[O2UK] Have you tethered your phone connection? - Desire Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Hi
I am thinking about getting a Motorola Xoom, an LG Optimus Tab or a Samsung Galaxy 8.9 (when announced), but I am unsure about getting a 3G version or a WiFi only versions and just tethering to my Desire and using the mobile internet connection.
Does anyone use the tethering on their phone on a regular basis on O2UK? If so, have you been charged for it? Because I believe they are supposed to charge you if you are tethering.
If I got a 3G and WiFi version, I would probably just swap my Sim Card between the Desire and the Tablet, or just get a Pay As You Go simcard and just put it in the Tab and use data on there.
I know this is not a Desire question, but I thought this would be the best place to post.
Stew

I take it you don't have a home connection with a wireless router? I'm not on O2 but I have read that they do charge for tethering so I wouldn't risk it if I was you.

I've used tethering with my desire on O2 a few times with O2 and I've not had any issues, I wouldn't worry about it.
The tethering bolt-on is £7.50 at present, but it will be included in all newer tariffs in the not so distant future as I think they're finding the bolt-on to be unenforcable.
Are you on one of the older unlimited plans or the newer tariffs with a data allowance? If you're on the older unlimited you should be fine although don't go overboard or you'll meet the fair usage policy and probably a bar on internet access from your phone. If you're on one of the newer tariffs you'll probably find you go over your allowance quickly, but you wont be charged anything extra, you'll recieve a couple of text messages and have your connection speed throttled to about 13kbps!
Basically if you're an existing customer you'll be breaching their T&C, but you're unlikely to get caught and you certainly wont get charged anything else if you do the most you'll encounter is a bar on your account until your next billing date. If you were to upgrade next month the chances are you'd have tethering for no extra charge anyway. If you were to upgrade next month the chances are you'll be allowed to tether anyway.

Pirow said:
I've used tethering with my desire on O2 a few times with O2 and I've not had any issues, I wouldn't worry about it.
The tethering bolt-on is £7.50 at present, but it will be included in all newer tariffs in the not so distant future as I think they're finding the bolt-on to be unenforcable.
Are you on one of the older unlimited plans or the newer tariffs with a data allowance? If you're on the older unlimited you should be fine although don't go overboard or you'll meet the fair usage policy and probably a bar on internet access from your phone. If you're on one of the newer tariffs you'll probably find you go over your allowance quickly, but you wont be charged anything extra, you'll recieve a couple of text messages and have your connection speed throttled to about 13kbps!
Basically if you're an existing customer you'll be breaching their T&C, but you're unlikely to get caught and you certainly wont get charged anything else if you do the most you'll encounter is a bar on your account until your next billing date. If you were to upgrade next month the chances are you'd have tethering for no extra charge anyway. If you were to upgrade next month the chances are you'll be allowed to tether anyway.
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Yeah I am an existing customer with an old Unlimited contract, I think I might just try tethering since it will be "Android traffic going through an Android device" ha ha.
I might change contract if they start building it into new tariffs, either that or buy a MiFi and a PAYG sim card.
I take it you don't have a home connection with a wireless router? I'm not on O2 but I have read that they do charge for tethering so I wouldn't risk it if I was you.
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Yeah I do, but I travel a lot so I wondered if I could use my existing data plan, instead of having to get a new one!

StuMcBill said:
Yeah I am an existing customer with an old Unlimited contract, I think I might just try tethering since it will be "Android traffic going through an Android device" ha ha.
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Click to collapse
You should be fine unless you go really overboard, give it a try about a week before your billing date, the worst that will happen is you'll end up having to rely on wifi for a week with your phone.
It'll really depend how much you already use data on your phone if anything happens, a few gigs a month on with unlimited data is generally fine as there's no limit set in stone, it's all about your usage "impacting other customers".

Related

On T-Mobile UK , tethering is included with all contracts!

Dont know if this has been mentioned before here, but just realised that T-Mobile UK explicitely allows tethering ! See here http: //support.t-mobile.co.uk/discussions/index?page=forums&topic=80103803ac7b7fd01276dd2137000728a
Thats awesome, for 10 quid a month I have my Desire mobile phone and I don't need a separate broadband dongle when on the move with my laptop. I tried it already under Win7, just need to install HTC Sync, connect the Desire using USB, and it works!!
Depends on your contract.
This is from the fair usage pages on the t-mobile website:
Pay monthly plans which include internet on your phone on an Android phone You'll need internet coverage, check it at t-mobile.co.uk/streetcheck. Remember that you can only use your internet on your phone Booster in the UK and you can't use your phone as a modem or use web'n'walk Plus for peer to peer file sharing, or making internet phone calls. *Internet on your phone comes with a fair use policy of 3GB a month. We'll monitor how much you send and receive each calendar month so that we can protect our network for all our internet on your customers. If you use more than your fair use policy amount, we won't charge you any more, but we may restrict how you can use your plan, depending on how often you go over your amount and by how much. As your phone is always connected to the internet, if you remove your internet on your phone Plus Booster from your account you'll automatically be charged up to £1 every day. That £1 a day rate has its own fair use policy and other legal stuff, which you can see here: t-mobile.co.uk/services/uk/fairuse/#fup5.
Edit, forgot the source:
https://www.t-mobile.co.uk/services/uk/fairuse/?WT.mc_id=fup#fup2
just read that thread.....that t-mobile guy says that tarriffs including wnw plus do include tethering, but t-mobile do not give those tarriffs out any more....the current tarrifs just include 3GB of data, and not tethering.
I spoke to a store salesman and a very competent techy. both said that tethering is included in the contract`s 3gb limit on android.
hmmm, i'd still like to wait and see, cos the new contract i just signed up for quite clearly says no on the T&Cs on the website.
course, my old web and walk plus one has no such issue
Mind you, t-mobile are very easy going, so there's no saying that they'll actually enforce it even if it's not included....
I used to use it with my old SE C902 never a problem. T-Mob forum guys also confirmed a while back that it is allowed.
yeah but that forum post was on the OLD contracts, not the new ones they bought in recently.
Like i said, i have an old contract that has WnW+ on it and yes, tethering is allowed on that one.
the new contracts that they are selling the desire on, definitely say that no tethering is allowed on the compulsory £5 a month android phone internet thingy. And much as i have been a customer of t-mobile since 2004, i don't trust their forum or support staff, cos i used to work with some of them.....
rhedgehog said:
yeah but that forum post was on the OLD contracts, not the new ones they bought in recently.
Like i said, i have an old contract that has WnW+ on it and yes, tethering is allowed on that one.
the new contracts that they are selling the desire on, definitely say that no tethering is allowed on the compulsory £5 a month android phone internet thingy. And much as i have been a customer of t-mobile since 2004, i don't trust their forum or support staff, cos i used to work with some of them.....
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Uh.. I was a new customer to T-Mobile and I have 'web'n'walk Plus' listed as my inclusive internet.
There's no way they would know if you had tethered or not. As far as the network can see, its just your mobile phone sending data. Considering that there's not a lot that this phone can't do on the web, I think they would find it pretty hard to know you were tethering based on the web pages you visited. Granted p2p may be a different kettle of fish all together, so I'd be weary about using p2p.
Just my opinion...
Sent from my HTC Desire using the XDA mobile application powered by Tapatalk
actually, just realised there are ways they could find out, but I would imagine that as long as your not silly with it there shouldn't be a problem...
Sent from my HTC Desire using the XDA mobile application powered by Tapatalk
Sorry to dig this up, thought I'd add it here though rather than start a new thread.
I assume the way they could know was by checking your browser agent string? Would changing that browser agent string on the connected PC to the same and the local phone browser then be enough to 'hide' the tethered connection?
Either way, what happens when Froyo comes out and adds the wifi hotspot functionality...?
i get a months unlimited data for £5 a month on t-mobile pay as you go i use it often for browsing and downloading with the new wifi hotspot
I'm with T-Mobile UK and I have to say that have the most pro-Android tariffs of any of the UK operators, with the most flexible bolt-ons, and the best, cheapest European data roaming charges of the lot. Big thumbs up from me for a thoroughly excellent service! And for me personally in the South East, the data network is amazingly quick, MUCH faster than when I was with o2.

[Q] WP7, AT&T and no data plan?

I love the new WP7 phones and am dying to get my hands on one. I had a question about getting one though. Right now I am on a family plan with AT&T running a G1 that doesn't require a data plan. I would like to keep the data plan off of my tab. I have my reasons but my biggest is that I am constantly surrounded by WiFi and even when I am out and about, data isn't a big deal to me.
So is it possible to get a new phone without the data plan? I fully am aware that I will need to buy out of contract (which I am fine with), I just don't want to pay 200 - 300 bucks a year for a data plan. Last Wednesday, I went in to pick up a Focus at an AT&T store and the girl told me she had to add a data plan. I walked out and am hoping you guys can help me out a bit.
Has anyone had any luck with buying a phone out of contract, turning off the network data and not getting billed for a data plan? I am up for getting either a Samsung Focus or the HTC HD7 (whatever works... but the HD7 might be a good option as well considering I want to move to T-Mobile once I get out of my contract in a year).
Believe me I researched this. I have a Fuze on AT&T that has no data plan. We were lucky to have gotten them when contracts did not require a data plan. Our phone is grandfathered in...
However, if you get a new smartphone, it will trigger adding a data plan to your account. I believe it goes by IMEI number and your account... your original phone's IMEI number is set to be excluded from this provision. Any new phone you get will cause the data plan to be added automatically. If you put someone else's SIM card in your old phone... they get a data plan automatically. You can buy a new smartphone and pay full price online somewhere... as soon as you put your SIM card in it, you'll have a data plan added to your account.
There's just no way (as far as I know) to get one of these new phones without a data plan. I will be biting the bullet and getting a new Windows phone sometime in the next couple of months...
makku12 said:
Believe me I researched this. I have a Fuze on AT&T that has no data plan. We were lucky to have gotten them when contracts did not require a data plan. Our phone is grandfathered in...
However, if you get a new smartphone, it will trigger adding a data plan to your account. I believe it goes by IMEI number and your account... your original phone's IMEI number is set to be excluded from this provision. Any new phone you get will cause the data plan to be added automatically. If you put someone else's SIM card in your old phone... they get a data plan automatically. You can buy a new smartphone and pay full price online somewhere... as soon as you put your SIM card in it, you'll have a data plan added to your account.
There's just no way (as far as I know) to get one of these new phones without a data plan. I will be biting the bullet and getting a new Windows phone sometime in the next couple of months...
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This is exactly correct. As soon as your SIM is inserted into a new smartphone, although it may take time, you will be charged for a data plan. It registers the IMEI number of that phone on your account.
Damn. Well... can't say I tried. Thanks for the info gents.
Even if you could, I wouldn't suggest it
as far as I've been able to tell, you can't turn off your data connection fully
and this phone is always grabbing data, you'd be paying tons for data...much more than on a data plan
dressanderc said:
This is exactly correct. As soon as your SIM is inserted into a new smartphone, although it may take time, you will be charged for a data plan. It registers the IMEI number of that phone on your account.
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That's not true (At least in my case). As long as data is not initial from the phone, my AT&T Pure didn't trigger the automatic data plan (It did trigger once because I accidentally turn the data on and had to call At&t support to remove it).
For my X1a, I've been using it for almost 2 yrs on their cheap media-net plan without issue. Therefore, I suspect they could only verify smartphone that being sold by them (like the Focus I got recently). That's why I am looking at the HTC Mozart being sold in Austria (850mzh UMTS support)
edit: nevermind
drleospaceman said:
LG Optimus 7's on Ebay should work.
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Only on UMTS 1900 portion. I don't think it support 850
That's pretty lame... I have T-mobile and picked up an HD7. No data package and my HD7 is running flawlessly. The only feature that doesnt work with wi-fi is slacker radio and to be honest I don't need it...

T-Mobile Data Speed Cap Question

I have the mytouch and T mobile with unlimitied data plan..Today I wake up do a data wipe install cm7 and when it goes to download the gapps apps from the market it takes forever..I waited 35 minutes for it to download gmail and google maps..I stop the other downloads and try to figure why my apps are downloading slow and why my internet is snail slow..while wondering I get a text message from T mobile telling me I have used to much bandwith for the month cycle and I will have a data speed cap till next cycle....This would be alright but it is not as I can no longer download any market apps ( I can but it takes 30 minutes to an hour )Nor Can I really surf the web.(Took me 25 minutes to get here)Pandora nor slacker work anymore either.
Has anyone else had this happen to them ? Also is there anything I can do to get them to uncap my service..I have been a T mobile Customer for 11 years and think they should do something.Just wondering if anyone else had this problem......
Thanks
I've never had that problem, but then again my max DL per month has been at 1-2GB tops..
Try calling them, but check your bill first to see what they have you clocked at so far for the current billing period... I think they don't impose that on you till you hit +5GB... Good Luck.
I get that all the time, well not this past month because I finally got internet at the house lol. I used it for tethering and alot of internet & email & I would always seem to get it with 2 or less weeks left. I guess it's once you go over 5gb t-mobile slows you down.
I haven't actually had it happen YET, but when I went on the website, I noticed it said I was approaching the data cap... Never saw that before. D;
Thanks..I looked and I am at 5.09gb ..Looks like I am slowed till the 23rd..I dont tether so it must have been from slacker / pandora ..I will have to watch it more next month..
You can download t-mobile's 'my account' app from the market so you can keep a closer eye on your data usage, although, if you have unlimited data plan you can't set an alert for it, even though 5gb is the cap...
I get close to 3-4gb every month and never notice a slow down...I can understand a cap of 5gb to keep the network from being overloaded...I thether and use it to watch HULU and nightly roms so cant see going over,unless something crazy.
... Doesn't make sense.. I'm paying $30/month for "unlimited"... just to get capped?
it does make sense.. u "read" it and signed it. its all in the contract so yes the data is unlimited but once 5gigs is reached in one billing cycle its cap'd to run 2g/edge until the cycle refreshes. it use to be 10gig max but with the recent explosion of smart/data phones the demand for bandwidth and speed are at an all time high. i also learned this the hardway.. now i use wifi anywhere i can to limit my data usage. but even then its still hits 4gigs a month. its mainly a problem for us that use our phones as primary internet.
Use wifi as much as possible. I am fortunate enough to have wifi at work and home and my data usage on tmo's network is ridiculously low for the amount of data I use.
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using Tapatalk
Wagedroid said:
it does make sense.. u "read" it and signed it. its all in the contract so yes the data is unlimited but once 5gigs is reached in one billing cycle its cap'd to run 2g/edge until the cycle refreshes. it use to be 10gig max but with the recent explosion of smart/data phones the demand for bandwidth and speed are at an all time high. i also learned this the hardway.. now i use wifi anywhere i can to limit my data usage. but even then its still hits 4gigs a month. its mainly a problem for us that use our phones as primary internet.
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Click to collapse
No,
it does not make sense to people that signed an unlimited data plan in 2009, the changes for data cap were made on the new contract July 18, 2010. I know that Tmobile reserves the right to make changes, but they also state that they are suppose to give a 30 day notice. Did anyone receive such notice in data changes? I don't think so. You all can say well is insane to spend more than 5gb of data, but you have to understand that many people use their phone a lot and id their right to be upset when they signed an "UNLIMITED" plan and then is changed without prior notice.
also be aware that T Mobile slows you down to 54kbs. Welcime back Dial Up!!!
laramir21 said:
No,
it does not make sense to people that signed an unlimited data plan in 2009, the changes for data cap were made on the new contract July 18, 2010. I know that Tmobile reserves the right to make changes, but they also state that they are suppose to give a 30 day notice. Did anyone receive such notice in data changes? I don't think so. You all can say well is insane to spend more than 5gb of data, but you have to understand that many people use their phone a lot and id their right to be upset when they signed an "UNLIMITED" plan and then is changed without prior notice.
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Click to collapse
like i said, technicaly they dont make it not unlimited.. they just cap the speed, so yes it does make sense.. u signed up for unlimited data not unlimited data at its peak speed, that just sounds retarded. if you signed up before the change then you shouldve requested to be grandfatherd and they wouldve been happy to keep the customer happy. and fyi a news letter and disclaimer was put out for all pre existing customers before the change was made. and even then they didnt change the unlimited part. ill leave this the way i leave any other service provider discussion...., ive been with tmob since sidekick original no color.. not once did they treat me wrong or charge me for something i wasnt responsible for and aware of. i dont recommend but there is an alternative.. AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and even Metro all got u covered.
good day.
I think it ok to note that this is not only a T-Mobile thing, every carrier does this. I know that there is a hack on XDA that is built into the MIUI roms that actually cuts off the signal that your phone sends to Verizon that you have reached the cap so you never see your data slowed down. I do not know how they wrote the hack or if it is possible to do something similar with a t-mobile phone, but it might be worth looking into.
amart6116 said:
... Doesn't make sense.. I'm paying $30/month for "unlimited"... just to get capped?
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Click to collapse
you are paying for unlimited data because you get unlimited data - they just don't guarantee at what speed you'll be able to download at...
I completely understand your predicament! I was in your same shoes.
T-Mobile does not charge extra for anything more than 5gb, but they do make you eat your buffet food through a straw! Now, I remedied my problem with the wonderful program 3g Watchdog, which is free. Set it to your monthly cycle, and you can even place a widget with usage on your screen. Very handy little program.
So yes, I tried calling and talking with the reps, nothing will work. I spoke with managers, and people from India. They can't do anything about it. I couldn't even pay them more money! How ridiculous! But alas, I had to see the bright side. Looking at AT&T or Verizon, you have limits of 2gb or so and then they charge you for anything over that. Screw that! So I figured if I'm downloading 5gb of data in a month, then I need to get my ass together and make my life work for me. So please figure out your **** lol, you'll feel so much better when you do.
Tyler
laramir21 said:
No,
it does not make sense to people that signed an unlimited data plan in 2009, the changes for data cap were made on the new contract July 18, 2010. I know that Tmobile reserves the right to make changes, but they also state that they are suppose to give a 30 day notice. Did anyone receive such notice in data changes? I don't think so. You all can say well is insane to spend more than 5gb of data, but you have to understand that many people use their phone a lot and id their right to be upset when they signed an "UNLIMITED" plan and then is changed without prior notice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That ssssssssssucks!
I went to T-mobile store last week to pay my bill, the man told me about the upgrade discount after a year, when we reached the 4G topic I asked about this slow down of speed after 5Gb and he was like he had no idea, he repeated "Noou, it's unlimited" "that what you heard is for those with plans of certain data limit"
I told him that's what it should be, I said it wouldn't make sense to have such high-speed and still be limited :S
Serously! I'm paying $-freaking-30 monthly for internet access that is like 1mb of speed on this lil' phone, same as it would be using a DSL, why would they put a limit?
Tmo-guy- Because it's a wireless service-
Me: My ass! that ain't no reason!
Again makes no sense....
Sent from my T-Mobile myTouch 3G Slide using XDA App
Its people like you who make the system slow for everyone. Why do you think att is so ****ty? Its because too many people are using their iphone for everything. Simple supply and demand. Tethering should be used as needed when no other internet service is avalible. I for one like the cap and I welcome it to a charging alternative. Its like any other provider. If you get greedy you should get punnished.
Sent from my T-Mobile myTouch 3G Slide using Tapatalk
Digitaldreamer7 said:
Its people like you who make the system slow for everyone. Why do you think att is so ****ty? Its because too many people are using their iphone for everything. Simple supply and demand. Tethering should be used as needed when no other internet service is avalible. I for one like the cap and I welcome it to a charging alternative. Its like any other provider. If you get greedy you should get punnished.
Sent from my T-Mobile myTouch 3G Slide using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why should there be such capabilities offered if that's going to bring out risky complications to the system?
That's not reason to call one greety and 'punish'
Is not like one would like to reach a cap just because it can be done and bother other's connections.
Tethering is not as different as using your phone, since our smartphones' web browser is as fully capable as a computer web browser.
Also think of the 4G + What's next??
If one service imprubes why not the others that can prevent issues from the same.
A page loads trice as fast, makes the user able to go on where others would stop, so you see it's not a malicious intention but what the user is led up to.
Sent from my T-Mobile myTouch 3G Slide using XDA App
I hit the cap every month around the 15th...bill cycle on the 25th.. But I use a ton of data due to I show photos and deal with contracts that I am unable to dl at work.

Att Tether sms then skrewed by data plan.

Ok I have had an unlocked HTC desire phone from telus for a while now. I have been using it on att network with the media net unlimited plan for $10. On Saturday I got the sms and email that said: An eligible data plan is required for laptop, Tablet or MiFi devices.... so I called att thinking I would just have to just change to a smart Phone data plan and tell then its not a tablet. So here is what happened when I called the guy said that the IMEI was just showing as a bunch of 1's and then once I told him the right IMEI he said that is a completly different make and model in ATT system and the only way I could use this phone was with a $60 PDA plan. Has anyone ran into this yet on att. as for now I had to put my sim in a dumb phone because the ATT reap said that if I put the SIM back into the phone the 60 plan will be added automatically.
Here is the kicker I have consistently used less then 200mb a month. So that whole thing about the tethering sms only going to excessive users is wrong
Any buddy using another android phone on att supported by CM?
How did they know you were tethering? You must have connected to their non wap.Cingular server. Check your apn settings, specifically tethering.
Don't change your plan. Point tethering to the wap.Cingular server.
I am using a oxygen rom with telstra desire. Att 15$ unlimited data. No text. Google voice instead.
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App
mayad79 said:
How did they know you were tethering? You must have connected to their non wap.Cingular server. Check your apn settings, specifically tethering.
Don't change your plan. Point tethering to the wap.Cingular server.
I am using a oxygen rom with telstra desire. Att 15$ unlimited data. No text. Google voice instead.
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So I have probable only tethered ones or twice to see how it works and that had to be back in December. I am running CM 7.0 RC2 and have I guess only used the Defult APN's because I have never had to enter the att ones with this phone and its rom.
So I have yet to see what will happen if I put my SIM back into my desire to see what happens. I was going to see if anyone else had this issue with the telus desire on att.
Fingers crossed that it is just be and I can figure something out
Did you tether lately before you got the message?
I tethered my Desire(Telus model) last Friday (Mar 18) because I was out of town and no WIFI in range. Then I got the same SMS message and the email saying that an eligible data plan is required for laptop, tablet and mifi.
I had a dumbphone and they have the IMEI for that phone. Then I sim swapped.
Do you think they sent the SMS message regardless if you tethered or not, but simply because of sim swapping from dumdphone to Desire and our IMEI to them is the bunch of 0s and 1s? Aside from the fact that they want us to pay the limited data plans?
They never mentioned "tethering" in the SMS and E-mail. Are they now hunting down dumbphone users that are connecting to their 3G services?
I have not tetherd for months most likely dec or nov. So I think it just has to do with our phones.
When I called ATT and gave him IMEI he said that in their system that IMEI was not even a phone and some sort of "pocket Computer" made by a completely different manufacture. I told the guy his stuff was wrong but as always he replied "there is nothing I can do". Then proceeded to tell me that this phone needed a $60 a month 5gb plan.
so have you called about the Email/SMS yet. What is your plan of action for this. Is there anyone with the $15 200mb plan on a non att android phone that has/has not had a problem?
surfingniceguy said:
I have not tetherd for months most likely dec or nov. So I think it just has to do with our phones.
When I called ATT and gave him IMEI he said that in their system that IMEI was not even a phone and some sort of "pocket Computer" made by a completely different manufacture. I told the guy his stuff was wrong but as always he replied "there is nothing I can do". Then proceeded to tell me that this phone needed a $60 a month 5gb plan.
so have you called about the Email/SMS yet. What is your plan of action for this. Is there anyone with the $15 200mb plan on a non att android phone that has/has not had a problem?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is certainly not what I want to hear. I too received this message and I use about 2GB per month. I absolutely refuse to switch to a $60/mo plan. The person had told me that I was using a telemetry device with my sim card which I immediately laughed. They did have the correct IMEI # however.
I have not called yet. I don't know what to say or tell them. Hmm...
If they insist, then I will probably insist on the $15 Data plan 200mb and just monitor my data use. And tell them that our phone is kind of like the HTC Aria that they have but faster and without their bloatware. I only average 200-250mb a month anyway (I think).
Just an update:
I called 611 and inquired about the SMS/email that I got. The guy asked me what kind of phone I am using. I told him its the HTC Desire. He did not know about the particular model. I told him, I don't buy ATT phones. Then he asked me if it was a smartphone, I told him yes (i guess its time to come clean and admit the truth)
He said that since it is a smartphone, I should get a smartphone data plan. Either the $15 or the $25 plan.
I asked him if the change in the data plan is regardless of how much data I am using. He said that it has nothing to do with how much data you are using. You just have to get the correct plan for your smartphone.
Good thing it is not the $60 plan.
I can easily "downgrade" my data plan to the $15 or $25 on my online account. Just monitor it closely using an app (Call Meter NG).
I have not made a decision as to what I am going to do. They have not disconnected my data plan yet. I switched to "Edge" for the meantime and just use my data plan when necessary.
Let me know what you guys end up doing...
The guy I talked to said that he could not do that option because att thinks its some mythical superphone. and I am worried that If I do put one of the $15 or $25 plans online I will still get a SMS about it being a mifi, labtop, or tablet because the issue seems to be not what plan it is but the type of phone att thinks it is.
I received the SMS and email as well, and I have not swapped my SIM into another device or tethered another device. I have a Telus Desire with the $10 data unlimited plan. I am using Oxygen Rom 2.0.1 and the wap.cingular APN. I have the smartphone exclusion on my plan, so I don't know if that will prevent an automatic change to a higher rate plan. So I'll just sit tight and see what others have success with.
I am also experiencing the same problems with AT&T. I found an AT&T internal memo posted on another forum where tablet users were experiencing similar issues.
We seem to have two issues, AT&T thinks the HTC Desire is a wireless dataconnect card when you give them the phone's IMEI number. From talking with CS, they do not seem interested at all looking into the issue with their systems and insist that our phones themselves are the problem. From reading the internal memo posted below, it appears as this is only a case for those who are on the media net plan. It seems as if you are on the 200mb or 2gb smart phone data plans plan it is a non issue at least for the moment. The other issue is even if you want to change to a smart phone data plan, the system will not accept it with our IMEI number since it isn't a smart phone in their systems.
Anyways below is AT&T's internal memo.
"
Appropriate data plans are required to use Mobile Broadband devices (laptop, tablets, or AT&T Mobile Hotspot devices) on the AT&T Network.
Effective March 16, 2011, AT&T will systematically enforce this policy by alerting customers with unlimited data plans when they take the SIM from their current smartphone, QMP, or basic phone and place it into a Mobile Broadband device to access data unlimited, that an appropriate data plan is required.
Process
Once SIM swapping is detected, customers will receive notifications via SMS and e-mail that an appropriate data plan is required for their Mobile Broadband device. If the customer continues to use their SIM in the device, their data service will be restricted for the remainder of the billing period unless they contact Customer Care to add the appropriate data plan.
Reasons
Any data unlimited customer who takes the SIM from their smart phone, QMP, or basic phone and puts it into a Mobile Broadband device is not in compliance with the requirements of their wireless customer agreement.
Communication Key Dates
Effective March 16, 2011
Specific Customers Addressed
The notifications will go to smartphone, QMP, and basic phone users with unlimited data plans who put their SIM into a Mobile Broadband device (Examples: Laptop, Tablet or AT&T Mobile Hotspot device).
Notification Methods
By SMS and e-mail
SMS Communications
The first message is sent when AT&T first detects SIM swapping activity.
AT&T Free Msg: An eligible data plan is required when using a Laptop, Tablet or MiFi device. Call 611 as soon as possible for details and to avoid service interruption.
The second message is sent when AT&T detects subsequent SIM swapping activity.
AT&T Free Msg: Your data service has been restricted due to SIM swapping with a data connect device. Call 800-331-0500 to discuss available plan options.
E-Mail Communication
If we have the customer's e-mail address, the following communication will be sent after each out-of-policy usage.
At AT&T, we value your business and want to ensure you have the data plan that's right for you. Did you know an eligible data plan is required when using mobile broadband? If you have recently swapped a SIM card from your wireless handset into your Laptop, Tablet or MiFi, your data service may no longer work properly on either device.
Call us at 1-800-331-0500 (or 611 from your wireless phone) and our team will help you establish service with an appropriate data plan for your device and restore data service if necessary.
AT&T offers a variety of plans to fit your needs in order to provide the best on-the-go experience on the nation's fastest mobile broadband network. Our team is ready to help you activate data service with the right plan. We look forward to your call. You can also visit our web page here to learn more.
Thank you for being an AT&T customer.
FAQs
Does this policy affect all SIM swapping?
No. This policy is being enforced for smartphone, QMP, and basic phone customers with a data unlimited plan on their account who put their SIMs into a Mobile Broadband device (Examples: laptop, tablets, or AT&T Mobile Hotspot devices) in an effort to share data unlimited between two devices.
Why is AT&T notifying my customer about putting their smartphone SIM into their new tablet?
Any customer using a Mobile Broadband device on the AT&T network is required to have an appropriate data plan which supports that device. This policy is now being systematically enforced.
How will my customer receive the SMS notification if the SIM is in one of the Mobile Broadband devices?
Most of these devices allow customers to receive SMS messages. However if the device does not, the SMS communication will continue to be sent for a period of up to three days. Also, if the customer has an e-mail address on file, AT&T will send a notification via e-mail.
My data unlimited customer did not realize it was against AT&T policy to put the SIM from a smartphone into a Mobile Broadband device. My customer does not want to add a data plan for their Mobile Broadband device. What are the options?
With the many services and ease of use of our great new Mobile Broadband devices, our customers will be able to fully utilize these devices. Also they get the best possible experience if they have an appropriate data plan for that device or they can select our DataPro with tethering plan for their current smartphone.
If the customer continues to use their smartphone SIM in their Mobile Broadband device, their data service will be suspended until the end of the billing period, unless the customer calls into Customer Care to add the appropriate data plan.
Note: If the customer does not contact Customer Care to add a plan, their data service will be restored for their smartphone at the beginning of the new billing cycle. If SIM swapping activity is detected during the next billing cycle, the data service on the account will be suspended again.
Is my customer eligible for a data credit while his data service is suspended?
No.
Can my customer continue this process each billing cycle?
No. If the customer continues the out of policy behavior, AT&T reserves the right to remove the unlimited smartphone data plan from the account.
"
So what would be our plan of action? Do we go to a store and explain to them personally rather than thru a phone. So we can show them that our phone is indeed a phone and not a tablet. It's basically an HTC Aria, only 100% better and faster and without their bloatware. So they should be able to figure it out right? Unless their computers/system will not accept our IMEI.
As of my latest phone call, if you have switched from an iphone to another device but still have the iphone data plan you should switch as they are heavily sweeping iphones more than any other device. I never got my iphone data plan switched to a reg pda plan/smartphone plan. The rep I have been speaking to is actually a higher rep on the business dept.
Also att is much more aware of the situation now. The issue is they cannot get the IMEI registered with the att system. Aparently HTC may have duplicated some IMEI's that they had thought would not be registered with a different network.
They have reactivated my restricted internet for the time being as I was originally told this issue to input the IMEI manually would take 24 hrs. This time has increased to 3-5 business days.
Oh man. I just bought a Telus Desire to unlock and use on ATT and it's supposed to come tomorrow. I currently have a dumbphone and blocked data-usage (data opt-out?) to avoid charges if accidentally pressed on my phone. I was looking to just use wifi on my desire. I really hope they aren't going to make me pay $60/month! That's truly ridiculous. Hopefully having the blocked data thing currently will keep ATT from switching my plan.
Thats good news then Good thing many of us called. Which Data plan did you switch to? the $15 or $25?
Sorry for the duplicate post:
Thats good news then Good thing many of us called. Which Data plan did yo switch to? the $15 or $25?
jstdontgiva said:
As of my latest phone call, if you have switched from an iphone to another device but still have the iphone data plan you should switch as they are heavily sweeping iphones more than any other device. I never got my iphone data plan switched to a reg pda plan/smartphone plan. The rep I have been speaking to is actually a higher rep on the business dept.
Also att is much more aware of the situation now. The issue is they cannot get the IMEI registered with the att system. Aparently HTC may have duplicated some IMEI's that they had thought would not be registered with a different network.
They have reactivated my restricted internet for the time being as I was originally told this issue to input the IMEI manually would take 24 hrs. This time has increased to 3-5 business days.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sajpogi said:
Sorry for the duplicate post:
Thats good news then Good thing many of us called. Which Data plan did yo switch to? the $15 or $25?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I originally had the unlimited $30 iphone data plan but switched to the unlimited $30 smartphone plan
I've been using my Desire for about 6months on the $15 data plan and barely use 400mb a month.
Like others, I've gotten both texts, the one says "an eligible data plan is required for Laptop......"
And the one I just received today about my "data service has been restricted due to SIM swapping"
To the guys using oxygen rom, how do I point tethering at proper APN? I'm on CM7 RC1 and just checked my APN and it all looks like what it should be.
Currently I've been grandfathered into a real old plan. Anyone have any idea if I update my plan to a smartphone $15 200mb this would go away? Or do I need to register my IMEI to stop getting harassed by them?
Also anyone know what's going to happen if I just ignore the texts? even after getting the text my data is working, will it be shut off?
So about 24 hours of receiving the "your data plan has been restricted" text msg. I haven't contacted them and my data still seems to up. According to that internal memo above, it seems that next billing cycle will might be suspended. One thing I might try doing is shoving my sim card back into a dumbphone for a while to see it will get them off my back.
Looking at a similar thread for the Gtab people have said that when you call into AT&T to upgrade your plan, it really depends who service rep is. If they insist on the $60/month plan try getting a different rep. Some have said that initially the rep was telling them $60/month for unlimited data but he talked to someone else who was able to get him on the $15/month for 200mb plan.
I wonder if there is a IMEI spoofing app or tweak to Android.
sajpogi said:
Sorry for the duplicate post:
Thats good news then Good thing many of us called. Which Data plan did yo switch to? the $15 or $25?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
heres my latest update:
After switching my data plans, I virtually found out yesterday morning that my internet was shut off again. After being on the phone with ATT for 2 hours yesterday we came up with a plan to put in an IMEI from the htc aria into their system. I was not confident that this would work and I was correct, I woke up this morning to another text message with the same sim swapping garbage. I will be calling them later today to push for a new phone. Because it simply seems they cannot get this issue solved.

Notice from At&T -Tethering

Recently got a text and Letter from AT&T stating that I've been caught tethering on my unlimited (grandfathered in) data plan. I called and the said this was my last warning before they turn my unlimited plan off for good and switch me to the 5GB plan.
Has anyone else had this happen to them? Should I be worried - concerned if I still want to tether?
I currently use the most up to date version of AOKP JB - and have been since i got the SGS 3.
Thoughts?
axel4401 said:
Recently got a text and Letter from AT&T stating that I've been caught tethering on my unlimited (grandfathered in) data plan. I called and the said this was my last warning before they turn my unlimited plan off for good and switch me to the 5GB plan.
Has anyone else had this happen to them? Should I be worried - concerned if I still want to tether?
I currently use the most up to date version of AOKP JB - and have been since i got the SGS 3.
Thoughts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you tethering a laptop, desktop? I haven't seen a message yet (knocks on wood!) but I only tether my tablet.
I would suggest you stop or they will switch you off unlimited. I tethered once for about 50mb worth of data and I got a letter in the mail from them.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda premium
With tmobile we can switch our apn settings to get around them knowing about tethering. Not sure if there's anything like that for ATT, but figured I'd mention it.
Sent from my HTC One S using xda app-developers app
Considering you can never get that plan back if they switch it, you should decide how much that's worth to you. If you'll never go over with just the phone, then it won't be that big a loss. If it were me, I'd stop tethering, and keep the unlimited data since the data costs keep bumping up in $5 or $10 increments.
If it were me, I'd call and talk only to a supervisor. Ask them how they can prove you're thethering. If they give you crap about having xx # of gigs used of data, be like, yeah, i stream movies every night; i didn't think that would be a problem, since i have "unlimited data"!!!!!! How would i be tethering without a tether plan anyway!?!?!? Etc, etc. Make sure to get their name, extension, etc.
Also, tell them if they change your plan, the terms of your contract no longer apply, and you will be dropping said plan in favor of a new carrier, and will not be paying early termination fees.
Sent from my SGS III
Swiftks said:
If it were me, I'd call and talk only to a supervisor. Ask them how they can prove you're thethering. If they give you crap about having xx # of gigs used of data, be like, yeah, i stream movies every night; i didn't think that would be a problem, since i have "unlimited data"!!!!!! How would i be tethering without a tether plan anyway!?!?!? Etc, etc. Make sure to get their name, extension, etc.
Also, tell them if they change your plan, the terms of your contract no longer apply, and you will be dropping said plan in favor of a new carrier, and will not be paying early termination fees.
Sent from my SGS III
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed with Swiftks !!!! Pretty much they are changing the TOC. So now you can do whatever you want and walk without paying an early termination fee. Hence , if things got even more complicated where they took the stance and remove your grandfather and not let you go.... BBB.ORG is your friend. Trust me. I did it for something else and I walk with a brand new iPhone 4.
Yea.... i'm pretty sure there'd be a flaw to that way of thinking.
A) You are aware of the data package you purchased, that you have unlimited data but are not permitted to tether on that plan, and they still send out a letter/text notifying you as such
B) You might NOT be aware of your inability to tether on the unlimited plan, and since this is not a part of the plan you've selected under contract, a letter and text message is sent out notifying you of this, and warning you that further use would result in your plan being changed to a plan that supports tethering.
C) They switch your plan after your continued tethering use, after providing fair warning about the changes to be made.
Them breaching your contract by changing something around without your knowing beforehand (can't even really think of an example... sorry), i could see the idea of claiming a breach of the terms of your contract being valid and allowing you to terminate the contract fee-free. However, i'm fairly certain the advanced notification of such action being a result of something you are doing would be less breach of contract by the carrier and more misuse of contracted services by the user.... so you'd probably be SoL from a legal standpoint.
And the BBB? HA! They don't do jack sh*t. I tried that to get a company to follow through on the contract that i signed for a wheel & tire warranty, and they kept circling through the same few excuses that they used when i was simply e-mailing them to try to get them to comply. I had documented proof basically disproving every reason they gave for denying my claim, they were denying my claim based on stuff they said was in the contract that i signed that WASN'T in the contract i signed, and the BBB can't do a damn thing either way. So i'm f*cked out of two rims costing like $625 a piece. They even hired an independent appraiser to inspect my rims to see if they were indeed no longer able to hold a seal with the tire (which would warrant replacement if not able to be repaired), and the guy "wasn't able to find any evidence pointing to this". A little air pressure and a splash of water and you could hear air leaking out from 20 feet away.
elementaldragon said:
Yea.... i'm pretty sure there'd be a flaw to that way of thinking.
A) You are aware of the data package you purchased, that you have unlimited data but are not permitted to tether on that plan, and they still send out a letter/text notifying you as such
B) You might NOT be aware of your inability to tether on the unlimited plan, and since this is not a part of the plan you've selected under contract, a letter and text message is sent out notifying you of this, and warning you that further use would result in your plan being changed to a plan that supports tethering.
C) They switch your plan after your continued tethering use, after providing fair warning about the changes to be made.
Them breaching your contract by changing something around without your knowing beforehand (can't even really think of an example... sorry), i could see the idea of claiming a breach of the terms of your contract being valid and allowing you to terminate the contract fee-free. However, i'm fairly certain the advanced notification of such action being a result of something you are doing would be less breach of contract by the carrier and more misuse of contracted services by the user.... so you'd probably be SoL from a legal standpoint.
And the BBB? HA! They don't do jack sh*t. I tried that to get a company to follow through on the contract that i signed for a wheel & tire warranty, and they kept circling through the same few excuses that they used when i was simply e-mailing them to try to get them to comply. I had documented proof basically disproving every reason they gave for denying my claim, they were denying my claim based on stuff they said was in the contract that i signed that WASN'T in the contract i signed, and the BBB can't do a damn thing either way. So i'm f*cked out of two rims costing like $625 a piece. They even hired an independent appraiser to inspect my rims to see if they were indeed no longer able to hold a seal with the tire (which would warrant replacement if not able to be repaired), and the guy "wasn't able to find any evidence pointing to this". A little air pressure and a splash of water and you could hear air leaking out from 20 feet away.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, but the burden of proof is on them... How can they prove you are tethering? Simply stating that you are in the top 5% or whatever is not sufficient IMO.
Sent from my SGS III
I got that notice from AT&T.... I tethered for months, my laptop, my tablet, my ipod, ****, i think i even tethered my roku to it once. Took them a few months for them to noticed, then i got the email, the text, and the letter in the mail.
So I called, and they told me what was going on, so i made up abull**** story about how my nephew plays with my phone and maybe he was enabling the internet. I asked her to if she could put a block on tethering on my account and she said sure, because i didn't want it to occur again, she assured me that my phone will not be able to tether with the block and i said thats awesome, i also asked her to make note on my account of what she was assuring me and she did.
i kept on tethering and i still do to this day. no problems so far.
Swiftks said:
Yeah, but the burden of proof is on them... How can they prove you are tethering? Simply stating that you are in the top 5% or whatever is not sufficient IMO.
Sent from my SGS III
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As many have said in other threads relating to tethering and getting caught, it can probably quite easily be tracked in the packet data transmitted through the network. There's more than likely something different about the way the data is handled that basically throws up a red flag that the data is not intended for the network device.
Voicebox said:
Considering you can never get that plan back if they switch it, you should decide how much that's worth to you. If you'll never go over with just the phone, then it won't be that big a loss. If it were me, I'd stop tethering, and keep the unlimited data since the data costs keep bumping up in $5 or $10 increments.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think I'm just going to go with this one. This kind of sucks though.
I don't even think the word tethering was in the original contract. Oh well, thanks for all the input.
elementaldragon said:
As many have said in other threads relating to tethering and getting caught, it can probably quite easily be tracked in the packet data transmitted through the network. There's more than likely something different about the way the data is handled that basically throws up a red flag that the data is not intended for the network device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Every packet is sent with something like a TTL (I don't think this is exactly right, I'm having a brain fart and google searches are fruitless for me right now). Basically they have a number of acceptable hops. On a cell phone, this number is typically pretty low, on a desktop it's often extremely high. This is why people tethering other mobile devices likely don't get noticed. You can also set that value on a desktop/laptop to one higher than the default on your mobile device and the traffic will appear to have originated from your device.
I'm just wondering, how much data did you use in the month(s) before they sent the message?
I am on AT&T and rarely tether but I was wondering if there are apps or a hack to mask this and make the data packets look as if a smartphone device is actually using the data. I have heard of this but I am not sure of what and which carriers it works with. Does anyone know?
annulation said:
I'm just wondering, how much data did you use in the month(s) before they sent the message?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Apparently between 2-4 GB. But this whole month, I've been under 1GB - which is funny since this is the month they "caught" me.
This is the key, only tether when you have to. That's the only time I do. When I'm away from my home network and no other possible connection around. The people getting caught are ones who are tethering constantly. Of course they going to see a huge spike in data usage. Spread it out. Especially now with 4g tethering speeds, they will be keeping a close eye. I've found out that I can successfully tether my 4g speeds to my note 10.1 tablet using Foxfi. Neither my SG3 or note 10.1 is rooted or anything. No mods needed to get it to work. I ran speedtests on tethered tablet to sg3 and saw I was getting 4g speeds. Will definitely come in handy when I need it. My data usage normally high anyways with my phone since I have unlimited. So a spike every now and then is nothing..I constantly surf web and sync stuff on my mobile phone. So my data usage is up there on a regular basis.
I think now with faster 4g speeds, more people will get caught because alot more data is flowing. Only tether when you have to. If you tethering on a daily basis as your only means of internet connection(use to be me before I got high speed wireless), they will eventually notice
I got the notice last week - and I haven't tethered since I first got the phone in the beginning of July. It wasn't anything serious, just about 10 minutes of tethering to check emails.
There was about a 2 week period where I didn't have Internet at home since the last tropical storm blew through, so I used my unlimited data to stream Netflix all day and night(on the phone) . I've been under 5gb every month so far, except in July where I used 11gb.
Just know that if they touch my unlimited data I'm taking all 5 of my lines elsewhere...
They look at browser headers (User Agent) to determine if you are tethering (probably among other things). I was NOT tethering and not using over 2gb, but I had my Dolphin browser User Agent set to make my browser look like Windows Firefox to force websites to give me desktop, not mobile versions.
I got nasty threats from ATT to stop tethering. I suspected it was the browser and I made several phone calls to explain. I got nowhere. I stopped using Dolphin and haven't been accused since.
I am always at 5gbs a month then they slow me down once in a while I tether for surf with chrome but its rare , I am supposedly top 5% my ass , before I was on 3rd party employee line using 7-10gbs month.
PS. Solved slow down problem once u hit 5gbs but its pain in the ass to do
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2

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