One-click vs. Manual Root

A couple of related questions:


1) I downloaded TowelRoot to my LG Zone 2 (VS415PP) and ran it. It would not run without an Internet connection. Does anyone know why it needs a network connection? Has anyone analyzed the code, or performed traffic analysis on its network requests?

2) Is there a less-automated, but more transparent, way of rooting the VS415PP?


Thanks!