Database Users

[Q] Tethering - an option?

Is tethering going to be an option you can sign up for, or rather, something that they will detect and bill you for ?
I can't seem to find anything on their website as far as adding tethering to your plan. I have no gripes about paying for it, especially since now I have WiFi calling... I just dropped my plan down to 500 minutes as I plan on doing most everything via WiFi anyhow.

I do not know their plans. I am tethering with my Nexus while I am waiting on my order for this phone from the retention department.
I will be watching my billings to see if they are able to charge for this beginning today.

JWhipple said:
Is tethering going to be an option you can sign up for, or rather, something that they will detect and bill you for ?
I can't seem to find anything on their website as far as adding tethering to your plan. I have no gripes about paying for it, especially since now I have WiFi calling... I just dropped my plan down to 500 minutes as I plan on doing most everything via WiFi anyhow.
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I was curious as well...I dont know if they can detect that you are tethering, especially in places that have 4G service. The phone itself is capable of pulling quite a bit of data.
I can say that I have already flexed the tethering app installed on the phone and it works great...even on 3G. Its not something I abuse. If I need to tether to my laptop here at work, I do...then get off. I know some people who have cut out their home ISP and rely on tethering even to run their PS3 and XB360. That I think is being a little greedy for a service that T-Mobile has been pretty lenient with thus far.
On a side note...you would think that there would be a popup disclaimer "this app may result in charges...blah,blah,blah" when you open the default hotspot app...but there is not, leading me to believe that they may never take notice of casual tethering.

AT&T Tethering Detection

I just got a warning letter from AT&T in the mail for tethering without a tethering plan and they are threatening to eliminate my unlimited plan. I am going to stop now that they have warned me so I don't loose the plan but does anyone know how they detect it. I tethered a lot last month but I have been tethering for about 6 months now undetected. Last month though, I used 2GB of data compared to the 1GB I normally use. Is it only the spike which made them guess. I use the android wifi tether app. I heard a couple ways of how they do it.
1) They look at the user agent.
2) They look at the TCP/IP header for the number of hops. (Tetherers will have an extra hop) -if this is true if I used wired tether it would be fine
3) Just the spike in data usage.
I'm curious to know how they do it and if there is a way to stop them from knowing. There is a lot of this for the iphone but not for androids. Anybody know more about this

I have used wired tether and they stilll detect it.... Time for you to invest in home broadband.

How were you contacted or notified that you were tethering from AT&T? I have done it a number of times using wireless AP and never heard a thing.

[Q] Tethering: Default Samsung vs 3rd part App (e.g. PDANet+ etc)

Hello
I have an International Note 3 (unlocked, unbranded) Exynos (N900).
I would like to know whether there is a difference in the tethering support / method / features of the stock tethering feature vs. using a 3rd party App like PDANet+ etc.
The reason for my question: I have an uncapped data plan as part of my mobile package, but I am not sure if tethered usage (to my PC) is allowed and whether I am safe (won't be charged extra) while tethering through the stock setting?
Please, any advice is appreciated.

If your carrier is anything like Three and O2 in the UK - As soon as you start tethering they pick up on it and send you a message about it informing you that tethering is not permitted, need to get the right plan etc and they D/C your mobile net for 30minutes. Only way to test is to try really

You need to figure out whether you have tethering included in the plan. If you don't then in terms of it being "safe" to tether, you're violating the terms of your agreement with your mobile carrier (at least in the States, don't know how the rest of the world works) if you attempt to mask tethering as regular data usage. If however the carrier has specifically either said they don't care whether you tether, or that tethering is allowed as part of your mobile data, then you're safe to tether however you so choose.
The last thing you want to do is do nothing. You're not harmed at all by verifying with your carrier. Five minutes on Google is enough to demonstrate the possible negative side effects of tethering without checking first:
http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/1706143
http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/2204186
Also worth noting that I've seen some "Root your phone and tether with a third party! They'll never know!" solutions that have definitely not been solutions. I prefer playing it safe to doing something that could really cause me a lot of problems. Most carriers you can pay ten or twenty bucks a month extra, lock in a tethering option, set a data limit on your phone, and have peace of mind.

radicalisto said:
If your carrier is anything like Three and O2 in the UK - As soon as you start tethering they pick up on it and send you a message about it informing you that tethering is not permitted, need to get the right plan etc and they D/C your mobile net for 30minutes. Only way to test is to try really
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I am on Telkom Mobile (South Africa) - the first carrier to have an unlimited package here in SA (unlimited calls, sms, data...) and unfortunately there is very little documentation on the package. No info about tethering as such. I also have not received any warning messages or anything.
BewareAlbatross said:
You need to figure out whether you have tethering included in the plan. If you don't then in terms of it being "safe" to tether, you're violating the terms of your agreement with your mobile carrier (at least in the States, don't know how the rest of the world works) if you attempt to mask tethering as regular data usage. If however the carrier has specifically either said they don't care whether you tether, or that tethering is allowed as part of your mobile data, then you're safe to tether however you so choose.
Also worth noting that I've seen some "Root your phone and tether with a third party! They'll never know!" solutions that have definitely not been solutions. I prefer playing it safe to doing something that could really cause me a lot of problems. Most carriers you can pay ten or twenty bucks a month extra, lock in a tethering option, set a data limit on your phone, and have peace of mind.
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What I am interested in is that, for example PDANet claims they have a feature that fools the mobile network that the data packets look like they are from the handset, and not the tethered PC. So I was wondering if Samsung's default tethering does the same, or how does the different tethering options handle the data packets differently..
But thanks anyway folks, I am not looking to violate anything by downloading excessive amounts of data, it is just for that odd time that I need internet on my laptop.

LubbeSGS said:
I am on Telkom Mobile (South Africa) - the first carrier to have an unlimited package here in SA (unlimited calls, sms, data...) and unfortunately there is very little documentation on the package. No info about tethering as such. I also have not received any warning messages or anything.
What I am interested in is that, for example PDANet claims they have a feature that fools the mobile network that the data packets look like they are from the handset, and not the tethered PC. So I was wondering if Samsung's default tethering does the same, or how does the different tethering options handle the data packets differently..
But thanks anyway folks, I am not looking to violate anything by downloading excessive amounts of data, it is just for that odd time that I need internet on my laptop.
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Click to collapse
The best way to look at it is: If the tethering feature you use (WiFi, USB, Bluetooth, etc...) shows up on your monthly statement as separate tethering usage, than it doesn't violate TOS. If it was supposed to show up separately and it shows up lumped into data usage, then you're probably violating TOS. So if you're not sure and you don't know what the policies of your carrier are, then using any service that tries to mask that the data is being carried over to another device is probably bad.
That being said, there are grey examples. For example, one carrier I use, T-Mobile, allows BYOD. They market that quite heavily. So I brought my own device, a rooted Nexus 4. Since it's unlocked and under my own ownership and not leased from a carrier I can make toast out of it or use it for exploratory nasal surgery, T-Mobile has no ability to have a problem with what I do with it so long as it doesn't do naughty things to the telecom itself.
I have contacted them repeatedly to bring up the fact that my Nexus 4, with no attempt at being sneaky whatsoever, using the default tethering features, sometimes arbitrarily shows up as hotspot data and sometimes doesn't. They have yet to figure out a solution or send me an app I can install. I have always been up front about this weirdness, and they have in return never bothered me about abnormal bills weighted either one way or another.
One other thing you could do is you could pick up one of those handy prepaid USB mobile broadband sticks from a MVNO or whatnot, where when you want Internet you just pay a few bucks and it gives you a certain amount of gigs, and when you consume them you can just pay for another block. Then if you don't need it again for three months just throw it in a drawer. Really useful.

Is there a Hotspot Limit Work Around?

I know sprint limits your hotspot use to 3gb with some plans and then drops the speed.
Is there any sort of work around for this without rooting since rooting isn't possible?
Thanks in advance. ♡

Kozinu said:
I know sprint limits your hotspot use to 3gb with some plans and then drops the speed.
Is there any sort of work around for this without rooting since rooting isn't possible?
Thanks in advance. ♡
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I'm using PdaNet without any problems. Have to do USB tether and share your internet thru the computer with the PdaNet wifi share feature. Because I'm paying for the hotspot I could also use FoxFi, but that part of PdaNet does use your allocated Hotspot data. So I stick with the USB tether through PdaNet.

TDStewart said:
I'm using PdaNet without any problems. Have to do USB tether and share your internet thru the computer with the PdaNet wifi share feature. Because I'm paying for the hotspot I could also use FoxFi, but that part of PdaNet does use your allocated Hotspot data. So I stick with the USB tether through PdaNet.
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Pretty sure he was asking about bypassing wifi hotspot speed restrictions set by the carrier. If you didn't take the last update and can still adjust your apn settings I'm pretty sure you can.

Reboot device, turn hotspot/tether on within 5-20 seconds after boot up and it will turn on. I have tried it with device without the hotspot service, hotspot does turn on without the subscription notification but I didn't have any connection to the web, I've tried it on boost mobile with and without hotspot subscription devices. Downloading junk over 8GB plan limitation so far with the subscription though, I "think" boost mobile is now somewhat is unlimited to 1TB on hotspot now with the 1TB service is what they call unlimited. I don't have enough time to download over 33GB files all day to prove them their service is not truly unlimited.

Kozinu said:
I know sprint limits your hotspot use to 3gb with some plans and then drops the speed.
Is there any sort of work around for this without rooting since rooting isn't possible?
Thanks in advance. ♡
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sprint doesnt drop the speeds on the 3gb hotspot, they charge overages on the unlimited plans, you have to be on the data share pack plans for them to throttle it.

I have an 8 line sprint business plan, they offer a 2 month, 6GB Hotspot add on for 60$.
I also have an att unlocked iPhone 5S on a monthly prepaid smart mobile plan. Which, aside from the unlimited talk and text, I get FULLY unlimited data. Not "10gb at 4g speeds, then unlimited 2g"," II mean full unlimited high-speed. Including over wireless Hotspot. I'm 1 week into this month, and I'm 60gb deep. 58 of which were consumed via hotsoot. No throttling this far (knock on wood). Check the pic.
For how much? 60 DOLLARS. WTF sprint, a gb of data isn't work anywhere near 10$.
Sent from my SM-G930P using XDA Labs

T3chMan1 said:
Reboot device, turn hotspot/tether on within 5-20 seconds after boot up and it will turn on. I have tried it with device without the hotspot service, hotspot does turn on without the subscription notification but I didn't have any connection to the web, I've tried it on boost mobile with and without hotspot subscription devices. Downloading junk over 8GB plan limitation so far with the subscription though, I "think" boost mobile is now somewhat is unlimited to 1TB on hotspot now with the 1TB service is what they call unlimited. I don't have enough time to download over 33GB files all day to prove them their service is not truly unlimited.
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well I tried this on my s8 boost mobile because it turns off after 8 gigs (which aint sh%t) didn't work any other tricks I wish someone would figure out how to root this! any other tricks?

Have you tried the adb commands to turn on hotspot? I have an ed plan, so not sure if they will help you.

luiseno said:
well I tried this on my s8 boost mobile because it turns off after 8 gigs (which aint sh%t) didn't work any other tricks I wish someone would figure out how to root this! any other tricks?
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I can confirm that I can tether/hotspot with samsung j7 and PDAnet/FoxFi. I burn up my 8gb quick then use PdaNet, works like a charm. Phone is rooted though.

I am using an S5 on Safelink (Obama phone) on the bring your own phone program, all free $50 for a used S5 on Offer Up.
(actually it was the second s5 I bought for $50 on Offer Up. I dropped it, broke digitizer & LCD. It's now a $50 extra battery & charger.)
The plan offers 350 voice min, 1gb data & unlimited texting.
However you can purchase extra data for $10/gb I think. BUT for $40 $44.78 w/tax, you get unlimited everything. Voice, text and data . Ironically it's run on Tracfone who charges a hell of a lot more if they even offer unlimited.
BUT, apparantly you can tether. I've been doing it for a couple of days for my boyfriend. 15gb so far. I've searched a lot online, read all of Safelinks TOS and legal mumbo humbo and can't find any mention of throttling or tethering. except 1 sentence:
Safelink reserves the right to terminate service for unauthorized or abnormal usage. but nothing about tethering. Towards the end of the month I may start streaming video 24/7 to test this.

How does rooting's Tethering Provision feature work?

I've been a grandfathered in unlimited data user of VZ for about 7 years.
I've used rooted phones for quite some time to unlock the tethering ability of my smartphones on VZ's network.
I'm curious how this feature actually functions. VZ's new "Unlimited" plans reduce tethering speeds from 4G to 3G after 10gbs are used.
Without spelling it out, my main question is whether or not using a rooted phones' tethering provision feature will simulate normal cell usage.
In other words, does Big Red see both tethering through the phone's native wifi-tethering app (with the provision enabled) the same as normal cell usage or does can their system determine the difference.
Thanks,

Anybody have any insights?

I am also curious about his! I am on the grandfathered unlimited plan also, but would change over to the new plan if I could get more than 10 gig on my hotspot. I live in a rural area and most of my internet use at home is on my hotspot.
I currently use Foxfi on my S7 and it works fine. I had it rooted with native hotspot, it worked OK but the phone performance sucks.
I also hear that Foxfi will not work with Nougat either so there are two reasons I need to bypass this 10g hotspot conundrum.
Somebody ???

I feel like I should have put this thread in a more general location, Moderators - can you help me?
It's not really tied to the S7 - it's a more general rooted question.
Thanks,

Anybody?

I would like to know as well

I'm also waiting for a rooted version of nougat with tethering unlocked...
Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

Like this:
echo "net.tethering.noprovisioning=true" >> /system/build.prop
---------- Post added at 12:09 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:08 AM ----------
bart77 said:
I am also curious about his! I am on the grandfathered unlimited plan also, but would change over to the new plan if I could get more than 10 gig on my hotspot. I live in a rural area and most of my internet use at home is on my hotspot.
I currently use Foxfi on my S7 and it works fine. I had it rooted with native hotspot, it worked OK but the phone performance sucks.
I also hear that Foxfi will not work with Nougat either so there are two reasons I need to bypass this 10g hotspot conundrum.
Somebody ???
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This wont let you have more than 10gb, this is a limit on the server side, nothing you do will change that.

I'm on the grandfathered UDP and don't have hotspot activated on my account. With that I was using hotspot via FoxFi and when I checked my Verizon account it showed up as normal data usage and not hotspot. I connected my smart TV to my hotspot to stream Netflix and it showed up as me using lots of GB's to watch videos. That's all it showed. I'm not sure how you're on the grandfathered UDP and only get 10GB per month for hotspot if you're using FoxFi though, unless you were talking about moving to the new plan, and if that's the case then you would do the work around of removing the SIM card (posted somewhere on these forums) or flash the U firmware and it shouldn't show up on your account as hotspot if the phone doesn't search for subscriber information or is unsuccessful in searching for said info.

d33dvb said:
Like this:
echo "net.tethering.noprovisioning=true" >> /system/build.prop
---------- Post added at 12:09 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:08 AM ----------
This wont let you have more than 10gb, this is a limit on the server side, nothing you do will change that.
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Click to collapse
What does that string of code actually do and how is it seen by VZ? The 10gb limit is not a cap - it's just a boundary where they're supposed to throttle your 4g speeds to 3g. I'm just wondering what triggers them noticing that. I'm curious how unlocking the native tethering feature on a rooted phone allows grandfathered unlimited plans the ability to use this feature when it's normally blocked.
Does it cover up the fact that the hotspot is even turned on so it changes all tethered data to be seen by VZ as normal cell data (not tethered data)? Or does it just unlock the tethering feature and gives you the ability to use the feature and VZ still knows the difference?
Outbreak444 said:
I'm on the grandfathered UDP and don't have hotspot activated on my account. With that I was using hotspot via FoxFi and when I checked my Verizon account it showed up as normal data usage and not hotspot. I connected my smart TV to my hotspot to stream Netflix and it showed up as me using lots of GB's to watch videos. That's all it showed. I'm not sure how you're on the grandfathered UDP and only get 10GB per month for hotspot if you're using FoxFi though, unless you were talking about moving to the new plan, and if that's the case then you would do the work around of removing the SIM card (posted somewhere on these forums) or flash the U firmware and it shouldn't show up on your account as hotspot if the phone doesn't search for subscriber information or is unsuccessful in searching for said info.
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Click to collapse
Outbreak is right - there is no 10gb limit with the grandfathered plans. I believe Bart is talking about converting from the old plan to the new plan (like I am) if we can get around the possible downgrade in speeds that's supposed to occur at 10gb.
You mentioned 2 possible work-arounds, but one involves pulling the SIM. Could you provide a link for either of the methods? However, from what I know of VZ is that a SIM is required for the phone to work.
Thanks - keep the suggestions coming.

brettdacosta said:
You mentioned 2 possible work-arounds, but one involves pulling the SIM. Could you provide a link for either of the methods? However, from what I know of VZ is that a SIM is required for the phone to work.
Thanks - keep the suggestions coming.
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Here's the link to the SIM removal method, seems to be a hit or miss though and states it's for nougat but I think it would work on marshmallow as well.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/verizon-s7-edge/help/tethering-nougat-t3568501/page2
Or you can flash the U firmware for the US. It should just unlock tethering completely without actually searching for subscriber information. I don't have the link but it's easily found on the forums. Just know that the U firmware doesn't have nougat at this time.

Outbreak444 said:
It should just unlock tethering completely without actually searching for subscriber information.
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Click to collapse
Thanks, Outbreak.
How does it actually work/function though? Will VZ still be able to distinguish between data used by my cell and data transfered to another device via the phone's native hotspot feature?
That's the whole point of this thread, but I can't seem to get any real answers (or even speculations for that matter)

brettdacosta said:
Thanks, Outbreak.
How does it actually work/function though? Will VZ still be able to distinguish between data used by my cell and data transfered to another device via the phone's native hotspot feature?
That's the whole point of this thread, but I can't seem to get any real answers (or even speculations for that matter)
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Click to collapse
When I checked my account it showed 0.0 GB of hotspot used and about 100 GB's of standard data. They didn't see at all that I was using my hotspot, only excessive amount of data usage. I wouldn't sweat it unless you're going to end up using like 300 GB's. I even bought the S7 AFTER having that much used and the reps looked amazed but couldn't see how I used as much as I had. I wish I could pull up what My Verizon showed to prove it to you but it only shows the last two months worth of data and I haven't used tethering recently.

Outbreak444 said:
When I checked my account it showed 0.0 GB of hotspot used and about 100 GB's of standard data. They didn't see at all that I was using my hotspot, only excessive amount of data usage. I wouldn't sweat it unless you're going to end up using like 300 GB's. I even bought the S7 AFTER having that much used and the reps looked amazed but couldn't see how I used as much as I had. I wish I could pull up what My Verizon showed to prove it to you but it only shows the last two months worth of data and I haven't used tethering recently.
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Great info.
- So when you used 100GB of standard data, that was all through your hotspot?
- Which VZ plan are you on?
- What's your current phone setup (aka - what method did you use for bypassing the tethering restriction)?
- Where do you find a breakdown of your hotspot data to standard data (is it on your online account)?
- Since you obviously went over the 22GB, did you notice any slowdowns (like they say they reserve the right to implement)
- What type of area are you in (rural - not a lot of cell tower access / high trafficked area - for the purpose of the last question)?
Thanks for all the great info. I know that was a lot of questions, but I think if you are able to answering all of those, I should have about all I need.
Thanks again.
P.S. - it's my only internet at the house, so I can't afford it slowing me down if I'm at the house wanting to stream a movie or something after 10gb - that's why I'm concerned - just felt I needed to clarify.

brettdacosta said:
Great info.
- So when you used 100GB of standard data, that was all through your hotspot?
- Which VZ plan are you on?
- What's your current phone setup (aka - what method did you use for bypassing the tethering restriction)?
- Where do you find a breakdown of your hotspot data to standard data (is it on your online account)?
Thanks for all the great info. I know that was a lot of questions, but I think if you are able to answering all of those, I should have about all I need.
Thanks again.
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Not 100% of my data usage was hotspot but a good 90% or more was.
I have the grandfathered UDP from Verizon
At the time I was using my rooted S5 with tethering unlocked through xposed, now I have the S7 with FoxFi
Just log into your Verizon account online and it should have a breakdown. Most of my data showed up under the video category, which was correct because I was tethering my hotspot to my smart TV for streaming Netflix. So it can see what I'm doing, just not how, I believe.

Outbreak444 said:
Not 100% of my data usage was hotspot but a good 90% or more was.
I have the grandfathered UDP from Verizon
At the time I was using my rooted S5 with tethering unlocked through xposed, now I have the S7 with FoxFi
Just log into your Verizon account online and it should have a breakdown. Most of my data showed up under the video category, which was correct because I was tethering my hotspot to my smart TV for streaming Netflix. So it can see what I'm doing, just not how, I believe.
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Where do you see the breakdown by standard usage and tethering?
I'm still on the grandfathered UDP too, and use tethering all the time, but here is all I see when I log on (no breakdown)...

brettdacosta said:
Where do you see the breakdown by standard usage and tethering?
I'm still on the grandfathered UDP too, and use tethering all the time, but here is all I see when I log on (no breakdown)...
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Click to collapse
Used to show up there. Here's a link from Verizon with a screenshot
https://www.verizonwireless.com/support/mobile-hotspot-faqs/

That's good information.
So why do you use the foxfi app and not the native tethering feature? Because you're on nougat?
Do you think that being rooted and using the XPosed app is what prevents them from seeing it - or the fact that I'm on the grandfathered UDP and their system isn't capable of actually reporting that piece of information (since it's a feature that's technically locked) - and if I go the new plan that "unlocks" the tethering, they'll then be able to tell the difference and their system will be able to display it since it's aware of what's actually happening?

brettdacosta said:
That's good information.
So why do you use the foxfi app and not the native tethering feature? Because you're on nougat?
Do you think that being rooted and using the XPosed app is what prevents them from seeing it - or the fact that I'm on the grandfathered UDP and their system isn't capable of actually reporting that piece of information (since it's a feature that's technically locked) - and if I go the new plan that "unlocks" the tethering, they'll then be able to tell the difference and their system will be able to display it since it's aware of what's actually happening?
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I haven't rooted my S7 or flashed the U firmware yet. I want to wait until nougat is released for the U firmware before I do that.
Hotspot is built into the phone already. I believe that if it doesn't search for subscriber information that the phone will just enable the connections and all your phone provider can see is that you're using data, but they can't see how. This is my opinion, maybe someone else could enlighten us on the specifics. But I can say that being rooted, using Xposed, or being on the grandfathered plan has nothing to do with it other than removing the check for subscriber information, basically what one user posted earlier in this post.

The back does not come off of a S7 so there is no SIM card. I also depend on FoxFi i
brettdacosta said:
What does that string of code actually do and how is it seen by VZ? The 10gb limit is not a cap - it's just a boundary where they're supposed to throttle your 4g speeds to 3g. I'm just wondering what triggers them noticing that. I'm curious how unlocking the native tethering feature on a rooted phone allows grandfathered unlimited plans the ability to use this feature when it's normally blocked.
Does it cover up the fact that the hotspot is even turned on so it changes all tethered data to be seen by VZ as normal cell data (not tethered data)? Or does it just unlock the tethering feature and gives you the ability to use the feature and VZ still knows the difference?
Outbreak is right - there is no 10gb limit with the grandfathered plans. I believe Bart is talking about converting from the old plan to the new plan (like I am) if we can get around the possible downgrade in speeds that's supposed to occur at 10gb.
You mentioned 2 possible work-arounds, but one involves pulling the SIM. Could you provide a link for either of the methods? However, from what I know of VZ is that a SIM is required for the phone to work.
Thanks - keep the suggestions coming.
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The back does not come off of a S7 so there is no SIM card. I also depend on FoxFi in the work I do (teaching) and it did a fabulous job.