Are we allowed to tether again? - Verizon Samsung Galaxy S III

I was under the impression that Verizon would automatically add a tethering package to our monthly bill if they caught us tethering.
I know that's not the case with the new share everything data plans, but I'm on grandfathered unlimited, as I'm assuming most of us are at this point.
But I keep seeing ROMs talking about wifi tethering and whatnot...

Taehee. said:
I was under the impression that Verizon would automatically add a tethering package to our monthly bill if they caught us tethering...
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I have NEVER once heard of this actually happening to anybody.
I use the free wireless tethering app myself, but I only use it when I have no other option & even then only sparingly.
I see people posting here that they use 100 gigs a month etc (which is impossible to do with normal phone use), but I really don't want to give VZ any excuse to take away my unlimited data package for a TOS violation. You know once they screw you out of that data package, you're not getting it back under ANY circumstance.

No, i dont think they could sign you up for tethering without your consent. If you do want to tether, check out the Synergy rom, its built right in.

VinBertinelli said:
No, i dont think they could sign you up for tethering without your consent. If you do want to tether, check out the Synergy rom, its built right in.
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I heard AT&T did that to people.
That's the ROM I use for my daily driver, and the reason I posted this question, actually. I'm afraid to use the tethering in case I get a TOS violation.
I tethered two or three times a couple years ago on my HTC Droid Eris, before carriers caught-on to tethering, but I haven't since it came up in tech news about a year ago.

Don't use a massive amount of data, use a VPN (might throw them off, who nows, doubt it), don't worry about it. I tether frequently, so does my dad, and it's never, ever been a problem.

tekhna said:
Don't use a massive amount of data, .
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I think that's probably the key right there.
If/when VZ ever starts cracking down on TOS violations the DB's using 100 gigs a month will be the first ones to go (& you know they will be screaming like crazy after VZ makes an example out of them)

Taehee. said:
I heard AT&T did that to people.
That's the ROM I use for my daily driver, and the reason I posted this question, actually. I'm afraid to use the tethering in case I get a TOS violation.
I tethered two or three times a couple years ago on my HTC Droid Eris, before carriers caught-on to tethering, but I haven't since it came up in tech news about a year ago.
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They did with iPhone people yes. Verizon has never done so that I have ever heard.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app

Related

[Q] Tethering Police?

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.
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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.
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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.
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+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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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)
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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
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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
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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.

Has verizon removed your wifi tether? (rooted phones)

Saw this just now. Was wondering if verizon can still remove apps when your rooted and if we can remove something to stop them.
http://www.gizmocrunch.com/mobile/7579-verizon-android-phone
If Verizon starts removing apps without proof that they are malicious, that will be the last straw....
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA Premium App
It just said free wireless tethering app which is part their software on root phones
Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk
dms76 said:
It just said free wireless tethering app which is part their software on root phones
Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk
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Verizon is now issuing a series of updates
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they arent going to "hack" your phone. and if you are rooted, you arent getting the update.
i dont have it on my phone anymore, but not sure if its from the rom (bamf rc5) can someone confirm?
i still have free wifi. rooted on bamf. using it everyday. absolutely no problems.
bthomp21 said:
they arent going to "hack" your phone. and if you are rooted, you arent getting the update.
i don't have it on my phone anymore, but not sure if its from the rom (bamf rc5) can someone confirm?
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I would assume everyone here with custom roms will not get remote access. This is for user adding wireless tether via other source.
i have wireless tether, i was talking about verizons mobile hotspot
bthomp21 said:
they arent going to "hack" your phone. and if you are rooted, you arent getting the update.
i dont have it on my phone anymore, but not sure if its from the rom (bamf rc5) can someone confirm?
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" In addition, the company is removing unauthorized tethering apps from users phones."
That last part is what had me concerned not their hotspot app.
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App
bowtieduece said:
" In addition, the company is removing unauthorized tethering apps from users phones."
That last part is what had me concerned not their hotspot app.
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App
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It's through the update though. So if you're not stock, it shouldn't apply to you.
That article is FUD. They just want to see people doing exactly what is happening in this thread. "OMFG VZW is evil, they're haxoring people's phones!"
Unless you have first hand experience, don't worry about it. What's more, people have no reason to complain. Teathering without paying is, and always has been, against Verizon's TOS. Do I agree with this? Nope, but I'm certainly not going to try and create a mass hysteria by saying OMG my app got removed! If it were to be removed and I wanted to use it, I'd find a way to re-install it. So will the others who actually care about such things. Anyone using the TB as their primary internet device in an LTE area should be happily paying $30/month for unlimited teathering. Most land based ISPs don't offer prices that good anymore.
l7777 said:
Anyone using the TB as their primary internet device in an LTE area should be happily paying $30/month for unlimited teathering. Most land based ISPs don't offer prices that good anymore.
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I couldn't agree more. I don't know what the fuss is all about regarding $30/mo for a connection worthy of replacing your home ISP. I switched from Comcast and I'm saving $30/mo now.
bogatyr said:
I couldn't agree more. I don't know what the fuss is all about regarding $30/mo for a connection worthy of replacing your home ISP. I switched from Comcast and I'm saving $30/mo now.
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i don't mind paying the $30 (i did sign up for it), but it can't replace my home connection yet as i only have 3g (very bad signal too). i do get 4g when i visit my dad though, but he's got 10Gb/s cable there. i just got to, hopefully, lock in unlimited data if/when they get 4g in my city. then i'd be able to drop my home connection.
Yeah, id rather just pay $30 and not have to worry about anything
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App
the only time i would have a need for tethering is when i travel and the hotel internet is crap. That's not very often, so I really can't justify the $30.
Why should I be happy about paying twice for the same thing? Should comcast be able to charge you $60/month for each computer in your house? Afterall, having more than one pc online uses more bandwidth.
RunNgun42 said:
Should comcast be able to charge you $60/month for each computer in your house?
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If the contract you sign for service says so, yes. The one you signed with Verizon says "no tethering," but they do offer that as an option. QuitYerBitchin.
RunNgun42 said:
Why should I be happy about paying twice for the same thing? Should comcast be able to charge you $60/month for each computer in your house? Afterall, having more than one pc online uses more bandwidth.
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You're paying $30/mo for unlimited data on your phone, not any device you want. Read the terms you signed.
You're paying an extra $30/mo to support any device you want. If you're paying $60/mo with Comcast, that's saving you money!
If you don't agree with a license/contact, don't sign it. You don't have to use Verizon if you don't like their terms. You can also call and complain to them if you want.
Personally, I'm happy to save money and this deal lets me do that without breaking the contract I signed.
So if I buy a new car and the contract says "no connecting ipods" even though I own the car, I guess I should just accept it because I signed a contract? You're free to grab your ankles any time some company tells you to, however I will take matters into my own hands and do what is reasonably appropriate. You can sit there and take the holy route all you like, but I'm sure the day your home ISP, your home television provider, your home utilities provider, or any other service you subscribe to begins double dipping on charges because more than 1 person is taking advantage of them, you would raise HOLY HELL.
2 gigs is 2 gigs, it should not matter how you consume them. I can just as easily watch a few netflix movies on my phone until I hit the cap, just as much as I can tether to hit my cap. What difference could it possibly make how I use those 2 GB's? It doesnt. People like you are the reason these insane policies are developed in the first place, because businesses prey off your ignorance and fear to challenge them.
I dont care about a contract I signed. The contract is garbage and deserves to be broken.
RunNgun42 said:
So if I buy a new car and the contract says "no connecting ipods" even though I own the car, I guess I should just accept it because I signed a contract?
I dont care about a contract I signed. The contract is garbage and deserves to be broken.
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No one forced you to sign that contract. If you don't like the terms, you're welcome to not give them your business and go elsewhere. That's how business works
This reminds me of that scene from The Empire Strikes Back:
Darth Vader: Calrissian. Take the princess and the Wookie to my ship.
Lando: You said they'd be left at the city under my supervision!
Darth Vader/RunNgun42: I am altering the deal. Pray I don't alter it any further.
RunNgun42 said:
So if I buy a new car and the contract says "no connecting ipods" even though I own the car, I guess I should just accept it because I signed a contract?
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You'll have to do better than that. For a car, a contract would be a sales contract, and such a term would make no sense. OTOH, the warranty terms could say the the radio (or even the whole car, for that matter) is no longer covered if an iPod were ever connected.
I dont care about a contract I signed.
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That tells us all that you're an antisocial reprobate, not worth any more of our time.

Tethering bust

I finally got the email today stating they're gonna change my plan if I don't stop tethering. I'll lose my unlimited data & have to pay another arm for my bill. What should I do? If they change my plan I could get out of my contract, maybe? If I stop using it they won't do anything right? What if I "accidently" used it like once a week instead of everyday? How did they even catch me? If anyone else went thru this I need some suggestions. Thanks
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
ZephCr said:
I finally got the email today stating they're gonna change my plan if I don't stop tethering. I'll lose my unlimited data & have to pay another arm for my bill. What should I do? If they change my plan I could get out of my contract, maybe? If I stop using it they won't do anything right? What if I "accidently" used it like once a week instead of everyday? How did they even catch me? If anyone else went thru this I need some suggestions. Thanks
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Click to expand...
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I got the letter last month and I'm still teathering
They said if I didn't change it by the next bill they would change it. Keep me posted if they change yours let me know please.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
I got the same letter from AT$T and I've never tethered so I'd like to see them prove squat. I don't think they can tell but I do suspect they send anyone that letter running a non-stock ROM.
No longer sent from my BlackBerry.
Captain Zero said:
I got the same letter from AT$T and I've never tethered so I'd like to see them prove squat. I don't think they can tell but I do suspect they send anyone that letter running a non-stock ROM.
No longer sent from my BlackBerry.
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Nope. I've been running non-stock ROMs on ATT for a long time now, and I don't tether, and I've not gotten a letter.
Remember that AT&T is using your browser agent string to determine if you're tethering. If you are tethering, try changing your browser agent string on the computer you are tethering.
Somewhere there was a post on the whole thing but I'm having trouble tracking it down right now.
Has anyone actually had att change their plan because of tethering & lose their unlimited data plan?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
I finally got the email today stating they're gonna change my plan if I don't stop tethering. I'll lose my unlimited data & have to pay another arm for my bill. What should I do? If they change my plan I could get out of my contract, maybe? If I stop using it they won't do anything right? What if I "accidently" used it like once a week instead of everyday? How did they even catch me? If anyone else went thru this I need some suggestions. Thanks
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if they change the terms of your contract you have 30 days to cancel without penalty
Red_81 said:
Remember that AT&T is using your browser agent string to determine if you're tethering. If you are tethering, try changing your browser agent string on the computer you are tethering.
Somewhere there was a post on the whole thing but I'm having trouble tracking it down right now.
Click to expand...
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More info http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=17697118
bames said:
if they change the terms of your contract you have 30 days to cancel without penalty
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Is this listed/detailed officially anyplace?
Cant do ****
they cant change your plan because they cant prove your doing it and they cant chang your contract
bames said:
if they change the terms of your contract you have 30 days to cancel without penalty
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They can cancel your unlimited data at any time. You did not sign a contract with unlimited data, you signed a contract for 24 months service. That's why you can cancel your data at any time, and change your rate plan at any time. You also agreed not to tether in the att terms and conditions (unless you purchase the tethering plan). By tethering you have already violated your end of the bargain. Somewhere, either in store, on the phone or online when you signed up for unlimited data you agreed not to tether. They are within their right to not only charge you more for SUSPECTED tethering, but to also back charge you for previous months. They have no burden of proof. They may not force that issue, for fear of bad PR, but they are well within their legal rights to charge you for tethering, and hold you to your service contract. They have been known to send accounts to collection, and hurt your credit.
I am not saying I agree with them, bug its all in the gigantic Terms and Agreements.
Don't be under the false assumption that they cannot charge you more, or that by charging you more you can get out of your contract.
Sent from my Galaxy S II (i777)
Am I the only one using Straight Talk? $45 a month everything unlimited(so far). I get my service from ATT towers but dont actually answer to ATT. I tether on the regular but nothing big. Mostly browsing. And big downloads. Where i live dial-up is the only option so I feel like I have no choice(Yes I still live in the US). Straight Talk has no tethering plan but their T&S clearly states they're against it. Straight Talk themselves probably doesnt care. ATT problem right? And ATT cant say anything because I dont use their service. Who's problem am I?
quarlow said:
Don't be under the false assumption that they cannot charge you more, or that by charging you more you can get out of your contract.
Sent from my Galaxy S II (i777)
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If they change the terms of your contract (including adding or removing features) you DO IN FACT HAVE 30 DAYS TO TERMINATE YOU SERVICE WITHOUT ANY EARLY TERMINATION FEE
bames said:
If they change the terms of your contract (including adding or removing features) you DO IN FACT HAVE 30 DAYS TO TERMINATE YOU SERVICE WITHOUT ANY EARLY TERMINATION FEE
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Data is not part of your contract.
You are right, if they do in fact alter the terms of your contract you can terminate. But, by charging you for illegal tethering they are not altering your contract.
*#$% DATA IS NOT PART OF YOUR CONTRACT. YOU AGREED NOT TO TETHER. YOU VIOLATED THE TERMS NOT AT&T. %$#*
Data is not part of your contract.
I hope I said that enough.
Go ahead, continue tethering, and when they charge you for tethering, stop paying your bill. Report back how that works out for you.
Look up the Wireless Customer Agreement on AT&T's website. Section 6.2.
Sent from my Galaxy S II (i777)
bames said:
If they change the terms of your contract (including adding or removing features) you DO IN FACT HAVE 30 DAYS TO TERMINATE YOU SERVICE WITHOUT ANY EARLY TERMINATION FEE
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Read your TOS. In it ATT states that they reserve the right to change you plan as needed as long as they let you know. And tethering without a tethering plan breaks your TOS so you would still have ta pay the ETF.
Red_81 said:
Remember that AT&T is using your browser agent string to determine if you're tethering. If you are tethering, try changing your browser agent string on the computer you are tethering.
Somewhere there was a post on the whole thing but I'm having trouble tracking it down right now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does that mean AT&T can't tell I am tethering if I tether my wifi-only Android tablet via my phone since both of them are running Android OS?
eqt2010 said:
Does that mean AT&T can't tell I am tethering if I tether my wifi-only Android tablet via my phone since both of them are running Android OS?
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Only att knows for sure what they look for. They have not, nor will they ever, tell customers what they look fir to determine tethering. Browser agent is the best guess at this point.
With that set up you should avoid detection, but there are no guarantees.
Sent from my Galaxy S II (i777)
eqt2010 said:
Does that mean AT&T can't tell I am tethering if I tether my wifi-only Android tablet via my phone since both of them are running Android OS?
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Great question, my understanding was the browser identification method was one possible way to ping a person for tethering, but there were other possible methods available they could (more work for them perhaps) be using to track people. But nobody knows for sure.
If it is just the browser I would say you're much safer than a person tethering to a normal computer installation.
edit: Ha, quarlow beat me to it by a few min.
quarlow said:
Data is not part of your contract.
You are right, if they do in fact alter the terms of your contract you can terminate. But, by charging you for illegal tethering they are not altering your contract.
*#$% DATA IS NOT PART OF YOUR CONTRACT. YOU AGREED NOT TO TETHER. YOU VIOLATED THE TERMS NOT AT&T. %$#*
Data is not part of your contract.
I hope I said that enough.
Go ahead, continue tethering, and when they charge you for tethering, stop paying your bill. Report back how that works out for you.
Look up the Wireless Customer Agreement on AT&T's website. Section 6.2.
Sent from my Galaxy S II (i777)
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I am not on AT&T nor am I a US law expert but the fact that you keep pointing out "You Agreed Not to Tether" seems to imply that there is a contract. Otherwise what exactly did you agree to. A contract does not have to be written as far as I can remember. If data is not part of a contract then I cannot violate any TOS because as you state there is no contract. Your voice and data may not belong to the same contract but I would bet that there is some sort of contract that governs your data and thus any laws regarding changing the Terms of a contract should apply.

Warning! Using hotspot on at&t

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.
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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?
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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

Do NOT update to ICS yet

I was at a VZW center yesterday, and one of the reps (to who his credit, didn't sound like a complete idiot like a lot of the employees there.)
Anyway, he told me that if you have the $30 unlimited tethering promo that was optional for a short time when the Tbolt came out...once you update to ICS you will lose it.
I don't know if what the rep said was true or not, but just felt I should give anyone who might be in this situation a heads up.
Sorry, if this has already been mentioned, by the way...I just wanted to get it out there quickly.
That salesman's knowledge seems questionable
Fail on reading comprehension on my part...I read that as unlimited data not unlimited tethering. I thought they lost a court case recently where they couldn't charge for tethering anymore? (Found a link, can't post it, yay new user, but if you google "verizon court case tethering" you should find several articles about it) At any rate I imagine as long as you keep root they can't really stop you from tethering.
nuggetfn22004 said:
Fail on reading comprehension on my part...I read that as unlimited data not unlimited tethering. I thought they lost a court case recently where they couldn't charge for tethering anymore? (Found a link, can't post it, yay new user, but if you google "verizon court case tethering" you should find several articles about it) At any rate I imagine as long as you keep root they can't really stop you from tethering.
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Yeah with root, I don't think they can do anything about you tethering. I personally have used my rooted tethering for some really data-intensive power sessions--like 10-15GB a week while I was away (VZW was much faster than the local wifi at my hotel where I was doing after-hours work). Never heard a peep from Verizon about it.
They're allowed to provide their own paid tethering service, they just aren't allowed to force you to use that or use nothing. In other words, they can't tell you not to use a free app for the same thing.
Sent from my ADR6400L using xda app-developers app
tm24fan8 said:
They're allowed to provide their own paid tethering service, they just aren't allowed to force you to use that or use nothing. In other words, they can't tell you not to use a free app for the same thing.
Sent from my ADR6400L using xda app-developers app
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I believe the actual compromise was that if you were on a tiered data plan, they weren't allowed to prevent you from tethering, and they can't prevent you from installing the app regardless, but they could prevent you from tethering if you are using one of the grandfathered "unlimited" plans?
They can't prevent you from using it nor can they even prove that you are using it. If they could I would have been charged thousands of dollars already since I've been using WiFi tether for about 4 years now.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
I know awhile back I mentioned to a verizon rep that they couldn't prove if I was tethering and he went on a long defensive rant about how they monitor your usage and if it spikes they know you are tethering. It took a lot of self-restraint to keep from laughing in his face. I guess they figure most people won't do outside research and just listen to whatever they're spoon fed by verizon.
I have unlimited data so that is a crock of ****. They can tell if I use a lot of data and that is about it. They can't tell if it resulted from tethering. 95% of my data usage comes from using my phone to download roms.
Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk 2
disconnecktie said:
I have unlimited data so that is a crock of ****. They can tell if I use a lot of data and that is about it. They can't tell if it resulted from tethering. 95% of my data usage comes from using my phone to download roms.
Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk 2
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Yeah, they just try to use scare tactics on people who don't know any better. Since tethering goes through the phone, it shows the same on their network regardless of whether its the phone or 10 other devices connected to the phone doing the downloading.
If you use their hot spot and it isn't the hacked version I think they can tell. I'm not sure though and wouldn't take that risk.
Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk 2
disconnecktie said:
They can't prevent you from using it nor can they even prove that you are using it. If they could I would have been charged thousands of dollars already since I've been using WiFi tether for about 4 years now.
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The big fun will come when you get the letter saying, "We understand you've used thousands of dollars worth of tethering but we see you've failed to declare this as taxable income.
We figure you owe $xxx,xxx.xx plus interest and penalties.
Love ya, the IRS!
xs11e said:
The big fun will come when you get the letter saying, "We understand you've used thousands of dollars worth of tethering but we see you've failed to declare this as taxable income.
We figure you owe $xxx,xxx.xx plus interest and penalties.
Love ya, the IRS!
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Lol last time I checked the verizon corporation wasn't apart of the irs. Just saying....
Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk 2
But you can bet the IRS keeps track of VZW AND VZW customers :crying:
xs11e said:
But you can bet the IRS keeps track of VZW AND VZW customers :crying:
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Nah maybe verizon but not me.
Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk 2
Im a little confused, since im pretty new to the t-bolt since i bought it on ebay a few months ago. If i use a free tether app, will VZW NOT charge me for data? on my old moto x2 using a root tether app meant you still got charged for data, but not for the tethering service. Is this different on the TB?
ryan1407 said:
Im a little confused, since im pretty new to the t-bolt since i bought it on ebay a few months ago. If i use a free tether app, will VZW NOT charge me for data? on my old moto x2 using a root tether app meant you still got charged for data, but not for the tethering service. Is this different on the TB?
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If you're on a limited data plan, tethering uses your data. If you're on an unlimited plan you're supposed to pay a monthly fee to use tethering, however, there are apps that you can use to get around this.
Classic Verizon reps, think they're smarter than you... No I'm only here because I need a SIM card and corporate says you can't just give me a SIM card, you have to do it yourself.... Of course that's changed now, but boy that was a *****. I hate giving them my brand new phones, too, I've heard stories where they screw up the battery cover and such.
Woo rant!
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app
nuggetfn22004 said:
I guess they figure most people won't do outside research and just listen to whatever they're spoon fed by verizon.
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When paid by Verizon I assume one becomes a mouthpiece for Verizon, and it makes some logical sense for them to preach Verizon's sermons to all who aren't tech savvy.
That said, I did a doubletake on the OP, as I have the unlimited data and I sometimes tether while on the road (yay root). Tbh, I (ab)use an app called DropSync to do some crazy stuff with DropBox, and when I'm not on WiFi for a time it's common for me to rack up 10GB+ from just that. I really haven't got as much usage from my tethering. So if anyone from Verizon ever got after me for tethering, I'd just disable my WiFi and let them watch me push a ton thru my LTE, just to be spiteful. :victory:
Screw them tether away!!!!
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why not??
why not??i just flash santod stock ics last month..no problema at all...

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