AT&T Cracking Down on Unauthorized Tethering

[divad1978]

Option 3; STOP trying to cheat the system, and START using your iDevice the way the manufacturer designed it and the way your carrier supports it. (Is it unfair? YES! Are all of us iPhone users getting hosed, even though there's now two carriers? YES)

And while you're at it, knock off the piracy with the napster/limewire/torrent crap.

(Yeah, I said it! SOMEBODY had to!)

You do realize the phone, aka the system, was designed to do this and that AT&T is going out of their way to charge people double for what they are paying for?

It would be no different if your home ISP tacked on a $20+ charge each month for having a router at home.

I'm waiting for the class action lawsuit as this is wrong. The service that people have bought is not somehow giving them more bandwidth or a higher amount of download data simply because they are tethering through the phone. The phone can only download so fast to begin with so any device you connect to it will still be limited.

 

[CountBoni]

Americans should complain!!!

Hey mates! I live in the UK and according to what I've read, what american mobile companies are charging you is a rip-off! I pay £35 per month (tax included, about $55 USD) and I get: 2000 any network-any time minutes, 5000 same network minutes, 5000 any network messages, UNLIMITED internet, that's right, no capping, no "fair usage policies", UNLIMITED! AAAAND I can tether with up to 5 devices, (macbook and iPad in my case and even my mates iPod touch from time to time when we are out). No extra fees, no hidden tricks. And my iPhone is unlocked, so I can sell it when my contract finishes and any person can use in any country or any network. COMPLAIN PEOPLE!

 

[robecq]

They joys of an unregulated mobile industry..... being stuck with only 1 (until recently) choice of carrier, 2 year contracts, paying extra for tethering, PAYING for incoming calls (WTF).
I'm glad I'm stuck in over regulated EU. On the up side, you yanks get to play with all the new toys first

 

[fishkorp]

I'm waiting for the class action lawsuit as this is wrong. The service that people have bought is not somehow giving them more bandwidth or a higher amount of download data simply because they are tethering through the phone. The phone can only download so fast to begin with so any device you connect to it will still be limited.

Will never happen. The contract you signed with AT&T specifically says the required data plan cannot be tethered without an additional fee. You agreed not to do it, they have every right to punish those that break the contract.

 

[d0minick]

Option 3; STOP trying to cheat the system, and START using your iDevice the way the manufacturer designed it and the way your carrier supports it. (Is it unfair? YES! Are all of us iPhone users getting hosed, even though there's now two carriers? YES)

And while you're at it, knock off the piracy with the napster/limewire/torrent crap.

(Yeah, I said it! SOMEBODY had to!)

LOL Holier then thou.

Hey, some sheep aren't meant to stray from the herd. Don't knock the others.

 

[d0minick]

They joys of an unregulated mobile industry..... being stuck with only 1 (until recently) choice of carrier, 2 year contracts, paying extra for tethering, PAYING for incoming calls (WTF).
I'm glad I'm stuck in over regulated EU. On the up side, you yanks get to play with all the new toys first

The EU holds many models the US should follow. And many more it shouldn't. The hard part is agreeing on what lies on each side!

 

[d0minick]

Poor thing... he doesn't realize napster and limewire are history. Also, once the data hits my device, it's mine to do with as I please. Thank you very much.

>laughing_girls.jpg.tiff.

You did pay for the amount of data you signed for!

 

[d0minick]

Until then I'm stuck because I believe in playing by the rules, no matter how F-d up they are...

How could you be the real IT guy if you believe that? Never meant an IT guy that had to "tweak" a few things to get a system to work, the best toys do what the manufacturer never intended!

 

[soLoredd]

I don't think it is a bad thing for AT+T to prevent people from tethering to a laptop on an unlimited cell phone plan. Those people are just taking advantage of the system, and wasting bandwidth that the rest of us could use.


As far as I'm concerned it is the same as going to an all you can eat restaurant and sharing your food between two people, while only paying for one. It isn't a serious crime, but it is stealing, and you know that if you get caught you will have to stop. I'm not going to feel bad for these people that are using 5+GB per month.

Agreed.

What I do find AT&T at fault for (and other carriers, for that matter) is this seperate tethering charge. I have unlimited data on my iPhone plan, and while I'm not crazy to think I should have that for tethering as well, I do think if I make the switch to a capped plan I should be able to use that for ALL data to my phone.

 

[soLoredd]

How could you be the real IT guy if you believe that? Never meant an IT guy that had to "tweak" a few things to get a system to work, the best toys do what the manufacturer never intended!

I think it says TV, not IT.

 

[bushido]

i'm surprised its not against some law tbh

i'm in europe so i can use tethering without any additional costs bc its just a rip off anyway. the provider enables a feature for u that is there in the first place and they give u the same data.

its as if t-online would ask me to pay extra for every additional laptop connected to my wifi

 

[jchung]

If only AT&T could accurately track data usage

I wouldn't be so opposed to this if AT&T could accurately track data usage. A number of people are being billed for some fairly large data usage which does not match their actual usage.

Here is the thread on Apple's support forum. http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2450738

As you can see, its been going on for a while. No one noticed until AT&T introduced their tiered data plan.

Until AT&T gets their data usage accounting worked out, I will NEVER sign up for their tiered plan nor their hot spot plan. Imagine how much worse their accounting will be with hot spot. And you have no tools to determine the real cause of the issue.

What is really stupid about this from AT&T is that they are requiring the user to act to Opt Out of getting the hot spot data plan. I thought companies stopped automatically enrolling people even if they were notified. I thought companies were supposed to require an Opt In for subscriptions and services.

Did we just go back 10 years?

 

[jlc1978]

Some users received the above SMS message with a followup email explaining tethering and warning them that tethering will be enabled if they continue to use that feature.TiPb speculates on how they are detecting unauthorized tethering:

Article Link: AT&T Cracking Down on Unauthorized Tethering

Hmm - that would be a change in your contract and might just allow you to get out of it with no termination fee - just as any the change would. Unless hay could prove you violated the TOS they can't unilaterally change it and force you to accept it; especially when they change the price.

 

[jlc1978]

They joys of an unregulated mobile industry..... being stuck with only 1 (until recently) choice of carrier, 2 year contracts, paying extra for tethering, PAYING for incoming calls (WTF).
I'm glad I'm stuck in over regulated EU. On the up side, you yanks get to play with all the new toys first

Actually, you can buy unsubsidized phones and have no contract lock just as in the EU; plus we don't get charged extra for calling a cell phone from another phone - and given the calling plans and unlimited minutes between the same carrier / friends / evenings using minutes for incoming calls is a non-issue for virtually all US phone users - I'd rather have that then have to pay to call a cell phone.

 

[justflie]

I've never really understood this. If I'm paying for unlimited data, why does it matter how I choose to distribute it? What if i used the same amount of data on my phone as when I tether my iPad? It's flawed, greedy logic on their part. I know it's in the contract not to use it blah blah, but that doesn't mean it makes sense.

 

[Eso]

Additional tethering charge on an unlimited data plan: justified.

Additional tethering charge on a limited data plan: not justified.

I don't care what contract you've signed, any court would agree.

 

[justflie]

What exactly about "unlimited" don't people understand? Without limits.

 

[Dan--]

On a limited plan, the carriers have NO business saying how the data should be used. You pay for the data, and they do NOTHING to provide the service of tethering. But I agree that on an unlimited plan, tethering is a little like someone said, going to an all-you-can-eat-buffet, paying for one, and then sharing. Of course, you're not likely to be tethering all the time that you're paying for the service, so not exactly the same.

What the carriers should do is make tethering completely, 100% free for anyone on a capped plan, and replace the current "unlimited" plan with 2 plans - one that costs the same, but has a cap of say 2GB over the next lower plan, and another that's a true unlimited plan that adds and includes the cost of tethering.

This kind of cr*p makes me mad.

Dan

 

[G5isAlive]

Somehow this doesn't surprise me at all. However, this is one more reason to stick at 4.1.0.

So far, the only real reason for 4.3.0 is Personal Hotspot, but since that is being monitored, then, I'll be happy to stick in 4.1.0 and give the finger to AT&T.

actually you are giving the finger to the rest of us... not AT&T... AT&T has a business model and just passes on additional costs to the consumer that actually pays for these things. so thanks.

 

[G5isAlive]

What exactly about "unlimited" don't people understand? Without limits.

actually there was a limit. single person. not tethering. anything else is in fact breaking the agreement.

 

[ghostlyorb]

I hope not =/ this would suck. Good thing I BARELY ever use MyWi... but can they make me switch to a tethering plan? Not without my authorization.. hah!

 

[auero]

I don't understand the ranting of why AT&T charges more to tether. Sprint and Verizon do it too? Just because your jailbreak method doesn't work anymore shouldn't make you mad. The system caught up to you. Yes it's stupid to pay for extra data but that's just how it is and people are still going to pay for it so complaining won't do anything.

I'm glad those people who are abusing the service and using 6+ gb of data so they can tether are finally getting the boot. It bogs down the network. Unlimited doesn't mean unlimited in the fine print either. It's the same on every network so don't blame AT&T.

 

[MoonDogg]

Did you Know....

My response to that TXT msg would be...

Did you know... I don't give a F|_|C|< !!!
and if you change my plan I will cancel my subscription and not pay a disconnect fee.... they may charge it... but I will never pay it.

I feel it is wrong to double charge someone for there data usage... It should not matter how you use your data... you paying for a certain amount and if you don't go over that then why should it matter. And to all of you that say there stealing something by tethering... there not... they paid for the data already... who are they hurting by using it on another device... no one... if at&t says they can't handle the network load then they need to upgrade there network.. or stop selling data capable phones. Oh and the thing about the unlimited plans... if its not unlimited... then don't say it is... that's false advertising... and I don't care about the fine print either.... they should not be allowed to advertise unlimited with out it being... umm.. well unlimited... and I know they don't offer it anymore... so if they want to get rid of it... when there current contract expires... take it away... done deal...


Before I get flamed to death here are some facts....
1. yes my iphone is jail-broke
2. no I don't tether... hell I only have the $15 plan and never go over it.

 

[Kebabselector]

I get: 2000 any network-any time minutes, 5000 same network minutes, 5000 any network messages, UNLIMITED internet, that's right, no capping, no "fair usage policies", UNLIMITED! AAAAND I can tether with up to 5 devices,

True, but once you move away from a major city 3's network is rather crap.

To be fair it's a good deal, but good luck leaving 3 when you decide to move on. Their call centres are awful to deal with.

 

[ugahairydawgs]

How exactly are they able to tell if someone is tethering or not?