Database Info

Tethering, be very aware.

Be very aware of your carrier data plan when tethering.
Do not end up like this guy!!!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7141935.stm

so tethering is pretty much using your phone as a modem so you can connect to the internet and use your PC to browse?

NguyenHuu said:
so tethering is pretty much using your phone as a modem so you can connect to the internet and use your PC to browse?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes 'Tethering' is the euphemism used mainly in the US for connecting your phone to your PC/Laptop via BT or USB so it can be used as a 'over the air' modem. Good in places where a standard telephone/internet system is not available and very cheap with some carriers on the right plan. You just have to make sure you are before you use it.

Does AT&T keep a close watch on people's data usage each month? I used to use my 8525 as a modem for the $19.99 plan and was never billed over.

I heard about this story. The mobile company has eventually stepped down from that 85K bill, they turned it into 3K.

Torrent via G1 tether?

I have the parrothd v1.6 adhoc wifi tether and it's running sweet with Vista. Just one question; I tried to download a little torrent while connected and utorrent can't even connect. Does anybody know if it's t-mobile (UK) blocking my torrent traffic or maybe a product of the tether method?
Alex

i'm not sure but wouldn't you have to forward some ports G1 side?
also, i doubt t-mobile will loook kindly on torrent downloading.

Yah not too sure about running torrents off your phone. Would be nice though.
There are a couple of similar options. Utorrent does have a webUI you can configure.
http://www.utorrent.com/webui-guide.php
I'm sure someone could optimize the UI for mobile via some scripting. I think I saw a greesemonkey clone on the market.

Did a little searching and found this miniUI someone made.
http://forum.utorrent.com/viewtopic.php?id=47167

Uh, you do realize that cell phone towers aren't designed to be streaming dozens or hundreds of megabytes of data from one phone non-stop, right?
Being able to send the odd bit of low-volume traffic over a teather could come in handy in some situations. If people start using that ability to transfer hundreds of megabytes of whatever then we're going to start seeing all kinds of annoying countermeasures. Even if you're only downloading a 3MB MP3 you could end up uploading far more than that if you seed.
Please don't be the android user who gets the 3G internet closed off to everything but port 80. If you want to do a little more than browse the web I'm sure T-mobile will look the other way, but if you start impacting the network then that neighborly trust will go out the window.
It really isn't fair to expect your carrier to deliver that kind of bandwidth over their network. While 3G could potentially deliver meaningful bittorrent to ONE phone in a cell it can't do that and allow the casual web browsers to browse the web. I'm sure the TOS has to have something in it to prohibit this kind of behavior.
If you want to download a linux distro or something do it over WiFi via a landline.

Whats the difference between that and running a 3g broadband card form a carrier....
I have used a verizon card to download tons of stuff since I am not expected to make phone calls with it all i can do is download....almost all day long...and cell towers can handle it fine.
Cell towers don't just handle call anymore you know...data is no problem for them.
Tether away!!!

Justanothercrowd makes a good arguement; there are tons of people downloading torrent files over the 3G network here without having any impact on other users. I figure utorrent would work on a 3G card with my G1 sim in it anyway.
I spoke to t-mobile about data limits and they told me that they just limit your bandwidth if you repeatedly run over 5 gig a month.
I'm not sure what you guys mean about the webUI? Could you explain how that would help?
It could just be a case of forwarding ports in the Ip table that is used by the tether; Meltus is usually right about these things; I will have a go and post results here.
A

user27 said:
Justanothercrowd makes a good arguement; there are tons of people downloading torrent files over the 3G network here without having any impact on other users. I figure utorrent would work on a 3G card with my G1 sim in it anyway.
I spoke to t-mobile about data limits and they told me that they just limit your bandwidth if you repeatedly run over 5 gig a month.
I'm not sure what you guys mean about the webUI? Could you explain how that would help?
It could just be a case of forwarding ports in the Ip table that is used by the tether; Meltus is usually right about these things; I will have a go and post results here.
A
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The webUI allows you to download a torrent to your pc. You could then transfer the file to your G1 via ftp.

Hmmm, I used tether for torrents for 4 straight days when my regular internet was down. I tried to max out all the transfer rates, in the beginning I used to get about 100-110kbps down and 40kbps up. But after the 1st day, the next three days i just for 50kbps down and when it used to be at 50kbps I could not browse web smoothly. I dont know why the rates went down by 50%, I did not change any settings. Maybe port forwarding and NAT functionality in the tether app might help.

twistkill said:
Hmmm, I used tether for torrents for 4 straight days when my regular internet was down. I tried to max out all the transfer rates, in the beginning I used to get about 100-110kbps down and 40kbps up. But after the 1st day, the next three days i just for 50kbps down and when it used to be at 50kbps I could not browse web smoothly. I dont know why the rates went down by 50%, I did not change any settings. Maybe port forwarding and NAT functionality in the tether app might help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
perhaps t-mobile realised what you were doing, or you downloaded too much and they limited your bandwith temporarily
could be the reason but im not sure if they do it instantly or they apply it next month? someone will probably know

more complicated than I expected!
Now I see what you mean about the web interface thanks; it is an option but I don't really want the files on my phone and they would not be much use on my laptop if it were connected to a landline somewhere.
I had a look at configureing the ports but it's a fair bit more complicated than I expected!
Should I be adding a torrent classifier between tiwlan lines 170 and 180 or can I just forward a port in dnsmasq.conf?
Thanks for your help guys, Alex

I have tried both tiwlan and dnsmasq now but I still can't get a connection; has anybody else managed to get torrents running over thsi tether?
Alex

Don't use your phone to torrent, you are asking for trouble. Repeated high bandwidth use every month will get you problems with TMobile.
I know they have those cards for the internet, but the data plans with those cards cost a lot more for a reason, they expect to get a lot more traffic. Currently verizon and at&t charge more for tethering, even if you are already paying for a data plan, tmobile does not. Do not make tmobile start charging.

Thanks for your insight but there are a few issues with your argument.
Who says torrents have to be high bandwidth? All the clients that I have used provide the option to set bandwidth limits.
What's the difference between streaming youtube videos off the net and downloading the video in a torrent? Streaming video is not as well compressed as that of your average torrent so in effect it would use less bandwidth than it would to stream it at similar quality. Then I can fix my ratios when I have wifi access.
Tmobile (uk) charge extra for their "unlimited" data plan on top of what they charge for calls and sms.
If you took the time to read the thread thus far you would see that I have spoken to tmobile on the subject of effective data limits.
Most uk mobile networks (O2 and Orange last time I checked) block tethered data usage for pay as you go customers but they allow tethered data usage for all contract customers.
Could you just help me out rather than trying to convince me that what I'm doing is immoral?
Alex

moussam said:
I know they have those cards for the internet, but the data plans with those cards cost a lot more for a reason, they expect to get a lot more traffic. Currently verizon and at&t charge more for tethering, even if you are already paying for a data plan, tmobile does not. Do not make tmobile start charging.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I _WISH_ T-Mobile had an upcharge for an unlimited data plan. I have T-Mobile AND AT&T (and Verizon!) and use my AT&T unlimited tethering plan for my 3G access on the road (and from home). Sometimes I use AT&T and Verizon simultaneously through my Cradlepoint (works great as a fail-safe backup). If I could switch to T-Mobile (gets better signal in about 40% of locations I'm in daily), I'd be in heaven. I don't mind paying a LOT more for wireless 3G if it's unlimited.
Honestly, I've NEVER seen any issues with 3G downloading/torrenting, and I'm all over the country all the time. Voice calls seem to get priority, but the 3G bandwidth is QOS'd well enough. During busy phone-hours, my speed drops fairly significantly, but when I use it most (off-hours), I have no problem.
T-Mobile will probably offer an unlimited tethering plan (they have to), and I'd jump on it in 10 seconds flat.
BTW, when I did tether my G1, I didn't have any problems using uTorrent. Speeds were comparable to AT&T, and I don't recall having to make any changes. What I do prefer about AT&T is that it seems to give me a real IP versus some NAT-shared IP. Not sure about T-Mobile's IP configuration, but I assume we're all on some internal NAT shared pool before we jump onto the web.

Why you shoudn't torrent over 3g.
Torrents open a host of tcp connections, unlike a download that only needs 1. This really bogs down yor cell block. This is the key. Each cell block has finite use of bandwith. If you hog all the bandwith consitently or have to many tcp connections open to long t-mobile has no choice but to limit you. You are degrading the expereince of others in that cell block. Maybe in the future the technical limitations will be gone like in wimax.

I know T-Mobile US has the right to kick you off the network if they can see you are running torrents. While you don't need any ports forwarded to download off a torrent tracker, you do need it for the other services (DHT)
Honestly you shouldn't be running torrents period, some users will say they do it and they are the reason networks put limits. If you continue to abuse T-Mobile they will soon put a limit too.
On top of that torrents are more destructive on the network than downloading by any other method because of what is actually going on. Torrents work both ways, download and upload at the same time, This means that if you download normally at 110 and upload normally at 50 that you will not get those speeds on torrents. The way bandwidth works is that you can't do both at the same time. It is a mixture of the 2, 20% download means 80% upload in the simpliest of terms.
In either case if you choose to rape T-Mobiles networks I hope they rape your wallet.

I'd be happy with a Torrent client for WiFi only.. too erratic on 3G

I have two t-mobile UK contracts, one for data and one for my G1. I've run torrents on the data contract without issue.
The argument that many tcp connections are opened by bittorrent clients seems fallacious. The cost of opening a tcp connection is minimal especially without DNS.
The argument that torrents rape t-mobiles network also seems to be erroneous. t-mobile are interested in the amount of bandwidth you use (both up and down) and of major importance is the bandwidth between you and the cell transmitter as this is the highest cost portion of the journey and so signal strength plays a part in reducing retransmission.
The G1 in the UK comes with the equivalent of web and walk plus, which has a 3G data limit per month. I can quite imagine that t-mobile won't contact you until you exceed 5G as mentioned earlier but 3G is the official limit and it seems sensible to work with that.
The thing I find most annoying about the t-mobile net connection in the UK is the use of image compression by default and with no android client to turn this off you have to refresh pages all the time to get them in decent quality.

jumbuck said:
I have two t-mobile UK contracts, one for data and one for my G1. I've run torrents on the data contract without issue.
The argument that many tcp connections are opened by bittorrent clients seems fallacious. The cost of opening a tcp connection is minimal especially without DNS.
The argument that torrents rape t-mobiles network also seems to be erroneous. t-mobile are interested in the amount of bandwidth you use (both up and down) and of major importance is the bandwidth between you and the cell transmitter as this is the highest cost portion of the journey and so signal strength plays a part in reducing retransmission.
The G1 in the UK comes with the equivalent of web and walk plus, which has a 3G data limit per month. I can quite imagine that t-mobile won't contact you until you exceed 5G as mentioned earlier but 3G is the official limit and it seems sensible to work with that.
The thing I find most annoying about the t-mobile net connection in the UK is the use of image compression by default and with no android client to turn this off you have to refresh pages all the time to get them in decent quality.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was speaking purely about T-Mobile US

Fully utilizing internet connecting mode for bittorrent

[Win7]
When using the internet connection mode does the phone have a built in firewall or port blocker? My laptop was already connected to the internet through my home's WiFI internet and I was downloading off bittorrent using µTorrent. I was getting decent download speeds on my torrents, but almost nothing on upload. Knowing that the LTE network is more balanced and generally faster than my home network I connected my phone to my laptop via usb and selected internet connection mode.
At this time I noticed no difference and opened task manager to check network utilization. Task manager showed that my home network connection was being used and LTE was not being utilized at all. So I disconnected from my home network and waited for µTorrent to adjust to my phone's connection. After tinkering with some settings in µTorrent it showed the "!" at the bottom right notifying me that either the port I've selected is blocked or some other setting is stopping my connection from being used to it's full potential. I again check task manager and as far as network utilization goes it was around ~1% and my download speeds are far from what they should be, and far worse than when I was just on WiFi.
So I connect back to the WiFi and µTorrent starts behaving how it did before I tried to use my phone. Task manager shows more activity on the WiFi connection and still around 1% for the phone's connection.
My concern is how can I maximize LTE's potential when for bittorrent. Is there some kind of built in port blocker or firewall element? Or is it some kind of protection set up by Verizon and they know I'm using their network for bittorrent? I was getting consistent 5MBps Down and Up when I tested my laptop using internet connection mode, so network stability shouldn't be the issue. Any thoughts?

I haven't tested it, but I'd be willing to bet that the built-in internet sharing mode on the phone blocks certain ports. You could try using a tethering app like EasyTether or PDAnet.
Are you rooted? You could try Wireless Tether for Root Users, and see if you get any different results with that, too. I had some issues using VPN from my OG Droid because there were some blocked ports when using USB tethering, but once I rooted and started using Wireless Tether, all my problems went away. It'd be worth checking out. If you're not rooted, I would imagine that the wifi hotspot would act the same way (although it's only free for another week or so).

Sweet! Another person who's going to get us capped.

Ya, runniNg bittorents off your phone is RETARDED
Sent from my 4G LTE Thunderbolt using XDA Premium

EEdaesung said:
[Win7]
When using the internet connection mode does the phone have a built in firewall or port blocker? My laptop was already connected to the internet through my home's WiFI internet and I was downloading off bittorrent using µTorrent. I was getting decent download speeds on my torrents, but almost nothing on upload. Knowing that the LTE network is more balanced and generally faster than my home network I connected my phone to my laptop via usb and selected internet connection mode.
At this time I noticed no difference and opened task manager to check network utilization. Task manager showed that my home network connection was being used and LTE was not being utilized at all. So I disconnected from my home network and waited for µTorrent to adjust to my phone's connection. After tinkering with some settings in µTorrent it showed the "!" at the bottom right notifying me that either the port I've selected is blocked or some other setting is stopping my connection from being used to it's full potential. I again check task manager and as far as network utilization goes it was around ~1% and my download speeds are far from what they should be, and far worse than when I was just on WiFi.
So I connect back to the WiFi and µTorrent starts behaving how it did before I tried to use my phone. Task manager shows more activity on the WiFi connection and still around 1% for the phone's connection.
My concern is how can I maximize LTE's potential when for bittorrent. Is there some kind of built in port blocker or firewall element? Or is it some kind of protection set up by Verizon and they know I'm using their network for bittorrent? I was getting consistent 5MBps Down and Up when I tested my laptop using internet connection mode, so network stability shouldn't be the issue. Any thoughts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm sure they block ports, and to be honest, I sincerely hope they block torrenting on a cell phone. Why not use your wifi?

As others have already stated use your home internet connection as I like having unlimited data.
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App

eallan said:
I'm sure they block ports, and to be honest, I sincerely hope they block torrenting on a cell phone. Why not use your wifi?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's because LTE's upload speeds are superior to my home connection. And for people worried about getting capped, there is no way I could get within the 10% of users who are throttled.
^_^_^

It's people like you that are going to ruin it for the legitimate rest of us. There is absolutely zero reason you should be torrenting on your phone, thats what your home connection is for. As mentioned earlier I hope that they do block the ports as I love my unlimited data plan knowing that I don't have to check my usage every 3 minutes like I would with att and their 2gb limit.
So in short, stop doing what your doing and ruining it for the rest of the U.S.

EEdaesung said:
It's because LTE's upload speeds are superior to my home connection. And for people worried about getting capped, there is no way I could get within the 10% of users who are throttled.
^_^_^
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Neither matters soon Verizon will take away the unlimited tethering plan and you will be sol. Even if you use a rooted wireless hotspot Verizon will know when you start racking up the gbs.
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App

I didn't realize it was such a big deal. Especially since it's a service I pay for, and I wasn't planning on torrenting the entire internet.
Since there are so many concerns of losing unlimited data, I'll think twice before using my phone's network to do any heavy downloading or uploading.
^_^_^

EEdaesung said:
I didn't realize it was such a big deal. Especially since it's a service I pay for, and I wasn't planning on torrenting the entire internet.
Since there are so many concerns of losing unlimited data, I'll think twice before using my phone's network to do any heavy downloading or uploading.
^_^_^
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First off you are not paying for the Mobile Hotspot service it is free until May 15th.
Second as of right now there is no real threat of losing the unlimited plan. Verizon has not said anything about taking it away and as of right now you could up and download 100gb of data and Verizon may say nothing. The problem is that we just don't know. We could wake up tomorrow and all have capped plans (As it is in the contract we all signed when we bought our phones Verizon can change the details of the data plans basically at any time they want) Yes there is like a 1% chance of this happening at the PR Verizon would get from this would most likely run them into the ground but the thought is still out there. And for most of us who only use ~5gb of data per month or less just don't want to worry about that odd month when maybe some new series comes out and they use 50gb.
TLDR: As of right now its more of just a fear of losing it than anything else and not really something to be too worried about ATM.

EEdaesung said:
I didn't realize it was such a big deal. Especially since it's a service I pay for, and I wasn't planning on torrenting the entire internet.
Since there are so many concerns of losing unlimited data, I'll think twice before using my phone's network to do any heavy downloading or uploading.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Or at least posting here about doing so.

EEdaesung said:
It's because LTE's upload speeds are superior to my home connection. And for people worried about getting capped, there is no way I could get within the 10% of users who are throttled.
^_^_^
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is a difference in using a phone to web browse, or to watch a movie or whatever, and maxing it out 24/7 and saturating the connection to torrent.
One is a bad idea IMO.

Got it guys. I agree with all previous posts. I don't want to get capped either and I won't be a factor towards it.
^_^_^

That's bull...you pay for it you use it how you want...I dare Verizon to come at me already and I told them I'm rooted...I ruin my OG Droid and they still replaced it...they make hundreds of millions of dollars and I pay an already high phone bill...too bad there is already an Frostwire app

currensy said:
That's bull...you pay for it you use it how you want...I dare Verizon to come at me already and I told them I'm rooted...I ruin my OG Droid and they still replaced it...they make hundreds of millions of dollars and I pay an already high phone bill...too bad there is already an Frostwire app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL. Another reprobate weighs in.
"you pay for it you use it how you want"
So, exactly how much are you "paying" for tethering (not that which is currently offered as a freebie, but the theft of services your comment implies)? Your comment might be better phrased "you pay for it, I use it," since it's going to be paid for by someone, and if not by those who rationalize stealing it, then by the rest of us.
"they make hundreds of millions of dollars"
I'm guessing (assuming you're not still in Jr. High, as your attitude suggests), that you make thousands of dollars. So, I'd be justified in stealing from you, by your logic.
"I pay an already high phone bill"
If it's too high, it's very easy to cancel the service. Obviously, since you're posting in the TB forum, you have one, which means you've recently renewed your service. Which is it - you agreed that the value per dollar was acceptable, or you're just stupid?

You have to disable other connections after enabling internet sharing mode. Windows doesnt magically switch to a better connection on its own.
People should also remember that torrent does not mean illegal. He never mentioned what he was downloading. Apparently no one else in this thread has ever downloaded a linux distro, since bittorent is a primary way to do it. Certain games and game content are distributed legally through bittorent as well along with other software (generally opensource stuff).
The other day I didn't want to wait 30 minutes for aptitude to update my system on my 630KB/s average DSL, so I plugged in my phone to internet sharing on LTE and it was done in < 5minutes @ 2500KB/s average.
Verizon's network does not block ports as far as I know, but you are behind NAT, so you aren't going to be running any sort of server either on the public internet or easily connecting to your phone from a remote location.

Why do people take threads like this off the rails so quickly? The OP asked a simple question that didn't really warrant a philosophical decision. Imposing your will on the miniscule number of TB users who visit XDA won't make any appreciable impact on Verizon's attitude towards sanctioned network use.
OP, please report back if following "yareally"'s suggestion of disabling other connections works once ICS is enabled. Also, are you able to bridge your connection to the TB's in Windows? It'd be sweet to be able to merge WiFi (for speed) with LTE (for reliability).

currensy said:
That's bull...you pay for it you use it how you want...I dare Verizon to come at me already and I told them I'm rooted...I ruin my OG Droid and they still replaced it...they make hundreds of millions of dollars and I pay an already high phone bill...too bad there is already an Frostwire app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you use frostwire... you probably still have a myspace...
Lol at your made-up story, VZW is here on XDA also... they just might come at you bro...
In regards to the OP, lol at anyone who thinks this one single guy is going to be the downfall of unlimited data...

Nooter said:
OP, please report back if following "yareally"'s suggestion of disabling other connections works once ICS is enabled. Also, are you able to bridge your connection to the TB's in Windows? It'd be sweet to be able to merge WiFi (for speed) with LTE (for reliability).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope, cant bridge them in windows and use both (that is, it's not as simple as selecting both connections and clicking bridge). There's some ways to distribute their use over *nix and/or using a router and using them as separate connections, but it's not worth the time/effort. If you're really interested in doing it, there's some discussions about it on the xda forums already and elsewhere if you google around.

Tether Police: Has Anyone had to Change plan?

I'm just curious if ATT is just bluffing? Are there tethering solutions that hide activity from ATT? PDAnet claims it does, but you have to pay $15 to get full version that accesses secure sites. However I have no idea what PDAnet does to hide it, or it if it works.

Stock roms will have a program that sends data to att on what type of data is being downloaded. From that, they will know if you are tethering. Custom roms removes that useless program, but crazy big data usage will probably get you in hot water.

Many of us that were running stock roms got the letter/text/email
They did not change my plan....but I stopped did not tether afyer getting the warnings.
Was in a bbind last week and tethered for a few hours and nada....no warnings etc.
xdahgary said:
Stock roms will have a program that sends data to att on what type of data is being downloaded. From that, they will know if you are tethering. Custom roms removes that useless program, but crazy big data usage will probably get you in hot water.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using XDA App

I got the message today and I called about it. I don't know how it is they know or can detect it. I stream a lot, but I haven't tethered in over 2 months. Somehow they just target big data users, apparently and assume the worst. I'm going to unroot and s-on my phone and take it in to the store and see what they have to say..

I dont have unlimted data, but i teather My laptop ALL the time at work.....watch netflix, or hulu, even download roms......i never go over 2gigs because thats all i have on my Plan......but i have never gotten a letter or text.
i think its just for the Big Data users<<<

another good reason to root/ and install a custom rom

I tethered a bunch last year when I had my iPhone, I am still currently on the "unlimited" data plan.
I just put the MIUI rom on my phone a couple weeks ago, and tethered to my wife's tablet. She only checked a couple web pages to verify it worked.
The other day I get the email telling me if I don't stop tethering after October 31st I will be charged and put on a tethering plan automatically.
I wonder if they looked back as far as a year and totaled up all my tethering..
Are they really just going after the "unlimited" users??
If that is the case, I will tether through my wife's captivate running MIUI rom, as she is on the 2GB data plan, and just monitor as to not go over...

the2rrell said:
I dont have unlimted data, but i teather My laptop ALL the time at work.....watch netflix, or hulu, even download roms......i never go over 2gigs because thats all i have on my Plan......but i have never gotten a letter or text.
i think its just for the Big Data users<<<
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've never used over 1gig and I got a letter. I only tethered very briefly 5-6 times I have had the phone. Once for a few hours but just browsing no downloading or anything (internet outage) but that was months ago as well.

Speaking of data plans, I gave my old HTC Pure to my brother. He had a "dumb" phone with no data plan previously, but when I put his sim in and fired it up, it used a little bit of data. Therefore, AT&T signed him up for a data plan automatically. He called about it to cancel and they refused to let him off of the plan because he's using a smartphone. I know AT&T requires a data plan with the PURCHASE of a smartphone, but I didn't think you had to purchase one for merely using a smartphone. I think this is down right false. What's the story?

You have to look into blocking AT&T from seeing your phone as a smartphone which is changing the IMEI which is also illegal to my knowledge. Some people call in and change the imei every time it changes.
Sent from my SGH-I997 using XDA App

You can change the imei all you want but att still ends up finding out you are using a smartphone. I get calls about the same issue everyday. Put your sim in a blackberry and use data and now u have a bb data plan. My imei shows all 1s and unknown manufacturer but still reads as a smartphone. Atts systems arent as stupid as most of you think
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using xda premium

If your IMEI number shows all 1's then AT&T shouldn't notice you are on a smartphone. If they notice then there's anothing thing with your APN settings because as far as I know the IMEI number shows up in a system not our billing system but another system where I can tell you what time and day and phones you have used and switched from to.. etc..
Sent from my SGH-I997 using XDA App

I tether all the time. Custom Rom. No calls or issues.

In all the time I've done support for my organization across all the smartphone carriers (BES setup/smartphone support/etc), I've never seen any customer have a data plan 'automatically' added to their plan. Every single time, it simply fails to load webpages unless we get on the phone and make sure their data is configured in their wireless plan. I am fairly confident that when people think this happens automatically, it's because they did something wrong or agreed to a data-as-you-go option.
Just the other day I had major issues trying to set up a Blackberry on BES after moving the SIM over from an iPhone. The network refused to recognize the change in IMEI and device information. It took a call to ATT to fix it and make sure the plan was changed from 'iPhone' data to 'Blackberry' data.

Actually I see people get data plans added everyday automatically and I have to deal with them... although I haven't seen a tethered one yet.
Sent from my SGH-I997 using XDA App

@Max. Im a tech and i handle that all day. We use 2 main systems. One will show the imei and the other is just basic t/s but it also shows what phone they are using no matter if the ime says in it. Look for all 1s on the imei and then look at the first system you pull up. It will show the model. Or take your sim and put it in a diff phone and i bet u anything that phone will show up!
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using xda premium

Yup Busted!!
Yup I was busted and it wasnt for tethering. ATT said I was tethering in Sept. I informed them that i was simply streaming music and that I used pandora rather then the radio in order to listen to music. And that it was not being used to provide internet access for my laptop. that while yes it was connected to my computer while streaming it was to keep the phone charging...nothing i could do to keep my unlimited data, was transferred to a 4GB tethering plan, when pressed as to why. they reffered me to paragraph 6,1-6.2. which basically states that if you are adversly affect their network (i.e larger amounts of data) or tether in any way (connect to ANY other device in ANY fashion to transfer data) they reserve the right to change plan as they see fit.
I Was averaging 6-8GB of data per month and would guess that at max actual tethering accounted for 1GB or less. Seems as if they are mainly targeting high data users and waiting for any excuse to change your plan
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Furthermore, plans (unless specifically designated for tethering usage) cannot be used for any applications that tether the device (through use of, including without limitation, connection kits, other phone/smartphone to computer accessories, BLUETOOTH® or any other wireless technology) to Personal Computers (including without limitation, laptops), or other equipment for any purpose. Accordingly, AT&T reserves the right to (i) deny, disconnect, modify and/or terminate Service, without notice, to anyone it believes is using the Service in any manner prohibited or whose usage adversely impacts its wireless network or service levels or hinders access to its wireless network, including without limitation, after a significant period of inactivity or after sessions of excessive usage

Yea right i bet att told u to post that here as a scare tactic. Show prof this happen to you then i will believe that happen
. This did happen to iPhone users not androids. If this happen to android users it would have been in the media by now
socialal said:
Yup I was busted and it wasnt for tethering. ATT said I was tethering in Sept. I informed them that i was simply streaming music and that I used pandora rather then the radio in order to listen to music. And that it was not being used to provide internet access for my laptop. that while yes it was connected to my computer while streaming it was to keep the phone charging...nothing i could do to keep my unlimited data, was transferred to a 4GB tethering plan, when pressed as to why. they reffered me to paragraph 6,1-6.2. which basically states that if you are adversly affect their network (i.e larger amounts of data) or tether in any way (connect to ANY other device in ANY fashion to transfer data) they reserve the right to change plan as they see fit.
I Was averaging 6-8GB of data per month and would guess that at max actual tethering accounted for 1GB or less. Seems as if they are mainly targeting high data users and waiting for any excuse to change your plan
.
Furthermore, plans (unless specifically designated for tethering usage) cannot be used for any applications that tether the device (through use of, including without limitation, connection kits, other phone/smartphone to computer accessories, BLUETOOTH® or any other wireless technology) to Personal Computers (including without limitation, laptops), or other equipment for any purpose. Accordingly, AT&T reserves the right to (i) deny, disconnect, modify and/or terminate Service, without notice, to anyone it believes is using the Service in any manner prohibited or whose usage adversely impacts its wireless network or service levels or hinders access to its wireless network, including without limitation, after a significant period of inactivity or after sessions of excessive usage
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Nope and dont work for ATT and the quotes I posted are where i was told to go by a manager from att when i called protesting the change..check out paragraphs 6.1 and 6.2 of the customer agreement that you signed/agreed to. DUH!!! its happening all over the place. I know of at least 2 other people who have gotten busted (HTC and sony erickson android devices). And NO I wasnt using app the few times i did tether it. I used the native samsung funtionality. and do yourself a favor and google it.I lost my $35 per month unlimited plan in favor of a 5GB $45 per month.
Im going to try calling and talking them out of it one more time....beware the 9am text messages from ATT

socialal said:
Nope and dont work for ATT and the quotes I posted are where i was told to go by a manager from att when i called protesting the change..check out paragraphs 6.1 and 6.2 of the customer agreement that you signed/agreed to. DUH!!! its happening all over the place. I know of at least 2 other people who have gotten busted (HTC and sony erickson android devices). And NO I wasnt using app the few times i did tether it. I used the native samsung funtionality. and do yourself a favor and google it.I lost my $35 per month unlimited plan in favor of a 5GB $45 per month.
Im going to try calling and talking them out of it one more time....beware the 9am text messages from ATT
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wait. Didn't you say the first time that you didn't tether? Now you did? So did you or didn't you tether data?
Sent from my not-an-iPod

[Q] Android Tethering

I have been a customer of Virgin Mobile for years. When I purchase my new LG Volt they said I had to move to a new plan that went from $25/mo to $35/mo because it uses 3G or 4G or some such thing. The plan was for 300 minutes a month and unlimited data and supposedly stayed the same when moving to the new plan.
Anyway, on my old phone I could tether and since I had unlimited data in both cases I thought that I could tether my new phone to my pc like I did the old one. Didn't happen. Seems VM is now blocking tethering unless you purchase something call HOTSPOT for more money.
So my question is:
Is it possible to override the blocking of tethering on a phone and use your data plan with your pc tethered to your phone? I would think with a rooted phone there would be a way to fake out the phone to make it think the data is from the phone rather than a tethered device.
Anyone have any ideas?

JimReid said:
I have been a customer of Virgin Mobile for years. When I purchase my new LG Volt they said I had to move to a new plan that went from $25/mo to $35/mo because it uses 3G or 4G or some such thing. The plan was for 300 minutes a month and unlimited data and supposedly stayed the same when moving to the new plan.
Anyway, on my old phone I could tether and since I had unlimited data in both cases I thought that I could tether my new phone to my pc like I did the old one. Didn't happen. Seems VM is now blocking tethering unless you purchase something call HOTSPOT for more money.
So my question is:
Is it possible to override the blocking of tethering on a phone and use your data plan with your pc tethered to your phone? I would think with a rooted phone there would be a way to fake out the phone to make it think the data is from the phone rather than a tethered device.
Anyone have any ideas?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pda net can be used for tethering.. If ur phone doesn't support tethering...

Yes pda net will be perfect for you but its a pc software and it will be perfect for you only then if your phone doesn't support tethering
Sent from my Magicon Mnote using Tapatalk

JimReid said:
I have been a customer of Virgin Mobile for years. When I purchase my new LG Volt they said I had to move to a new plan that went from $25/mo to $35/mo because it uses 3G or 4G or some such thing. The plan was for 300 minutes a month and unlimited data and supposedly stayed the same when moving to the new plan.
Anyway, on my old phone I could tether and since I had unlimited data in both cases I thought that I could tether my new phone to my pc like I did the old one. Didn't happen. Seems VM is now blocking tethering unless you purchase something call HOTSPOT for more money.
So my question is:
Is it possible to override the blocking of tethering on a phone and use your data plan with your pc tethered to your phone? I would think with a rooted phone there would be a way to fake out the phone to make it think the data is from the phone rather than a tethered device.
Anyone have any ideas?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's a few different options, but USB tethering with PdaNet is the easiest and probably the best, so long as you only need the one connection. It doesn't require root, and USB tethering takes far less juice than wifi tethering does. It uses a companion app on your PC, and there's an option to "hide tether usage", which creates a sorta VPN which prevents the provider from knowing how you're using the data. This should work for you, but I can't confirm for certain. PdaNet is $8 (well worth it), but there's a free trial version so you can test before purchasing (it cuts your connection off after ~10 minutes and you have to reload the app).
Any method to bypass wifi tether provisioning will require root plus using the hotspot generates a ton of heat and will nuke your battery in very short order. Which is all well and good if you want to root anyway. I use Fabio Grasso's Wifi Tether Router. It's $2.50 (and well worth it). It can be a bit tricky to set up, as different phones require different settings. Plus he's Italian, so his English isn't the best. But he'll respond to an email if you're having difficulty, and it's regularly updated for new Android versions, new devices, and bug fixes. PdaNet should be your main method, but it never hurts to have both in case you need a hotspot for a laptop or tablet while away from home. You can actually use both simultaneously, which I do at home to provide a connection to my PC, tablet, and any phone that doesn't have the SIM card in.

Thanks to all of you responding. It seems to work find with USB tethering which will serve my purposes but the wifi tethering didn't seem to work right off so I'll have to play with it. It gave the same error about contacting my provider because it doesn't support HotSpots and I need to purchase that option. But the like I said the USB option seems to work fine and will serve me well. Thanks again to all of your responses.
Jim