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[Q] AT&T tethering, avoiding detection

From what I can gather there are 2 ways to tether (without buying tethering option), changing the APN or by rooting and running appropriate programs. I have a grandfathered unlimited plan so tethering would be great, but I'm not gonna pay extra for a tether specific plan. AT&T terms of service says that doing so will result in charge/termination...but how do they check? Changing the APN can be read (at least on an iphone, from what I read), not sure about rooting. Can anyone explain how data transfered during tethering by changing the APN will appear to the network vs a rooted tethering system. Also what is with this 5GB soft cap, I've read and believe BS.

Uh, I used my captivate w the USB tethering app from the marketplace just fine. Never got billed additionally.

The only way for them to "know" would be to check the browser agent information on the sites you visit. As long as you don't go nuts and stream netflix for days on end or host torrents you'll be fine.

I've tethered with an N1, Aria, now and Inspire all running stock unbranded froyo or CM, I've never had a tethering charge on my bill. I've gone so far as 10+ gb

while i haven't tried this on the inspire, before on my jailbroken iPhone, i ran a tethering app, using about 15gb a month for a few months in a row (was sitting in florida with no internet connection whats so ever to use but the phone) i never had a problem.

ive been using tethering for years on my incite,pure,tilt2,hd2 and now my inspire and never been charged extra for it.im glad they cant tell or i would owe them lots of money

double post.

I've tethered on my my old tilt 2 every day, with no issues up to 5GB. I sideloaded PDAnet on my inspire already, and plan to use it as well.
Scott

Tethering Data Usage
The Least amount I have ever had in a Month between the Inspire,Iphone 4,Iphone 3GS,Captivate,ARIA,with "MyWi",Rooting,Jailbreaking,Whatever method (I am a phone Junkie)using my Grandfathered Data Plan is 63Gigs in a Month and usually between 150 to 180 Gigs and never a Problem,They actually game me the 3rd Degree when I wanted to keep my Unlimited plan with the 4G Inspire and I told them I stream Movies,ie. Netflix,and I run a router Flashed with "DD-WRT" using the HotSpot and I have 3 teenage Boys that are Gaming,ect Constantly. My Argument is that is what "Unlimited " Means,I said to AT&T I have 5 Smartphones and have had for 6 years,I will take my Business Elsewhere,they called me back the next Day and said I could Keep the Unlimited because of my longtime status,I was one of the very first to win the Argument,I got home with my Inspire and the next day got a Data Usage Warning that I was at my 2 gig Max after the Guy in the Store said I could keep my Data Plan,Corporate said NO Way, I told them I was bringing the phone back and going elsewhere with my Business,Within a Day I had my Plan back in tact,Vegas

Wow....some people need to spring for broadband it seems.

63 gigs a month? WTF?????
Sent from Desire HD or Inspire 4G or whatever this thing is called via premium XDA app.

People like him are why the rest of us lost the ability to choose unlimited
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA Premium App

daveop said:
People like him are why the rest of us lost the ability to choose unlimited
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your right in that one.
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA App

I'd love to watch him and his boys at the "all you can eat buffet"

newter55 said:
I'd love to watch him and his boys at the "all you can eat buffet"
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Click to collapse
I do believe the owner of said buffet would be crying...

Iphone4 and APN detection vs website red flag, pdanet?
Question: I have an iPhone 4 mod with 4.3.1
Was on a lot recently in last month - 5-10 g possible downloads- got the death message from AT&T . Will charge if I don't reform ways. ( feel like some kid) what bs! Have unlimited data plan. I
I use an HP mini laptop with win 7 starter OPS, I am tethering (wireless),
Guy who jb my phone - said that detection happens by - when tethered- when downloading either by choice or by auto update - programs like flash player and adobe PDF , Microsoft windows , AT&T sees download traffic and flags as obvious tether for laptop thus their 'unauthorized'tethering traffic going on.
Is this the case- not APN ISSUE?- site location issue?
I oftentimes use remote tethering to downloading and updating data files on programs that are native to both desktop and iPhone to exchange data. I need tethering - don't need limit to band width nor 45$month charge.
If monitoring locations what steps needed other than obvious -not downloading flash updates nor adobe reader updates while online? Problem is I have quit a few programs- can't seem to completely be free of auto updates- adobe is not allowing pure manual update preference setting-to set on auto update feature.
Also does pdanet work as stated??
PDA net doesn't shield site location just APN's?! Correct? What is ideAl settings to
Max out protection . Thank-you

Guess not one of you using 60 gigs a month knows that you can get DSL, UVerse HSI, Cable HSI, etc for like $20 bucks a month for a year.

I know. It really tickles me when I hear people complain about not being able to tether or being caught for tethering. And ATT is the bad guy here?? You have never been allowed to tether on ATT without a tethering plan. FACT. Unlimited data is not unlimited. FACT. Even on the prior unlimited plan there has always been a fair useage policy of 5GB. Anything over 5GB is considered excessive. For the most part it has been overlooked by ATT.
The only BS here is those that abuse the system and come here to cry about it.

Agoattamer said:
I know. It really tickles me when I hear people complain about not being able to tether or being caught for tethering. And ATT is the bad guy here?? You have never been allowed to tether on ATT without a tethering plan. FACT. Unlimited data is not unlimited. FACT. Even on the prior unlimited plan there has always been a fair useage policy of 5GB. Anything over 5GB is considered excessive. For the most part it has been overlooked by ATT.
The only BS here is those that abuse the system and come here to cry about it.
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+1
I too am tired about people complaining about caps and tethering plans. Att networks are not ready for this kind of traffic yet. I'm sure they want to be able to offer it to people as much as they want it. People don't understand that if they just let you do whatever you wanted to now, everyone's experience would be terrible. Let them build up their networks and maybe someday it will change, but until then, just accept the fact that you still need home internet and tv service. Besides, I think its cool that att is letting people even keep unlimited data plans.
Phone: HTC Inspire 4gRadio: 26.13.04.19
Ril: 2.2.0179Rom: GB Sense 4.0 by fshami

The only times I've tethered is when I'm on the road and there is no wifi for my laptop. Even then it was just for web browsing and for no longer than 30 minutes at a time.

(T-Mobile US) What happens if you attempt to wifi tether using stock menu options?

So what happens if you set up wifi tethering and start using it without a tethering plan?
Do they know automatically or do they attempt to guess based on increases in data usage?
This would be using the menu options available to you under Network settings in STOCK (not rooted).

there no tethering plan with t-mobile you can wifi tether all you want. But if they do see that you're hitting your cap quickly lets say in a 3 month period. they'll text you if you want to upgrade.

when I was picking up my mt4gs, I overheard a rep trying to sell people an additional tethering plan. is that for unlimited tethering? I wanted to walk up to them and tell them I have been tethering since the G1 without any additional plan... the only real issue is getting throttled, but most months I don't hit the data cap.

pmcqueen said:
when I was picking up my mt4gs, I overheard a rep trying to sell people an additional tethering plan. is that for unlimited tethering? I wanted to walk up to them and tell them I have been tethering since the G1 without any additional plan... the only real issue is getting throttled, but most months I don't hit the data cap.
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Click to collapse
Well the rep that sold me my MT4GS said that they don't throttle automatically. He had one customer use 200+GB before he was throttled. Apparently it's hit or miss anyway and he basically talked me into a lower data rate because of it.
Sent from my A500 using XDA Premium App

If you attempt to tether or do wi-fi sharing on any T-mobile phone that is capable of it one of four things will happen.. Either
A) it will fail...
B) Any browsing attempt will re-direct you to T-mobile.com
C) You will automatically get directed to a page that prompts you to call Customer care to add the $14.99/month Tethering and Wi-Fi sharing feature
D) It will allow you to browse a certain amount and then give you the above page.
The feature has to be on the account for tethering to work long term.. Even if you get away with it for a short time, eventually they will catch you and shut you off until you add the feature. The $14.99/month allows you to share whatever data is on your phone (2GB, 5GB, 10GB) with the phone and Tethering... SO... If you have the 5GB data plan, you get 5GB to share between tethering and your regular phone data usage, then speeds get slowed down to approx 100kbps after that until the bill cycle resets.

Like i told you before there is no tethering plan for t-mobile. My gf tether her phone with her iPad all the time. Nothing had happen so far.

Say that now, but I am guaranteeing you that T-mobile will catch up with her eventually.. There IS a tethering plan and you can call T-mobile and and verify that whenever you want.

Brock6949 said:
Say that now, but I am guaranteeing you that T-mobile will catch up with her eventually.. There IS a tethering plan and you can call T-mobile and and verify that whenever you want.
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I've been tethering since 2008 without a plan.
perhaps it has something to do with new data plans? I've had a grandfathered data plan for years.

pmcqueen said:
I've been tethering since 2008 without a plan.
perhaps it has something to do with new data plans? I've had a grandfathered data plan for years.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same and I have a grandfathered unlimited data plan that comes with unlimited texts for only $35. Been tethering forever.

I think he's just making it up. hahaha

A grandfathered plan may be the reason you are still able to tether, but I will tell you that I am a T-mobile employee who works in the phone as modem department and there IS a tethering plan that t-mobile does charge for... Infact, go to t-mobile's website and search for "Tethering" and then look at all of the official documents for tethering with different devices and they will all mention the tethering and wi-fi sharing feature.

Brock6949 said:
A grandfathered plan may be the reason you are still able to tether, but I will tell you that I am a T-mobile employee who works in the phone as modem department and there IS a tethering plan that t-mobile does charge for... Infact, go to t-mobile's website and search for "Tethering" and then look at all of the official documents for tethering with different devices and they will all mention the tethering and wi-fi sharing feature.
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I tethered my Touch Pro 2 a few times after they introduced tethering and nothing ever became...

rorytmeadows said:
I tethered my Touch Pro 2 a few times after they introduced tethering and nothing ever became...
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Click to collapse
A few times may not have been enough for you to get the message... There is a preset threshold you have to meet or exceed to get the message about the tethering plan.. THey have not told any of us what that threshold is (for obvious reasons)
and even if you don't get the message right away, at some point our system will flag the account... Trust me, I field these calls 5 days a week.

Brock6949 said:
A few times may not have been enough for you to get the message... There is a preset threshold you have to meet or exceed to get the message about the tethering plan.. THey have not told any of us what that threshold is (for obvious reasons)
and even if you don't get the message right away, at some point our system will flag the account... Trust me, I field these calls 5 days a week.
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Click to collapse
So how can they tell that it's tethering data vs. data from the phone? Especially since I can set my browser to desktop mode. Well, I'm too lazy to do it but if tethering ever goes to court, service providers will lose.
Sent from my myTouch_4G_Slide using XDA Premium App

There is no way to tell between tethering and phone data... it's all lumped together... even when you add the tethering feature (if the system makes you) you get your data shared with your cell data usage so on a non grandfathered rate plan you get 2gb,5gb, or 10gb to share between tethering and phone data usage.

Brock6949 said:
There is no way to tell between tethering and phone data... it's all lumped together... even when you add the tethering feature (if the system makes you) you get your data shared with your cell data usage so on a non grandfathered rate plan you get 2gb,5gb, or 10gb to share between tethering and phone data usage.
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Click to collapse
So tethering won't get caught...
Sent from my A500 using XDA Premium App

HTTP traffic is TCP which means it's encoded in ASCII which makes it really easy to scan what goes over the line. In those HTTP headers they can check what the user-agent is as well as the time-to-live setting on each packet which will be different from a windows desktop connection.
However it's possible to mask this. I could in theory make an SSH connection from the phone to an SSH server I have on the internet and tunnel all my tethering through that. It would be very difficult to prove tethering at that point because it would be masked behind the phone's connection to a server.
That all being said. In real world usage I might only tether once or twice a month in what basically amounts to not much more bandwidth usage then normal.
Also. The telecom providers are very backhanded about tethering. We made tethering possible before they knew what the **** tethering even meant. I've been doing this since before most people understood what it means to tether. And I signed up for my unlimited plan back when unlimited meant unlimited. So uh..... T-mo can go **** itself if they expect me to pay extra. lol.
-my 2 cents

Akujin said:
We made tethering possible before they knew what the **** tethering even meant. I've been doing this since before most people understood what it means to tether. And I signed up for my unlimited plan back when unlimited meant unlimited. So uh..... T-mo can go **** itself if they expect me to pay extra. lol.
-my 2 cents
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YES!
Tethered on my MDA before I even used the word!

Theoretically based on some of the statements here of how PC band with flows, I should be able to tether my Acer A500 tablet without any problems or discovery.
Sent from my A500 using XDA Premium App

Tethering on WP7 - pimp slapped by AT&T

Did the obligatory searches - didn't see anyone else in my shoes.
AT&T sent me a text and a letter in the mail telling me that they'd detected me tethering and that they would be changing my plan automatically to a tethering plan if I didn't stop.
I'm not sure how they figured it out, as I am pretty sure from past research on this forum that both tethering and cell data use the same APN. My only guess is that while on vacation, a massive data spike gave it away, as my phone was my only connection to the outside world.
This is fair warning to everyone that it seems AT&T is after tetherers.
Home from vacation, my data usage has gone way, way down so:
Was this a bluff by A&T based oin data usage?
Does anyone know the means which AT&T discerns who is/isn't tethering?
Has anyone else gotten this warning?

Well if you went over their cap it probably set of a few alarms.

It's possible to detect heuristically, if you're looking for it. If you're using deep packet inspection (which they probably aren't), it's dead easy (look for things like desktop browser user agents).

kenikh said:
Did the obligatory searches - didn't see anyone else in my shoes.
AT&T sent me a text and a letter in the mail telling me that they'd detected me tethering and that they would be changing my plan automatically to a tethering plan if I didn't stop.
I'm not sure how they figured it out, as I am pretty sure from past research on this forum that both tethering and cell data use the same APN. My only guess is that while on vacation, a massive data spike gave it away, as my phone was my only connection to the outside world.
This is fair warning to everyone that it seems AT&T is after tetherers.
Home from vacation, my data usage has gone way, way down so:
Was this a bluff by A&T based oin data usage?
Does anyone know the means which AT&T discerns who is/isn't tethering?
Has anyone else gotten this warning?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is an issue that has been coming up in a lot of android/ios threads, and everyone has their own theory, but my guess is they're conducting individual (automated) audits when they detect subscribers with high usage. It would take a ridiculous amount of computing power to look at the IP packets & track every TTL hop of every subscriber with a data plan, but if your usage is over a certain amount, or in the arbitrary "top 5% of consumers", they're probably flagging your account for an audit of TTL hops.
That's the only way I can think of that would affect iOS, Android, Blackberry and WP7 all in the same way. Some people have been saying it's mostly iOS users, and others say its mainly Android or WP7 or whatever, but there's no evidence for any particular platform versus the others. I'm sure they're capable of figuring out each platform's standard TTL, so if they know what device you're using, they can easily identify any device you connect via your phone.
The only exception to this seems to be the Blackberry Playbook bridge feature, which is essentially just projecting the phone's browser session onto the Playbook's screen (albeit quite effectively). As far as I can tell, the only way they're identifying Playbook tethering is when people download the bridge app from App world as opposed to rroy's OTA method.

Were you tethering via internet sharing? I've received the same message from AT&T but only after turning on internet sharing for the first time. I tethered for over USB for 10 months before that with no problem. When I first got the message I stopped tethering completely because I didn't know what caused it (though it could of been the 13GB of data I was using). After discussing it on here I came to the conclusion that the message from AT&T was only received after tethering over Wifi, and that there were no issues with USB tethering. I've tethered since then and haven't heard anything from AT&T. So what method were you using? And if you say only USB it will prove my theory wrong.

Searching first is great, reading the sticky post would also be a good idea.
No Questions in the development section please.
Thread moved to WP7 Q&A

I received a text, an email, and a letter from AT&T. They just want more money from people to change to the 4 GB with tethering.
Sent from my SGH-i917 using XDA Windows Phone 7 App

jkern10 said:
I received a text, an email, and a letter from AT&T. They just want more money from people to change to the 4 GB with tethering.
Sent from my SGH-i917 using XDA Windows Phone 7 App
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Same here...I have only tethered once since getting these warnings, I wonder if they would actually change my plan though.

wow I had gotten the htc titan but i switched to tmobile and the radar 4g just because tmo seems to turn a blind eye to tethering...

i just got an android tablet wi-fi only but i need to access important docs on the road, if i enable wi-fi tethering on my Samsung Focus and use it just once do i get a warning telling me to stop?

No. You have to be brazenly stupid like I was and eat gigs of data first.

thanks for the quick reply, so what i need it for it wouldn't send any red flags that i'm using wifi tethering

Just keep your data below the throttling threshold of your plan and they'll have no reason to do deeper inspection. You should be home free.

Its still stupid that they have special plans for tethering, I have unlimited data, but I'm not allowed to use it how I want. Bull****. Its criminal.
Sent from my Focus S (SGH-i937) using Board Express Pro

ATnT has definitely strayed away from customer satisfaction. I understand that the need to keep there Data Plan operating at peak efficiency requires them to throttle back certain users, but the way they go about doing it....for shame.

AT&T and Tethering

I know this is a frustrating subject for all AT&T users. Does anyone know what they are using to track tethering. I ask because I have been with AT&T over 10 years and have in the past tethered without a plan. However today I received notice that I am going to loose my unlimited data plan if I do not stop tethering, sad part is I am not tethering or have I been tethering at all in the last several months. I do stream A LOT so I know I am on their list, but honestly I generally go over 3GB so I am not a data hog. I spoke to AT&T's version of customer service and request that they tell me the exact technical specification of the test they are using to determine I am tethering, the answer was, "I don';t know, my system tells me that so it must be true". I then asked what app on my device is causing the issue, "I don't know". Finally I asked how can I stop a behavior my phone is doing if I do not know what if causing the problem? "I don't know". The one thing he (a "supervisor") did know was that I could fix everything by changing my plan and paying more. I am now waiting for his manager to call with an explanation, but it would be good if I actually had some facts to fight with. Most everything I know about AT&T and their policies is completely subjective and open to interpretation.

I've heard of this happening before, and I don't think they really "track" it at all. I think all AT&T is doing is going by your bandwidth. They assume if you're regularly pulling down that much data that you must be cheating somehow.
If you're regularly using 3GB a month, that's probably what's on their radar screen. Keep complaining and insisting that you've done nothing wrong, and they should back down. Ask for some proof, which I doubt they can provide.
I tether all the time, but keep my data usage down, and I've never gotten a warning.

SMH at your story. This is ridiculous! Keep fighting, man. Don't succumb to the beast! :sly:
Sent from my One X using xda app-developers app

Lol, I got a letter in the mail... Apparently they track... Now the question is .. disabling ARMS?
WCX HTC One "Hell of a fast phone" X

I got a warning to seems they can track it better now.
Sent from my One X using xda premium

Any of you guys using the Foxfi app from the Play store and the proxy addon? I've been using it on At&t with my Nexus 7 and haven't been notified.
Sent from my HTC One X using xda premium

Also, if the new share data plans work out for you, i believe tethering is included. I'm switching my wife and I over to that plan today (supposed first day they are turning it on). It'll save us about $25/month. But the plans aren't for everyone... Some it increases their price.
Sent from my HTC One X using xda premium

I've seen this discussed on other device forums here on XDA. No definitive answer was ever given on how AT&T determines whether you are tethering. One person who seemed to have a good degree of technical knowledge stated that every single data packet coming from a tethered computer are tagged differently than just phone use, and that any carrier can detect that tagging easily. Other people disputed that statement. I personally don't have the technical knowledge to say either way, but it seems feasible.
I personally doubt they go by bandwidth alone. I frequently go over 3 GB per month, sometimes close to the 5 GB throttle limit. Sometimes download close to 1 GB a stuff in a single day. But all on the phone (not tethered), and have never gotten the warning. Maybe they look for patterns, but not bandwidth alone.

redpoint73 said:
One person who seemed to have a good degree of technical knowledge stated that every single data packet coming from a tethered computer are tagged differently than just phone use, and that any carrier can detect that tagging easily. Other people disputed that statement. I personally don't have the technical knowledge to say either way, but it seems feasible.
I personally doubt they go by bandwidth alone. I frequently go over 3 GB per month, sometimes close to the 5 GB throttle limit. Sometimes download close to 1 GB a stuff in a single day. But all on the phone (not tethered), and have never gotten the warning. Maybe they look for patterns, but not bandwidth alone.
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I've seen that theory as well. But being able to identify tethered packets is not the same thing as being able to monitor all of them all the time. It's the latter that I am not certain is feasible given the number of smartphones on AT&T's network.
One thing that is certain is that AT&T is not consistent in how they do this. I've seen people get nailed after a single tether; others--like me--have been blithely tethering for years without any trouble. I've also heard of people like the OP, who get tagged even though they aren't tethering at all.
I continue to think that bandwidth has to be the biggest part of it. I suspect they watch for heavy usage, then pay closer attention to those accounts.
Another thing: AT&T is known to give certain perks and leeway to larger accounts, such as letting you upgrade more frequently. I have a big family plan with three smartphones, unlimited texts, Family Map, etc. I've often wondered if I'm on some kind of "let them alone for now" list given how much I tether.
In any case, I'm switching to the new sharing plans (which launched today), which include tethering, so it will be moot for me at least.

iElvis said:
I've seen that theory as well. But being able to identify tethered packets is not the same thing as being able to monitor all of them all the time. It's the latter that I am not certain is feasible given the number of smartphones on AT&T's network.
One thing that is certain is that AT&T is not consistent in how they do this. I've seen people get nailed after a single tether; others--like me--have been blithely tethering for years without any trouble. I've also heard of people like the OP, who get tagged even though they aren't tethering at all.
I continue to think that bandwidth has to be the biggest part of it. I suspect they watch for heavy usage, then pay closer attention to those accounts.
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Completely know what you mean when you talk about being able to identify the packets vs. actually monitoring all accounts. My feeling is that this is the main reason the enforcement is so inconsistent, that AT&T simply does not have the resources to monitor all the accounts this way. As you suggest maybe bandwidth is the first red flag, then they look at the tagging after that. And whatever the system is, it seems to be evolving ("improving" in the eyes of AT&T), as more people are getting caught.

Interesting feedback. I think I have figured it out. I was just guessing at my data consumption at 3GB, I actually pulled a report and looked. I average between 1 and 2 GB of data a month (pretty shocking to me, guess I use wifi more than I realize), last month it doubled to 4GB. It must be because I doubled my usage in one month, that must have set off a flag.
Still waiting for that manager to get me proof.
On a side note it felt really good to answer their survey texts with a 1 and not a 10.
I will update this thread if I get more information from the "manager". I am to stubborn to let AT&T win this one. Almost makes me want to start tethering again.

cyber_pete said:
I will update this thread if I get more information from the "manager". I am to stubborn to let AT&T win this one.
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Click to collapse
Good for you, man. Be interested to see how it turns out. Good luck.

I also just got a letter like this today. I've had unlimited data for four years, and I've tethered very sparingly over the years with the likes of PDANet, WiFi Tether, etc without being notified by AT&T. The only time I've really needed to tether was for the one week out of the year when I vacation to a cottage that doesn't have an internet connection. I went on vacation about a month ago, and tethered using the built in Hotspot with CleanRom's Hotspot Hack. I called AT&T after reading the letter over, and the rep told me that they did detect tethering activity on my end. I ended up telling her that I used a tethering app from the Play Store for the one week that I was without internet, but that I only used it in that instance and that I would prefer to keep my unlimited plan. She just asked that I delete the app from the phone, and cease tethering, and assured me that I could keep the plan by doing so. So, it seems as though their plan of attack is to enroll you in plan that enables the Hotspot functionality if they don't hear from you, but if you call and insist on keeping your unlimited plan, hopefully they will honor that like they did for me. Good luck!

Is it possible they are looking at the browser type? I've heard that browsers which don't normally run on mobile devices can get you caught.

smartphonesanonymous said:
Is it possible they are looking at the browser type? I've heard that browsers which don't normally run on mobile devices can get you caught.
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Click to collapse
That's the User-Agent factor, and yes they can get you that way, if you've gotten far enough onto their radar screen that they're reading your packets.
But no one really knows for sure how exactly they're doing it.
I, since I went to a shared data plan a few months ago, have come in from the cold.

Wow, zombie thread.
Sent from my One X using Tapatalk 2

USB tether with SSH and VPN
To carrier, it just looks like an ssh connection from your phone, everything else is encapsulated inside that doubly encrypted channel
(openvpn encrypts, so does ssh)
-- IP packet "signatures", Browser User-Agent, all invisible to carrier.
root not required, unlock/mod not required. works on stock unrooted device.
should work with any android phone, any carrier, any plan (that includes Internet access on phone)
(usage will still count against your data limit if you have a capped plan - mostly useful with unlimited plans)
carrier will still see your usage so they still might become suspicious, they just can't prove anything
use this advice at your own risk
it will use double the bandwidth on your HOME connection - everything has to go in, and
then right back out - may not be useful if your home internet is capped
.....
setup openvpn server on home PC connected with wired broadband
setup openssh server on home PC
setup proper passwords/keys for both to protect access.
use non-standard ports for greater security
(if you have a home router, be sure to forward the ports for both SSH and openvpn through it from "the outside" to the ssh/openvpn server)
if your home router is DD-WRT or similar, you may be able to do sshd and openvpn server right on the router, skip the PC.
.. EDIT: you will need to know the IP of your home connection to connect to it remotely. a dynamic DNS service can be useful for this ..
install sshdroid on phone.
install openvpn and adb on laptop
...
ok, you are out and about, and want to tether your laptop.
turn OFF wifi on phone.
enable usb debugging on phone.
connect laptop PC to USB on phone (connect type doesnt matter, charge-only is fine)
start sshdroid, have it ssh to your home PC and forward a tcp port for openvpn
use 'adb forward' command on laptop to forward the openvpn port from the laptop to the phone.
run openvpn on laptop, configure it to connect via localhost:xxx (where xxx is the port thats forwarded by adb to the phone, then by ssh to your home PC.)
use vpn tunnel for internet access
"whatismyipaddress.com" for laptop should show your HOME internet IP.
- this is just an overview, you will need to know how to setup the details of these apps and services, especially openvpn, in order to make this work. If you don't understand how to do so, find someone that does, or pay your carrier for the service.
- no wifi support, so no way to tether a tablet or anything else that can only connect via wifi; only a laptop or other PC that has a host USB port that can recognize the phone.

Tethering
I use FoxFi or PdaNet is the same. And not require Root.

I got this same letter two or three years ago. Idk but it think they are trying to scare ppl in to the new plans. I regularly use more than 5GB a month without tethering.
Sent from my HTC One X using Xparent Green Tapatalk 2

I got a letter and called them and they are using this as a way to generate more money.

[SOLVED] One Click Wifi Tether with t0mmy not working... any ideas?

For some reason, I am getting an error when I try using t0mmy (found here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1677261) one click tether enabler. I've done some searching and cannot find anyone else who has had this issue. What the heck am I missing (screenshots attached)?! Any ideas?
Info:
- Stock AT&T ROM
- Rooted
- Android 4.0.4
- Used on StraightTalk... all APNs are setup correctly... data works on the phone.
For solution, SEE BELOW

One other thing I should mention is that even when I am using `android-wifi-tether` it will not work. It just shows up as a device on my computer when it is turned on as a wifi hotspot.
I've downloaded SQLite Browser and have changed all fields with "broadband" to "pta". Still no go.

I don't understand what you need that program for...
Sent from my HTC One X using xda app-developers app

When I click to activate the native wifi hotspot, it says that I cannot have a hotspot and to call 611. So I am trying Android Wifi Tether, which works for a little bit then after about 3 seconds, says "what the hell, your phone is taking over. shutting down wifi." Something like that. I'm just trying to get this phone setup so my friend can use it as a hotspot.
SQLite is to edit my `telephony.db`

Well, I do believe that it could be because you are using a stock rom, so att bulit in securities could be taking over. Also, I do want you to know that ATT does have advanced technology to detect tethering. without notice, they can upgrade you data plan to 5gb ($50) because you were caught tethering. it is the way the apn connects. now you can try to change your apn to BROADBAND, which is tethering, but again, but warned. if your data plan changes (esepcially if you are grandfathered into one), then that's on you...
so here are my suggestions: change the APN to broadband, get off the stock, and im sure there are a plethora of apps in the play market that should work

Herc08 said:
Also, I do want you to know that ATT does have advanced technology to detect tethering. without notice, they can upgrade you data plan to 5gb ($50) because you were caught tethering.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They will send you a warning (physical letter or SMS, can't remember which exactly) notifying you have been caught tethering without the appropriate data plan. Then, if you are caught again, they will change you plan.
Probably nobody except folks at AT&T know the exact methods they use to monitor for tethering. But the thought here is that a high amount of usage will raise red flags, then they will examine data packets for the signs of tethering.
Some folks (myself included) have been able to tether without getting caught, by just doing it occasionally, and keeping the data usage low. But even then, the system seems far from consistent. I've seen a couple of folks report on here getting the tethering warning from AT&T, despite having never even tethered.

The days when you could easily pirate tethering may be coming to an end. AT&T has really cracked down on it and improved their methods of detection. Even if you get this working, you will get caught if you start tethering regularly.

redpoint73 said:
They will send you a warning (physical letter or SMS, can't remember which exactly) notifying you have been caught tethering without the appropriate data plan. Then, if you are caught again, they will change you plan.
Probably nobody except folks at AT&T know the exact methods they use to monitor for tethering. But the thought here is that a high amount of usage will raise red flags, then they will examine data packets for the signs of tethering.
Some folks (myself included) have been able to tether without getting caught, by just doing it occasionally, and keeping the data usage low. But even then, the system seems far from consistent. I've seen a couple of folks report on here getting the tethering warning from AT&T, despite having never even tethered.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do apologize, you are right. You will get a notice first. And then if you continue, then you will still bumped out. It is an email AND a SMS. Using small amount of data is usually the way to go. But if you trying to tether a computer, then most likely the data usage will be high. As I mentioned in other posts, as a former AT&T employee, if you want to tether, just upgrade your data plan. If you are on unlimited data, you will already get throttled at 3gb, so the Unlimited data and 3gb are basically the same thing, which is why the price is the same.
I have seem some accounts when excessive tethering is done, that the data is actually suspended, no matter what the case is. It's weird that AT&T can do that, but it is in their wireless agreement, which is at section 6 i think.

Thanks for the heads up about AT&T clamping down on this. It is good to know. I am doing this for an elderly couple who rarely use the internet. This is their first smart phone. They are savvy enough to know what that message means if they get it. I will let them know about it too.
They mainly will be accessing on the device itself but wanted the option to use it as a hotspot as well. They are already paying for data... they purchased the phone used and are under no contract (on Straight Talk). They want to use something they own, however they want. It's too bad AT&T is so mean.
It's like buying a computer and then the manufacturer says you cannot use bluetooth unless you pay them a monthly service charge.

[SOLUTION]
Oh yeah, I forgot to post that I figured a way out to get 'android-wifi-tether.apk' to work on the stock AT&T ROM.... here we go:
Get "Proxoid" from the Google Play Store
Get WiFi Tether from the Google Play Store (or from here [QR Codes in link]: http://code.google.com/p/android-wifi-tether/)
Get a mobile data widget
Once you have them installed, get them all lined up somewhere you can easily run them one after the other.
Make sure mobile data OFF before you turn anything on.
Open Proxoid and check the box to start/stop Proxoid... you want it ON
Open WiFi Tether and turn on tethering
Now you can turn on mobile data
This worked successful for me. I tested it for about 10-15 minutes, playing YouTube videos, reading some blogs, checked out some google image searches and so on. If you do not turn Proxoid on before mobile data is on, this will NOT work.
ENJOY! :laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh:
UPDATE: This only worked on my Mac and Android phone. Mac picked up the HOX as a "device" instead of a wifi connection but it worked. Windows cannot find the connection at all. If someone knows how to get Windows to find the device and use it as a hotspot please let me know.

While tethering is a feature of the phone they own, the data being used is a service that is not owned and while I don't agree with what at&t does, I can understand why they would discourage tethering and it is technically within their right to limit how their data is used. They/you could have picked another company that allows tethering but as a consequence you may face saturation from all those heavy tether users.
Sent from my HTC One X using xda app-developers app

exad said:
While tethering is a feature of the phone they own, the data being used is a service that is not owned and while I don't agree with what at&t does, I can understand why they would discourage tethering and it is technically within their right to limit how their data is used. They/you could have picked another company that allows tethering but as a consequence you may face saturation from all those heavy tether users.
Sent from my HTC One X using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which is the reason behind the detection. Same as throttling. With the explosion of bandwidth needed, the big companies cannot keep up. Hence why smaller companies offer unlimited data.
Sent from my Carbon-ize Evita using xda-developers app