Crap! Nexus TMO Tethering no longer FREE!?!

[GTaudiophile]

Just a weeks ago while traveling for work in Dallas I used my tethering extensively. Fast forward to today in the ATL airport and now I get screen asking me to add tethering to my account for $15/mo!

CRAP!

 

[ponyo]

It hasn't been free for years. They just really didn't enforce it til recently. If you abuse it, they will ask you to pay.

 

[ImDonly1]

Last I read was they look at the browser user agent to see if you are using a non mobile browser. It was easy to change the user agent to whatever you want. See this thread
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1931992

 

[wirednuts]

i am so tired of this. we pay for the data, why do they care how we use it?

 

[sswingle]

Last I read was they look at the browser user agent to see if you are using a non mobile browser. It was easy to change the user agent to whatever you want. See this thread
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1931992

I frequently use a desktop user agent on my phone. Wonder what they would say if one called to complain about that.

 

[Bateluer]

i am so tired of this. we pay for the data, why do they care how we use it?

Users with a tiered data plan should not only be allowed to tether, but actively encouraged to do so. Use up that data quickly, pay carrier for more.

Users with an unlimited data plan, on the other hand, are a different story.

 

[pm]

Get a photon from Freedompop. Free tetherable data...

 

[glen]

What do they charge for? If I use my cell phone with my wireless router, surely they cannot charge for that.

 

[wirednuts]

Users with a tiered data plan should not only be allowed to tether, but actively encouraged to do so. Use up that data quickly, pay carrier for more.

Users with an unlimited data plan, on the other hand, are a different story.

i dont see why it matters in any case. the only stipulation i understand is throttling individuals if they are causing congestion on the network at any given time. carriers need to stop micro charging for every god dang bit of data and realize if towers aren't running at capacity then who cares who is doing what on them.

it makes me think that the carriers themselves are getting charged on a teir plan to push the data between their towers. it would be the only reason they would be so hell bent on charging per byte instead of energy used and maitnenence of the towers themselves.

 

[sswingle]

What do they charge for? If I use my cell phone with my wireless router, surely they cannot charge for that.

Obviously. Do you not know what tethering is?

 

[waggy]

didnt Verizon get sued for charging for tethering?

 

[s44]

didnt Verizon get sued for charging for tethering?

I believe they're not allowed to interfere with tethering over LTE on a metered data plan.

 

[glen]

Obviously. Do you not know what tethering is?

Well, I thought that was tethering. But, I can't see how they would charge for it? It doesn't use their towers. It uses my ISP that I pay for.

 

[dagamer34]

I believe they're not allowed to interfere with tethering over LTE on a metered data plan.

They're not allowed to interfere due to the rules around the C Block of spectrum the bought in the 700Mhz spectrum auction back in 2008 because of Google.

 

[glen]

Seems liek tethering would work even if I did not have a provider. Right? What am I missing?

 

[wirednuts]

Seems liek tethering would work even if I did not have a provider. Right? What am I missing?

waht?

 

[s44]

What do they charge for? If I use my cell phone with my wireless router, surely they cannot charge for that.

You're confused. Tethering is when you hook your router or PC or tablet to your cell phone to use cell data instead of, say, the cable connection. This can be incredibly useful when traveling, or if your landline internet goes out during a hurricane (yeah, this happened... Verizon stayed up the whole damn time though).

What you describe is just putting your phone on wifi which obviously reduces data use and is encouraged, not restricted.

 

[glen]

You're confused. Tethering is when you hook your router or PC or tablet to your cell phone to use cell data instead of, say, the cable connection. This can be incredibly useful when traveling, or if your landline internet goes out during a hurricane (yeah, this happened... Verizon stayed up the whole damn time though).

What you describe is just putting your phone on wifi which obviously reduces data use and is encouraged, not restricted.

That make a lot more sense.

 

[zoiks]

Change the user agent in the browser to mimic an android phone. I suggest that you use Chrome on your laptop and then use the "User agent switcher" plugin. This way you can switch back and forth right in the screen using the drop down on to the right of the address bar.
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/user-agent-switcher-for-c/djflhoibgkdhkhhcedjiklpkjnoahfmg

 

[Thegonagle]

$15 a month really isn't that bad for unlimited HSPA+ data tethering.

What does your cable run you monthly? Just sayin'!

 

[aaksheytalwar]

Afaik tethering is free in India thankfully

 

[T_Yamamoto]

Tethering is free if you rooted like me.

 

[Nothinman]

Tethering is free if you rooted like me.

And if you're not rooted there's a wired tether that works without paying the carrier too.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.koushikdutta.tether

 

[vshah]

Get a photon from Freedompop. Free tetherable data...

i thought you didn't want any discussion of tethering workarounds in this forum anymore?

 

[NikolaeVarius]

Tethering is free if you rooted like me.

Its only free because the carriers haven't cracked down hard on it.

It's extremely simple to figure out if you're tethering or not.