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AT&T Cracking Down on Unauthorized Tethering
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Are you a tease?
There is no "cap" in the unlimited data plans. Period.
They don't offer an unlimited plan for tethering, so that part is moot.
It's nowhere to be found in the TOS for Smart phone/iPhone unlimited data plans.
This has been proven time and time again.
Even the current TOS makes no mention of a cap for the Unlimited plans.
http://www.wireless.att.com/cell-ph...&q_termsName=AT&T+Wireless+Customer+Agreement
Only the DataConnect, DataPlus and DataPro "tethering" plans have a 5GB soft cap. And it is clearly written in the TOS.
And last time I checked, none of those have Unlimited plans available.
I don't know where that link goes to but the At&t wireless legal link on the account page looks different.
This is from the one linked to my account:
There are no descriptions for the Iphone unlimited I could find because its not offered anymore.
But I remember the 5gb clause and here is what applied top all Data plans so
I guess you can argue it?
for those interested here are the legal site snap 2008 till present for At&t
WayBack Internet
Wait, how? How exactly have the unlimited people lead to issues?
Phone data in general lead to companies upgrading and now they say that unlimited users clog their networks....except showing any facts that show that.
They just blame unlimited users publicly and run with it often hoping others will repeat it too
As I said before; most of us have ever experienced having full bars while the data service is slow or unresponsive. In most cases this is due to having to many users on the tower attempting to access data. This is not an uncommon occurrence in densely populated areas. The nature of wireless data is that the towers are able to have more people connected then can be simultaneously provided data. Adding towers can't fix the issue. It's physics problem. You only have a fixed amount of data that can by transmitting wirelessly before the signal turn to noise. This bandwidth is shared by everyone connecting to a tower.
For the record, I'm not blaming the users. Rather AT&T oversold what they can provide. They grossly underestimated the amount of data that could be consumed by modern smartphones. Once they realized this, the unlimited plans were removed; however the damage was already done. The technology used in 3G towers is all but tapped out. As average usage continues to rise, AT&T must obtain the needed headroom from somewhere. So they target high usage consumers and high usage features (tethering).
Yeah some one had to say something ?
Uh we are not stealing
the Iphone and the Carrier both have tethering options so its designed for it
Limewire is not a torrent
Torrents are not stealing, in fact Microsoft and many other software companies as well as Linux are distributed through torrents.
I have Downloaded many versions of Beta test software this way, like all the win 7 betas and now the win 8 betas.
Some people are streaming movies legit, like netflix and Hulu
Lets get the facts straight here.
I say to hell with it all. Verizon will soon have their 4G LTE "MyFi" devices available. Get the cheap data plan from AT&T & get your data on 4G service. Or dump the AT&T service altogether & use a VOIP app for the iPhone with VZW 4G service. Of course, this will only work if VZW allows for unlimited data & you are in a 4G service area....like me.
I say to hell with it all. Verizon will soon have their 4G LTE "MyFi" devices available. Get the cheap data plan from AT&T & get your data on 4G service. Or dump the AT&T service altogether & use a VOIP app for the iPhone with VZW 4G service. Of course, this will only work if VZW allows for unlimited data & you are in a 4G service area....like me.
I Think Verizon has a 5GB and 10GB cap for their LTE plans.
CLEAR has no cap but it is slower than LTE.
Beyond the initial blast to some customers (enough to generate the buzz around the Net), have others been contacted about this? From what I've read it sounded like these notifications were to go out in waves, one source even stating something about a "by March 24th" target. That's two days away and I haven't heard more widespread reports in the past few days, nor have I received any such notification (besides the one I received a couple of years ago, before I started tethering).
That 5GB clause you quoted is for DataConnect plans. Those are only for laptop cards/modems, not cell phones. The Smartphone unlimited plan is truly unlimited - no cap at all.
OK then fine, lets say Unlimited is unlimited and then the only difference is that you cannot sign up for it anymore.
then we are stuck with At&t saying "you can have all the data you want" But if you connect your computer to the phone we will take it away.
Reason abuse? I would say no since its only 2% meaning that 98% do not abuse.
So real reason? Money
they get an extra $15 a month right off the Bat and when people go above the 4gb At&t enjoys $10 per Gb.
I post this along time ago in this thread
a 10Gb month would cost you $45 plus $60 so $105 a month instead of $30
$90 x 300,000 abusers is 27 million in revenue. Just at 10GB a month.
Profit and greed pure and simple. At&t is squeezing us all they can and now they are buying T-Mobile, Great
Waiting is about all you can do right now. If you haven't received a notice, just carry on business-as-usual. They don't want to overwhelm their call centers so I would expect it to take months before all notices have been sent. The community does have some time to prepare. That said, it is coming.
There are a couple of way that this could be gotten around (at least temporarily):
You could have the IP stack lie to the upstream devices, hiding TTL and other indications of routing activity. This provides the best application compatibility, but is highly dependent upon the specific methods AT&T is using to harvest data.
Another, possibly more legit method, could be to create an app that functions as a Proxy as opposed to a Router. A Proxy is less compatible, but the requests to internet sites are truly coming from the app running on your phone, not simply routing from the tethered guest device. It becomes a bit of a semantic issue, but in addition to possibly not qualifying as "tethering", it would be more difficult to detect.
As for me, my usage is well under the 4GB base and I've tired of the cat and mouse game. I've decided that it's worth the extra $15 for everything to "just work". It's been fun.
The Money argument would only hold if AT&T's network was currently under utilized. I think it is very clear from any article about AT&T's reliability in the last year, that they are beyond saturated in many areas. Also, the Money argument largely depends upon current unlimited users staying at their current consumption level. Contrarily I feel that AT&T hopes that these users will cut back on usage or leave AT&T network all together.
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Huh? What does utilization have to do with profits? As far as leave? And go where? Only one choice now Verizon.
But this is not the focus since when we say we want to leave they give in and try to keep us. I think they want it all, our money and our obedience to their will.
At&t is now growing so large that no Carrier will be as large in the USA.
last time they were this large the US government broke them up.
I feel the usage is At&t's fault, so many are blaming the 2% of abusers, At&t gave us Unlimited Data, we didn't force them to do this.
At&t wont allow us to add tether to the Unlimited....... At&t is causing the problem by double charging and double talk.
realize they have over 70 Million users and about to have over 100 million, and I'm supposed to feel sorry for them?
your posts seem to always side with "Poor At&t"
At&t controls the market not users,
Its not supply and demand anymore, Cell phones are now longer a luxury but a needed part of modern life. so Many have ditched land lines and now use Cell phones as means of communication.
Like Power and water to a home, this has now become a necessity.
70 years ago Power, running water and home phone was not needed to navigate life in the US, now its basic with internet starting to become the next basic.
Its so needed that I got in the mail a mass mailing for free cell phones for the poor.
Times change, soon school kids will study from tablets..... what was a necessity yesterday changes and evolves.
The point is, At&t provides something that is a basic need in the US now, that said yes we can and will dictate through the government what they can and cannot do to us.
Writing hard to understand and contradictory contracts is one area that will be looked at in the near future.
If At&t wants over 100 million customers then its their responsibility to provide reasonable service and cost just as would be provided by the smaller companies they bought.
To do otherwise there will be Heck to pay from all of us.
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I prefer to think of it as providing a more balanced view of the situation.
Its the end users right to utilize their plan as they see fit. If they pay for an unlimited plan, they have no moral obligation to compromise their usage for the sake of other users. They are completely justified in consuming 100's of GB a month.
On the other hand, the carrier has an obligation to enforce the terms of user contracts when violations impact other users.
I understand the emotional need to rant about the loss of something that benefits you, but I'm trying to be objective. You're argument seems to hinge on a contract forbidding tethering being illegal; therefore AT&T is evil. Other then some awkward car analogies, I see noting to support this claim.
Thats the rub, the contracts may not be ethical since they provide tethering with added GB to anyone who cannot get the unlimited anymore. I want the option to tether. If they just charged a simple gateway fee people would pay it,instead they refuse and thats the issue.
It may be illegal
Its the same data, and we are not allowed to tether unless we give up unlimited.
I explained how this claim can be supported, its called "The public Good"
When a large corporation supplies a needed product for basic functioning in our society we tend to hold it to a higher standard.
At&t is not evil, but they are not perfect.
You also have trouble supporting At&t's side except......it's in the contract.
I and others have pointed out that whats in a contract may or may not be binding once a judge makes a decision.
Lets look at At&t's side, Harm, to sue you must have Harm in some way.
If I tether how have I harmed At&t?
I used 3gb of Data in a month with phone and tether.
Its under the 4gb of the Data and tethering plan.
What harm have I done to At&t? You said its not about money, but in court you will not be able to convince a Jury that Data does not equal Data, so what is left is the $15 a month they lost with the 2+2 plan.
So it does come down to money.
AT&T needs to make some compromises to Unlimited users.
At least give them 5GB limit AND the ability to tether at the same price.
This would solve so much of the issues.
yes this may be reasonable since to tell someone you have to give up unlimited at $30 a month to get 4gb with Tether at $45 a month is more like a insult I think. Plus if the amount of use of the network was an issue and not money, then At&t would offer a 4gb plan with a huge penalty like $2mb they charge to those who are not on a plan. They don't and $10 a GB is not a huge enough to make people too mad.
I think its a complicated argument not Black and white.
The emotional part mentioned before in other posts was correct but there are valid points I feel on both sides.
OMG people... it's not the end of the world!
If you have the unlimited data plan for the device that your contract states then you have the following options.
1. Continue using the unlimited plan as it was signed by you on the day of contract. (AT&T didn't make any promises about tethering of the future).
2. Continue using the unlimited plan while making an unauthorized tethering connection. (It doesn't matter if you are using 1gb or 10gb you are still abusing the system which does affect those doing it the right way).
3. Switch to the appropriate data plan for said devices.
4. Shop for another carrier.
1990 is over, long over. The unlimited data plan was designed for yesterday's devices. AT&T is just waiting for you to switch plans just to get you off the unlimited plan. They are a business and not your friend. You need to get over this "grandfathered in" plan because when they announce a 4g iPhone voice/data plan, the grandfathering will be over!
If you have the unlimited data plan for the device that your contract states then you have the following options.
1. Continue using the unlimited plan as it was signed by you on the day of contract. (AT&T didn't make any promises about tethering of the future).
2. Continue using the unlimited plan while making an unauthorized tethering connection. (It doesn't matter if you are using 1gb or 10gb you are still abusing the system which does affect those doing it the right way).
3. Switch to the appropriate data plan for said devices.
4. Shop for another carrier.
1990 is over, long over. The unlimited data plan was designed for yesterday's devices. AT&T is just waiting for you to switch plans just to get you off the unlimited plan. They are a business and not your friend. You need to get over this "grandfathered in" plan because when they announce a 4g iPhone voice/data plan, the grandfathering will be over!
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I say SEND ME THAT TXT ATT!!! I do not tether, but I am at 5.8GB today. going to be higher as I sling TV and listen to SiriusXM on my iPhone today. Both APPROVED apps!!!
everyone has high margin services, tethering is it for the carriers. the harm is you agreed to a set of conditions in signing a contract to get a subsidized phone and you broke the contract
Some might need a magnifying glass to read the fine print, but this was taken directly from AT&T's website.
"Furthermore, plans (unless specifically designated for tethering usage) cannot be used for any applications that tether the device (through use of, including without limitation, connection kits, other phone/smartphone to computer accessories, BLUETOOTH® or any other wireless technology) to Personal Computers (including without limitation, laptops), or other equipment for any purpose. Accordingly, AT&T reserves the right to (i) deny, disconnect, modify and/or terminate Service, without notice, to anyone it believes is using the Service in any manner prohibited or whose usage adversely impacts its wireless network or service levels or hinders access to its wireless network, including without limitation, after a significant period of inactivity or after sessions of excessive usage and (ii) otherwise protect its wireless network from harm, compromised capacity or degradation in performance, which may impact legitimate data flows. You may not send solicitations to AT&T's wireless subscribers without their consent. You may not use the Services other than as intended by AT&T and applicable law. Plans are for individual, non-commercial use only and are not for resale. AT&T may, but is not required to, monitor your compliance, or the compliance of other subscribers, with AT&T's terms, conditions, or policies."
"Furthermore, plans (unless specifically designated for tethering usage) cannot be used for any applications that tether the device (through use of, including without limitation, connection kits, other phone/smartphone to computer accessories, BLUETOOTH® or any other wireless technology) to Personal Computers (including without limitation, laptops), or other equipment for any purpose. Accordingly, AT&T reserves the right to (i) deny, disconnect, modify and/or terminate Service, without notice, to anyone it believes is using the Service in any manner prohibited or whose usage adversely impacts its wireless network or service levels or hinders access to its wireless network, including without limitation, after a significant period of inactivity or after sessions of excessive usage and (ii) otherwise protect its wireless network from harm, compromised capacity or degradation in performance, which may impact legitimate data flows. You may not send solicitations to AT&T's wireless subscribers without their consent. You may not use the Services other than as intended by AT&T and applicable law. Plans are for individual, non-commercial use only and are not for resale. AT&T may, but is not required to, monitor your compliance, or the compliance of other subscribers, with AT&T's terms, conditions, or policies."
No worries; live it up! Sling is a slick app.
They sold you unlimited and you're using it as intended.