Tethering on Android

PiKe

PiKe

PiKe

Caporegime
Joined
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Normally networks would like to charge for this service.

I personally don't make use of it myself but I've always wondered what if I wanted to use it in an emergency, if there's a power outage and I only have a laptop.

Is tethering detectable by the operator? Data goes through the same APN so I'm not sure how it could be?

I'm on a Vodafone contract so if anyone could say one way or the other, that would be most useful.
 
I have found tethering OK on my various Android devices.
Firstly, I had an Archos 5 Internet tablet, which tethered (via BT) to my Nokia 5800.....then when the Nokia went, I moved to a HTC Desire and this also worked.
A5A was sold some time back, and I have just recently been tinkering with getting my Transformer to tether to the Desire for internet access......and all seems to work fine : Fire up the Wifi Hotspot on the Desire, then point the Transformer at the SSID and connect - happy days :)
My phone is on T-Mobile (and still on one of the decent more-or-less uncapped Internet packages) and have never had any additional charges for my (admittedly limited) tethered data usage :)
 
I've used tethering (wifi hotspot) on my desire running stock 2.2 and I never get charged any extra, I just have a standard 750MB data allowance which it seems to use. It automatically decreases things like picture quality to save data which is pretty useful.
 
I've used it it emergencies without issue, last time I used was last Wed when Virgin decided to flap. No charges from the the T-Mobile.
 
All networks can detect it (it stands out pretty easily) but no network is clamping down on it for now as it's not too widespread. The reason it was controlled on the iOS before someone tries to jump me is because iOS network control setup is OTA and easy as hell to do, Android has no native OTA setup system so the networks can't control in-use features etc... Unless they use a network specific rom with the option taken out.
 
I've tethered my android phone at work before so my work colleague could registered his iphone online as the firewall blocked it :D

MW
 
No internet for a few days so i tethered my san francisco on t mobile.

Downloaded gave me good 2mb+ speeds but browsing is slow
 
Myshra said:
All networks can detect it (it stands out pretty easily) but no network is clamping down on it for now as it's not too widespread. The reason it was controlled on the iOS before someone tries to jump me is because iOS network control setup is OTA and easy as hell to do, Android has no native OTA setup system so the networks can't control in-use features etc... Unless they use a network specific rom with the option taken out.
Click to expand...

How is it detectable? Just by the headers sent by the web browser?
 
PiKe said:
How is it detectable? Just by the headers sent by the web browser?
Click to expand...

It's not that easily detectable, since you can change your useragent etc.. on android to match a desktop browser. You'd have to be abusing it pretty badly to rouse their attention to a tethered connection
 
Works great for me. Often use it on the train.

This is one of many reasons why I refuse to buy an iPhone. You want money, for something that I've been doing for free since Windows Mobile 5? ****-off Apple!
 
Hairybudda said:
It's not that easily detectable, since you can change your useragent etc.. on android to match a desktop browser. You'd have to be abusing it pretty badly to rouse their attention to a tethered connection
Click to expand...

I think the detection is reliant on certain services that plainly would never appear on a normal android data connection (things like windows update :p) but with a small amount of effort you could restrict it to just http traffic and then it would only be useragents really, and that would involve packet sniffing which I doubt they'd spend the money setting up (windows update etc would be far easier to detect)

But in answer to OP I've used it on Vodafone several times with no questions/mentions, I did try not to go too mad with it though :p
 
yeah, it's only really networks in the US that will try and charge you for tethering.

i've tethered on many many many occasions and never had issue.
Infact, i use a regular 3 PAYG simcard in my laptop for it's mobile-broadband most of the time.
 
Yeah I do it all the time although only briefly, 'officially' my Droid doesn't do tethering according to Verizon - I beg to differ :p

I average about 2Gb a month data just on my phone so I doubt that a couple hundred meg from my laptop tethered would really register :D
 
I use it everyday to tether my tablet to my HTC Desire on T-Mobile, never had any extra charges or anything. I've even used when streaming from my Plex media server.
 
Wicksta said:
O2 actively promote tethering now, at no extra cost:

http://blog.o2.co.uk/home/2011/05/o2-tethering-explained-phones-tariffs-and-bolt-ons.html

It just comes out of your normal data allowance.
Click to expand...

Thats good because I use tethering every day. I think i downloaded around 600mb of data last month via tethering. I remember once about a year and a half ago i was downloading an update(not massive, maybe 40mb or so) for a game and o2 sent me a not so happy text about it but since then I havent had anything.
 
Ive tethered with both my iphone4 and BB 9780 quite heavily and as of yet, havent had tmobile charge me any extra.
 
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