One issue I see with this, is mobile ISP's could, or will abuse it.
Last year, I got a phone call and e-mail from AT&T stating that if I didn't stop using my phone for tethering, I would be automatically "upgraded" to a DataPro 4GB data plan, which would override my "unlimited data" plan.
The issue with this is, I was using my Android phone as a hotspot, and I was using it to watch videos from MSDN for work purposes because funny enough, AT&T's 3G network was faster than my work internet connection.
My concern is, with phones and tablets blurring a line between mobile computers and desktop computers (with docks included), if the next phone I get in a few years comes with the ability to dock my phone to use a full desktop, is that going to count as tethering? Is "desktop mode" data plan going to be different than a "mobile mode" data plan? Will I be forced to finally give up my "unlimited data" plan on my phone?
AT&T has tried numerous times to get rid of my data plan, and I know one of these days I'm going to get a bill and it's going to be gone, and I'll call AT&T and ask what is going on and they will just say "We don't offer that plan anymore, so you were moved to the most appropriate plan" just like they tried to do years ago.
I could see since I am a "unlimited data" plan user, they could implement this six strikes plan, and use it any chance they can find until the inevitable happens.
"if the next phone I get in a few years comes with the ability to dock my phone to use a full desktop, is that going to count as tethering?"
unless something changes, i have no doubt it will. i have an atrix phone on at&t, it has a 'lapdock' which turns the phone into a netbook. this lapdock is nothing more than an hdmi screen, battery, and usb mouse/keyboard - yet, at&t requires tethering to use mobile data with it...
thankfully, this can be got around by installing a custom rom that doesnt include the lapdock software (which is horribly cumbersome anyway), but it sets a rather disturbing precedent.
How about using DLNA to broadcast to a larger screen and a bluetooth keyboard for input when you chmod into Ubuntu on your Android phone? That's a reality right now even if it's not a popular choice. The smartphone data plans are ridiculously different from the laptop data plans, but... what if they're the same thing?
Isn't that essentially what the dock would provide?
I don't have an android phone anymore, but the only way I could imagine AT&T would know I'm tethering is if Android added some header information that the network would sniff, almost like a dog tag. Or they read the user-agent headers per request and saw that it was a non-mobile browser making the requests...I would think that booting into Ubuntu would show the same results unless your spoof your user-agent, but then you might end up getting the mobile version of the site instead of the full desktop version...it's all just a big mess.
If anyone knows how AT&T or other mobile ISP's would differentiate mobile traffic from tethered traffic, I would love to know.
Also, I did have to unlock my device and put a new ROM on my phone to enable tethering.
The TTL on tethered packets is 1 less than on packets originating from the phone. That's the easiest way, and one that most tethering solutions don't fix.
I fully understand that, and I complied with them without question. I'm concerned that eventually, especially with the government support, I will be bullied out of my unlimited data plan via loopholes.
If it happens, take them to a small claims court. Show your contract. They will have no case. They can't switch you to another plan if you don't agree (well, if you keep tethering, they can).
Actually, wasn't there some kind of legal suite that just conlcuded saying the wireless companies cant do that anymore? SOmething about they cant double dip for charges. Once the consumer purchases the data, we should be able to use it how we want without additional fees and restrictions. Maybe I read that wrong..
slovette: You seem to be hellbanned but I don't see why. Anyway the pro-tethering rule only applies to a specific 4g frequency band, and only for limited data plans.
Last year, I got a phone call and e-mail from AT&T stating that if I didn't stop using my phone for tethering, I would be automatically "upgraded" to a DataPro 4GB data plan, which would override my "unlimited data" plan.
The issue with this is, I was using my Android phone as a hotspot, and I was using it to watch videos from MSDN for work purposes because funny enough, AT&T's 3G network was faster than my work internet connection.
My concern is, with phones and tablets blurring a line between mobile computers and desktop computers (with docks included), if the next phone I get in a few years comes with the ability to dock my phone to use a full desktop, is that going to count as tethering? Is "desktop mode" data plan going to be different than a "mobile mode" data plan? Will I be forced to finally give up my "unlimited data" plan on my phone?
AT&T has tried numerous times to get rid of my data plan, and I know one of these days I'm going to get a bill and it's going to be gone, and I'll call AT&T and ask what is going on and they will just say "We don't offer that plan anymore, so you were moved to the most appropriate plan" just like they tried to do years ago.
I could see since I am a "unlimited data" plan user, they could implement this six strikes plan, and use it any chance they can find until the inevitable happens.