I have exchange as my primary email but I don't have a business, I'm just a student. Will I need to have the $45 a month business data plan from AT&T with a 3g iPhone purchase just to use exchange? I haven't come across clear documentation regarding this and would really like to use my exchange email/contacts with my iPhone instead of mobileme.
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Exchange on Regular AT&T Data Plan?
- Thread starter whatisthe
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Hmm I was under the assumption that support for it may not be available over the regular data plan since it is generally a business email service and they need to get businessmen/businesses to cough up money for the business data plan somehow. I realize they include enterprise app functionality with the business data plan but I'm still not sure if exchange is a business only feature, which is why I made this post 
If your account is in a business name, then you will automatically be charged the data rate for businesses. If you play into the whole sales pitch they're selling, then you'll pay the business data rate. You can log into your exchange server with the standard data plan. This is just a ploy to:
1. Get businesses to pay more.
2. Trick normal people into coughing up more money if they don't know better and plan to access an exchange server.
1. Get businesses to pay more.
2. Trick normal people into coughing up more money if they don't know better and plan to access an exchange server.
Activesync?
I thought you got something for the money. I was under the impression that it was what you needed to use the push feature of activysync, is that not what you get get with business? Logging into webmail is not what you would pay for as that is just another webserver that happens to have your email.
I thought you got something for the money. I was under the impression that it was what you needed to use the push feature of activysync, is that not what you get get with business? Logging into webmail is not what you would pay for as that is just another webserver that happens to have your email.
From what I've read, I believe that you CAN get Exchange support via ActiveSync on the consumer plan. All you have to do is point your email to the Exchange server and you're good to go. It's basically like setting up a POP email address or IMAP.
The Business plan contains some other features like getting on to a business intranet and some other things (Cisco VPN, remotewipe, etc). Businesses will be charged the $45 a month plan for those extra features.
The Business plan contains some other features like getting on to a business intranet and some other things (Cisco VPN, remotewipe, etc). Businesses will be charged the $45 a month plan for those extra features.
Logically, you wouldn't need an enterprise plan for ANY of the extra features. ActiveSync and remote wipe are both supported by Exchange Server 2003 SP2 or Exchange 2007 SP1 via http or https. As far a AT&T knows this is only web traffic, especially if you are using https which is encrypted so they have no idea what the packets contain.
As far as VPN goes, that is also just a service provided by hardware owned by the business and has nothing to do with AT&T's network other than it acting as a dumb pipe. The only thing preventing it from working is if they actively blocked IPSEC, or PPTP traffic unless you have an enterprise data plan which would suck. Likewise Intranet is something made available by the business. You would most likely need a VPN tunnel established just to access this.
So I see now reason WHY one would need an enterprise data plan. This is simply a cash grab from AT&T as you need nothing more than an unfiltered Internet connection for ActiveSync or VPN to work. AT&T could potentially block access to these services via a flag on your phone or actively blocking VPN traffic or unencrypted http traffic that is detected as ActiveSync. If I need to sign up for an Enterprise Plan on my personal phone just so I can use it with my work's Exchange Server and VPN (both of which I admin) I will not be happy.
As far as VPN goes, that is also just a service provided by hardware owned by the business and has nothing to do with AT&T's network other than it acting as a dumb pipe. The only thing preventing it from working is if they actively blocked IPSEC, or PPTP traffic unless you have an enterprise data plan which would suck. Likewise Intranet is something made available by the business. You would most likely need a VPN tunnel established just to access this.
So I see now reason WHY one would need an enterprise data plan. This is simply a cash grab from AT&T as you need nothing more than an unfiltered Internet connection for ActiveSync or VPN to work. AT&T could potentially block access to these services via a flag on your phone or actively blocking VPN traffic or unencrypted http traffic that is detected as ActiveSync. If I need to sign up for an Enterprise Plan on my personal phone just so I can use it with my work's Exchange Server and VPN (both of which I admin) I will not be happy.