokia phone to get internet access. The OS on the Leica looks like Windows CE and it uses modem scripts to connect to the Nokia phone over Bluetooth.

The Nokia phone will become useless at some point, and I am trying to find another solution to continue supplying my Leica device with data.

I am thinking of finding a suitable OpenWrt 4g modem/mifi that is battery-powered and can support Bluetooth (either built-in or via USB plug-in dongle).

But before I disappear too far down a rabbit hole, I wanted to check if OpenWrt was capable of being tethered to another device to supply internet?

Has anyone managed this?

Many thanks for any help/pointers

2

You can easily tether an smartphone to an OpenWrt router thereby to provide internet to that router, if that is helpful - see here:

I should know - I just set this up myself to give temporary access whilst I get my outdoor Zyxel NR7101 4G/5G router replaced.

3

Thanks, I was aware of this, but its not quite what I need to do...

I am planning on an OpenWrt device having access to the internet over 4g and then allowing other clients to get internet access by tethering to the OpenWrt device..

4

Sounds perfect then, no? It's super easy with Android, at least - you just:

  • install kmod-usb-net-rndis;
  • tether phone;
  • enable phone tethering in settings on Android phone;
  • then set wan device to the usb device,

And that's it.

5

Thats for tethering an OpenWRT device TO a phone to get internet access from the phone.

I want to BlueTooth tether a device TO an OpenWrt router that already has internet access...

6

So OpenWrt to provide a bluetooth access point using e.g. a bluetooth dongle?

7

Yes, think of it like the OpenWrt device offering a Wifi hotspot and allowing other device to connect to get internet

But instead of Wifi, using Bluetooth...