VZN tethering discussion

[Laxstar785]

You have to remember verizon is in business to screw you anyway possible not give you what you want..... hence raising the price on my fios package and basically telling me theres nothing I can do to keep my old price. I am regretting buying the nexus not because I don't love the phone i do but I knew i should have cancelled and went to sprint especially since they have the phone now. I am currently trying to get out of fios now since they raised my price....the pulled a netflix on my ass.

 

[dhworph]

I pay for tethering. $30 for unlimited mobile data + $30 for unlimited tethering addon. Although when vzw's network acts wonky, often 3rd party tethering apps still work when vzw tethering doesn't. This is my home internet connection (which is why I don't mind paying for it too). VZW tethering seems to go through an extra authentication process that 3rd party apps don't do, so that might be the reason it stops working when there are network issues, but 3rd party apps still can work, as long as you have some sort of data connection.

Tethering addon just shares your mobile data allowance so you can use it however you like -- eg 5GB data + 2GB tethering can be all 7GB tethering or all 7GB mobile data, or any mix of the two (I've had this confirmed to me by VZW tech support).

If you are on a tiered plan, then you can't tether much anyway, so I don't see how doing it with a 3rd party app infrequently will ever be a problem for vzw. However if you are on an unlimited data plan, then I can see vzw raising an issue if you tether but don't pay extra for it. However, as long as you are conservative in your use, it probably won't be an issue. But if you need many GB per month of tethering, you would be safer adding on the legit service probably.

It's funny that VZW store reps will even recommend tethering apps. I find that very funny... of course anything to help sell a phone... but still if the in store reps are telling this to customers (and they also suggest rooting too), then it shouldn't violate policy. Although, I like that they have the freedom to even suggest customers violate policy.

I was around 60GB for 3 weeks of use (probably 90+% of it was tethering). Plus I am hoping to have unlimited tethering locked in for grandfathering in the future.

Streaming video uses alot of bandwidth... Plus a reformat of my laptop - which resulted in downloading lots of windows updates and program files - probably caused me to use abnormally high bandwidth. And it was amazing that it all worked great on tethered 4G!

I think I will normally be around 20GB per month. I feel VZW's data caps seem ridiculously low. I think $60 for unlimited data is a REALLY good deal, in all honestly, hey even if it was $100 for unlimited, I might even pay that!!! ... but $30 for 2GB & tethering is not allowed!?!?!?!

 

[G.Armour]

I heard that on 4g devices VZW is offering unlimited tethering for $30 a month. Personally, since I am never home or never near wifi, this seems like a great deal

 

[dhworph]

I heard that on 4g devices VZW is offering unlimited tethering for $30 a month. Personally, since I am never home or never near wifi, this seems like a great deal

I'm pretty sure you need to have unlimited mobile data plan to get that. My understanding is that tethering now shares your mobile data allowance. So if you are on a tiered plan, you can only share that with tethering (of course the tethering addon gives an extra 2GB of data to use).

You might have to pester them a bit to add on unlimited tethering though. The rep at the store selling me the phone didn't know about it.

 

[Johndubbya77]

Honestly, I get screwed either way.. I cannot get Cable or DSL where I live and Time Warner wants 13,000 to install cable on my road. I by no means abuse my phone but I will say this when you have a mi fi for home use that is when you get screwed over honestly overages are rediculous

 

[OfTheDamned]

I'm pretty sure you need to have unlimited mobile data plan to get that. My understanding is that tethering now shares your mobile data allowance. So if you are on a tiered plan, you can only share that with tethering (of course the tethering addon gives an extra 2GB of data to use).

You might have to pester them a bit to add on unlimited tethering though. The rep at the store selling me the phone didn't know about it.

Honestly, I get screwed either way.. I cannot get Cable or DSL where I live and Time Warner wants 13,000 to install cable on my road. I by no means abuse my phone but I will say this when you have a mi fi for home use that is when you get screwed over honestly overages are rediculous

I have seen and heard it mentioned more than a few times now that if you are on a tiered data plan with your phone then you can still get an unlimited tethering plan and it will change your tiered plan to unlimited.

I have too many people in my house that use our network when I am not home so tethering for service doesn't make sense for me. If I were still single and lived alone then I think it would be perfect. Most of the service providers I have looked at are charging $40 + for a 12 Mb connection. Living in a 4G area and paying $30 for unlimited tethering on my phone sounds like a great option and it is service you always have with you.

 

[jamor]

It is a good discussion.

But Tethering is not illegal. Verizon is trying to threaten people with that, but it isn't.

That's why I will continue to tether and have been for 2 years.

 

[OfTheDamned]

It is a good discussion.

But Tethering is not illegal. Verizon is trying to threaten people with that, but it isn't.

That's why I will continue to tether and have been for 2 years.

This is true, tethering is not illegal. They sell tethering plans. The issue is that it is theft of service to use it and not pay for it.

 

[Crashumbc]

This is true, tethering is not illegal. They sell tethering plans. The issue is that it is theft of service to use it and not pay for it.

Same thing with cable. I knew folks that ran a cable from their apt. downstairs to their friends...

That said, the other side is Comcast used to (heck might even still) try to charge people PER TV in their house.To me it was ridiculous to even try to do that.

In general,

The issue I have with trying to view this in a "black and white" manner, is it is virtually impossible to live in today's society without breaking the law. EVERYONE does, speeding, jaywalking, etc. Most people break half a dozen laws a day to some extent. (to this person who will chime in and swear they don't, I don't believe you, sorry)...

 

[jamor]

This is true, tethering is not illegal. They sell tethering plans. The issue is that it is theft of service to use it and not pay for it.

Well XDA is shut down tomorrow.. So people are going to have a much harder time tethering.

HUGE win for Verizon and the rest of the carriers.

^^Edit disregard. XDA is voluntarily shutting down for a protest.

 

[Crashumbc]

Well XDA is shut down tomorrow.. So people are going to have a much harder time tethering.

HUGE win for Verizon and the rest of the carriers.

Wait wait? did I miss something? why is XDA going to be down? (unless this is relation to the SOPA thing)

ok its because of SOPA, which is a very serious issue, but not really connected to tethering. your post is somewhat misleading..

 

[PhilosoRaptor]

It is a good discussion.

But Tethering is not illegal. Verizon is trying to threaten people with that, but it isn't.

That's why I will continue to tether and have been for 2 years.

This is true, tethering is not illegal. They sell tethering plans. The issue is that it is theft of service to use it and not pay for it.

Funny, I had this brought up to me on another forum; The term "illegal" isn't restricted to Federal/State jurisdiction. It simply means that you are doing something contrary to official rules and regulations. In this case, you are breaking the Terms of Service that you agree to when you sign the contract to the phone carrier.

So no, you can't be prosecuted in court for breaking the carriers ToS. But you can be forced out of the contract and required to pay the ETF for not adhering to the contract that you signed.

 

[jamor]

Wait wait? did I miss something? why is XDA going to be down? (unless this is relation to the SOPA thing)

ok its because of SOPA, which is a very serious issue, but not really connected to tethering. your post is somewhat misleading..

I got it wrong. It's getting shutdown temporarily in protest of SOPA/PIPA.

So it's not really a victory for Verizon. Big blooper there.

Funny, I had this brought up to me on another forum; The term "illegal" isn't restricted to Federal/State jurisdiction. It simply means that you are doing something contrary to official rules and regulations. In this case, you are breaking the Terms of Service that you agree to when you sign the contract to the phone carrier.

So no, you can't be prosecuted in court for breaking the carriers ToS. But you can be forced out of the contract and required to pay the ETF for not adhering to the contract that you signed.

Well yea. Like illegally picking up the golf ball in a tournament. You get penalized in game but you don't go to jail.

 

[OfTheDamned]

Same thing with cable. I knew folks that ran a cable from their apt. downstairs to their friends...

That said, the other side is Comcast used to (heck might even still) try to charge people PER TV in their house.To me it was ridiculous to even try to do that.

In general,

The issue I have with trying to view this in a "black and white" manner, is it is virtually impossible to live in today's society without breaking the law. EVERYONE does, speeding, jaywalking, etc. Most people break half a dozen laws a day to some extent. (to this person who will chime in and swear they don't, I don't believe you, sorry)...

The best anyone can do is to abide by the laws they know. Not everyone can do this 100% of the time. We have all driven over the speed limit, changed lanes without signaling or passed on the right. To most these are pretty minor things. Taking something from someone without their permission is a different story. Taking something that costs $0.25 is still wrong, but it is far worse to take something worth $360.

Well XDA is shut down tomorrow.. So people are going to have a much harder time tethering.

HUGE win for Verizon and the rest of the carriers.

That has more to do with piracy than anything else. There are plenty of examples of people posting warez, hacked applications, warez built into roms, etc. over at XDA. I'm sorry to see the site go because I found a bunch of useful information there, but that is just another reason why we fight so hard on this forum to stop piracy discussions as soon as they start. Not to mention the fact that the Android community as a whole shouldn't be supporting theft from it's own developers.

Funny, I had this brought up to me on another forum; The term "illegal" isn't restricted to Federal/State jurisdiction. It simply means that you are doing something contrary to official rules and regulations. In this case, you are breaking the Terms of Service that you agree to when you sign the contract to the phone carrier.

So no, you can't be prosecuted in court for breaking the carriers ToS. But you can be forced out of the contract and required to pay the ETF for not adhering to the contract that you signed.

Just so I can make myself clear on this. There is nothing wrong with tethering when it is done legitimately. Just about every carrier offers some sort of tethering plan. When it is paid for then it is not illegal. When it is used without being paid for then it is theft of service. Regardless of it being illegal in the eyes of a the US court system or Verizon it is still taking something without permission and is the wrong thing to do.

Would it be great if the carriers just said, "You paid for X amount of data and can use it in any way you want."? Absolutely! That would be wonderful, but that isn't going to happen any time soon.

 

[jamor]

That has more to do with piracy than anything else. There are plenty of examples of people posting warez, hacked applications, warez built into roms, etc. over at XDA. I'm sorry to see the site go because I found a bunch of useful information there, but that is just another reason why we fight so hard on this forum to stop piracy discussions as soon as they start. Not to mention the fact that the Android community as a whole shouldn't be supporting theft from it's own developers.

Right I know - I just meant that if XDA is shut down it would be a huge Victory for Verizon because that is the biggest source of information for wifi-tethering.

They even teach you how to make it look like regular data usage and I'm sure that makes it a bit harder for Verizon to know if people are tethering.

 

[dhworph]

I have seen and heard it mentioned more than a few times now that if you are on a tiered data plan with your phone then you can still get an unlimited tethering plan and it will change your tiered plan to unlimited.

I'm pretty certain this is not possible (or at least not mainstream policy). Maybe some have successfully finagled it by being persistent with customer service or by just getting lucky, but it isn't offered on the website when signing up. You have to already have unlimited data in order to add on unlimited tethering. But of course, customer service or other employees/reps can change policy for an enthusiastic customer maybe.

Anyone here have this happen?

 

[Crashumbc]

Just so folks are clear..

XDA is NOT getting shut down. They are temporarily bringing the site down themselves from 8am to 8pm in protest to SOPA.

they will have links to information on it and why its so bad.


You will see MANY sites down tomorrow for the same, reddit is another popular site doing it. I've heard rumors about FB doing but I really doubt that will happen, we'll see though.

 

[jamor]

Yea I cleared that up in my edit Crash sorry about that.

 

[OfTheDamned]

I'm pretty certain this is not possible (or at least not mainstream policy). Maybe some have successfully finagled it by being persistent with customer service or by just getting lucky, but it isn't offered on the website when signing up. You have to already have unlimited data in order to add on unlimited tethering. But of course, customer service or other employees/reps can change policy for an enthusiastic customer maybe.

Anyone here have this happen?

Ah, well it seems you are correct.

Stuck with a Tiered Data Plan on Verizon? This Trick May Get You Unlimited Data (Updated) – Droid Life

Apparently those who did get switched to unlimited are being reverted back now.

Just so folks are clear..

XDA is NOT getting shut down. They are temporarily bringing the site down themselves from 8am to 8pm in protest to SOPA.

they will have links to information on it and why its so bad.


You will see MANY sites down tomorrow for the same, reddit is another popular site doing it. I've heard rumors about FB doing but I really doubt that will happen, we'll see though.

I guess I misunderstood it as well. I read about the shutdown/SOPA connection and figured they were getting in trouble. The article they posted is worded very poorly, IMHO. I appreciate you setting the record straight though.

 

[jamor]

I guess I misunderstood it as well. I read about the shutdown/SOPA connection and figured they were getting in trouble. The article they posted is worded very poorly, IMHO. I appreciate you setting the record straight though.

Yep. My buddy who told me also got it wrong.

Glad they are staying up though.

 

[BiggestManEver]

It's not stealing if it's something they are already providing for you, and you are using.

If I promise to buy 10 apples a week from the grocery store, they don't care if I am eating them, dropping them in the trash can, or throwing them at homeless people.

And yes, it's the same thing.

 

[Crashumbc]

STRIKE AGAINST SOPA

lists sites going dark...

wikapedia is another huge site that will be dark.

Google will have "something" on their homepage no one is sure what...

 

[dhworph]

... Stuck with a Tiered Data Plan on Verizon? This Trick May Get You Unlimited Data (Updated)

 

[ska.t73]

Another thing a lot of people do not realize about tethering is how it effects you geo ip. This will not usually effect most people, however there are some websites and games that this will cause issues with. The biggest example I have is World of Warcraft (don't JUDGE me!!! ). They have a system that will check a few things when you log on to try and combat hacking, one of them is the geo ip. If the login fails some of those checks then it will prompt for a password reset.

Most people don't realize that mobile data doesn't always show the closest geo ip. For instance a friend of mine who live in IL was using his phone to thether into his network to fix some things. He noticed that while he was sitting in the same room as the server he was connecting to (in IL) the IP showed him as being located in MA.

 

[OfTheDamned]

It's not stealing if it's something they are already providing for you, and you are using.

If I promise to buy 10 apples a week from the grocery store, they don't care if I am eating them, dropping them in the trash can, or throwing them at homeless people.

And yes, it's the same thing.

Actually, this is more like you promise to buy ten apples a week and if you want to use those apples as oranges you will have to pay for 10 oranges.

Your apple comparison applies more to data plans in general. They are charging you for data and don't really care if you use it or not. They would actually prefer that you don't as it saves them money, but it doesn't count for tethering. They do mind if you tether without paying for it and it is not the same thing.

It is theft of service if they provide a service, you are required to pay for that service to use it and are doing something to circumvent paying in order to use the service. Verizon offers a tethering plan and if you want to use it you are supposed to pay for the service. Using tethering by any other method is taking something without paying for it, which is theft no matter how you describe it.