AT&T Cracking Down on MyWi Tethering?

[Lanulos]

I don't think they have any way to track tethering apps. They are just targeting users with high transfers.

Packets sent by the iPhone to the AT&T node have a TTL of 64. If they get a packet from your phone that doesn't have the TTL set to 64, they have good reason to suspect that the packet did not originate with your phone, but from something tethered to it. That is why the post I linked to says to set your computer's TTL value to 65; after it goes through the phone it will decrease to 64 and look like it came from the phone. (Each device or node the packet goes through reduces the TTL value by 1.) Maybe AT&T also has other ways to tell but those are probably more circumstantial than this way. Here is the link again:

Post • The Solution! • The Register Forums

 

[cgordonn]

What about those of us who tether our iPads to our iPhones. Is there a method to manipulate the iPads TTL value?

 

[JasonG]

i used about 2gb on my data this month so far, im a week away from the reset. maybe 750mb is from tethering. the rest is iphone data and netflix. i am yet to recieve either the email or the text.

stop trying to over charge customers att. offer free tethering with certain plans (say the 2gb plan) and people would be happy

 

[bergman]

Changing the TTL on the iPad would be an excellent feature enhancement for MyWi !

 

[Lanulos]

If you are tethering the iPad through an iPhone, you would only need MyWi on the iPhone. It would be kind of overkill to put MyWi on the iPad just to change the TTL. Unless the TTL is totally hard coded into the OS, it should be a very minor tweak, probably adding a few lines to a file, like a plist. I don't have an AT&T iPhone to look for it on, and my daughter's VZW iPhone isn't jailbroken. I looked on my Touch and didn't find any reference to TTL, and besides it might be different on a phone, and also it might be the default is built in the OS but could be changed by adding lines to a file.

 

[JohnH59]

How would connecting MyWi from iPhone to iPad via Bluetooth (On Demand) show up?

 

[xalittlegirlx]

I think this is just a scare tactic. if you are on a two year contract with a grandfathered unlimited data plan (like I am because I carried it into my iPhone 4 upgrade last year) if they are going to change the terms of your contract without your permission that should be grounds to be able to terminate that contract without ETF.

I would consider "heavy" or "high" data usage to be between 5-10GB and going up from there.

there were always issues with customers when they had those Data Connect Laptop plans for 5GB was $60 per month. They were sold to customers in stores as "Unlimited" laptop connect plans and then AT&T starting dinging accounts with over 5 GB usage over consistent billing cycles because in actuality, that was the plan threshold.

They gave those customers an option to change to a plan where after 5GB they would be paying per data transfer rate above that (dont remember what it was) or they could terminate their contract without penalty because of "false advertising at point of sale"

the number that is in those e-mails about the first poster is probably some "Excessive Data Usage" team that take calls for cases like this iphone deal and also for other devices that are tagged on the network as using too much data per month and also Excessive roaming within U.S.

I wouldn't worry about it and if they did try something like that on my account I would call and raise Cain because my contract says I have an unlimited plan and that is that!

 

[Fausty82]

I think this is just a scare tactic. if you are on a two year contract with a grandfathered unlimited data plan (like I am because I carried it into my iPhone 4 upgrade last year) if they are going to change the terms of your contract without your permission that should be grounds to be able to terminate that contract without ETF.

I would consider "heavy" or "high" data usage to be between 5-10GB and going up from there.

there were always issues with customers when they had those Data Connect Laptop plans for 5GB was $60 per month. They were sold to customers in stores as "Unlimited" laptop connect plans and then AT&T starting dinging accounts with over 5 GB usage over consistent billing cycles because in actuality, that was the plan threshold.

They gave those customers an option to change to a plan where after 5GB they would be paying per data transfer rate above that (dont remember what it was) or they could terminate their contract without penalty because of "false advertising at point of sale"

the number that is in those e-mails about the first poster is probably some "Excessive Data Usage" team that take calls for cases like this iphone deal and also for other devices that are tagged on the network as using too much data per month and also Excessive roaming within U.S.

I wouldn't worry about it and if they did try something like that on my account I would call and raise Cain because my contract says I have an unlimited plan and that is that!

The problem with your argument is that AT&T isn't changing anything about the terms of their contract... the contract says that tethering is NOT allowed under the unlimited data plan... if you want to tether, you need a TETHERING plan... so technically you are already in violation of the terms of your contract... so legally they COULD cancel your contract and charge you the ETF... odds are very good that that will not happen, but they have the right to do so...

And yes, it's probably a scare tactic... find a "poster boy" type of abuser, throw the book at them and watch everyone else fall back into line... I suspect that will happen to a couple of people then this will all blow over... is tethering against the terms of your contract? Yes. Is it a huge deal for the casual tetherer? Not at all... Let's just wait and see what happens...

Then again, this guy (NOT Woody, but the "friend" that he references) is just begging for it...

 

[Lanulos]

How would connecting MyWi from iPhone to iPad via Bluetooth (On Demand) show up?

I think you are asking about tethering your iPad through your iPhone with MyWi on your phone? The packets from your iPad start out with TTL=64 but after going through your phone would arrive at AT&T with TTL=63 which would indicate tethering. AT&T is expecting TTL=64 for packets originating from your phone.

 

[Lanulos]

Changing the TTL on the iPad would be an excellent feature enhancement for MyWi !

I answered your post before but I just realized that I might have misinterpreted it. What would be great would be if MyFi could make every outgoing packet from the phone to AT&T have TTL=64. I don't know if MyFi has the low level access to the packets that it would need to do that though.

 

[Fausty82]

Any messages from them while using pdanet?

I am not sure it has anything to do with the tethering app... it's a matter of inspecting the packets and seeing the value of the TTL setting for those packets... looks like AT&T is setting/expecting certain values, and based on the values returned, can determine whether or not tethering is occurring...

Again, I am personally taking a "wait and see" attitude... I think it's more sabre-rattling than anything else... and until they actually start forcing people off of the unlimited data plans and putting them on 2GB plans AND tethering plans, there's probably not a lot to worry about wether you're using mywi, pdanet or something else...

 

[bumblbe]

TTL and Bluetooth

Mywi has a bluetooth function that tethers an iPad to the iPhone via bluetooth.
Would this circumvent the TTL number thought to be the way that AT&T catches tethering??

 

[Lanulos]

Mywi has a bluetooth function that tethers an iPad to the iPhone via bluetooth.
Would this circumvent the TTL number thought to be the way that AT&T catches tethering??

Not as I understand it. I think you are still sending a packet through a node (the phone) which would still decrement the TTL number. I could be wrong because I am not the world's expert on this. But from what I've read that is what would happen.

 

[bumblbe]

Next step

FWIW
I downloaded User Agent Faker from Cydia and have my iPad set to identify itself as the same string as my iPhone (custom).
I rarely tether, I have unlimited data, but when I tether I do not want to be forced into a higher priced lower data plan.
Hopefully this will help
Bill

 

[bergman]

Does User Agent Faker have a setting to spoof the TTL or are you just making your iPad Safari look like the iPhone Safari?

 

[bumblbe]

Tethering

I'm just making my iPad Safari look like the iPhone Safari
Hope this helps

 

[EasTexAg]

The iPhone 4 is my first iPhone. I was a big BB user before the switch. I used an app called "Tether" with my last BB. I still get emails from websites that sell BB apps and they are still promoting the Tether app. Is this only a problem with the iPhone or are they doing the same for other platforms? And this has all been with AT&T.

 

[macharborguy]

FWIW
I downloaded User Agent Faker from Cydia and have my iPad set to identify itself as the same string as my iPhone (custom).
I rarely tether, I have unlimited data, but when I tether I do not want to be forced into a higher priced lower data plan.
Hopefully this will help
Bill

Keep in mind that you are openly and actively using your iPhone's data plan against the terms of your contract, a contract that you agreed to and signed when you got your phone. If you don't want to risk getting put into a higher priced lower data plan, don't tether. If you want to tether, go to at&t and switch your data/tethering plan.

 

[bumblbe]

the Hard line

Thanks but I feel that you are taking a hard line.
I pay 45$ a month as my work requires an enterprise data plan.
For a very infrequent use of tethering I should lose this and go to a 2 gb cap??
I use very little data.
It's a shame that AT&T is so big that a real dialog between users and the company is not possible or that a real contract vs a "one size fits all" cannot be done

 

[macharborguy]

Thanks but I feel that you are taking a hard line.
I pay 45$ a month as my work requires an enterprise data plan.
For a very infrequent use of tethering I should lose this and go to a 2 gb cap??
I use very little data.
It's a shame that AT&T is so big that a real dialog between users and the company is not possible or that a real contract vs a "one size fits all" cannot be done

When it comes to business law, as well as contracts, there is only the hard line. The line isnt fussy just because you disagree, and if you do disagree you had the chance to voice that before signing the contract. It's as simple as that. Either agree and follow the terms of the contract, or don't and accept the consequences spelled out in that contract.

Do I agree with the contract from a personal opinion, not so much. It could be better and more reasonable, however, I made the decision that I could deal with the contact. It will take far more than a few people that disagree with the contract terms to change AT&T's position. It would take a mass of people to do so, a majority of AT&T's users, and will that ever happen? Nope.


My suggestion to everyone out there is to take some initiative, read your contract start to finish, and become knowledgable in what you signed. If you already have, good on you, defend yourself if you have found that you have a defendable position.