Since most of us who use this forum are aware of AT&T's draconian policies regarding tethering, especially the one whereby they bump you from unlimited to crappy tethering plan policy, I'm going to ask those of us who are successfully tethering their Atrix with an unlimited data plan to help correct some information.
Basically AT&T is changing their plans, and with 3gb HSPA and 5gb LTE throttling the reality for us unlimited data plan users, I and others would like to know what this has wrought for our tethering capabilities.
Previously AT&T was monitoring our accounts to see if we were tethering, seeing if our phones were using ports and protocols for checking windows update for example(used to determine that your phone is tethered to a PC), or user agent strings, or other means of packet inspection. They were hitting people with the 45$ tethering plan left and right 12 months ago, but now, Verizon has just gotten the smackdown on their charge-for-tether practices, and I recall hearing that AT&T doesn't care about tethering anymore because they are putting most people on the unified data package where a whole set of devices use one pool of allotted bandwidth. Which would mean AT&T can ream those people with encouraged tethering.
But that leaves those of us with an unlimited plan......uninformed. Are they still doing the plan bump if they detect an unlimited user tethering? Furthermore, can they even detect the kind of tethering I've tried before, namely Atrix CM7 connected to HP touchpad CM9, I think built in tethering app. Can't they tell from the amount of hops, its one further on the Time to live?
Or do I have to use PDANET for the encryption?
Surely there must be someone out there using their unlimited with tethering who can chime in, maybe you can say what rom and tether app/built in your using/technique.
And if it's safe, this would make my job so much easier to tether with my laptop. And since that work is volunteer search and rescue flying, this could be invaluable information for me and my team.
Thanks, TL ; DR, AT&T sucks. But they have a fat data pipe and large network...
Grandfathered unlimited plan here. I'm running neutrino and tether to my iPad mostly and some pc tethering I used about 2 gigs in 3 days and so far so good. No scary text or anything.
Of course ymmv but that's been my experience with tethering so far.
Btw located in more rural southeast
Interesting
Thanks for the reply, I've tethered roughly 3-4 gb using netflix and some web browsing from Atrix to Touchpad, but that was last Thanksgiving, so I'm sure AT&T's network has changed since then. I guess I'll start off with trying to push 3gb+ using netflix on the touchpad, followed by browsing on the touchpad to see if any warning bells go off at AT&T. Because frankly having freedom to tether is a joy, I used to use my HTC Touch Pro to tether like mad on AT&T going through 5gb with a laptop easily. But that was 2.5 years ago
Anyone else get slammed?
I thought they just throttled you after you used more than 3gb+. Are they guys not getting throttled anymore?
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jarsh92 said:
I thought they just throttled you after you used more than 3gb+. Are they guys not getting throttled anymore?
Sent from my MB860 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have tethered on my unlimited plan, using my Nintendo 3Ds, and my laptop which is running linux, so they probably wouldn't be able to detect the devices easily.
No text messages yet.
Related
One of my friends (he has jailb. iphone and used tethering for ~3 weeks) just got letter from ATT: stop using tethering or we'll change your plan to 4gb teth. plan (+$45)
Another friend though (android device, 2 months tethering) spoke with ATT rep. about tethering and plan overlimit and he was told : we'll just charge you $10 for each addnl Gb.
I'm using tethering for 3 m. If I use browser I change User Agent to Opera mobile (but not all the time) and had no any warnings.
where is the true about tethering? is this device specific? I mean is there something in iPhones that lets ATT to know about "illigal" tethering
is this the f. way for ATT to make money to lock device/software capabilities and then unlock them for $$$. OK lets lock volume or brightnes to 0 and charge people for each % added. lets lock BT - kinda tethering as well
all this is so stupid. it's like if electric company will charge you extra for using toster but not teapot.
who cares how I spend data that no longe belong to them. this is my 2gb. and I can put it in my ... if I'd like so
there are some ?? in this post so I posted it here not General. may be I'm wrong but not so wrong as ATT
i've personally never read about android devices being caught tethering (if anyone can show me otherwise, i would appreciate it)
the way AT&T picks up on people doing illegitimate tethering is by iphone users using mywi, not sure how they do it but every single post i've read of people who got served was using an iphone.
uuh... Bluetooth is not even remotely close to tethering. The reason they charge extra for tethering, compared to simple data plans... and why they don't (technically) allow tethering on unlimited plans, is because if you're using a laptop or desktop and have it connected to the internet via your phone... you're capable of downloading a LOT more information a LOT quicker, thus congesting their network.
Also would need a bit more information about how your friends were tethering. The first mentioned friend with the iPhone was probably doing what Alcapone said... using MyWi to tether for free, while probably on an unlimited data plan. That's probably why he got a letter saying that if it continues, he will be switched to the 4GB Tethering plan. They probably noticed an unusually large amount of bandwidth being used, which raised a red flag.
The second friend i'm assuming probably actually pays for tethering... or at least that's probably what the AT&T rep was assuming. In that case they'll charge per extra GB downloaded.
Only time i've ever heard the possibility of someone's plan being switched is if they're doing something that's not possible on their plan to begin with. Kinda like the people that were praying they could keep their dumbphone unlimited data plan to use with a smartphone.
zelipukin said:
One of my friends (he has jailb. iphone and used tethering for ~3 weeks) just got letter from ATT: stop using tethering or we'll change your plan to 4gb teth. plan (+$45)
Another friend though (android device, 2 months tethering) spoke with ATT rep. about tethering and plan overlimit and he was told : we'll just charge you $10 for each addnl Gb.
I'm using tethering for 3 m. If I use browser I change User Agent to Opera mobile (but not all the time) and had no any warnings.
where is the true about tethering? is this device specific? I mean is there something in iPhones that lets ATT to know about "illigal" tethering
is this the f. way for ATT to make money to lock device/software capabilities and then unlock them for $$$. OK lets lock volume or brightnes to 0 and charge people for each % added. lets lock BT - kinda tethering as well
all this is so stupid. it's like if electric company will charge you extra for using toster but not teapot.
who cares how I spend data that no longe belong to them. this is my 2gb. and I can put it in my ... if I'd like so
there are some ?? in this post so I posted it here not General. may be I'm wrong but not so wrong as ATT
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
this rant and its questions have all been debated and answered time and time again on this forum. search.
all have 2gb no tethering plan. Large amount of data? Am I not free to use my 2gb in one day? I mean I can spend only 2gb I paid for. in one day or 1 month, what's the difference? why not to change calling plan to unlimited if att noticed you "spoke to much yestarday"
zelipukin said:
all have 2gb no tethering plan. Large amount of data? Am I not free to use my 2gb in one day? I mean I can spend only 2gb I paid for. in one day or 1 month, what's the difference? why not to change calling plan to unlimited if att noticed you "spoke to much yestarday"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This has been covered over here...
Going over your 2gb data plan is one thing and tethering is another. The iphone OS records the amount of time tethered and somehow notifies att about the devices usage. Also, from what I've learned when I had my iphones, not syncing to itunes after you've installed jailbroken apps will not register with apple. The only tethering apps I think most people getting caught with is an app called MyWi. Not sure about PDAnet. My wife uses MyWi but has never synced her phone to itunes after installing and we've never gotten a notice. Might also being looked at cuz the iphone doesn't have flash so other than netflix....how can you use a ton of data other than streaming or tethering.
ccrows said:
This has been covered over here...
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Click to collapse
ty, ty, ty
I knew kind people will point me to the right topic I couldnt find myself.
elementaldragon said:
why they don't (technically) allow tethering on unlimited plans, is because if you're using a laptop or desktop and have it connected to the internet via your phone... you're capable of downloading a LOT more information a LOT quicker, thus congesting their network.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is this necessarily true though? With a phone that's capable of multitasking like the Atrix, I don't see the real issue. AT&T claims that by using a laptop, you will end up eating more data, but I always saw the service they provide as the real bottleneck. No matter how many devices you tether to the Atrix, whether it be 1 or 4, you're still unable to use more bandwidth than what you are capable of receiving. If your speed tests run at the miserable 1.5Mbps down and 1Mbps up that I get, how can they claim that you download information QUICKER from a computer? This may have been true before, when phone's couldn't handle as many operations as they do now, but I can definitely stream some music from pandora, browse the web, and hell, even download a torrent all at the same time if I wanted to.
I feel like all of the "modern" updates AT&T has made has just hurt the consumer in the process. Tethering on an unlimited plan shouldn't be allowed, I understand that. Your cell phone plan shouldn't be the basis for your home internet, and that's fair. But if you're on a tiered plan, your 2GB should be yours to do whatever you want with. And while I'm ranting about the tiered plans, I think for the price they charge for the 200MB plan, they need to start offering more. As their service supposedly gets faster, that 200MB cap becomes so much easier to reach. Come on AT&T, get with the times.
Found some old posts, back in May, where people were discussing whether PDANet could truly hide tethering from AT&T, or other providers. I was tethering with my rooted SGS2 and received the text, email, and snail mail notices from AT&T that I would lose my unlimited data and be forced to by a tethering plan if I continued to tether. I was utilizing the stock rom with the tethering manager frozen.
Has anybody utilizing the 3.02 version of PDANet been contacted by AT&T to c&d? If so, could the c&d be attributed to tethering done before installing PDANet?
thanks,
retnuh
I'd like to know as well.
I don't think pdanet does anything special...i use approx 3-5gigs a month all mostly teathering. I have never received any notices of any kind.
I think as long there isn't any high spikes in data usage, you'll be safe.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using XDA App
This is just an unproven theory by myself, but don't use internet explorer on the device you are tethering to.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using XDA App
Personally, I use Firefox with User Agent usually set to Iphone, but obviously if there was a galaxy s 2 user agent I would use it. I din't tether to much- maybe 500 meg a month, but I've never been caught.
I got hit with the top %5 text the other morning...managed to use just under 12gigz this billing cycle..MOSTLY from wifi tether Phone 2 Phone and i maybe used an hr tethering to a laptop..I work for the bastards..doesn't matter what you use...all ill say is the network is alot smarter than people think..trust me..
Sent from my SGH-I777 using xda premium
Supposedly Barnacle "hides" it and it's a free app. Google it.
I wonder if using an SSH connection would encrypt the connection enough to hide anything they sniff out to detect tethering.
If your rooted and have root explore just delete tehtering manager. Apk in system/app and if your on a custom rom it is more than likely already removed for you. Now if I could just get decent data speeds I would use it
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That's the way I was tethering when I was told by AT&T to c&d. That's why I'm trying to find a way to tether and not get caught.
Hmmm odd you must have had huge data spikes because without that app they can't tell besides seeing you use like a gig a day. Interesting any thoughts guys?
Sent from my SGH-I777 using XDA App
If somebody knows for sure if PDANet stealth mode works - I'd really, REALLY like to know too! Had AT&T's "Unlimited" plan for a few years now. Been teathering, but for completely trivial amounts of data - during most months my usage didn't go over a gig or two. This month I went over 4 gig for the first time ever, and suddenly all hell broke loose. I get repeated "5%" messages over text and email, warning they will throttle down my 3G speeds (they are already a complete joke here in NY-NJ). So I stopped using all data for about a week now, but the messages never stopped, and now I am getting the tether notices.
I got the letter last May when I had an iPhone that was jailbroken. Now I got the rooted Android and I just don't want to lose unlimited data. I tried once with PDA bored at an airport and wanting to do basic surfing on my laptop. I used it again the other night on my laptop for simple surfing as my main internet went down and so far as I know (/knock on wood/) I'm okay.
Most say TTL is how they find out. My problem is they have intricate logs of every phone call and text you ever sent but can't tell me a MAC addy, time, etc. of when I tethered. Fact is known that only those with unlimited data plans were the ones attacked as it seems they are slowly trying to phase these out.
I just make sure to not have Windows Updates enabled when surfing on my laptop with tethering. It's obvious any mobile phone shouldn't be accessing this site.
I dont know how they can tell but it seems they are always able to. I used my android to tether with an iphone to download Wifi only updates and after about 3 months i got the notice saying I need to not tether or they will remove unlimited.
Apparently they say that the notices aren't always Instant (I was figuring i would get it right after i used tethering). I know for a fact i had not tethered after the last time so it was roughly 3 months behind.
I do not believe sirs (referring to OP)
I have been using my Xperia x10a to tether for the past year. Recently ATT&T has sent me a letter in the mail saying that if I do not discontinue tethering that they will automatically add me to a $45 plan instead of the $30 that I pay now for the internet usage. AT&T stated that they are giving their customers until December 31st to stop tethering if they do not have the plan after I called them. My question is, did AT&T recently figure out a way to track tethering for I have also done it on my Iphone 3g since 3 years ago?
Bump...please help
hum
I think tracking tethering on android is not posible...I mean..they have to see exactly what programs are you using....and how do you use them...thats invading ur personal space...i think the way they are tracing tethering...is on looking how much bandwidth you use....and if they have like a apk that installed and sents them info oin how you use your tethering you can just block it with a firewall....just an opinion.....
As far as I know, they can't track android tethering. The iphone uses an alternate apn for tethering, so they're easily tracked. The android uses the phone's normal apn. They would have to scan your data packets to determine where your data is going/coming from. Which I doubt they will because that would become expensive. I would assume thats an invasion of privacy as well.
I use my tethering all the time and I've only had one message from att, which was about two months ago, regarding tethering. I had got a warning saying my data was at 90% then later I got one saying i should change to a tethering plan if i want to tether. It never said anything about them changing my plan automatically if I used it. So I'm thinking they just noticed it was used up quickly. I had tethered to my console to watch netflix on the TV, which took about 1.4gb, and it played perfectly.
- X10a Wx v6c, uBL ~ via XDA App
I would like to be able to tether my HTC View to my iPhone 4 via bluetooth to share the internet connection. It works successfully via MiWi with the wireless hotspot. I would like to use the bluetooth instead though since the wifi hotspot kills my battery and makes my phone physically hot to the touch after a few hours of it. Is this possible?
The 2 devices do pair through mywi using bluetooth. But when i click to connect and use for internet access the View just sits there and says connecting.
iPhone is running 5.0.1 and is jailbroken
HTC View is running 3.2.1 and is rooted and s-off
jonesychris said:
I would like to be able to tether my HTC View to my iPhone 4 via bluetooth to share the internet connection. It works successfully via MiWi with the wireless hotspot. I would like to use the bluetooth instead though since the wifi hotspot kills my battery and makes my phone physically hot to the touch after a few hours of it. Is this possible?
The 2 devices do pair through mywi using bluetooth. But when i click to connect and use for internet access the View just sits there and says connecting.
iPhone is running 5.0.1 and is jailbroken
HTC View is running 3.2.1 and is rooted and s-off
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, I don't have a solution for you. I was just more curious if your wireless carrier has found out about you tethering and tried to force you into a tethering plan? I really want to jailbreak my iPhone for tethering but it sounds like there isn't a fullproof way of not letting carriers find out you are doing this.
I would like to do the same. I've read on other forums that some have success with honeycomb connecting to 4.0 miwi
I've been using tethering for about 6 months now. In the beginning it was only when wifi wasn't available for my laptop, or my wife's iPhone on trips (she has 200mb data)
They have not complained yet but it was very low data usage before. I'm sure my data will increase now so I will have to see. I work in IT, everywhere I go has wifi. I've used 702mb of data this month (1/2 through cycle). I'm normally around around 300 - 400mb of data a month. I'm also grandfathered into unlimited plan, so they get $30 a month from me for data. I doubt they are complaining much since i'm such a light user. This bill will be my first full month with the view, so we will see if I ever get any complaints.
jonesychris said:
I've been using tethering for about 6 months now. In the beginning it was only when wifi wasn't available for my laptop, or my wife's iPhone on trips (she has 200mb data)
They have not complained yet but it was very low data usage before. I'm sure my data will increase now so I will have to see. I work in IT, everywhere I go has wifi. I've used 702mb of data this month (1/2 through cycle). I'm normally around around 300 - 400mb of data a month. I'm also grandfathered into unlimited plan, so they get $30 a month from me for data. I doubt they are complaining much since i'm such a light user. This bill will be my first full month with the view, so we will see if I ever get any complaints.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah ok, well keep us updated. I too am grandfathered in on unlimited data on my iPhone 4. And I also am a fairly light user (< 1GB/month), but everyone makes it sound like the carriers are jumping on illegal tethering pretty hard. Regardless of how much data is actually used, they know from the ports that tethering is happening. I almost wouldn't mind paying for a tethering account, but the worst part about doing it is that you lose unlimited regular data.
Reading your posts, I can't understand why tethering is "illegal" or forbidden. I you pay for a data plan, why can't one use it on any device?
Because they want to charge for it. Not sure
No one has successfully tethered with bluetooth?
Sent from my PG41200 using Tapatalk
I found this article with some searching.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1374213&highlight=bluetooth+tether
I wonder if this would work with the View. Same WPA file work?
tito12 said:
Reading your posts, I can't understand why tethering is "illegal" or forbidden. I you pay for a data plan, why can't one use it on any device?
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Click to collapse
Its not "illegal", in that I don't think you can get thrown in jail or sued for it.
But you agree to the carrier's Terms & Conditions when you sign up to use their network, whether you like it or not (or bothered to read them). Violation of the Terms means that the carrier can terminate your service, add charges to your account, or other repercussions, depending on what the Terms state.
Not sure what carrier's policies are in Israel. But in the US, most of the big carriers have specific statements in their Terms of Use, that prohibit tethering other devices to your phone without a tethering specific plan. If you are caught violating this policy, they reserve the right to add that plan to your account, or even drop your account if they want.
And yes, its of course so they can charge you extra. I completely agree that data should be data. And if you pay for a certain amount of data, or on an unlimited plan, then ideologically it should not make a difference if you are tethered or not. But there are many times in life where the most logical or fair concept is not what happens in reality. Especially in the for-profit business world.
No one has any ideas? Surely i'm not the first person who has tried to do this.
I just posted a possible solution related to this except I did it on the View:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1469997
I have a rooted (via this wonderful site) HTC rezound on a grandfathered unlimited Verizon plan. As soon as I was rooted I installed the only wifi tether that I could get to work. After a few months of wonderfully excessive data usage both via tether and phone use, I can no longer maintain a connection to the internet if i use a wireless tether. I can stay connected with a USB tether.
Starting from a fresh boot the phone has a great 4G connection with speed tests over 20mbps. Once I start the wireless tether, I can connect a device and download no more than a few mb of data before the connection is lost. The phone continues to say that I have a great connection to the tower, but I can not connect to the internet via the tether or any app on my my phone. Speed test apps say there is "no server connection" but that I am on the Verizon network. The only way to get the server connection back is to reboot the phone. I have found that I can use Foxfi USB tether to connect a device without losing a server connection, but what good is that to multiple devices?
Is it possible that Verizon can tell that I am wirelessly tethering and is blocking my server connection? It seems like a stretch, seeing as Foxfi USB works (wireless does not), but I would not be surprised. And if they are doing this, wouldn't that be illegal according to the "Open Access Rule" they are required to abide by?
If not that, then what could be the problem?
Thanks for your help.
I have never had an issue tethering the three years I have been doing it with Verizon. I am also a grandfathered Unlimited user. The Open Access Agreement only works with new contracts. Unlimited contracts have to follow Verizon's old policy as we aren't paying extra if we go over a certain amount (like tiered plans do).
I would blame either the ROM or program. I use the native tether from AOSP ROMs and have no issues you are experiencing
Sent from my Infected Rezound using xda app-developers app
Uzephi said:
The Open Access Agreement only works with new contracts. Unlimited contracts have to follow Verizon's old policy as we aren't paying extra if we go over a certain amount (like tiered plans do).
I would blame either the ROM or program.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Uzephi, if you are going to post a reply, know what you are talking about first. Aside from not knowing anything about “Open Access” standards, you didn’t even notice that the problem materialized after months of usage without issue. So it couldn’t be an issue with the ROM or program. YOU NEED TO READ AND UNDERSTAND A POST BEFORE REPLYING.
The Open Access Agreement or Rule is a condition of Verizon’s usage of the C-Block 700 Mhz spectrum that was won at an FCC auction in 2008. It is a stipulation that was enforced in 2012 when the FCC fined Verizon $1.25 million for blocking access to tethering apps. It has nothing to do with grandfathered accounts or new customer contracts. It is all about how Verizon manages data transmission via its LTE network.
What I was proposing was that Verizon has figured out a way to detect tethering and is able to shut down network connections. The loss of a network connection is intermittent and hard to predict. Sometimes my connection to a network server is maintained while my tethered device cannot make a decent connection. Sometimes neither my tethered devises nor my phone can connect to a server. Sometimes the connection is strong. The reason I think that this is something that Verizon is doing is because if I reboot my phone, most of the time everything goes back to normal, at least for a little while. I have considered throttling, but I am in a small town, I can’t imagine that Verizon would throttle their LTE in a small town, let alone throttle it at all.
So, any INFORMED thoughts?
slyckt said:
And if they are doing this, wouldn't that be illegal according to the "Open Access Rule" they are required to abide by?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
"The FCC also is saying that Verizon cannot charge customers on tiered data plans the $20 a month tethering fee, but it can charge it for those customers who are on an unlimited data plan." source
slyckt said:
It has nothing to do with grandfathered accounts or new customer contracts. It is all about how Verizon manages data transmission via its LTE network.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Read response above. I was informing you of a stipulation you apparently do not know about your own contract.
I have a similar contract and plan: unlimited. Why would one be stopped and not the majority? I use well over 150GB a month(mostly all tethered) and never had an issue, so I know it isn't Verizon stopping it. Please read up on what you are raging about before making accusations. It is not illegal for them to stop unlimited plans from tethering as you claim.
Edit: my hypothesis for previous post?
Similarities: Phone, data plan
Differences: ROM, Program
Goal? Trying to tether.
Results: my phone, Plan, ROMs (AOSP) and program (app) let me tether a lot.
Why can't you? Check the differences.
Maybe the app updated in the background and broke your tether.
Please act more respectful to a suggestive post instead of raging at my hypothesis.
Sent from my Rezound using xda app-developers app
---------- Post added at 05:39 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:03 PM ----------
slyckt said:
...... I have found that I can use Foxfi USB tether to connect a device without losing a server connection, but what good is that to multiple devices?
......It seems like a stretch, seeing as Foxfi USB works (wireless does not).....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is the app... Please check before raging.
http://pdanet.co/help/devices.php
" *If you have one of the following models, the latest Android update has broken WiFi mode but it may still be possible to support it in future FoxFi updates: Samsung Epic Touch (Sprint), HTC Rezound (Verizon), LG Lucid (Verizon), T-mobile Galaxy SII and Samsung Proclaim."
Our device is not supported by foxfi anymore..... Please for the love of god check your APP before claiming that it isn't it!
You most likely got the Global update and it broke your foxfi, or somehow it was working and now it doesn't anymore and you didn't look at the app first.
Even though you were mean, I helped you. Please return the favor and help another @$$hole today
Sent from my Rezound using xda app-developers app