PDA Net And Verizon Billing...

[AzJazz]

While Verizon has been quiet on this in the past, Android 2.2 (Froyo) may be a game changer.

Previously, Wifi tethering on your smartphone required some technical expertise. The first passes at tethering required rooting before PDA Net & Easytether arrived on the game. WinMo tethering also required some tech knowledge as well. Thus, the number of people using their phone for free tethering was relatively small.

Things are different now with Froyo - Tethering is built right into the OS. The number of folks tethering may start to climb to the point where Verizon starts taking action. When I bought my wife's Incredible, and added my wife to my plan, I verbally had to agree to the VZ sales rep that her phone wouldn't be used for tethering without purchasing a broadband plan from VZ.

Unless you get routed to a nag page from Verizon when you try tethering without paying (which may still occur when Froyo is officially released), you may find VZ starting to pay a lot more attention to "free" tethering.

When I heard that Froyo included tethering in the OS, I was actually a bit pi**ed off - since I realized that there could be unintended consequences from adding this feature.

As the old adage goes, "Be careful what you wish for."

Untrrue, Pdanet and easytether works with out root. But you may be right about 2.2 being a game changer, since installing it pdanet and easytether quits working after awhile.
I see both sides. I think its outrages for vzw to charge people an extra 20 bucks a mnth on top of the already high bill. I say give a limit, example if you pay for a plan with 3gs a mnth, you can use it how you like whether tethering or not. That will limit those who abuse it. And if you want to use you device as a ISP then you charge them for an unlimited data plan of 45 bucks a mnth. Those who have internet at the house and do not use as much pay less. Those that say use it to no limit can pay more. Its a fair deal for every one. I use to be against the tier plan, now I am all for it.

Hi, pilotcharles747 -

Actually, I was saying that rooting was required BEFORE PDANet and EasyTether.

But, here's another nugget: While PDANet and EasyTether are great apps (I have both), you truly can't get to the lowest level of the OS for internet tethering with either. I found this out when I tried to VPN to work through my Droid.

What I found out is that my work's VPN connections are not accessible when using PDANet or ET. Whether my work found a way to block it, or if VPN connections are just not possible, I don't know.

However, if you are rooted, you can get a free Android USB Tether app here. Or, Froyo via BBv0.4 also will allow VPN connections. I believe that both of these options work at a lower layer of the OS, which may mean that they are slightly less visible to Verizon when free tethering (though, I'm not sure on that).

(Side note, if you're not rooted: Between PDANet and EasyTether, buy ET! It's lots cheaper, just as functional as PDANet, and I found ET to be slightly faster and stabler when I compared the two a while back)

That said, I'm VERY happy that the official Froyo release for Droid doesn't have USB or WiFi tethering installed. Those of us that are rooted (or EasyTether'd) will probably be glad of this for the long haul.

AzJazz

 

[SixStringTheory]

I have a friends thats a VZW rep and he is going to have his BOSS root his Droid 1.

VZW stores are about three steps down from forums. Contrary to all the "my friend works at VZW and has dinner w/ the CEO who tells him secrets" posts, very very few reps, CSRs, or even managers know any more than we do. They'll leak out some new device literature (manuals, training stuff, etc..) but otherwise are just like us board lurkers.

So don't base your opinion on what the corporation knows or does based on what anyone in a store knows or does.

They're all just as degenerate as the rest of us ;-p

 

[zamslam]

sure the browser on the droid probably has a different user agent string but that isn't necessarily very strong evidence of tethering as some browsers may let you change it

I think that in the HTTP header there's a property called something like USER_AGENT.

On my PC, going to Whats My User Agent? says:

Your User Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.9.2.8) Gecko/20100722 Firefox/3.6.8 ( .NET CLR 3.5.30729)

On the X it says blahblah Android blahblah DROIDX blah

So if they're sniffing your packets (without buying you dinner first, which would be rude) they should be able to detect a PC's browser pretty easily.

 

[aminaked]

Right, the user agent string is a telltale sign, but we were saying that some browsers on droid let you change the user agent, so I could theoretically make my droid report the same user agent as your home computer and it wouldn't be due to tethering.

But I believe this to be a moot point because unless you proxy and encrypt there will be tons of other signs that you are tethering as I've seen mentioned on these forums.

 

[Parafly9]

Been using PDANet for a while with no problems from VZ

 

[jetdoc]

Simple but true words...some people are just idiots.

Use it, don't abuse it.

 

[tonydjd]

wow

does this mean if my phone gets updated upload from VZ I will lose my pdanet tethering function.
phone is not rooted novious user here.
sorry for dumb question

orginal droid phone