Database Users

T-mobile Blocking all forms of Tethering.

I was just using PDANet on my friend's laptop and I got two texts from T-Mobile saying the following: "Free T-Mobile Msg: Phone Tethering & Wi-Fi Sharing access has been blocked. Please add a Phone Tethering & Wi-Fi Sharing plan available at my.t-mobile.com"
Now I ignored it until the browser sent me to a signup page. I've tried WiFi Tether, Bluetooth, and Barnacle and it blocks each one. Anyone else get this?
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App

using wireless tether right now... no problems...
maybe they'll end up sending me a text.

I don't have my laptop with me, so I can't test this myself. But if it's true, the Nexus One forums are about to A-SPLODE. You'll be able to hear it from space...

ryaninc said:
I don't have my laptop with me, so I can't test this myself. But if it's true, the Nexus One forums are about to A-SPLODE. You'll be able to hear it from space...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A-SPLODE!! Lmfao just made my day!
But yeah... if this is true then all I can do is throw the f-bomb around because I rely heavily on tethering and no way in hell am I going to pay for a service I've been using for free...

No problems with Wireless Tether on my G1...and I tether a ton. I was up to 7gb last month :/

Kazan22 said:
I was just using PDANet on my friend's laptop and I got two texts from T-Mobile saying the following: "Free T-Mobile Msg: Phone Tethering & Wi-Fi Sharing access has been blocked. Please add a Phone Tethering & Wi-Fi Sharing plan available at my.t-mobile.com"
Now I ignored it until the browser sent me to a signup page. I've tried WiFi Tether, Bluetooth, and Barnacle and it blocks each one. Anyone else get this?
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=840423
Not just you.

That would suck. Would this apply to USB tethering as well, or just WiFi?

PDANet IS usb tethering.
:O
oh... and someone at the Vibrant forums is having the same issue... which is why I'm here.
:X

I am tethering from my G2 (USB tether) to post this message. It works fine, though TMO might be rolling this block out.
Edit: I am posting this via Wifi tether, so that seems to be working for me currently.

I just checked PDANet and WiFi hotspot and they both worked, so I guess they're "rolling" this out.
Makes me wonder...some of us never got the OTA rollout. I wonder if perhaps I'll never get this rollout either.

I think they can affect PDANet and Easytether since they are market apps. Wireless Tether for Android and Wired Tether for Android aren't market apps so im pretty sure those are beyond T-Mobile's grip.

Might have something to do with the G2 not being rooted and trying to tether. I think after its rooted it should work without a problem. At least thats what a tmo rep told me.

When I read all this on the xda app, i went ahead and hooked up to wifi tether. thats how i'm writing this msg. I am rooted and do have the largest plan tmo offers which includes the unlimited data. idk. we shall see. oh yea, no tmo msg as of yet.

I'm unrooted and used wifi tether this morning for 3 hours with no problems. I just don't understand how they can detect us using it.
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using Tapatalk

johnbibbs said:
I'm unrooted and used wifi tether this morning for 3 hours with no problems. I just don't understand how they can detect us using it.
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are various techniques they could use to do this; if we know exactly what they're doing, we can probably bypass it.
Probably one of the simplest techniques would be user agent sniffing; if they see desktop user agents from the same device, they'd know something funky was going on.
I'd be interested to know whether the OP can work around this situation by changing his user agent string on his desktop browser. I'd also be interested to know whether the phone browser continues to work properly even after he's been caught, and if so, whether changing the user agent string on the phone causes it to report the block message as well.
Another test for whether they're sniffing user agents is to try to make an ssl connection instead of http from the desktop browser. Assuming that the phone browser still works, SSL on the desktop browser should also still work, if all they're doing is user agent sniffing.

In an HD2 thread one guy was saying that he was downloaded a movie to his phone, but wasn't tethering when he got the text. Perhaps they're determining by the amount of data used in a specific amount of time. If that's the case it supports the theory of TMO seeing all data as data.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=840360

ddgarcia05 said:
In an HD2 thread one guy was saying that he was downloaded a movie to his phone, but wasn't tethering when he got the text. Perhaps they're determining by the amount of data used in a specific amount of time. If that's the case it supports the theory of TMO seeing all data as data.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=840360
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Click to collapse
That's actually good, then. If they're using such a naive detection method, it's sure to result in a ton of false positives from people legitimately using a lot of data with their phones, and consumer complaints should result in them disabling it before too long.

If this works like any of T-Mobile's other services then they prorate the add-ons so you can add it when you need it, then cancel it when you don't and you would only pay a fraction of that $15. I do this with the hotspot feature all the time - enable it for a trip when I'll spend a lot of time in a hotel (or airports, etc.) where they offer wireless and then cancel it at the end of the trip and I pay less than a single day of wifi at a major hotel.
(disclosure - I snatched this post off the T-mobile.com forum but I was going to say the same thing!)
I need to confirm this "add it when you need it". Not good for everybody but for those of us that need tethering a few times a month it's not so bad, 50 cents for one day. Tried via the chat on T-Mobile.com to confirm this but they are useless!

When I first applied the OTA and started playing with the built in tethering, I noticed some log entries from DataConnectionTracker whenever I turned tethering on or off. When I enabled temp root with Visionary and tried using the stand alone Wireless and Wired tether for root apps, these entries did not appear.
I haven't had time to play with it much, but it might be useful to run logcat with a filter for only DataConnectionTracker activity while trying a variety of tethering techniques under root and non-root circumstances.
Of course the experience reported by the HD2 user does not line up with this theory, but there may be multiple things going on. If T-Mo really is blocking based on data volume, it will completely blow up on them as people start intentionally doing data intensive things without tethering.

I sure as hell hope they don't do this to the grandfathered plans... cause if they do, I'm gonna go on a *****-storm.
Edit: I'm tethering on the WiFi hotspot app and I didn't get any notice. Everything is as it has been since I've had this app. If not, I have Wireless Tether for Root Users. I refuse to pay $15 extra bucks a month when I paid for an unlimited plan a couple of years back.

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.

Tethering with Easytether in SPITE of T-mobile.

Well T-mobile has been playing heck with my grandfathered data plan and the new phone....I could get on net on the phone but not on my laptop which was what my old Total VPN Internet was FOR......I've been looking at options..once the phone is rooted I can put in a change to make the phone use the same apn for tethering as normal but in the meantime I found I already owned easytether from amazon (normally a $9.99 app) as a free app from as recently as March 19, 2015. Their timing was excellent. It's usb or bluetooth but it will do just fine for now. Now to put the ubuntu .deb's and the windows drivers onto the phone sd card so I can install wherever needed.
I figured I'd mention this for anyone else in a similar situation.

Hi, I am wondering if you were able to tether from this phone without using the data from the tethering bucket?
In other words, Were you able to tether from it and use the data from the data bucket?
I have unlimited data with 3gb of tether. I would use the data from my unlimited data bucket to tether.
Any input would be appreciated.
Thanks

Were you able to create a new APN by clicking on the + sign in the "tethering and hotspot" section?

ahgahg said:
Were you able to create a new APN by clicking on the + sign in the "tethering and hotspot" section?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why on earth would I create a new apn when the whole point was to use the existing one? You don't use the tethering and hotspot section at all with easytether. Everything in that section automatically adds a "tether" tag which is how they track you in the first place.

Dude, you can create a new apn with what ever apn address you would like to use specially if you have unlimited tethering.

famewolf said:
Well T-mobile has been playing heck with my grandfathered data plan and the new phone....I could get on net on the phone but not on my laptop which was what my old Total VPN Internet was FOR......I've been looking at options..once the phone is rooted I can put in a change to make the phone use the same apn for tethering as normal but in the meantime I found I already owned easytether from amazon (normally a $9.99 app) as a free app from as recently as March 19, 2015. Their timing was excellent. It's usb or bluetooth but it will do just fine for now. Now to put the ubuntu .deb's and the windows drivers onto the phone sd card so I can install wherever needed.
I figured I'd mention this for anyone else in a similar situation.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice! Thanks for the info! I'm going to try this out tomorrow.

Looks like T-Mobile might be making some adjustments to their tethering rules for ALL of their users (prepaid/postpaid/pay-as-you-go)
Not too well versed on the topic, but it seems like a good sign

macallik said:
Looks like T-Mobile might be making some adjustments to their tethering rules for ALL of their users (prepaid/postpaid/pay-as-you-go)
Not too well versed on the topic, but it seems like a good sign
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the interesting info! I'll wait and see if this actually shows up on my old plan which has no hotspot at all...they also banned my nexus 5 from being able to be used on my old Total Internet VPN plan so perhaps that will be "fixed" as well....on the other hand I currently get unlimited 3g/h+ (wcdma) and I don't want it watered down to the throttled speeds they are showing either.

6p hotspot with Verizon.

Hi, I have a 6p and I'm on Verizon with an unlimited data plan. I've done some research and I've seen that people have been able to use the native hotspot feature without a subscription check. My question is, does using the hotspot feature without the subscription incur a charge on your bill even with unlimited data? Sorry in advance if this has already been asked and addressed. Running stock, no root. I have turned on the hotspot, used it on my PC and it does in fact work.

I have unlimited data and DO NOT have a tethering plan. I have used hotspot, not a ton, but have used it and have no charges. I have used an Xposed module in the past, or the build.prop mod to enable tethering, which bypasses the provisioning check from VZW, but it has not been necessary yet.
Like I said, I've only used it a few times for rather short periods when I needed to look something up and my Chromebook was easier than my phone, etc. I also used it for my PS Vita to do Remote Play to my PS4 on a vacation, which I imagine used a fair bit of data, but it was only for 20-30 minutes at a time over a few days.
Your results may vary, depending on what you use it for, how much data you use, etc.

Jake11584 said:
Hi, I have a 6p and I'm on Verizon with an unlimited data plan. I've done some research and I've seen that people have been able to use the native hotspot feature without a subscription check. My question is, does using the hotspot feature without the subscription incur a charge on your bill even with unlimited data? Sorry in advance if this has already been asked and addressed. Running stock, no root. I have turned on the hotspot, used it on my PC and it does in fact work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use it all the time.
No changes, it just works out of the box.
Actually my computer. is tethered as I type.
I use a VPN to hide all my traffic from Verizon so they can't snoop packets and determine if I'm tethering or not.

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 ???
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
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.
Click to expand...
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
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)
Click to expand...
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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)...
Click to expand...
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?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.