Thoughts about Librem Phone tethering

Hardware Librem 5
1

Hi again! I answered your Librem Phone survey some time ago (saying it’s more a “pocket computer” than a “phone” that you’re planning for now, as you know it will be hard to provide an usual phone number for it while keeping trust in it), but I continued to think about it.

There’s something I’d be interested to buy, which hardware would be a “pocket computer” such as the one you’ve planned: a “network protector,” a trusted wifi- and/or data-connected device that I could use in ~tethering to have Internet on my computer, but that would filter hardly (but in a way configurable from the device itself) all network calls coming either from the network or from my computer.

With such a device, having a not-trusted-hardware computer would be quite less a problem, as it would be unable to make “random” network calls (the only need being to remove every integrated networking hardware, of course). That would also help maintaining usually not-connected computers.

As you’re talking about a “phone,” I’m quite sure that’s not the use you had in mind for your device. But with this function, I think it would be quite easier for you to sell wifi-only devices. Just an idea. :·)

2

The long-term goal is aligned with what you’re talking about:

  1. Have a no-carrier (wifi) phone that
    2. <li>Communicates via encrypted apps over-the-top</li>

<li>Can be tethered, or use cellular (*in some capacity, yet to be determined)</li>

<li>Turn all data comms to dumb pipes, and use encrypted comms at the software level</li>
3

i hope will be a real smartphone (with cellular and mobile data), the market already have alot of small portable pc

4

> i hope will be a real smartphone
> (with cellular and mobile data),
> the market already have alot of
> small portable pc

I don’t know any phone-like (pocket size and touchscreen input), trustable, hackable device. If you know some, I’d be interested.

5

my fear is they will make a tablet or a pocket pc with touchscreen with only wi-fi, and imho is useless, i can have it with raspberry pi and 100 euro
if they wanna do something new and usefull they have to make a real smartphone with cellular and mobile data, because a real open source and trusted smartphone is what the market doesnt have yet