Has anyone actually been caught by the tethering police? I mean have they sent you a notice or anything?
Also, do you think I would be caught? I have used between 11 to 20 gigs a month for 6 months straight with my previous phone(Tilt2) and now I that I have the Infuse, would they even know If I was tethering or not since I would be using the same amount of data as I previously have?
Any input would be appreciated
Without trying to sound like a jerk, you do realize it's people like you that are the reason they have to police it in the first place?
20 gigs isn't off the charts outrageous, cause there are guys that say they've used up to 50 gigs in a month. Every time my bill goes up, I say a thank you to each one of you.
antuus said:
Without trying to sound like a jerk, you do realize it's people like you that are the reason they have to police it in the first place?
20 gigs isn't off the charts outrageous, cause there are guys that say they've used up to 50 gigs in a month. Every time my bill goes up, I say a thank you to each one of you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using XDA Premium App
antuus said:
Without trying to sound like a jerk, you do realize it's people like you that are the reason they have to police it in the first place?
20 gigs isn't off the charts outrageous, cause there are guys that say they've used up to 50 gigs in a month. Every time my bill goes up, I say a thank you to each one of you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That doesn't really answer my question... but hey, thanks!!
antuus said:
Without trying to sound like a jerk, you do realize it's people like you that are the reason they have to police it in the first place?
20 gigs isn't off the charts outrageous, cause there are guys that say they've used up to 50 gigs in a month. Every time my bill goes up, I say a thank you to each one of you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
10characters
Thanks for the tiered data.
Hope you do get caught.
Sent from my Infuse 4G
antuus said:
Without trying to sound like a jerk, you do realize it's people like you that are the reason they have to police it in the first place?
20 gigs isn't off the charts outrageous, cause there are guys that say they've used up to 50 gigs in a month. Every time my bill goes up, I say a thank you to each one of you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well if he stops know, theyll suspect something!
tbh, i pay for unlimited data. ive tethered a few times but not more than checking that i can or to run speed tests. even though i dont really tether, i still use alot of data. thats why i have the unlimited data plan. att knows this. ive been paying them for years to know this.
The Jack of Clubs said:
well if he stops know, theyll suspect something!
tbh, i pay for unlimited data. ive tethered a few times but not more than checking that i can or to run speed tests. even though i dont really tether, i still use alot of data. thats why i have the unlimited data plan. att knows this. ive been paying them for years to know this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not going to get into the "well unlimited is unlimited and why does it matter how I use my unlimited." That's an argument that I feel both sides has a good argument for, so why waste the time.
I have no issues if you download gigs of porn to your phone, month after month. My issue is with the people that tether to excess just because they can. I can't tell you how thankful I am that ATT did lose a good amount of customers to VZW when the iP4 hit their shelves. Now those fanboys are bogging down the VZW network and not ours. Now I can only hope that more of these guys look for greener pastures so my bill stops inflating.
att prepared for the iphone originally with its separate apn and all that. it helped but you saw more iphones with down service than other phone users. really set up a bad name for att. has anybody even bought the iphone on verizon? i remember the launch day being a flop, havent really kept up with apple news since then.
antuus said:
I'm not going to get into the "well unlimited is unlimited and why does it matter how I use my unlimited." That's an argument that I feel both sides has a good argument for, so why waste the time.
I have no issues if you download gigs of porn to your phone, month after month. My issue is with the people that tether to excess just because they can. I can't tell you how thankful I am that ATT did lose a good amount of customers to VZW when the iP4 hit their shelves. Now those fanboys are bogging down the VZW network and not ours. Now I can only hope that more of these guys look for greener pastures so my bill stops inflating.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do not tether on excess just because I can. I do it because I have no other means to connect to the internet and It wouldn't be the same on my phone's browser. Yes it has a flash player plugin, but that doesn't mean I can do everything I can do in a computer environment. If I had access to internet by any other means, then I wouldn't tether from my phone. There was no need for you or anyone to be harsh to me without hearing my side of the story thank you very much.
MikeyMike01 said:
Thanks for the tiered data.
Hope you do get caught.
Sent from my Infuse 4G
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agree. If I tether a lot in a month, MAYBE I'll cross 2 gigs. I make a point of keeping my tethering light.
However with the new phone I suspect I'll come closer to that 2gig limit a lot more often. (Fortunately I don't have it, since I'm unlimited.)
But 11-20 gigs/month without paying for tethering is just plain irresponsible. With abuse like that I'm surprised you haven't gotten busted and I wouldn't feel sorry for you if you did.
I had a grandfather plan - $20/mo unlimited data.
I've changed 5 or 6 smartphones since I had it, now on Infuse 4G, I'm getting the sucky-ass AT&T 4G speeds, tether to laptop when needed - no tethering plan.
I don't use that much though, about 2GB/month max.
I asked AT&T rep directly about this - she said they'll never change the plan unless I specifically allow it. She said they can't switch me.
well, there is that tethermanager.apk on stock that seems to report back to AT&T if you're tethering.
then if they feel like it they will text you and say "don't keep doing it or we'll swap you to the tethering plan"
you can freeze that with titanium backup (well you need to be rooted too) and that reactivates the stock tethering stuff built into the phone (both mobile ap and usb tethering)
hwaters said:
well, there is that tethermanager.apk on stock that seems to report back to AT&T if you're tethering.
then if they feel like it they will text you and say "don't keep doing it or we'll swap you to the tethering plan"
you can freeze that with titanium backup (well you need to be rooted too) and that reactivates the stock tethering stuff built into the phone (both mobile ap and usb tethering)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well that really isn't helpful(since I have already done all that) but thanks. I'm talking about AT&T's "Tether Police" that monitor data spikes and accuse you of tethering if your data seems different for any other month.
Earlier this year, a At&t added a tethering plan to thousands of accounts based on data usage. They also alerted many more they would do the same. I only know of three people to have this done to them
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using XDA App
MikeyMike01 said:
Thanks for the tiered data.
Hope you do get caught.
Sent from my Infuse 4G
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1++++++++++++
That's why att sucks ass...
Grapes
I've been unlimited for years now, i don't know nor care how much data I use. I can tether if I want, which means if my home internet goes down and I need my pc, guess what... I'm tethering. I give att $200 per month for my phone plan over the past 4 years at lest, I highly doubt they'll piss me off and attach a tether plan to my account.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using XDA Premium App
Rldowney said:
Earlier this year, a At&t added a tethering plan to thousands of accounts based on data usage. They also alerted many more they would do the same. I only know of three people to have this done to them
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
While what you say isn't exactly what happened they have been flagging a very large percentage iPhone users who have tethered even for a matter of 3 minutes.
I currently have an iPhone 4 (should finally have my INFUSE today) and only one time have tethered and probably for less than 30 seconds just to see if the Cydia app worked. All I did was go to speedtest.net and ran the test 2 or 3 times. That was it. About 2 weeks later I got the WARNING text. Plan was never changed. They only will change it if you ignore their warning(s) and do not call them to "discuss" it as they request in their text.
As for me, traveling in North, Central and South NJ, AT&T 3G is virtually useless. Speeds are terrible and the latency is horrendous. I have no idea how people can actually regularly use tethering. I guess it's better in other areas. Been that way through 3 iPhones over 4+ years so I have no desire to tether anyway.
I think the tethering and data caps are completely separate issues. ATT had a plan, or at least the idea, for tiered data plans long before the iPhone was even capable of tethering without being jailbroken. Tethering plans are complete bull****, and I'm sure the FCC will eventually make them illegal. If you pay for a data connection, you should be able to use it any way you want. It's like ATT trying to charge you for the separate phones in your house (or at least a premium to allow you to use more than just one phone). I also think the tethering police are a joke too. I'm sure (especially since they allow sideloading), that any kind of traffic that can be generating by a computer can be replicated in android.
Related
So I just signed up for at&t right after the unlimited data plan was retired.. But I heard the at&t unlimited data plan might be pulling a jay-z (comeback) ..
Does anyone know if this is true? Its all I need to be 100% happy/satisfied with my captivate..
Samsung captivate running d11igaf 5.5
francous said:
So I just signed up for at&t right after the unlimited data plan was retired.. But I heard the at&t unlimited data plan might be pulling a jay-z (comeback) ..
Does anyone know if this is true? Its all I need to be 100% happy/satisfied with my captivate..
Samsung captivate running d11igaf 5.5
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To add to this question: If it were to come back, would it cost more? That will be BS if it does! What sly corporation skills for taking away something people like, and then giving it back for a higher cost. D:
HERE ya go
bigsmitty64 said:
HERE ya go
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the info...sucks "new users"like me who were never on a unlimited plan can't have the option tho :/hopefully some day.. I hate being limited!
Samsung captivate running d11igaf 5.5
francous said:
Thanks for the info...sucks "new users"like me who were never on a unlimited plan can't have the option tho :/hopefully some day.. I hate being limited!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol, I feel ya. Sort of...I have the unlimited plan
But you'd be surprise how many people don't even come close to the 2gb plan. I use the tethering moderately and stream pandora quite a bit, and there's only been a handful of times that I went over the 2gb mark. I'd say for the majority the 2gb is enough, plus they are offering another extra 2gb. I just don't like how they are charging extra for the tethering.
I also have the unlimited and I can admit I never come close to the 2GB.
There will be a day that even the grandfathered unlimited plan will be terminated one way or another. AT&T's network congestion means it should never offered unlimited plan to begin with.
Verizon actually made it clear, even though it offer unlimited for new iPhone users, top 5% of the data users will be throttled. I sense AT&T will soon follow suit.
If 2GB is not enough for you today, you're on the way to be throttled soon.
Lancered said:
I also have the unlimited and I can admit I never come close to the 2GB.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here - never reachd 2gb... but I need it for peace of mind. I don't have even check what I've used on my phone. I have to worry constantly about my wife and daughter going over their limits. In fact, my wife accidently went over her 200mb limit by using DroidTV and not having it set for "Wifi Only", coupled with her WIFI settings still at the default setting of "Turn off WIFI when screen goes off" instead of "Never". Even if she was set at 2gb I could see an accident like this happening and costing extra money.
AT&T claims that they notify you when you reach 60%, 90% and 100% of your limit. This is bullsh*t. They don't. First, data use reporting is about 12 hours behind. You can blow your cap by quite a bit in 12 hours. Next, when she went over 200, they sold her another 200 for $15 without any text. I believe this can happen up to 5 times ($90 for 1.2gb). 12 hours later she got a text and I got an email saying she was nearing her limit - but the limit she was nearing was 400mb (the second set of 200mb). We were never informed as she blasted right past the first 200mb. Thank goodness she only had a couple movies set to download. If she had a series recording it would have cost a fortune.
I want to set a hard limit and then have data shut off at that point. Don't sell me extra data automatically. Maybe for technical reasons, they don't know for 12 hours... so they once they find out turn off my data and don't charge me for the overage. Until they can and will do this, I don't think they should be selling limited data plans. Until they can send you warnings in a timely manner, they shouldn't be selling limited data plans.
To AT&T's credit, I was able to retroactively change her data plan to the 2gb plan back to the beginning of my billing cycle - so the mistake cost me $10. Now out of piece of mind I will probably have to keep her at the 2gb plan even though in the past she's never even come close to the 200mb.
RE: Verizon "unlimited"... I can understand temporarily throttling back a heavy user maybe for few hours or days, but not for the rest of the billing cycle and definately not for the next billing cycle. Can you imagine you make one mistake like my wife did and have your speed crippled for up to 2 months? How can they even legally cripple service for a future billing period?
This is important for us to follow because AT&T is probably watching this approach closely and will eventually adopt it for us as well.
foxbat121 said:
There will be a day that even the grandfathered unlimited plan will be terminated one way or another. AT&T's network congestion means it should never offered unlimited plan to begin with.
Verizon actually made it clear, even though it offer unlimited for new iPhone users, top 5% of the data users will be throttled. I sense AT&T will soon follow suit.
If 2GB is not enough for you today, you're on the way to be throttled soon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
5% is a huge number of customers - probably a lot of them being business customers. Once enough people get throttled back Verizon may have to rethink this approach. Consider what Comcast did. They went from unlimited to 250gb. That's a very reasonable limit that certainly doesn't catch 5% of their internet customers. Of course as time goes by they will have to adjust that 250 up or they will start catching more and more customers.
I don't think they've defined what they consider heavy users yet. It must be pretty low to include 5% of data users.
An even better option would be data buckets, where your unused data rollsover. I've gone near the 200mb cap quite a few times since the default settings cleverly turn off wifi when the phone sleeps :rollseyes:
Sent from my Captivate using XDA App
"Demographic Research" is why we have the 2gb plan in the first place.
That's why I believe the unlimited plan will be eventually phased out also. Yea, their offering the unlimited plan again, but to me that's mostly PR to get more customers because cases like this: http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/04/verizon-breaks-first-day-sales-record-with-iphone-4-pre-orders/ I don't really know how truthful that is, since corporate tend to inflate stats for the press.
But competition is good for the consumers, as long as both these billion dollar companies are in high competition, it should be easier on the wallet for us. Hoping...but still believe they are ripping us off as consumers (and I will keep the reasons why to myself, I've seen what it did to the other threads )
These are all opinions, and I take your posts as opinions. So...can we keep this civil. The other threads I've seen regarding this subject matter tend to get heated, which I do avoid (I have enough drama in my life
I believe that the limited plans were and still are a great idea. 2 gigs is a ton of data in my opinion.I rarely every go above 1 a month and I am on my phone a fair amount. It just all depends how much data people want. and lets face it the people who want and need the unlimited plan are the 1-5% of people that killed at &ts wireless network speed by streaming 1080p content for several hours a day
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
crystalhand said:
I believe that the limited plans were and still are a great idea. 2 gigs is a ton of data in my opinion.I rarely every go above 1 a month and I am on my phone a fair amount. It just all depends how much data people want. and lets face it the people who want and need the unlimited plan are the 1-5% of people that killed at &ts wireless network speed by streaming 1080p content for several hours a day
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think the limited plan is a bad idea, but I do see the amount going up and up. Since mobile internet access will exceed home internet access in the future, in my opinion. Which in turn costing us more and more.
As richb500 said, it is important to follow this and see what AT$T does.
When I was following the Fuze/Tilt2 forums it was pointed out that the is no true unlimited plan. The plan is called unlimited but in the TOS it states that over 5G of data transfered ATT can terminate your service.
All carriers have that clause in their respective TOS.
I have the old unlimited plan and have gone ovef 5G once but repeated go over 4G and never got any warning messages about my use.
Just a word of caution.
Sprint seems to be very loose with enforcement. A co-worker has an EVO and uses upwards of 20G a month using it has a hotspot and has never been warned about abusive use which is again in the Sprint TOS.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
foxbat121 said:
There will be a day that even the grandfathered unlimited plan will be terminated one way or another. AT&T's network congestion means it should never offered unlimited plan to begin with.
Verizon actually made it clear, even though it offer unlimited for new iPhone users, top 5% of the data users will be throttled. I sense AT&T will soon follow suit.
If 2GB is not enough for you today, you're on the way to be throttled soon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
shouldn't have to terminate it.
if they weren't greedy and shortsighted they could get most to move over voluntarily with the right incentives.
For Example - Anyone with unlimited who is willing to Renew a new 2 year contract on their voice and take a capped data plan gets to choose any At&t Phone @ no cost with the upgrade. Couple this with informing users that stay on the unlimited they will face throttling if it is abused....(soft cap of 5 or 6 gb).
75% or more would likely take advantage if they could get the latest phone for free (iphone, atrix, whatever else comes down the pike).
Couple it with a marketing campaign to the effect of TETHER AWAY. No charges for tether as we respect your right to use the full potential of your phone. Give 250mb data free to all smartphone users. Offer 2gb @ $25 and 4GB @ 45$ (same as tether pricing but removes the stigma and bad taste of being charged for something that costs them nothing and is a native capability of the OS/Device). Keep the $10 overage charge per every GB of data over the cap.
crystalhand said:
I believe that the limited plans were and still are a great idea. 2 gigs is a ton of data in my opinion.I rarely every go above 1 a month and I am on my phone a fair amount. It just all depends how much data people want. and lets face it the people who want and need the unlimited plan are the 1-5% of people that killed at &ts wireless network speed by streaming 1080p content for several hours a day
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Damn you guys are making me feel like I have a problem lol...
I go over 2 gigs almost every month and have to pay the additional 10$ for another gig..came to the point I have to turn off my data and use it only when I need to just to stay under.. (when I'm not home under wifi)
Il trade with you unlimited ppl any day!
Samsung captivate running d11igaf 5.5
francous said:
Damn you guys are making me feel like I have a problem lol...
I go over 2 gigs almost every month and have to pay the additional 10$ for another gig..came to the point I have to turn off my data and use it only when I need to just to stay under.. (when I'm not home under wifi)
Il trade with you unlimited ppl any day!
Samsung captivate running d11igaf 5.5
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you have your wifi set to never turn off? A lot of people think they're safe at home on their wifi... But as soon as the screen turns off, so does the wifi. They default this way to save battery.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
richb500 said:
Do you have your wifi set to never turn off? A lot of people think they're safe at home on their wifi... But as soon as the screen turns off, so does the wifi. They default this way to save battery.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
mine stays on all the time.. but i turn my Data Off while my wifi is on so if wifi were to cut out it wouldnt use my data anyway
UPDATE: i called AT&T just for kicks to see if there were a unlimited data plan no one knew about.. turns out there isnt for us smartphone customers but there is for NON Smartphone customers because they use less data.. wtf..
Can we LIE and say we are not a smartphone, say we're on some ol' school slidey phone or something and get that plan!? lol..
Good for us consumers, but anyone that is like me that uses 1GB a day with ease "when you are at work with nothing better to do then surf the net, and watch movies" it becomes a problem, lucky I have unlimited data though and I don't see why they don't sell it to more customers because most who have it don't use nearly that much so its extra money in the pocket
francous said:
mine stays on all the time.. but i turn my Data Off while my wifi is on so if wifi were to cut out it wouldnt use my data anyway
UPDATE: i called AT&T just for kicks to see if there were a unlimited data plan no one knew about.. turns out there isnt for us smartphone customers but there is for NON Smartphone customers because they use less data.. wtf..
Can we LIE and say we are not a smartphone, say we're on some ol' school slidey phone or something and get that plan!? lol..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The unlimited data plan offering is not official, and I don't think customer service will know anything until Verizon iphone official launch date. What I've been reading (ex.) http://www.zdnet.com/blog/apple/at-t-quietly-matching-vzws-unlimited-data-plan-for-iphone/9317
But this is only a business move, in my opinion, since there are certain criteria you must meet to get back the unlimited plan.
And for your question: No you can't lie about not having a smartphone, when actually you are using a smartphone, they will know.
So I never have come close to using my 5 gb of data but it seems that it happened for the first time last night. I was under the impression that throttling was only used under extreme conditions for repeat offenders seeing as how "some people" have managed to exceed the limit without being hit. My data stands at .01 kbps download and .001 kbps upload. I'm pretty annoyed right now and am giving more and more thought into another carrier and another phone. I am noticing that this phone officially bores me now. Sad because I did like it...til now.
Edit: I've jumped to 45 kbps download and 70 kbps upload. That seems to be the max now..
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App
well thats what you get for going over 5gb. its life on any carrier and any phone. so if your bored of the phone ok get another phone but your throttled life isnt going to change.
syaoran68 said:
well thats what you get for going over 5gb. its life on any carrier and any phone. so if your bored of the phone ok get another phone but your throttled life isnt going to change.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Any carrier? Last time I checked, Sprint is the only carrier to have true unlimited data. Rumors have stated Verizon is reconsidering. AT&T continues to honor grandfathered unlimited plans and T-Mobile has done what? Lowered everyone's data allowance regardless of previous plans or time with the company.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App
Well I have unlimited android web since last march and I've always had unlimited, no throttle, nothing, I've downloaded unlimited amounts and still no throttle.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App
jonathan3579 said:
I'm pretty annoyed right now and am giving more and more thought into another carrier and another phone. I am noticing that this phone officially bores me now. Sad because I did like it...til now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've hit the data throttle points a few times so i can speak from experience.
Just because you've hit the throttle point doesn't mean that the phone in itself sucks. The phone is still the same phone that had good download speeds. If you want to go to another carrier then fine. I'm not going to even attempt to stop you. But keep in mind 5Gb is a fair amount of usage. And other carriers will charge you for going over your limit, not just throttle you.
And for new customers AT&T doesn't even offer unlimited anymore. it's $25 for 2gb and $10 for every gb you use after that.
Sprint has unlimited, but their speeds suck for now. And they have horrible CS.
Verizon is still setting up their LTE network, and I believe once they are up and running they will be great. They don't even have any 4G phones yet. When the Thunderbolt comes out they'll have one, but who knows what you'd think of that phone. I haven't read any reviews.
I also heard some chatter about T-Mo re-raising their limit to 10gb. I hope they do that. IMO t-mo has amazing devices and excellent service, atleast where I live. We have all the major carriers in Spokane, and t-mo has by far the fastest data. CS speaks for itself. JD Power speaks for their customer service too. They speak good things.
In general, I think it's ridiculous for carriers to offer more and more bandwidth intensive apps like Netflix and all the streaming music apps, not to mention the ability to hook into an HDTV via HDMI or DLNA, and then lower the cap on our bandwidth to 5gb. So I hope they increase it again. It would be nice if one day they offered true unlimited and were OK with tethering and all that for us users who'd like to nix our home internet all together.
Either way, welcome to the throttling world. I don't think you'll be happier if you switch to a new carrier. Just suck it up until your next cycle. and next month, use wifi whenever humanly possible to save your data.
Cheers!
jonathan3579 said:
Any carrier? Last time I checked, Sprint is the only carrier to have true unlimited data. Rumors have stated Verizon is reconsidering. AT&T continues to honor grandfathered unlimited plans and T-Mobile has done what? Lowered everyone's data allowance regardless of previous plans or time with the company.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Clearly you haven't read Sprints terms of service. Go to their website and at the bottom of the page click it and read it.
TJBunch1228 said:
And for new customers AT&T doesn't even offer unlimited anymore. it's $25 for 2gb and $10 for every gb you use after that.
Sprint has unlimited, but their speeds suck for now. And they have horrible CS.
Verizon is still setting up their LTE network, and I believe once they are up and running they will be great. They don't even have any 4G phones yet. When the Thunderbolt comes out they'll have one, but who knows what you'd think of that phone. I haven't read any reviews.
I also heard some chatter about T-Mo re-raising their limit to 10gb. I hope they do that. IMO t-mo has amazing devices and excellent service, atleast where I live. We have all the major carriers in Spokane, and t-mo has by far the fastest data. CS speaks for itself. JD Power speaks for their customer service too. They speak good things.
In general, I think it's ridiculous for carriers to offer more and more bandwidth intensive apps like Netflix and all the streaming music apps, not to mention the ability to hook into an HDTV via HDMI or DLNA, and then lower the cap on our bandwidth to 5gb. So I hope they increase it again. It would be nice if one day they offered true unlimited and were OK with tethering and all that for us users who'd like to nix our home internet all together.
Either way, welcome to the throttling world. I don't think you'll be happier if you switch to a new carrier. Just suck it up until your next cycle. and next month, use wifi whenever humanly possible to save your data.
Cheers!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, one of my good friends has discovered the wonderful fees from AT&T which I would fight. He crosses 2 gb within a week or two every bill. (And he doesn't know how to tether either...)
I have seen some relatively good speeds from Sprint here in Houston. And their $69 plan seems to be a pretty good option as well.
Verizon is the carrier that interests me the most and like you said, I believe they will be good once they finish with LTE. I am sure that I would like the Thunderbolt BUT I don't believe it to be anything groundbreaking. Let's face it, the specs are last year's best. (Actually, I don't think that even counts since the LG Optimus 2X was released in December albeit in another country.)
I have enjoyed T-Mobiles customer service however I feel that the company as a whole is making too many mistakes in exactly what you said - Promoting apps that use up a helluva lot more data with streaming and the like. On a side note, the data increase has been confirmed for the hotspot devices but nothing as far as I know of when it comes to phones. Disappointing really.
I guess this whole thing pisses me off because I have never come close to reaching the cap. In fact, I typically don't ever cross 2 gb of data so when I finally decide to dig into streaming music, tv, and movies then I get hit slowing my phone to a near complete stop. The phone isn't completely useless but it's just a fragment of what I loved about it. And syncing is taking forever thus draining my battery faster. I know there are plenty of people who have passed the threshold numerous times with no recourse but I cross it once (and haven't even checked by how much) and don't even so much as receive a data warning? I dunno....it just makes me think.
I'm always on WiFi so I never worry about this
*Sent from Carmen diva*
BTW, you may want to make sure the data they claimed you used was actually used. They seem to have some issues with their metering system. I ran into this problem last week with Tmob. They claimed I used 5.2GB in 6hours in the middle of the night while my phone was on wifi. Took forever, but they eventually unthrottled me.
More info here: http://forums.t-mobile.com/t5/Inter...lse-being-wrongly-throttled/m-p/755761#M23072
were you Downloading torrents?
sent from my rooted mytouch 4g
carmeng4evr said:
I'm always on WiFi so I never worry about this
*Sent from Carmen diva*
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Me too so this is a non issue for me
sent from my rooted mytouch 4g
surfnhawaii808 said:
were you Downloading torrents?
sent from my rooted mytouch 4g
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure if that was directed at me or the OP, but no, I don't use my phone for torrents. I've got a mac mini server that I download everything on. I just use transdroid remote control to monitor them from my phone.
I download music and apps I buy,i also play a lot of youtube and surf all day long.
from my HTC Glacier using XDA App
Data responsibility
Don't get pissed at T-Mo
People that are at the top users of T-Mo will get throttled so that "you guys" don't ruin it for the rest of us.
I don't want my download speeds / latency affected because a small subset of people eat up the bandwidth thinking that T-Mo can replace their ISP. I surf, stream, communicate, etc on my phone, but I'm responsible enough to use WiFi when possible as to not lag the network.
Not sure about everyone else, but when I want my mobile data, it needs to be quick. So I use wifi when available to keep my traffic off the towers, so others that need it won't be hampered.
Well I finally got called out on my data usage in tethering and was threatened to get put on the $45 a month plan on top of what I have already. As soon as I get into the top 5% of the top data users I get throttled back... There was an app that I had a long time back that used to give me options to turn on Wi-Fi when I plug the phone in or turn it on and off at certain times as well as mobile data.. any ideas of what the app is called or a similar app? (not power manager by x-phone software either because all it does is crash)
Sent from my Inspire 4G using xda premium
Tasker will do that for you. I use it, for example, to turn on my WiFi when I get home and turn off the cell data. When I leave, it automatically turns off the WiFi and turns on the 3G/H+ data and GPS. Be warned though that if you have Tasker monitoring a lot of things, it can cause a battery drain.
TNPaparazzi said:
any ideas of what the app is called or a similar app? (not power manager by x-phone software either because all it does is crash)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used to use Tasker, but like djeaton said, it can be a battery drain. Instead, I use an app called "AT&T Smart Wi-Fi". You can find it on the Android Market. Pretty simple to set up and easy to use. Give that a shot before you try Tasker.
Thanks guys I'll give em both a try
If you don't mind me asking, how much data did you use in order to be top 5% by At&t?
I ask this because I also tether and would like a heads up hehe...
Sent from my Inspire 4G using XDA App
over 11.5 gigs lmao.. They caught me tethering on a completely separate thing though... Just be careful with the tethering, they'll send you a lovely text message and warn you before they do anything though
TNPaparazzi said:
over 11.5 gigs lmao.. They caught me tethering on a completely separate thing though... Just be careful with the tethering, they'll send you a lovely text message and warn you before they do anything though
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got a text saying the same thing today and plan on calling at&t after the holiday to give them a piece of my mind because how can they say I'm in the top 5% when i only use around 2.1GB a month. They just really want everyone to be on the limited data plans.
blitzer320 said:
I got a text saying the same thing today and plan on calling at&t after the holiday to give them a piece of my mind because how can they say I'm in the top 5% when i only use around 2.1GB a month. They just really want everyone to be on the limited data plans.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hmmm that's good to know because I haven't really noticed any throttling yet either.. Maybe it's just a scare tactic.. I don't want to push my luck and attempt to tether again... If they threaten me again with that and I know they're bullshitting, then it's really gonna hit the fan and they will get a piece of my mind
I've been tethering for years and have never heard anything. I've also been using tons of data streaming several hours of audio daily from spotify in addition to my normal web usage. I wouldn't be terribly upset if they canceled my account....
Sent from my Xoom using xda premium
blitzer320 said:
I got a text saying the same thing today and plan on calling at&t after the holiday to give them a piece of my mind because how can they say I'm in the top 5% when i only use around 2.1GB a month. They just really want everyone to be on the limited data plans.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's the tethering that they don't want you to do. It's even in the contract you sign so calling them out is just going to allow them an avenue to show you what you signed. Just don't tether and they will leave you alone. I use over 5-10gb sometimes a month and have never tethered and I don't get throttled or get any nasty letters.
Gizmoe said:
It's the tethering that they don't want you to do. It's even in the contract you sign so calling them out is just going to allow them an avenue to show you what you signed. Just don't tether and they will leave you alone. I use over 5-10gb sometimes a month and have never tethered and I don't get throttled or get any nasty letters.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually I have never tethered and I got this message saying I was in the top 5% data users
Sent from my Inspire 4G using XDA App
blitzer320 said:
Actually I have never tethered and I got this message saying I was in the top 5% data users
Sent from my Inspire 4G using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's strange. I thought you were tethering. Maybe you live in a high congestion area. I live in a small town so maybe they don't care how much I use, because I use a lot.
Gizmoe said:
That's strange. I thought you were tethering. Maybe you live in a high congestion area. I live in a small town so maybe they don't care how much I use, because I use a lot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I guess that's could be it since i live in manhattan but I also think its about the phone you have. Me and my sister are on a family plan both with unlimited data but she has an iPhone so they don't mess with her at all.
Sent from my Inspire 4G using XDA App
Its people like you who abuse data bandwidth as to why carriers crack down on it. Being respectful of others on the network, you should only use tethering when you absolutely have a need to get on the internet to check email, send a message, get info off the web, etc. And your phone should not be the only device you have for an internet connection. And if it is, you shouldn't be downloading or streaming that much data from a phone anyways. So i would like to personally thank you for ruining it for everyone else by being apart of the real problem.
According to TechCrunch, "heavy users only make up a small percentage of those consuming bandwidth – 14.3%, to be precise." That means 85% of the problem belongs to the rest of us.
djeaton said:
According to TechCrunch, "heavy users only make up a small percentage of those consuming bandwidth – 14.3%, to be precise." That means 85% of the problem belongs to the rest of us.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If it was only that much then ATT wouldn't care. Alot of the issue started with the IPhone and people streaming stuff all day long. Now comes android and every kid gets one and guess what they do? Same as the iPhone users. They take unlimited as just that and because they didn't read the TOS they don't understand reasonable usage. You would be amazed after working for ATT and helping people with their accounts how many really due use a dumb amount of data all the time. I saw this coming a few weeks after the iPhone hit. To be honest I am surprised it took so damn long lol
I'd hate to see what those unlimited data abusers could do to an all-you-can-eat buffet
I recall reading somewhere recently that AT&T has started throttling speeds to customers that are in the top 5% of data usage. Problem is, what criteria are they using to determine "top 5%"? Metro area? Nationwide? Neighborhood?
---------- Post added at 08:11 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:04 PM ----------
Found it!
http://www.att.com/gen/press-room?pid=20535&cdvn=news&newsarticleid=32318
The point of the article was that the folks abusing the bandwidth are not the biggest cause of speed degradation. ATT cares because the few that make up the 14% are using more than they are paying for when they tether their phones without the tethering plan. If you pay for using their service on your phone and then want to use it on your laptop, they want you to buy their little USB thingy and another data plan to do it. Should they require more money based on where you view the data? Probably not. But we shouldn't conflate ATTs desire to squeeze folks with it being the primary cause of slow speeds. If they all cut their data usage back to a more reasonable amount, it would only increase the rest of our speeds by a couple of percentage points.
cavsoldier19d said:
Its people like you who abuse data bandwidth as to why carriers crack down on it. Being respectful of others on the network, you should only use tethering when you absolutely have a need to get on the internet to check email, send a message, get info off the web, etc. And your phone should not be the only device you have for an internet connection. And if it is, you shouldn't be downloading or streaming that much data from a phone anyways. So i would like to personally thank you for ruining it for everyone else by being apart of the real problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've only used tethering one time and that was because their garbage DSL which I'm cancelling soon wasn't working. Other than that, I normally don't use any higher than 6gb except for that one time which was still lower than a bunch of people I personally know. They have yet to receive a letter.
I don't tether and I just got this text from at&t saying I'm in the top 5 percent
Sent from my HTC Inspire 4G using xda premium
I've been using mobile hotspot on my inspire for about 4-5 months after rooting the phone. All was well... I was using my laptop and speed was decent to check emails, youTube, general browsing.
But I just a mail from at&t saying that "we noticed that you have been using the hotspot feature but you don't have the feature addon on your account. If you continue to use the hotspot feature, your account will be billed $45 automatically on your next billing cycle. If don't use the hotspot, you will not be billed". Hmmm... Anyone using hotspot on at&t get something similar notification from at&t?
Sent from my Inspire 4G using XDA App
I have never heard of this before. Can they do that? Being Sarcastic
Got that back in October. Yes they can do that. I just stopped tethering.
Sent from my Inspire 4G using XDA App
Yeah. I stopped tethering now. It was kinda weird that at&t sent the letter now.
Sent from my Inspire 4G using XDA App
This has been covered all ready. ATT is cracking down on all teathering.
Yep, I posted something about this like a month or so ago.. I got the same letter. I just stopped tethering and have yet to hear anything about my data usage since. And I haven't noticed any throttling either except when they were threatening me about the tethering and such
I also got the same message. I'm actually guessing it was because I jumped from light tethering to a temporary massive download session with it. Gonna lay off for a while and see what comes of it.
Do any of the apps out there (like WiFi Tether for Root Users) actually allow you to tether without them noticing?
voyagerfan99 said:
I also got the same message. I'm actually guessing it was because I jumped from light tethering to a temporary massive download session with it. Gonna lay off for a while and see what comes of it.
Do any of the apps out there (like WiFi Tether for Root Users) actually allow you to tether without them noticing?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No. There are some that are saying ATT is watching the packets that are being sent. Unless there is a way to make your PC send packets like a mobile device then there is nothing that can be done short of getting a tethering plan.
zelendel said:
No. There are some that are saying ATT is watching the packets that are being sent. Unless there is a way to make your PC send packets like a mobile device then there is nothing that can be done short of getting a tethering plan.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Adding a tethering plan when you already have an unlimited data plan is really stupid to be honest. But I guess that's American greed for you.
voyagerfan99 said:
Adding a tethering plan when you already have an unlimited data plan is really stupid to be honest. But I guess that's American greed for you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does nobody read the TOS? This has been gone offer alot as of late.
But you are right. The standard of society is motivated by greed.
voyagerfan99 said:
Adding a tethering plan when you already have an unlimited data plan is really stupid to be honest. But I guess that's American greed for you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
American greed? Maybe you better look at non-American cellular plans before you jump on that wagon. You are fortunate to be on a so called unlimited plan. Second your plan was technically never unlimited. 5GB fair use clause in the TOS that you never took the time to read.
ATT has let users slide for years with tethering and I can't remember ever being allowed to tether on an ATT plan without a tethering plan. It is one thing to use it for occassional email or browsing, but it is another to use it for streaming or online video games. It is that abuse that ruins it for everyone. So where is the greed? Is it the US cellular companies which are trying to keep it fair for everyone to enjoy fast and reliable service or is it in the consumer that is given an inch and takes a mile and then calls foul.
There is nothing wierd that anyone tethering, whether small amounts or massive amounts, is getting a letter. How many threads like this have been started? It is well known. ATT and the other major carriers have made it clear. No tethering without a plan. And they are cracking down and they mean it.
Agoattamer said:
American greed? Maybe you better look at non-American cellular plans before you jump on that wagon. You are fortunate to be on a so called unlimited plan. Second your plan was technically never unlimited. 5GB fair use clause in the TOS that you never took the time to read.
ATT has let users slide for years with tethering and I can't remember ever being allowed to tether on an ATT plan without a tethering plan. It is one thing to use it for occassional email or browsing, but it is another to use it for streaming or online video games. It is that abuse that ruins it for everyone. So where is the greed? Is it the US cellular companies which are trying to keep it fair for everyone to enjoy fast and reliable service or is it in the consumer that is given an inch and takes a mile and then calls foul.
There is nothing wierd that anyone tethering, whether small amounts or massive amounts, is getting a letter. How many threads like this have been started? It is well known. ATT and the other major carriers have made it clear. No tethering without a plan. And they are cracking down and they mean it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I totally agree. 10chars
Only thing that gets me is everyone releasing all this new online crap, cloud storage, music/video streaming etc and now they're capping you on data usage. It's almost like its 1997 again and we're paying for AOL by the hour lol... At least having a 5gb package instead of the normal 2gb would be a bit more reasonable
Sent from my Inspire 4G using xda premium
I've been warned before for something from AT&T I had hacked facetime on my iPhone 3gs they sent me a text saying that my phone wasn't registered for a facetime plan and then after that I guess there were characters my phone didn't recognize and half the message was in squares. The first day I had my iPhone though I had gotten a text and email pretty much telling me to stop tethering even though my iPhone wasn't even "set" up -.- it got me worried but I never got a price change
Sent from my Inspire 4G using xda premium
PDANET hides the fact that you are tethering and you do not need root. It only works with bluetooth or USB cable, you can not use hotspot.
Sent from my:
Inspire 4G
w/ Energy Blue Rom
& 4EXT Recovery
If you think that's bad, I got booted off my unlimited plan today for tethering when I havent tethered since October and got the warning text in November :/ The lady at at&t said something about third-party apps using tethering without my knowing and to delete all of them off my phone. Don't know who they are trying to fool
ATT is removing the unlimited plans by any means they can. This is not surprising as they stated publicly that this was the plan. They use the tethering ploy as in common use there is no reason one should be using that much data to be honest with work, family and personal lives. Then add in the fact that wifi is just about everywhere.
AT&T is rubbish.
ATT and sprint belong in the rubbish bin.
Rasa11 said:
AT&T is rubbish.
ATT and sprint belong in the rubbish bin.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And you think big red is any better or T-Mobile? They are all doing it. It is about money plain and simple. This is nothing new or surprising
Donate me a few million and I will build us a satellite and we can have all our own service running 15g jkjk I'm tired of restrictions is all... I mean the new T-Mobile commercial says hey you get unlimited everything for 50$ a month then in fine print it says " after 100mb of 4g you're speeds get dropped to 2g" like wtf really? What's the point of having unlimited 2g? I mean I am on a plan with 2gigs of data but only have edge where I'm at I'm glad to have wifi where ever I'm at so it doesn't bother me too much but for companies to say they give us the best and then only give us a taste and tease us with it should be illegal -.-
Sent from my Inspire 4G using xda premium
Coming from an iPhone 4s I could really use the tethering but fear AT&T will yank it from me. I'm not exactly a light user and use around 2.5-3GB of data a month. Now that I have a rooted SkyRocket I'd like to use it as a portable hospot and tether to my iPad. My iPad plugs right into my car stereo, whereas the SR does not. I want to stream pandora via my iPad running off my SR's hotspot. Its about a 20 minute ride to my school and I use about 10-15MB doing this.
So what I want to know is, will AT&T catch on? I don't plan on going crazy with the tethering because I know that's how your account can get flagged. I'd like to ge the opinions of others who are currently violating AT&T's Terms of Service lol.
My understanding is, they can detect it no matter what, and first they send a message, and then they kick you off it adding the 5GB ($50) plan.
I have been warned once and threatened once. They can and do know if you are tethering through packet inspection. There is no way around it. It's best to not do it because they will find out regardless and you WILL lose your unlimited plan. They will not give it back once its gone either.
tomtommy306 said:
I have been warned once and threatened once. They can and do know if you are tethering through packet inspection. There is no way around it. It's best to not do it because they will find out regardless and you WILL lose your unlimited plan. They will not give it back once its gone either.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's what I figured. Then again, why do all these rom developers add the capability?
MattMJB0188 said:
That's what I figured. Then again, why do all these rom developers add the capability?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because some people don't care if they get warned.... You can always change a tiered plan back to normal, but not the unlimited plan.
MattMJB0188 said:
Coming from an iPhone 4s I could really use the tethering but fear AT&T will yank it from me. I'm not exactly a light user and use around 2.5-3GB of data a month. Now that I have a rooted SkyRocket I'd like to use it as a portable hospot and tether to my iPad. My iPad plugs right into my car stereo, whereas the SR does not. I want to stream pandora via my iPad running off my SR's hotspot. Its about a 20 minute ride to my school and I use about 10-15MB doing this.
So what I want to know is, will AT&T catch on? I don't plan on going crazy with the tethering because I know that's how your account can get flagged. I'd like to ge the opinions of others who are currently violating AT&T's Terms of Service lol.
My understanding is, they can detect it no matter what, and first they send a message, and then they kick you off it adding the 5GB ($50) plan.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's been about six months since I used tethering without official ATT plan.
I only used occasionally every week or so for about two years. They never found me nor charged me.
Interesting leak in the crippled tethering manager on GB captivate.
After letting it force close due to a bug, you can relaunch it and tether freely.
Sent via XDA from Captivate GB I897.UCKK4 rooted
I'd just recremend download the music you want to listen to onto your ipad instead of streaming it... nothing wrong with that?
I tether every now and then and never been caught/any warnings.. at mostly only tether when my friends need wifi or for my kindle fire which is rarely..
Juicy555 said:
I'd just recremend download the music you want to listen to onto your ipad instead of streaming it... nothing wrong with that?
I tether every now and then and never been caught/any warnings.. at mostly only tether when my friends need wifi or for my kindle fire which is rarely..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I meant stream Pandora.
MattMJB0188 said:
I meant stream Pandora.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know, just download music on your ipad instead of streaming & the possibility of your unlimited data plan going
Its pretty ridiculous that we can't tether a small amount, yet someone who pays $20 more can tether 5GB.
MattMJB0188 said:
Its pretty ridiculous that we can't tether a small amount, yet someone who pays $20 more can tether 5GB.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its not that there concerned about us that would use little but for those who would try to run there entire home network on it. The real abusers are what screw it up for the rest of us. I have seen people with Data usage over 50gbs and those are the people who ruin it for everyone else.
I watch Netflix 5 days a week for about an hour or two. Stream Pandora 4-5 hours a day and I have hardly ever used over 5gbs.. the most was 7gbs.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using Tapatalk
xKrisx said:
Its not that there concerned about us that would use little but for those who would try to run there entire home network on it. The real abusers are what screw it up for the rest of us. I have seen people with Data usage over 50gbs and those are the people who ruin it for everyone else.
I watch Netflix 5 days a week for about an hour or two. Stream Pandora 4-5 hours a day and I have hardly ever used over 5gbs.. the most was 7gbs.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Panorama quality blows. I use Spotify on LOW bandwidth streaming, better than panora's high quality, and I hit 2gbs a month just from that. Netflix hits 200-300megs each movie.. So I'm not sure how you are getting these stats.
I'm at 4.8 gigs right now and half of that is Spotify.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using Tapatalk
well I tether netflix from my phone to my tab every day taking the train back in forth to work. I recieved a text once from them saying I'm using to much data and they will so my bandwith down if i continue. I ignored it then a month later i was threatened again that they would automaticly upgrade me to the tethering pro plan if i did not upgrade. so now I was pissed I kept the texts and call att corprate office kept asking for the highest manager i could talk to and after talking to him and explaining that when you enter a agreament for unlimited data and i pay every month i should not be threatened for using the data i was paying for. After that call I have never been bothered again and its been over 6 months.
Who/ where did you call?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using Tapatalk 2
I tether with mine on the unlimited plan. I don't use it TOO much, maybe a gig a month, but when I do it's an Iconia A500 Android tablet to do remote desktop and some Netflix now and again. Never been warned or threatened and I've been doing it since my 3GS days a few years back. I'm sure it won't last forever, but I'll enjoy it while it lasts