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im using energy rom 3.0 50109 on my fuze and got this outrageous bill from att stating i used excessive data. if i ever got on the internet was using wifi. i know the data connections button was always off and the gprs auto connect disabled. is there another setting i missed?
It's gotta be a mistake on their part.
Look at your bill line-by-line and compare it against your previous bills so see if the data usage is about the same.
Also review your sign-up plan to see what you're data rate per month is. If it turns out you're not on a 3G (Enhanced Data Plan) then it's possible that you were billed at the Cellphone Data Plan rate - here in Canada we have:
Enhanced Mobile Data Plan (aka 3G) = 1Gb/mo, $30/mo
Mobile Data Plan = 2Kb/mo, $15/mo (intended for basic WAP phones, goes through a proxy)
Good luck,
i will do that. i know i dont have a data plan but i do have unlimited sms/mms and when i signed up att said their media net/ gprs needed to be enabled in order for me to send pics and video. like i said, any data was through wifi. But i will take your advice and thanks for the reply hilaireg!
Its definitley a mistake on their part. I started using Energy Rom 3.0 and I haven't gotten an outrageous bill like that. And I pretty much went through all the settings in the rom to disbale GPRS use.
In the past, occasionly AT&T has done retarted things, like charging me $30 for going over my SMS plan. What they did was the they combined the number of texts I sent/recieved for 2 months and billed me on that.
And it is really frustrating that I still haven't gotten my $30 back to a point where I don't care anymore. They can have it. I'll just think of charity.
Now 1 grand is a different story...unless you REALLY feel like being generous and helping the CEOs out
It isn't a mistake on their part, your phone must have somehow used the data connection without you knowing it. 100MB at the PPU rate is $1000. It is possible that you thought WiFi was on but really wasn't connected.
petard said:
It isn't a mistake on their part, your phone must have somehow used the data connection without you knowing it. 100MB at the PPU rate is $1000. It is possible that you thought WiFi was on but really wasn't connected.
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Click to collapse
i think if his wifi was off it he would know cuz when ur wifi comes on, immediately it pops up all the wifi within the area and ask which one to connect, unless he is using a existing one, which should of showed the wifi icon regardless, our bill *am under a family plan* was recently over charged apperent for something i downloaded said att, but my mother never got to the buttom of it.
funny thing is i dont even use att service, expect maybe for mms which is unlimited and so is sms
oh and am using energy rom am using xECK29x Premier Series
The same thing happened to me. I called them, spoke to possibly the nicest woman in the world and she fixed everything and then gave me 40 dollars off. It worked out for me... give it a try. can't hurt.
Remember that even when you are on WiFi, default for AT&T (if you run connection manager) is to go through mediaNet to download data, not WiFi. Even so, speak to CS and they will most likely take that off. Also, remember to ask them to put data block on your plan if you are not planning on subscribing to unlimited data. Peace of mind.
i had about $300 in data usage once, and they removed it when i said ill add unlimited data, so maybe try that....
energy roms have 3g turned on as preset, you have to disable it from the comm manager. you can see it's on and you can see it connecting -sometimes even when the wifi is on too. NRG also has an application called "disable data" which does exactly that, never allowing 3g or other stuff to connect if you don't want them to. good luck!
Thing I did after freaking out at a $3 bill--I called them and had them completely disable data (picture messaging included) from my account--
Problem solved.
Super Bill!
Here's what you can do to add data.
First off, get yourself a POS phone like an LG Shine or some other dumbphone that can get on the internet.
Pop your sim card in, wait a few minutes, and then call at&t.
If you have unlimited texting, data is only $10/month. If you don't have texting, data will be $15/month. Once it is added, just switch your sim card back to your fuze.
I've been doing this with the Fuze and iphone with no overages for about eight months.
I bought a used AT&T Fuze online, and it came yesterday. I popped my SIM in, and this morning, I received a text message saying a data plan is required for all smartphones. I called up AT&T and got my IMEI changed and cancelled the data plan. Is there a way to prevent AT&T from charging me for the data plan, so that I can just use the phone without internet access (excluding Wi-fi, obviously)?
I have the same question. Back in October I had a Tilt that didn't have the plan - activated it and had been using the plan until mid January - the phone was stolen out of my car. Using a Blackberry now and they automatically stopped the data plan. I have a new Fuze on the way and don't want to pay the 30 per month as I can use WIFI almost anywhere for free.
Read that their policy is that if you have a smartphone they'll will automatically charge the 30 and activate you if you activate a new phone - but it doesn't specify whether the "new" phone is purchased from them or just through a change in recognition via the SIM.
When I looked at my account in January there isn't an option to disable the data plan - used to be there - so I'm thinking you use a Smartphone you have to pay. Seem to me a class action lawsuit should be in the works. Many use the phone as a PDA and don't care if we have access 24/7.
Maybe if they upped their speeds and coverage for 3g while lowering the price say to 10 to 15 it would be worth it.
So I'm guessing it can't be done? darn. Damn AT&T!
Unlock it and use t-mobile; that may be your best bet.
i bought my fuze with no data plan so there shouldnt be a problem. as long as you didnt purchase where u received a discount for signing up for a data plan
I bought it used, and it automatically charged me
Related question
I didnt have that problem with AT$T, actually.. i just recently put my wife's sim into my old fuze. with the exception of getting charged for unwanted data that got downloaded automatically, she has had no problems. she doesn't use the internet so it is fine. I just had AT&T block any data from her line. ( her line is no longer under contract, and i would like to keep it that way...)
I do actually have a question of my own... (didn't want to start a new thread)....
she does want to send and receive picture messages, we have unlimited messaging, but with the fuze you must have data in order to send or receive MMS. AT&T thinks she still has her old razr.
I would like to set her up with unlimited data plan for the razr, which is only like $10 per month, and was wondering if this would work with the fuze and what settings i might need to change to make it work.
thanks
keith
Sorry, but from how it looks now.. No you can't.. if you use Data, they will catch you that you are using a Fuze... the only "work around" I know is this... She can set up a yahoo, gmail, or simmilar account to just use with her phone... Then whenever she is in a WiFi area, she can send and receive picture email.. she can take the picture and compose them anytimes.. just has to wait to send them til she can use the WiFi.... MMS accounts can both send and receive with people who use email.... where they put in the send, instead of a phone number, they just put in an email address (go ahead, try it yourself, I know you want to )
As far as her sending her pictured emails to peoples phones, she just needs to know what carrier they use.. Then enter their #, and the rest of their
"email" address from this site : http://modmyi.com/wiki/index.php/MMS_Email_Addresses
She can avoid having to look up their address if the person who wants to share pictures with simply sends a message first to her phones email account using their phone... Then she just simple has to reply I know this is probally not the answer you were looking for, but it woudl work and save you having to pay the $35 for AT&T PDA Data....
I've never had a problem not having a data plan on my account. I bought it refurbished from AT&T and there was no data plan required for activation. I even temporarily added a data plan, then took it off again the next day just last month. I was never hassled or given the run-around at any point. Maybe you should just try changing the IMEI back to the Fuze and see what happens. It might also be a good idea to install NoData and disable the two data connections first, just so it never tries to connect.
I also dont want a data plan( cant afford it). My question is how can i make it not use wap for internet and only use wifi, when i do need it to receive data for mms. Thats included in my messaging plan but I have par per use internet and media net. I want to make sure that it doesnt connect to the network for internet or media net and I can only do internet through wifi. How do I do this? I tried just turning data off but it automatically turned back on when i hit the browser. How do i make it only use wifi? Thanks
ionizer12 said:
I also dont want a data plan( cant afford it). My question is how can i make it not use wap for internet and only use wifi, when i do need it to receive data for mms. Thats included in my messaging plan but I have par per use internet and media net. I want to make sure that it doesnt connect to the network for internet or media net and I can only do internet through wifi. How do I do this? I tried just turning data off but it automatically turned back on when i hit the browser. How do i make it only use wifi? Thanks
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Click to collapse
You can always get a data block on your plan, so when you accidentally try to use data, it wont connect, thus making ATT not know you have a PDA... therefore wifi is the best and only option!
kmartin888 said:
I didnt have that problem with AT$T, actually.. i just recently put my wife's sim into my old fuze. with the exception of getting charged for unwanted data that got downloaded automatically, she has had no problems. she doesn't use the internet so it is fine. I just had AT&T block any data from her line. ( her line is no longer under contract, and i would like to keep it that way...)
I do actually have a question of my own... (didn't want to start a new thread)....
she does want to send and receive picture messages, we have unlimited messaging, but with the fuze you must have data in order to send or receive MMS. AT&T thinks she still has her old razr.
I would like to set her up with unlimited data plan for the razr, which is only like $10 per month, and was wondering if this would work with the fuze and what settings i might need to change to make it work.
thanks
keith
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Click to collapse
I used to have an old Samsung flip that I actually flipped into two pieces. When I replaced it with a used Blackjack I simply went into AT&T and had them add the $30 MEdia Net package (Unlimited Data, Unlimited Msgs) because it showed that I still had the old Samsung flip. I had been using my Blackjack for about 2 months and there was no recognition. Now I'm using the Fuze with no problem. As long as your plan doesn't show that you are using a smartphone (IE you bought one from them) then you should be ok. I've been doing this for over a year with no problems.
In the same boat. Just bought a Rhodium & I'm wondering what I can use my Fuze for. I wanna give it to my dad whose line has no data, or use it as a back-up and cancel my handset insurance. Can I switch between devices on my sim which has a data plan? Can I use it as a wi-fi only browsing device(my Tilt 2 won't connect via wi-fi, it seems, the SIM having never been installed)? I could try data block on the account or data block software & put his SIM in. I thought the rationale for the data plan requirement was that the company could only make a profit, while subsidizing the price of these devices, by charging more than a fee for monthly voice service over the term of the contract and that, after the contract, the device is now mine(not rendered useless as even a phone should one not have a data plan), free and clear, to do with as I wish, or at least to use wi-fi without a plan(like my Tilt 2 is not doing)
When I got my FUZE in April, 2009 the saleswoman said that I could cancel the data plan in 6 months.. Online there was never an option to disable the data plan so I called and had it canceled that way. Now that it was canceled though, online does show that there is an option of no data plan. I bet though if I re-added the data plan that disable option will disappear again.
You can use this
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=610657
to block your data from ever being used. I use this to turn off AT&T ISP GPRS and MEdia Net. You can still send/receive texts and go online through WiFi.
@TheGlowingCurve, I don't believe just being an unlocked phone helps, my previous phones are all unlocked now but if I put my SIM in them again, att.com immediately changes my account's phone picture and model to the phone the SIM card is in. They know ALL about what phone you're using.
EDIT: I've never understood the relevance of http://www.htcclassaction.org/ to the Raphael. That site says there is no 3D acceleration or acceleration of videos and whatnot but of course there is acceleration. There is an ATI driver cab and it allows running of 3D programs like Diamond Hologram and COD2, not to mention TouchFLO3D and Sense UI. I don't even think that driver cab is needed because I honestly don't even install it. Video acceleration may not work in CorePlayer, but the solution is easy, don't use CorePlayer! The included Windows Media Player and Album programs are both accelerated and capable of playing H264 videos smoothly. The problems mentioned in http://www.htcclassaction.org/ have nothing to do with our phone and in the site's updates (which are all at least 2 years old!) it even says the Touch Diamond at release had 3D capabilities already.
I'm pretty sure your issues with the FUZE have to do with WM itself, not with HTC's phone.
I too had a tilt, but i put the sim card in teh new fuze i bought. Both of my phones have no data.
I got some bull**** out of them in december when i asked. But i called in the other day, and it was like oh yeah np. No more data.
Because i was a cingular customer im grandfathered in. If you had a PDA prior to november of last year, you also are grandfathered in.
dont take no for an answer.
Just to be clear, ive now shut data off and turned it on on the fuze alone 6 times. LOL
freekquency said:
I too had a tilt, but i put the sim card in teh new fuze i bought. Both of my phones have no data.
I got some bull**** out of them in december when i asked. But i called in the other day, and it was like oh yeah np. No more data.
Because i was a cingular customer im grandfathered in. If you had a PDA prior to november of last year, you also are grandfathered in.
dont take no for an answer.
Just to be clear, ive now shut data off and turned it on on the fuze alone 6 times. LOL
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So you bought the FUZE after November of last year?
Did you have to call them each time to shut down the data plan? Is the charge for that prorated?
lol so now that AT&T removed their unlimited data plan and introduced limited data plans, what happens with future smart phones? Will AT&T require the higher priced data plan?
EDIT: http://gizmodo.com/5555561/hey-att-we-want-rollover-bytes
i just got a fuze from the MP and bam less than 3 hours after taking my sim card out of my pantech impact which had the unlim data and text on our family plan ..they nailed me for the fuze and changed me to the 25 dollar smartphone plan .... should i switch back to the impact and just tell them i was fixing a freinds phone and shut off the data connection on the fuze and get the 30 dollar plan again or wont it work
Using the Fuze with no data plan and using WiFi.
Well there's actually some things to keep in mind here. Being that I have had some experience with AT&T smartphones for busiensses, I know that this is a sore spot to their network users. If you're using a PDA and haven't switched the IMEI online, you're bound to receive a bill from AT&T if you're using the WAP settings from the stock AT&T ROM build. To get around this, unlock your SIM, change the IMEI online, use NoData, and set up your phone to search and prompt you for WiFi hotspots. Turn the phone off or to Airplane mode also from the connection manager. There are plenty that are free once you're in their area, or near an open private WIFI network area. Simply connect, and send all of your data via Wifi connections. This will keep the device from auto-detecting the AT&T WAP and/or using the WAP settings.
One extra step that I take is to erase your WAP data completely from the connection manager so that it's not automatically recognizing the AT&T network settings. You can then choose your settings when needed using any GSM network anywhere in the world, but be careful! This can be expensive if you're not watching your settings. Unlocking your SIM is a MUST! If you're smart, you can set up a T-Mobile prepay account to use the partner(AT&T) GSM network when needed, if needed. This will normally cost you $.99 per day to use.
I hope this helps you better understand the WAP settings. One note.....trash the stock AT&T ROM for one that you'll find here on this site. There have been many that have worked hard to modify this device so that you can fully experience the device fully.
ok i bought my fuze from someone here at xda and he wasnt sure if it is unlocked or not
how can i find out i dont have access to a tmobile sim ..how do i change the imei online
and if i dont have a data connection will the time and weather still update and im using Tael rom ..the weird thing is i had a fuze that got stolen that i was using on the 30 dollar unlimited plan that i singed up for in feb2010 when i got service them and got the samsung impression free then switched to my fuze and they never caught on but like i said in my post above when my gf hooked us up on the family plan with the impacts ..when i switched to my new fuze they got me quick ..and this fuze is setup the same way as my previuos fuze
Hi,
in a few days I will be going in vacations (lucky me) in Mexico. But I don't want to pay for international Datas. I want to use my phone only has a phone and will contect thru Wifi when available.
ma question is: If the "Data roaming" (settings-wireless and network- mobile networks) is un checked, is that mean it will "cut" the datas as soon as I'm not with ATT?
Thanks
Yes, but you'll still be subject to roaming charges for voice and messaging.
- Dial *#*#INFO#*#* which is *#*#4636#*#*
- Go to Phone Info
- You can hit your "More" softkey and there will be a menu with an option called More
There should be an option that says disable data on boot. Now any time you restart your phone you should not be getting data network
LinuxNewb said:
- Dial *#*#INFO#*#* which is *#*#4636#*#*
- Go to Phone Info
- You can hit your "More" softkey and there will be a menu with an option called More
There should be an option that says disable data on boot. Now any time you restart your phone you should not be getting data network
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried this code but it doesn't seems to work on my captivate
xargs1 said:
Yes, but you'll still be subject to roaming charges for voice and messaging.
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Click to collapse
Thanks, it was what I tough.
Just keep it in airplane mode. I travel mostly out of the country and that's what I do. You can enable wifi while in airplane mode.
a_fuegon said:
Just keep it in airplane mode. I travel mostly out of the country and that's what I do. You can enable wifi while in airplane mode.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes, but in my case I have to be able to anwer calls
Duh, I guess I selectively absorb content I read. I just get sim cards locally and pass that number to the people I need to stay in touch with. Granted it's only a select few though, perhaps that's why it's practical for me. It's the more cost efficient way for me. I do have an unlocked winmo phone that I use abroad for this.
Turn off data, and call at&t and sign up for the international plan. You can cancel it after the vacation and it is pro-rated. I went on a cruise to mexico and ended up paying like $120 on less than a half hour of calls back home.
I am on a trip in Brazil right now, and have the exact same requirements. I turn off Data Roaming so that I don't run up any data charges. Just to be safe, I also turned off sync for Google, Twitter, and Facebook. I signed up for the AT&T International Plan at $5.99 per month, which makes calls between US and Brazil at $1.99 per minute. Text messages are $.80 each. If you really want to save money on calls, take a laptop and use Skype. I can call a US landline from Skype for $.02 per minute, not quite free, but it feels like it compared to the AT&T rate.
just fff up your apn.. but remember settings.. that is what the disable/enable data widgets do anyway.. screw up something in the apn and you will get no data.
grmcgee said:
I am on a trip in Brazil right now, and have the exact same requirements. I turn off Data Roaming so that I don't run up any data charges. Just to be safe, I also turned off sync for Google, Twitter, and Facebook. I signed up for the AT&T International Plan at $5.99 per month, which makes calls between US and Brazil at $1.99 per minute. Text messages are $.80 each. If you really want to save money on calls, take a laptop and use Skype. I can call a US landline from Skype for $.02 per minute, not quite free, but it feels like it compared to the AT&T rate.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you can use nimbuzz on your phone to connect to skype thru wifi
Simple as turning off data roaming, I went to Mexico City a few weeks ago and didn't incur any data charges. I've been there a few times with my iPhone and haven't had to pay anything extra either. Just make sure you get the AT&T Mexico feature. It's $4.99 a month and .59 a minute while roaming in Mexico.
Mexico Plans
I am currently travelling to Mexico every week for business and signed up for a voice plan.
Instead of the regular $59.99 plan giving 900 minutes, I have a $74.99 plan that allows me to use my minutes while in Mexico also. ATT has some weird scheming where they say, the first month you can use all of the 900 mins, 2nd month only 40% of the minutes, 3rd month again 900, 4th month 40% only, and so on. Go figure what the smartypants at ATT were dreaming when they created this plan.
But again, everytime I call ATT, the idiots give me a new answer. SMS and MMS, I have gotten multiple answers, so i try not to use it.
Data plan - ATT will rip you naked in a few minutes of data usage. It's like $20 per 10MB or something like that - that's if you sign up for a plan before hand. If not, it gets even more ridiculous.
So, bottom line, if you need to make/receive calls on your US #, signup for one of those international plans. Forget data. SMS - I don't know.
Turnoff data roaming - settings --> Wireless Networks --> Mobile networks --> Data roaming uncheck.
Verizon has a $35 unlimited data plan (on top of your regular plan), if you have a choice.
edit: btw, I am unable to call any toll free #s while in Mexico. Whether those calls are allowed or not seems to be dependent on the combination of ATT and local carrier (for me Telcel). Didn't have this problem with Verizon.
For what it's worth, the international plans and the flip flopping of at&t reps is what drove me to simply give up using my phone abroad. I am somewhere south of the US almost weekly, so for me it is a big issue. I eventually resorted to picking up local sim cards, which works for me. I usually spend max of $10 for the sim and a bucket of mins, which also includes texting if need be. All incoming calls are free, which is what makes it work for me.
Enough of the thread jacking for me.
Not sure if this correct forum to post this and did a quick search, but didn't see anything that correlated. I'm a otr truck driver and 75% of the time I'm on edge network. Currently I have data roam turned off. Was wondering if anybody had a solution to "trick " network into thinking I was in a 3G area. I have unlimited data plan and my thinking was, if tethering was free with rooted dev.how come I have to pay extra to data roam when I'm not on atnt's signal?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
there is no way to "trick" a cell tower to broadcast farther.
Roostercruiser said:
Not sure if this correct forum to post this and did a quick search, but didn't see anything that correlated. I'm a otr truck driver and 75% of the time I'm on edge network. Currently I have data roam turned off. Was wondering if anybody had a solution to "trick " network into thinking I was in a 3G area. I have unlimited data plan and my thinking was, if tethering was free with rooted dev.how come I have to pay extra to data roam when I'm not on atnt's signal?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not exactly sure what you're trying to do here, but let me take a stab at it:
There is very little reason while within the continental united states to have "data roaming" turned off. So yes, technically, on an AT&T phone, you can "roam" to other data networks, but so long as you're not using excessive amounts of data, and not spending long periods of time only on the roaming network, it won't be a problem. All AT&T plans are "nationwide access" so except for one teensy tiny condition that I'll explain in a second, there's no need to manually restrict your phone. Basically let your phone "roam" to whatever networks it wants, be but warned, if there is any AT&T tower in sight, your phone will take that over any other GSM network, even if it's only an EDGE connection. Only way to get around that is to lock your phone to WCDMA (3G), but that may have undesirable effects if you're travelling over long distances where cell coverage is poor.
So here's the exception, if you are both:
- Spending multiple consecutive days on an AT&T partner "roaming" network
- Using large amounts of data (like from tethering, which you shouldn't be doing anyway w/o a tethering plan)
Then you will get in trouble. AT&T will call you first, and tell you to stop. If you don't stop, then they will terminate your contract. No ETF or other fees will be charged, but you probably won't be able to get another plan with AT&T under the same name again. The reason is that AT&T has to pay lots of money to those roaming partners to let you (the customer) use their networks. Due to FCC regs, spectrum allocations, anti-trust, etc... AT&T can only offer service in certain areas, and not in others, hence why they have to partner with other cell networks. But apparently, those agreements really r*pe AT&T up the butt, which is why they'll let it go for a while, but if you start costing them too much money, they'll just drop you as a customer.
This happened to me once in Arizona, in an area only covered by T-Mobile. I was tethering through my 3G phone at the time (an HTC Kaiser/Tilt actually) and used something like 500 MB over a week. This was back in the old days of unlimited plans, and before AT&T could enforce tethering/non-tethering plans. I got a phone call from a special department within AT&T, and they politely said, "turn the data functions of your phone off immediately, or your contract will be terminated". Apparently, through roaming agreements, they had paid out (or were contractually obliged to eventually pay out) something like $300-$400 to T-Mobile over the course of a week, and we're none too pleased about it. I stopped, and it was all good.
Long story short, don't abuse the roaming agreements, and you won't have a problem.
The reason tether can be free is because it SHOULD be free. You are using an inbuilt feature of the phone to route internet requests.... its a simple feature which has been available on dumb phones since year 1995. It was not mainstream until recently and ATT realized they could simply disable it and charge. Its free in Europe because that's how it should be...
Tethering just sends internet requests to your device and your device returns the results of the request to your computer. Its very shadey of ATT to charge for it. Any internet enabled device has the inbuilt capability to route data from one device to another... even the simplest dumb phone.
Shammyh said:
Not exactly sure what you're trying to do here, but let me take a stab at it:
There is very little reason while within the continental united states to have "data roaming" turned off. So yes, technically, on an AT&T phone, you can "roam" to other data networks, but so long as you're not using excessive amounts of data, and not spending long periods of time only on the roaming network, it won't be a problem. All AT&T plans are "nationwide access" so except for one teensy tiny condition that I'll explain in a second, there's no need to manually restrict your phone. Basically let your phone "roam" to whatever networks it wants, be but warned, if there is any AT&T tower in sight, your phone will take that over any other GSM network, even if it's only an EDGE connection. Only way to get around that is to lock your phone to WCDMA (3G), but that may have undesirable effects if you're travelling over long distances where cell coverage is poor.
So here's the exception, if you are both:
- Spending multiple consecutive days on an AT&T partner "roaming" network
- Using large amounts of data (like from tethering, which you shouldn't be doing anyway w/o a tethering plan)
Then you will get in trouble. AT&T will call you first, and tell you to stop. If you don't stop, then they will terminate your contract. No ETF or other fees will be charged, but you probably won't be able to get another plan with AT&T under the same name again. The reason is that AT&T has to pay lots of money to those roaming partners to let you (the customer) use their networks. Due to FCC regs, spectrum allocations, anti-trust, etc... AT&T can only offer service in certain areas, and not in others, hence why they have to partner with other cell networks. But apparently, those agreements really r*pe AT&T up the butt, which is why they'll let it go for a while, but if you start costing them too much money, they'll just drop you as a customer.
This happened to me once in Arizona, in an area only covered by T-Mobile. I was tethering through my 3G phone at the time (an HTC Kaiser/Tilt actually) and used something like 500 MB over a week. This was back in the old days of unlimited plans, and before AT&T could enforce tethering/non-tethering plans. I got a phone call from a special department within AT&T, and they politely said, "turn the data functions of your phone off immediately, or your contract will be terminated". Apparently, through roaming agreements, they had paid out (or were contractually obliged to eventually pay out) something like $300-$400 to T-Mobile over the course of a week, and we're none too pleased about it. I stopped, and it was all good.
Long story short, don't abuse the roaming agreements, and you won't have a problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Moral of the story: If you don't want to pay an ETF find a remote area of Arizona.
AdamOutler said:
The reason tether can be free is because it SHOULD be free. You are using an inbuilt feature of the phone to route internet requests.... its a simple feature which has been available on dumb phones since year 1995. It was not mainstream until recently and ATT realized they could simply disable it and charge. Its free in Europe because that's how it should be...
Tethering just sends internet requests to your device and your device returns the results of the request to your computer. Its very shadey of ATT to charge for it. Any internet enabled device has the inbuilt capability to route data from one device to another... even the simplest dumb phone.
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Totally agree. I'm just explaining the way it works, not the way it *should* work.
In fact, I figure that as long as I don't go over my 2 GB/month allocation, I can tether as much as I want, and I do.
Shammyh said:
Not exactly sure what you're trying to do here, but let me take a stab at it:
There is very little reason while within the continental united states to have "data roaming" turned off... and it was all good.
Long story short, don't abuse the roaming agreements, and you won't have a problem.
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Pardon me for redacting, but I wished to get to the heart of the matter.
A four-year member with 204 posts. I applaud both your insight and restraint, sir.
The point was, you can't access network features because they are on your network. You can access phone features because they are on your phone. Roaming is roaming no matter what. Its tracked by the network by your SIM. Change the SIM and you change your service type. Im not sure if its legal to mess with that.
Is it possible to purchase a 'data sim'? Whereby you could access a regional data network on an unlocked phone? i.e. I'm in Nowhereland but they locally sell me a pay as you go data sim to use in my unlocked phone for data, but not network telephone service.
A Unicorn? Or real?
Shammyh said:
Totally agree. I'm just explaining the way it works, not the way it *should* work.
In fact, I figure that as long as I don't go over my 2 GB/month allocation, I can tether as much as I want, and I do.
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The OP's question boils down to this...
if tethering was free with rooted dev.how come I have to pay extra to data roam when I'm not on atnt's signal?
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The simple answer is because tethering is a device function and AT&T's shadey business practices make you pay to use your own device. Roaming is a network function and there's nothing that can be done about it except
1. update towers
2. change modems (sometimes yeilds better results on different AT&T towers, but wont' change roming)
3. change carriers
4. modify your SIM card to be more compatible with your current network.
AdamOutler said:
4. modify your SIM card to be more compatible with your current network.
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So how does one modify one's SIM card to be more compatible with one's current network?
clemmie said:
So how does one modify one's SIM card to be more compatible with one's current network?
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You wouldn't... you would change the identifiers so it thought you were another customer..... illegally.
I'm not sure exactly, but I may have an answer soon. I'm looking at methods of communicating with the call processor in order to device bricked phones. It might be the best way to inject code into the ram. . Ill get back to you on that.
AdamOutler said:
The reason tether can be free is because it SHOULD be free. You are using an inbuilt feature of the phone to route internet requests.... its a simple feature which has been available on dumb phones since year 1995. It was not mainstream until recently and ATT realized they could simply disable it and charge. Its free in Europe because that's how it should be...
Tethering just sends internet requests to your device and your device returns the results of the request to your computer. Its very shadey of ATT to charge for it. Any internet enabled device has the inbuilt capability to route data from one device to another... even the simplest dumb phone.
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Uncle does it on dumb kyocera and Samsung phones on metro pcs all day long
clemmie said:
Is it possible to purchase a 'data sim'? Whereby you could access a regional data network on an unlocked phone? i.e. I'm in Nowhereland but they locally sell me a pay as you go data sim to use in my unlocked phone for data, but not network telephone service.
A Unicorn? Or real?
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Yes, but it's not straightforward, and not exactly kosher.
You'll have to get/calculate/steal/borrow a "data connect" IMEI. Basically you need the IMEI off of a built in data card, or a purchased data card, (like one of these).
You may also need to go to an AT&T store and buy a new SIM card (usually $35 one time fee) because usually if you re-use your existing cell SIM card, they won't allow you to sign up. So with your new SIM card in hand, and an IMEI of any data connect device, you go and sign up for one of these data plans. Rates for Domestic DataConnect Pass Plans are:
DataConnect Day Pass - 100 MB for $15
DataConnect Week Pass - 300 MB for $30
DataConnect Month Pass - 1 GB for $50
Assuming no terrible problems, you should now have a "data only" AT&T SIM card. Problem is, they'll see pretty quickly that you're not using the SIM card with the device IMEI you signed up with. That may or may not cause problems. Hasn't for me in the past, but I make no guarantees.
AdamOutler said:
You wouldn't... you would change the identifiers so it thought you were another customer..... illegally.
I'm not sure exactly, but I may have an answer soon. I'm looking at methods of communicating with the call processor in order to device bricked phones. It might be the best way to inject code into the ram. . Ill get back to you on that.
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Doubt that's possible, not the injecting into the CP, but rather the changing what the phone "identifies" as. Injecting into the CP opens up all sorts of cool possibilities, but I believe actual network identification and communication is reliant upon the SIM card. In particular the Authentication Key (Ki) which I believe never leaves the internal memory of the smart card (aka SIM). Without messing with that, there's no way a phone could "pretend" to be anyone other than itself. Even when I fake out my IMEI on my Captivate (by deleting the EFS data and using the "default IMEI"), my phone still happily connects and works with AT&T. Basically, the cell network doesn't really care as long as your ICCID and crypto package are valid.
PS, been following your work closely w/ regard to the un-bricking business. Best of luck figuring out an "external" way of getting us booted w/ a corrupted PBL/SBL.
Shammyh said:
Doubt that's possible, not the injecting into the CP, but rather the changing what the phone "identifies" as. Injecting into the CP opens up all sorts of cool possibilities, but I believe actual network identification and communication is reliant upon the SIM card. In particular the Authentication Key (Ki) which I believe never leaves the internal memory of the smart card (aka SIM). Without messing with that, there's no way a phone could "pretend" to be anyone other than itself. Even when I fake out my IMEI on my Captivate (by deleting the EFS data and using the "default IMEI"), my phone still happily connects and works with AT&T. Basically, the cell network doesn't really care as long as your ICCID and crypto package are valid.
PS, been following your work closely w/ regard to the un-bricking business. Best of luck figuring out an "external" way of getting us booted w/ a corrupted PBL/SBL.
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Thanks...
Like I said, I've not done any investigation into the modification of the SIM card, but I know it DOES have a programming pin on it. I'm thinking that may be for programming the SIM card.
I just received a cool communication toy in the mail. It's a Bus Pirate. so this weekend may be fun and turn up something.
MikeyMike01 said:
Moral of the story: If you don't want to pay an ETF find a remote area of Arizona.
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Or anywhere where AT&T coverage is through a partner network. Brand new iPhone 4? Go find a nice spot somewhere, use lots of data, wait for AT&T to call, and get out of your contract scott free.
Nifty trick, eh? Just don't expect to get AT&T service again...
AdamOutler said:
Thanks...
Like I said, I've not done any investigation into the modification of the SIM card, but I know it DOES have a programming pin on it. I'm thinking that may be for programming the SIM card.
I just received a cool communication toy in the mail. It's a Bus Pirate. so this weekend may be fun and turn up something.
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Sounds fun...
Has anyone heard of it? I know they are a sister company to att and they use their towers. But I have a sprint Nexus 5 if I switch and put their sim in my phone will it work?
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
AIO is AT&T's prepaid subsidiary and yes it will work. All Nexus 5's are the same no matter where you purchased them from. There is no carrier branding or carrier locking on the N5. From what I hear, AT&T severly throttles date for AIO customers, so if data speed is important, you might want to consider T-Mobile prepaid or StraightTalk.
I use it now. As you probably know, they have a $40, $55, and a $70 plan, with data amounts of 250MB, 2GB, and 7GB, respectively. You get throttled to 2G after you hit your soft cap. Unlimited texts and minutes are included in all plans.
I've had it for 4 months now and can't complain. Their service in my area is good, and the speeds are up to snuff what what I need at least. The most data-intensive thing I do is stream "High quality" music from Pandora One, and it does that without a hitch. Can't comment on streaming video because I never do. One thing to keep in mind though, they cap your data speeds even before hitting you soft-cap. From their website:
If you run out of high speed data access in a given month, your access speeds will be reduced for the remainder of your month of service. But once your next month of service begins, you will once again have access to download speeds up to 4 Mbps on our 4G HSPA+ service or up to 8 Mbps with our LTE service.
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So no matter what, the fastest download speeds you can get is up to 4Mbps on HSPA+ and 8Mbps on LTE. Again, if that affects you then that's something to consider. It is good enough for me though.
I've used their $70 plan now for 2 months on the N5. It works fine except for at work. It's known at my work that att frequency is blocked by the buildings structure (metal walls, ceiling and metallic tinted windows) so I literally have 2 bars outside and zero signal inside. I will be switching to T-Mobile because of this. If it weren't for that I'd definitely stay.
Cool thanks for all the help. I might be getting a job at an Aio store and they have an employee plan $55 for 5gb so I was thinking if I get the job I might switch cuz sprint sucks haha
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vwgti18 said:
Cool thanks for all the help. I might be getting a job at an Aio store and they have an employee plan $55 for 5gb so I was thinking if I get the job I might switch cuz sprint sucks haha
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
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Heh I didn't know they even had brick and mortar Aio stores...
I switched from Verizon (had unlimited data) to AIO and have been enjoying it for 3 months now with no issues. Speeds are fast and I love it. I'm on the $55 a month plan.
I should tell you though that ATT is about to roll AIO into the Cricket brand. ATT owns Cricket now and it will be nationwide LTE just like AIO (if it's not already).
I have the $55 plan and service has been great, LTE at home, work and the commute. Streaming music and tethering works fine. Customer service has also been great as they helped me with the APN settings, which should be posted on their website, but are not. Some negatives are the slow ping on speed tests, a few second delay for the connection on phone calls and the Cricket factor.
Sprint and T-mobile signals are non-existent at work, so my options were limited.
what's the speed of the throttle
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I just got off phone and online chat with AIO customer service... It is the worst, they couldn't get mms to work on my Note 2 and made me power cycle thinking it would work. I am done and want to warn everyone I can.
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I considered the $55 AIO plan when I got my nexus 5, but ultimately went with the $60 AT&T GoPhone plan instead. Same amount of data, essentially the same price, same AT&T network, and no throttling of speeds.
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I too have AIO, after finding out they don't allow VPN on cellular data I'm probably going to switch to AT&T Go Phone after I get my free month unless one of the other "unlimited" prepaid carriers that uses AT&T towers supports VPN usage. I don't often go over the 2GB amount, but I did about 1/3 of the time on VZW with unlimited, part of that was tethering due to slow hotel internet and stupidly fast LTE and unlimited data. So guess I'll put in chat sessions with tech support to find out if VPN is supported over cellular data before I commit.
Also, going to chime in and mention that it took me about 10 minutes of back and forth with tech support on the phone to get them to understand what my problem was. Also, setting up SMS was slightly annoying as they didn't tell me the exact correct thing to put into the phone. However, I simply had to click "Refresh" then "Update" for the SMSC(?) number to self populate and then work fine. Prior to that I had MMS working fine both ways (after inputting the APN settings from around the web and now their site).
I'd consider T-mo but I go to many rural areas where they simply don't have coverage for work and would like to be able to stay in touch.
METDeath said:
I too have AIO, after finding out they don't allow VPN on cellular data I'm probably going to switch to AT&T Go Phone after I get my free month unless one of the other "unlimited" prepaid carriers that uses AT&T towers supports VPN usage. I don't often go over the 2GB amount, but I did about 1/3 of the time on VZW with unlimited, part of that was tethering due to slow hotel internet and stupidly fast LTE and unlimited data. So guess I'll put in chat sessions with tech support to find out if VPN is supported over cellular data before I commit.
Also, going to chime in and mention that it took me about 10 minutes of back and forth with tech support on the phone to get them to understand what my problem was. Also, setting up SMS was slightly annoying as they didn't tell me the exact correct thing to put into the phone. However, I simply had to click "Refresh" then "Update" for the SMSC(?) number to self populate and then work fine. Prior to that I had MMS working fine both ways (after inputting the APN settings from around the web and now their site).
I'd consider T-mo but I go to many rural areas where they simply don't have coverage for work and would like to be able to stay in touch.
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Have you found any that will allow VPN? I'm on Straight talk ATT currently and it does not allow VPN either.
I cannot speak to what AIO's actual policy is on VPN traffic but I can say that I've been on their network for almost 2 months now and have had no issues using VPNs. Perhaps they just have not caught it yet but so far so good. YMMV.
Edit: So I've been looking through their terms and can't find anything specifically mentioning VPNs or tunnels but they do have some pretty standard clauses about only using your data connection for approved activities. This certainly gives them the right to block types of traffic they don't approve of but it doesn't mean they are actively policing it either. Would love to find a more solid answer on this.
Data Services Permitted Uses
Aio provides wireless data and messaging Services, including, but not limited to, features that may be used with Data Services and wireless content and applications ( Data Services ). Our Data Services are intended to be used for the following permitted activities: (a) web browsing; (b) email; (c) intranet access; (d) uploading and downloading applications and content to and from the Internet; and (e) using applications and content without excessively contributing to network congestion. You agree that Aio may engage in any reasonable network management practice and that you will use Aios Data Services only for these permitted activities.
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Well, the one rep I spoke to on the phone said they didn't allow it. I will try talking to a chat tech when I'm home again and can test it. I know I have the VPN working because I can connect over Wi-Fi (not at home) and it works perfectly. I've tried to connect over cellular at home, and on the road, never worked. I've got all the APN settings correct and SMS working, so I don't believe it to be a configuration issue.