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Tethering

I was told by the Tmo guy that this phone tethers for free. It's built in anyway, how would they stop you. And unlimited data.
 
Since the Nexus S is pure Google Android, T-Mobile really has no say in how they manage tethering and etcetera; however, technically tethering is against T-Mobile ToS without specifically purchasing a tethering plan. Still, there's not much they can do. Just try to stay under that 5GB per month data cap so that you can avoid drawing unnecessary attention to your account.
 
quantumrand said:
Since the Nexus S is pure Google Android, T-Mobile really has no say in how they manage tethering and etcetera; however, technically tethering is against T-Mobile ToS without specifically purchasing a tethering plan. Still, there's not much they can do. Just try to stay under that 5GB per month data cap so that you can avoid drawing unnecessary attention to your account.
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Thx, this is good info.
 
I had read that T-Mobile could somehow scan the packets given off by a phone and tell whether it's using tethered data or not and could charge you that way, but I have yet to get an SMS notification that they know on the Nexus One or Nexus S, so I think that was bunk.
 
Duffin said:
I had read that T-Mobile could somehow scan the packets given off by a phone and tell whether it's using tethered data or not and could charge you that way, but I have yet to get an SMS notification that they know on the Nexus One or Nexus S, so I think that was bunk.
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They certainly have the capability to observe your internet traffic, but because there are so many apps that interact with the internet in different ways, there's no way they could definitively tell you were tethering.

Example: Some VPN and RDP applications can act a lot like a tethered device.
 
Unless you are downloading torrents, doing windows updates, streaming gigabytes of porn, etc while tethered, Tmobile doesn't care. If you fall into that category, you may get a message or phone call from them but until that day comes, I wouldn't worry about it too much. hakuna matata my friends.
 
it is free, but remember tmo's stance on hotspot and tethering is that it is not allowed. even though they know we do it. thus the 5gb cap a month so that we dont abuse.
 
Since the Nexus S is not a Tmo phone and does not have Tmo software in it, I don't think there's much they can do about it. I would thing if you don't abuse it Tmo won't care about it. I was told by the Tmo local store that the Vibrant and Nexus had free tethering. The Vibrant has Tmo software and Tmo didn't shut it off.
 
go past 5gb and get throttled. its the worst that will happen. get 3g watchdog and monitor your data usage.
 
I use tethering all the time and have never had any issues. As long as you are not downloading torrents or doing windows updates, you will be fine. As for the hot spots, no, Tmobile is not providing any free hot spots like AT&T does.
 
How does T-Mobile prevent people from tethering on other phones? What appears on the screen when someone without a tethering plan attempts to tether?
 
NunyaBidnez said:
How does T-Mobile prevent people from tethering on other phones? What appears on the screen when someone without a tethering plan attempts to tether?
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T-Mobile will not do anything unless you exceed 5GB even if you don't have a tethering plan; they just won't support you if you have any technical issues. If you do exceed this amount, you will receive a message from then and then run the risk of being charged extra for data or your service temporarily throttled, etc. I have never had any problems tethering just don't download torrents or do windows updates and you will be fine. I spent an entire week watching Hulu movies without any issues.
 
It's really not that difficult to detect tethering. At lest for unencrypted protocols that send info like a user-agent, like HTTP, T-Mobile can scan to check for a non-Android agent. So you would have to use a tethering app that rewrites the user-agent for those protocols to keep you truly under the radar.
 
fangorious said:
It's really not that difficult to detect tethering. At lest for unencrypted protocols that send info like a user-agent, like HTTP, T-Mobile can scan to check for a non-Android agent. So you would have to use a tethering app that rewrites the user-agent for those protocols to keep you truly under the radar.
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I think you are reading too much into it. I promise, T-Mobile doesn't care....they just won't provide technical support. I am tethering right now and I don't have a tether plan. I have never had a tethering plan and have never had any issues.
 
we're in agreement, I've tethered from time to time since the new plans were introduced as well. I was responding to people saying there's no way T-Mobile can detect if a user is tethering or not.
 
I Think I have the definite answer. I have been tethering everyday as I am staying at a friends house with no internet this month. On Christmas I received a text message from T mobile saying that due to my data usage my data would be throttled for the remainder of my billing cycle in accordance with my contract agreement.

My account says I have used 7+ gb of unlimited data.

I still have unlimited data with no additional charges and I can still tether just fine. It is just REALLY slow, still usable unless I am trying to watch video though.
 
chrlswltrs said:
I Think I have the definite answer. I have been tethering everyday as I am staying at a friends house with no internet this month. On Christmas I received a text message from T mobile saying that due to my data usage my data would be throttled for the remainder of my billing cycle in accordance with my contract agreement.

My account says I have used 7+ gb of unlimited data.

I still have unlimited data with no additional charges and I can still tether just fine. It is just REALLY slow, still usable unless I am trying to watch video though.
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If you read over the ToS, you'll see that T-Mobile's fair use policy kicks in at 5GB. I forget what speed they limit you to, but it's definitely pretty slow. I seem to remember it being something like 50kbps, but it might be more like 200kbps.

Still your experience goes to show that T-Mobile doesn't really care much if you're tethering, as long as you're diligent about your data usage.
 
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