PDANet Update Information

[FireEngines]

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[w_bovine]

I’ve Googled for the answer to this question but the answers have been more than six months old and nothing refers to long term usage. So, I will see if I can get some updated information.

I am considering using PDNet to tether by Verizon Motorola Droid. Has anyone, with the Verizon unlimited data plan, tethered their phone using this app over a long period of time? If so, have they incurred any additional fees by doing so?

Thanks!

I can't speak about Verizon and its Droid specifically, but it's thought by some that using excessive amounts of data via tethering could tip the carrier off that a person is indeed tethering in violation of the Terms of Service. Does Verizon put a 5GB/month ("unlimited" is sometimes subjective) cap on data? If so, you don't want to go over that.

I have PdaNet as well, but I'd never use it unless I really needed it, and certainly would not do things like watch YouTube all day with it. Regular web browsing and such should be fine, but you should proceed with some level of caution.

 

[(G)]

I totally agree. Use it sparingly and only when you need to. Don't stream music or video with it.

 

[Marc Wonderland]

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[w_bovine]

I don't have Verizon but I have T-Mobile and I used PDANet a lot when my internet was down and T-Mobile kept track. They sent me a message about it. I am sure Verizon does the same.

Could you elaborate a bit on how much data you used and what T-Mobile had to say about it? T-Mobile supposedly doesn't place the "standard" 5GB cap on data, but it's hard not to be wary.

 

[Marc Wonderland]

Could you elaborate a bit on how much data you used and what T-Mobile had to say about it? T-Mobile supposedly doesn't place the "standard" 5GB cap on data, but it's hard not to be wary.

OK..so it went down like this. Before my internet went down I downloaded PDAnet so I could use my laptop while I was away from the house. I have unlimited everything (data, minutes, texts) on my phone. My monthly payments are around $102 a month.

I had heard at the time that "unlimited" doesn't really mean that. So I called T-Mobile and asked about tethering the phone to the lap top and the "unlimited" data package. I was told constantly that I cannot tether the phone and even if I could it would be a breach of contract. I left the conversation alone.

To test what the "unlimited" meant I started tethering the phone with PDANet. I would mostly play games on Pogo and (the data usage killer) download movies . Towards the third week on the month, T-Mobile sent me a text saying that I was reaching my 5GB data usage limit and that I would be cut down for the rest of the month.

 

[w_bovine]

OK..so it went down like this. Before my internet went down I downloaded PDAnet so I could use my laptop while I was away from the house. I have unlimited everything (data, minutes, texts) on my phone. My monthly payments are around $102 a month.

I had heard at the time that "unlimited" doesn't really mean that. So I called T-Mobile and asked about tethering the phone to the lap top and the "unlimited" data package. I was told constantly that I cannot tether the phone and even if I could it would be a breach of contract. I left the conversation alone.

To test what the "unlimited" meant I started tethering the phone with PDANet. I would mostly play games on Pogo and (the data usage killer) download movies . Towards the third week on the month, T-Mobile sent me a text saying that I was reaching my 5GB data usage limit and that I would be cut down for the rest of the month.

Ah...so T-Mobile does indeed have a cap. No real surprise there. At least they warned you that the limit was approaching. I've read stories about people not getting a warning and ending up with ghastly bills for overuse of data. I'm assuming they made no mention of suspecting you of tethering. I think any carrier will let you tether when it's available...for an significant extra fee of course. Thanks for the information.

 

[Willyg44]

As others said, use it sparingly. I have had no problems with it, used it on WinMo phones with VZW and now on the Droid X with VZW. I only use it when I need to check and respond to emails, get attachments/spreadsheets, etc. If you use it all the time with data heavy sites/streaming, it may be a problem after a while.