Tethered modem...will I get caught?

T

That Linux Guy

Limp Gawd
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Aug 24, 2008
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I'm the proud owner of a shiny new (6 weeks old) Palm Centro. I love it so much, and feel naked with out it. Unfortunately I can't say the same thing for Comcast. They've fucked me by raising my bill without even telling me. Back on topic, I'm looking to cancel my cable internet and digital TV services from Comcast and simply use my Centro as a tethered modem.

I have Sprint's Simply Everything Plan, so I don't have to worry about going over anything. The problem is that Sprint wants an extra $15/month for official tethered modem support. I know of apps like PDAnet and USBmodem that will give that functionality to the Centro without some dumb Sprint app. If I used such an app, would Sprint get wise?

Also, and secondly, does anyone know of an open-source or freeware app that gives USB modem functionality to a PalmOS phone? The above apps are $35 and $25, respectively.

Thanks in advance for any helpful info.

-Andrew
 
it all depends on your usage, i tether my tilt with pdanet but im usually always below 500mb, just as long as you arent downloading huge files, you will be fine. I usually websurf, and play games when im tethered. so it stays pretty low.
 
I used to tether my treo 700wx all the time with the supplied software on the disc, I never got charged for anything extra. I ever downloaded torrents with it while away on work.
 
I wouldn't be torrenting or gaming. I'd give up Trackmania until I got back to a real ISP. This'd be just for browsing, and the occasional bout on addictinggames.com.

That's good to know, thanks guys. Anyone know if my Centro can do that without some extra paid software? saving some bucks would be awesome right now.
 
idk of any free software that does this sorry...but test drive pdanet for a week i think thats how long the trial is
 
Eragon, do you know if PDAnet requires any special software for the PC? Im sure it runs grat with windows, but id hat to leave my Linux partition out of the internet loop.
 
That Linux Guy said:
Eragon, do you know if PDAnet requires any special software for the PC? Im sure it runs grat with windows, but id hat to leave my Linux partition out of the internet loop.
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Umm it it does install the driver on your phone, and it does install stuff on your pc, so when you connect your phone itll automatically have a little popup saying "connect to pdanet?" yes it does require some software, but idk about linux tho, linux might have its own version of a tethering app tho
 
awesome. Thanks for the info Eragon. It's much appreciated. I'm sure there is a way to get it working with Linux. A lil manual configging never hurt anyone, or I could probably get the software running in Linux. Thanks again for the info. Now lets hope Sprint's EVDO connection is more like DSL than Dial-Up. :)
 
i ran torrents off a sprint evdo phone for a month or so. it was actually about as fast as a 1mb cable connection for some reason, i was getting 80kbs steady on some downloads... it was actually a lot better then web surfing (lots of latency)
 
I would not do it unless an emergency. If you do do it maybe do it on their slower network as to avoid being caught. I used to teather my phone and one day I got a bill for abotu $200 for a $28 meg download (which was verizons drivers for thier wireless access card for my PC). Kinda ridiculous, since I was trying to download drivers for their device so I could use the internet...
 
im not too worried about my bill going crazy. if they try to accuse me of tethering ill just ask how they know im not actually using the phone to browse?
 
I got charged for data (I beleive it was like $4 a meg) out of the bue after adding their "Free web browings" add in, which actualy made it so that I have to pay for accessing the web...
 
Man, that really sucks. Verizon right? Between that lil tid-bit of info and their $50 replacement fee despite paying monthly insurance for the phone, I wouldnt go to the V if someone paid me to. I've never had problems like that with Sprint. When I got my Centro, I signed up for the Simply Everything Plan with 450 anytime minutes. I had the same anytime minutes before, but had to pay extra for nights/weekends starting at 7pm, and for 300 text messages. Now I get everything (seriously), for roughly $10 more per month, unlimited with the same amount of anytime minutes (which I use hardly any of). That's why I'm not worried about my bill. It's about $80/month but I get so much. Unlimited data is a beautiful thing :)

Any who, thanks for the info you guys. It's definitely appreciated and I'll try PDAnet. See how slow EVDO really is.
 
I have a broadband cell card with Verizon. Verizon isn't cheap but most seem to agree that its network is the best and I have to say that my service has been wonderful.

EVDO Rev A is pretty good with PCMIA card. I also use PDANet with my XV6800 but the card is more practical with a laptop. I think that verizon "caps" bandwidth to 5 GB a month but with my usage patterns I don't cone any where near that. Speeds are about 1MBit down and about .5MBit up so its much slower down than a cable modem but not bad for browsing and medium sited downloads.
 
i tether my ATT tilt via bluetooth to my eee pc everyday for about 5 hrs worth of web browsing, i use my phone a lot for browsing the same sites, never been cought and hope i never will :)
 
Are you really trying to say you're too cheap to pay $25-35 for an app that will save you hundreds on monthly bills? ;) jk

I'm sure Sprint has more than a few ways of monitoring bandwidth and usage patterns, whether they actually police their terms and go after people who work around their plan limits is another matter. I mean, if ISP's like Comcast will do packet monitoring and stuff like throttling P2P content, wireless providers are easily ahead of that curve given the higher number of technical limitations on their networks. Put simply, I think they're a lot more clever than you think. :p

I've heard Sprint's the only wireless provider that actually has no cap on the total bandwidth usage of their "unlimited" plan though, so maybe they're more liberal in that regard? Guess all you can really do is try it... At worst they'll probably give you a warning or something and they'll try and push the $15 a month add-on for the modem, etc.
 
when I was between isps I used my mogul that way with sprint evdo rev a. I was getting 150-200k a sec consistently with it.. pings from 70-110 so gaming was also acceptable :)
 
Impulse said:
Are you really trying to say you're too cheap to pay $25-35 for an app that will save you hundreds on monthly bills? ;) jk

I'm sure Sprint has more than a few ways of monitoring bandwidth and usage patterns, whether they actually police their terms and go after people who work around their plan limits is another matter. I mean, if ISP's like Comcast will do packet monitoring and stuff like throttling P2P content, wireless providers are easily ahead of that curve given the higher number of technical limitations on their networks. Put simply, I think they're a lot more clever than you think. :p

I've heard Sprint's the only wireless provider that actually has no cap on the total bandwidth usage of their "unlimited" plan though, so maybe they're more liberal in that regard? Guess all you can really do is try it... At worst they'll probably give you a warning or something and they'll try and push the $15 a month add-on for the modem, etc.
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im on sprints sero plan and i used my phone + PDANet to surf the internet when traveling, this month i have hit 514,221kb (~ half a gig) and im still not getting in trouble.

i have yet to recieve some kind warning so im pretty sure you are safe. if you want to game though, be sure that you get yer service code so you can change the upload/download rates at will. otherwise you will get 172/8 rather than something like 90/90 (which is MUCH better for gaming)
 
If it is a temporary between ISPs thing, then just add the $15/month tethering plan until you find your new ISP. With the amount you'll be saving per month by cancelling your entire cable plan, $15 should be trivial. Either way, its better then having to pay some ridiculous amount per MB.
 
I'm kinda in the same boat. I'm going to be buying a Blackberry 8830 "Curve" through sprint, and I'd like to be able to tether it to my laptop. BUT Sprint wants like $40 a month to have that feature. So what would need to be done to tether it and not go through sprint?
 
That Linux Guy said:
Now lets hope Sprint's EVDO connection is more like DSL than Dial-Up. :)
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It's in-between, but still ages better than ATT's (But ATT's voice coverage is better).

I have a Sprint SERO account (Actually moving to ATT this week though) and tethered mine anytime the internet at the house was down, or when I'm in the middle of nowhere without WiFi. No complains, and I used it heavily.

That said, Sprint does impose a download cap like most everyone else now, even if you've got "unlimited"... I think it's 5GB.
 
TechieSooner said:
It's in-between, but still ages better than ATT's (But ATT's voice coverage is better).

I have a Sprint SERO account (Actually moving to ATT this week though) and tethered mine anytime the internet at the house was down, or when I'm in the middle of nowhere without WiFi. No complains, and I used it heavily.

That said, Sprint does impose a download cap like most everyone else now, even if you've got "unlimited"... I think it's 5GB.
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Why the switch?

I use PDANet with my Motorola Q9c on Sprint... works great! Sometimes have to reboot the phone after I disconnect but free internet... /shrug
 
ciggwin said:
Why the switch?
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Service at my house sucks at times (kicks into roaming- or low signal).

And coverage is generally a little worse than ATT's. Not by much though. Maybe 20%.
Some places Sprint works and ATT doesn't, and some places ATT works and Sprint doesn't.

It's still my opinion Sprint's data network is superior to ATT's, the coverage is lacking behind a little bit.

That, and I am also wanting a different phone. Just getting more and more tired of Windows Mobile's bloated mess (not only mine- but everyone else's) that drains battery.
Tired of touchscreen devices that drain battery life so quick, and my Mogul is ESPECIALLY bad about not even lasting a whole day if I use it.

All that, and saves more money based on the fact I'll actually move my stuff to a company plan. I've got an Enterprise Sprint plan but moving away from that in favor of ATT.
 
I have a sprint aircard for my laptop and can pull 2.2mb/s down. It's pretty damn fast with latency just above 100 for games like counterstrike. I also use PDA net for my motorola Q with Verizon. I have used 9GB in one month before last year on my Q and never got in trouble at all.
 
I work for verizon (actually for a company that is a premium retailer for verizon). And I have a sprint SERO plan.

I try to keep myself educated on each providers terms.

Sprint's terms for internet usage is similar to what verizons was at the beginning of this year.

Data Usage Limitation (Mobile Broadband Cards, USB Modems, Embedded Modems and Phone-As-Modem): The amount of data transmitted over our network is measured in kilobytes (KB), megabytes (MB) or gigabytes (GB). Sprint reserves the right to limit throughput speeds or amount of data transferred; and to deny, terminate, modify, disconnect or suspend service if usage either exceeds (a.) 5GB/month in total, unless specified otherwise or (b.) 300MB/month while off-network roaming. 1024KB equal 1MB. 1024MB equal 1GB.

Basically what it is saying is if your on Sprint towers you can use 5gb before they will get mad. That is not saying they are going to disconnect you, but what it does mean is they will limit your speeds. For verizon it was limited to 200kb/s and Im sure sprint's is similar. The big difference is the way they treat roaming. Verizon's current terms doesn't care if your roaming or not.

Verizon just switched to a hard limit of 5gb and if you go over that you get charged overage fees. But they no longer have the limitations on speeds for overusage. If you got a huge bill for using small amounts it means you were on a pay as you go plan. Those are expensive no matter what the carrier.

Though I'm still with Sprint because 30 bucks for 500 mins, unlimited data, web and texting is hard to beat. Especially since verizon didnt have any kind of deals for their retailers at the time I renewed.
 
Aku12 said:
I work for verizon (actually for a company that is a premium retailer for verizon). And I have a sprint SERO plan.

I try to keep myself educated on each providers terms.

Sprint's terms for internet usage is similar to what verizons was at the beginning of this year.

Data Usage Limitation (Mobile Broadband Cards, USB Modems, Embedded Modems and Phone-As-Modem): The amount of data transmitted over our network is measured in kilobytes (KB), megabytes (MB) or gigabytes (GB). Sprint reserves the right to limit throughput speeds or amount of data transferred; and to deny, terminate, modify, disconnect or suspend service if usage either exceeds (a.) 5GB/month in total, unless specified otherwise or (b.) 300MB/month while off-network roaming. 1024KB equal 1MB. 1024MB equal 1GB.

Basically what it is saying is if your on Sprint towers you can use 5gb before they will get mad. That is not saying they are going to disconnect you, but what it does mean is they will limit your speeds. For verizon it was limited to 200kb/s and Im sure sprint's is similar. The big difference is the way they treat roaming. Verizon's current terms doesn't care if your roaming or not.

Verizon just switched to a hard limit of 5gb and if you go over that you get charged overage fees. But they no longer have the limitations on speeds for overusage. If you got a huge bill for using small amounts it means you were on a pay as you go plan. Those are expensive no matter what the carrier.

Though I'm still with Sprint because 30 bucks for 500 mins, unlimited data, web and texting is hard to beat. Especially since verizon didnt have any kind of deals for their retailers at the time I renewed.
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yeah just beware.. if you use an upgrade ti will change you off the sero plan... i actually will have to buy the diamond pro for retail price..*cry*
 
when i broke my phone and i tried to use a random sprint phone we had laying around the store they were trying to make me switch because it wasnt a power vision phone. Downgrade in features to raise my plan 20 bucks a month.
 
Sprint, AFAIK, doesn't monitor bandwidth on EVDO internet. I use my Moto Q9c tethered all the time, download large files and such and never had any additional charges. Several times downloading GB's of data per month on it. For that matter I didn't have to pay any extra fees to tether either. I'd look into that. Pitch a bitch.

FWIW Sprint insurance rocks. I had my old Q for almost 2 years and it got all wonky on me. Took it into Sprint and they replaced/upgraded me to the Q9c for free. No questions asked, no renewal of contract.
 
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