CellRoute

Manual configuration guide

Connect a proxy-aware client to your Android phone

You configure both ends: start CellRoute on the phone, then enter the displayed LAN or hotspot address, port and credentials in the client. Only applications that honor that proxy setting will use it.

Prepare the phone

  1. Confirm that the SIM and cellular data work.
  2. Confirm the phone can keep Wi-Fi or hotspot and cellular available at the same time.
  3. Open CellRoute and check the cellular Network status.
  4. Choose SOCKS5 or HTTP, set the port and keep authentication enabled.
  5. Start the proxy.
  6. Record the displayed local address, port, username and password.

Mode A: same Wi-Fi

  • Connect the phone and client to the same Wi-Fi.
  • Use the phone’s Wi-Fi LAN address as the proxy server.
  • CellRoute still creates target connections through the phone’s cellular Network.
  • If connection fails, the Wi-Fi may use AP or client isolation.

Mode B: Android hotspot

  • Open the Android system settings and turn on the hotspot manually.
  • Connect the client to that hotspot.
  • Use the hotspot gateway address displayed by CellRoute as the proxy server.
  • CellRoute does not automatically control hotspot state.
  • Some OEMs block hotspot clients from accessing phone-local ports.

Client configuration

Windows

Open Network & internet proxy settings for HTTP, or configure SOCKS5 inside an application that supports it. System proxy coverage varies by application.

macOS

Select the active network service, open Proxies, and enter the phone address, port and credentials for Web Proxy or SOCKS Proxy.

Android

For Wi-Fi, edit the connected network and choose a manual HTTP proxy. Android’s system proxy generally applies to Wi-Fi and apps may ignore it; use in-app SOCKS5 settings when available.

iOS / iPadOS

Edit the connected Wi-Fi network, open Configure Proxy, select Manual, and enter server, port and authentication. The setting mainly applies to that Wi-Fi network.

Firefox

Open Network Settings, choose manual proxy configuration, and enter HTTP or SOCKS v5 details. Use Firefox’s proxy-DNS option only when appropriate for your client behavior.

Proxy-aware applications

Enter the displayed SOCKS5 or HTTP details directly. Whether SOCKS5 resolves DNS through the proxy depends on the client implementation.

Before testing

  • System proxy support differs by operating system and application.
  • Some apps ignore system proxy settings.
  • UDP, QUIC and SOCKS5 UDP ASSOCIATE are unsupported.
  • A browser may need QUIC disabled or bypassed so that requests use TCP.
  • Do not assume every application on the client is proxied.

Troubleshooting checklist

  • Cannot reach the phone: verify listener status, ingress mode, local IP, port, firewall, AP isolation and hotspot client isolation.
  • Authentication failed: re-enter the exact username and password; avoid whitespace added by password managers.
  • Cellular unverified: confirm mobile data, SIM status, signal and OEM background restrictions.
  • Port in use: choose another unoccupied port and update the client.
  • Application bypass: configure its own proxy and disable QUIC where supported.
  • Destination rejected: review the destination ACL; protected private and special-use ranges remain blocked by default.
  • Connection dropped after network change: reconnect the client; old TCP connections do not migrate seamlessly.