VZW disabling tethering apps from market

[Larry_ThaGr81]

When you have a problem such as Verizon does, you attack it at the source. The source are the heavy users. Simply removing the application from the Android market isn't going to solve the problem.

Instead they need to work with Google to design an application that is required for Verizon wireless phones to have Verizon service. This application would merely monitor the data usage and which applications are using it so that they can pinpoint the tetherers. The application would then relay this information Verizon.

They don't need an app for that. They can all ready tell the difference. They do with me, as I pay for it. The two separate devices (my netbook and my cell phone) show up as separate data usages.

I believe the problem is that you are paying for two different devices to have internet connection and each one can connect without the other devices assistance. With the smartphones, all Verizon sees is the smartphone MAC address and not the other devices MAC address, which gives Verizon the impression that it's the smartphone connecting to their network. So they have no way of truly knowing that a user could be using their personal laptop/netbook over Verizon's network.

Unless you only pay for internet connection on your phone and they can still distinguish between your netbook and cell phone.

 

[gsdreams]

forget that..!!!!!!! everybody tether away....!!!!!! ive paid for the data once.. im not goin to pay twice for something i have unlimited for.... sorry i dont mean to flame or troll... its just these companys dont know how else to rape us... when its bad enuff the people are just trying to mantain a roof over there heads and there still trying to bang you for something youve paid for already...

p.s im gulity of tethering but i dont go over 5 gigs with both phone and tethering together... i dont get greedy and hog up the system... but damn it i should be able to tether if i damn want to

Have you ever looked at the difference in data usage between your phone and what can easily occur on a computer, etc..?

There is very good reason for this and honestly I agree with it. Verizon bases on what a person "can" and "will" do on a phone for the unlimited data. When you start tacking in computers, wii's, xbox, etc... it ramps that data usage through the roof.

 

[Larry_ThaGr81]

When you have a problem such as Verizon does, you attack it at the source. The source are the heavy users. Simply removing the application from the Android market isn't going to solve the problem.

Instead they need to work with Google to design an application that is required for Verizon wireless phones to have Verizon service. This application would merely monitor the data usage and which applications are using it so that they can pinpoint the tetherers. The application would then relay this information Verizon.

They don't need an app for that. They can all ready tell the difference. They do with me, as I pay for it. The two separate devices (my netbook and my cell phone) show up as separate data usages.

[Agh can't edit...]

And it's not just my smart phone. I tethered with my eNV2 and Verizon could tell the difference between my phone and netbook data usage.

If your netbook came from Verizon, then yes they can distinguish between it and your cell/smartphone. They have a record of all the MAC address for each internet capable device that they sell so they in that instance would be able to distinguish between to different devices. With the free tethering apps, I believe they utilize the network setting of the smartphone, which gives the impression that the smartphone is connected to the internet.

 

[debdroid1a]

When you have a problem such as Verizon does, you attack it at the source. The source are the heavy users. Simply removing the application from the Android market isn't going to solve the problem.

Instead they need to work with Google to design an application that is required for Verizon wireless phones to have Verizon service. This application would merely monitor the data usage and which applications are using it so that they can pinpoint the tetherers. The application would then relay this information Verizon.

They don't need an app for that. They can all ready tell the difference. They do with me, as I pay for it. The two separate devices (my netbook and my cell phone) show up as separate data usages.

I believe the problem is that you are paying for two different devices to have internet connection and each one can connect without the other devices assistance. With the smartphones, all Verizon sees is the smartphone MAC address and not the other devices MAC address, which gives Verizon the impression that it's the smartphone connecting to their network. So they have no way of truly knowing that a user could be using their personal laptop/netbook over Verizon's network.

Unless you only pay for internet connection on your phone and they can still distinguish between your netbook and cell phone.

No, I need my cell phone to connect to my netbook to get internet access. I have no other internet cabability. If I don't connect I don't have internet. I don't have one of their devices to connect to internet, nor any cable or land line.

Yes my cell phone does not need any other device to get internet access. But my netbook needs my cellphone tethered to it.

And again, as I said in my "edit" they could tell with my non-smart phone, an enV2. I used some program I found off the internet through a message board.

And Verizon knows which one I'm using. My cell phone or my netbook for data usage.

 

[freezyfreaky]

Isn't VZW going to slap bandwidth caps on 4G, like 2 GB or something? I don't see how tethering will be very appealing with such limits in place.

This is appealing for those who don't want pay for tethering when they need to occasionally tether. Obviously, this is not for people who use their phone to replace paying for home broadband.

 

[debdroid1a]

They don't need an app for that. They can all ready tell the difference. They do with me, as I pay for it. The two separate devices (my netbook and my cell phone) show up as separate data usages.

[Agh can't edit...]

And it's not just my smart phone. I tethered with my eNV2 and Verizon could tell the difference between my phone and netbook data usage.

If your netbook came from Verizon, then yes they can distinguish between it and your cell/smartphone. They have a record of all the MAC address for each internet capable device that they sell so they in that instance would be able to distinguish between to different devices. With the free tethering apps, I believe they utilize the network setting of the smartphone, which gives the impression that the smartphone is connected to the internet.

Nope, my netbook did not come from Verizon. It's a Dell Mini 1010 and I bought it from Walmart with no internet plan with it.
If I click on an internet icon (like Windows Explorer--I have Windows XP on my netbook) it will not connect. No matter what URL I put in there.
When I found out that my enV2 could connect, through the USB cord, to my netbook I found the program and loaded it on my netbook. I do the same with my smart phone. As I said in the above post, I have no other access to the internet at home.

And again, verizon bills me for 2 separate devices using internet. Cell phone and netbook data.

 

[crspyjohn]

You can install the desktop application and it will automatically install the app on the phone! Just found this out when I upgraded my phone to a new rom and couldn't find pdanet

 

[freezyfreaky]

[Agh can't edit...]

And it's not just my smart phone. I tethered with my eNV2 and Verizon could tell the difference between my phone and netbook data usage.

If your netbook came from Verizon, then yes they can distinguish between it and your cell/smartphone. They have a record of all the MAC address for each internet capable device that they sell so they in that instance would be able to distinguish between to different devices. With the free tethering apps, I believe they utilize the network setting of the smartphone, which gives the impression that the smartphone is connected to the internet.

Nope, my netbook did not come from Verizon. It's a Dell Mini 1010 and I bought it from Walmart with no internet plan with it.
If I click on an internet icon (like Windows Explorer--I have Windows XP on my netbook) it will not connect. No matter what URL I put in there.
When I found out that my enV2 could connect, through the USB cord, to my netbook I found the program and loaded it on my netbook. I do the same with my smart phone. As I said in the above post, I have no other access to the internet at home.

And again, verizon bills me for 2 separate devices using internet. Cell phone and netbook data.

I think this is because you actually pay for a tethering plan and use Verizon's tethering app. Verizon needs to keep track of tethering usage so they can bill you for it. The TBH hack and other tethering apps circumvent this so Verizon thinks it's data used only by your phone and not through tethering.

 

[captdroid]

No worries even if the do packet inspection eventually. For my occasional tethering use I would simply pump it through a vpn connection

 

[Larry_ThaGr81]

They don't need an app for that. They can all ready tell the difference. They do with me, as I pay for it. The two separate devices (my netbook and my cell phone) show up as separate data usages.

I believe the problem is that you are paying for two different devices to have internet connection and each one can connect without the other devices assistance. With the smartphones, all Verizon sees is the smartphone MAC address and not the other devices MAC address, which gives Verizon the impression that it's the smartphone connecting to their network. So they have no way of truly knowing that a user could be using their personal laptop/netbook over Verizon's network.

Unless you only pay for internet connection on your phone and they can still distinguish between your netbook and cell phone.

No, I need my cell phone to connect to my netbook to get internet access. I have no other internet cabability. If I don't connect I don't have internet. I don't have one of their devices to connect to internet, nor any cable or land line.

Yes my cell phone does not need any other device to get internet access. But my netbook needs my cellphone tethered to it.

And again, as I said in my "edit" they could tell with my non-smart phone, an enV2. I used some program I found off the internet through a message board.

And Verizon knows which one I'm using. My cell phone or my netbook for data usage.

Well thanks for clarifying that but it sounds like the program that you use to connect your netbook to your cell phone for internet access doesn't spoof your netbook's network information. I can't help but notice many people saying the paid apps are still on the market but the free ones aren't. Maybe the paid tethering applications don't spoof the network information of the connecting device and that's why they are still available in the market. I used to tether a little with my Droid 1 a little over a year ago just to try it out and not once did I ever see any distinguishing between my smartphone data usage versus my laptop.

I guess I could have just been lucky or maybe at the time they weren't distinguishing between different devices because it wasn't that serious like it is now. I have free tethering until the 15 of May with my TB thanks to Verizon's promotion and now you have me curious as to what they can see. I have to keep in mind that this is a standard app so I'm sure everything is completely monitored when use mobile hotspot.

If your netbook came from Verizon, then yes they can distinguish between it and your cell/smartphone. They have a record of all the MAC address for each internet capable device that they sell so they in that instance would be able to distinguish between to different devices. With the free tethering apps, I believe they utilize the network setting of the smartphone, which gives the impression that the smartphone is connected to the internet.

Nope, my netbook did not come from Verizon. It's a Dell Mini 1010 and I bought it from Walmart with no internet plan with it.
If I click on an internet icon (like Windows Explorer--I have Windows XP on my netbook) it will not connect. No matter what URL I put in there.
When I found out that my enV2 could connect, through the USB cord, to my netbook I found the program and loaded it on my netbook. I do the same with my smart phone. As I said in the above post, I have no other access to the internet at home.

And again, verizon bills me for 2 separate devices using internet. Cell phone and netbook data.

I think this is because you actually pay for a tethering plan and use Verizon's tethering app. Verizon needs to keep track of tethering usage so they can bill you for it. The TBH hack and other tethering apps circumvent this so Verizon thinks it's data used only by your phone and not through tethering.

That seems to be the difference because when I played around with tethering over a year ago, I was rooted and I was using rooted tethering apps that had the ability to spoof my connecting device information. Although I have the free promotional mobile hotspot with my TB, I think it would be able to distinguish between multiple devices because the app isn't designed to hide information.

 

[dfuser312553]

I think the bigger news here is that an app was removed.
I'd like to see the language in the reasoning. Is it just speculation that Verizon had it removed?

 

[debdroid1a]

And again, verizon bills me for 2 separate devices using internet. Cell phone and netbook data.

I think this is because you actually pay for a tethering plan and use Verizon's tethering app. Verizon needs to keep track of tethering usage so they can bill you for it. The TBH hack and other tethering apps circumvent this so Verizon thinks it's data used only by your phone and not through tethering.

That seems to be the difference because when I played around with tethering over a year ago, I was rooted and I was using rooted tethering apps that had the ability to spoof my connecting device information. Although I have the free promotional mobile hotspot with my TB, I think it would be able to distinguish between multiple devices because the app isn't designed to hide information.

I don't use verizon's tethering app. Guess I should have spelled this all out.

Netbook, no internet connection on it without some other source. Bought at walmart as a stand alone, no internet data package or internet source with it. A Dell Mini 1010 (got a great deal at $300, did not use a credit card, just my ATM card). Uses Windows XP (the tethering program from the last update on my Droid 1 does not support XP--I tried it and that's how I found it won't support XP).
No landline. No cable.
Used an enV2 and tethered to that netbook, paid Verizon and they could tell the difference between data packages. Did not go through Verizon for the data source, used a program found on the web and put on my computer through a USB device (downloaded it to a USB from my work computer).
Moved to a Droid 1, bought EasyTether. Connected to my Netbook and used it on that. Did not go through Verizon for EasyTether or any internet connection.

 

[AcMXenon]

The claim that more data is used when tethering is true and false.

I think that's an oversimplification. If you are tethering, then you have clearly demonstrated a preference to consume data on a device other than your Droid, otherwise you wouldn't be tethering. Stands to reason that while in some cases you might tolerate consuming that data on your Droid, without the ability to tether in most cases that would be data not consumed on your Droid data plan (as you either seek out a different data source or forego it all together).

If all "data" is equal, then why are people tethering? Why do you need to consume that data on other devices? Clearly you're demonstrating a difference with your preference here, so I don't understand why people get all up in arms when VZW wants to make a distinction as well. People are wanting to use a service VZW didn't sell them, charges separately for, and I fail to see how VZW is in the wrong here.

the orginally iPad 3G came for At&t came with unlimted data for 30 bucks a month. This device will consume alot data as well and the price was fair @ the time it came out. Now look at how the pricing infastructure is now and your point being was?

 

[kodiak799]

the orginally iPad 3G came for At&t came with unlimted data for 30 bucks a month. This device will consume alot data as well and the price was fair @ the time it came out. Now look at how the pricing infastructure is now and your point being was?

Promotional pricing likely subsidized by Apple in one way or another. Mobile broadband plans from VZW and AT&T have been capped and quite pricey for some time. So I have no idea why you even bring this up as if it were relevant.

 

[czerdrill]

Lol I've gotta ask. Are people really surprised? No...really?

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