My rebates have come in and I'm ready to drop the data plan on my bill.
I'm trying to prep to keep the majority of the functionality that I have been use to through the Tilt's wireless connection. I hope that I can learn from others that have dropped their data plan.
My first concern revolves around dropping the data plan and making sure that I don't pile up per-kb charges. I know that I can call AT&T and request a stop data, but that also stops my text messages. I've read that KaiserTweak works as well and will probably be the route that I use, unless there are other suggestions.
Furthermore, I need to find a way to make the device look to the wireless connection as the primary connection. For instance, how can I change it so that Outlook and even HTC Home Weather uses wireless connection. Is there a menu or registry setting I can use for that?
For those of you that have gone through this process, I would appreciate in suggestions.
Thanks!
Would also like to know, never got a data plan...
tyeo098 said:
Would also like to know, never got a data plan...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's so freaking easy. I don't know why nobody uses this method.
Create an empty Network setting and that's it. No APN, no "modem" settings, nothing. Just create a new one, name it something like NoData, set it as the default network for "The Internet" and "Work", and that's it.
It will never get online except what you feed it through WiFi.
It was great traveling through Japan for few weeks and no data billed, no worries if I needed Modaco NoData or KaiserTweak to setup something shady that might heal itself and nail me with charges.
Lol, its called stop being cheap.
People get stuff and don't want to pay to maintain it. IE, get a car, drive it 4 years, and never want to put new tires on it, but as soon as it doesn't pass inspection, you're ready to snap.
What was the purpose of getting a PDA phone without the data plan...?? Shoulda got a regular phone if that was the case, or perhaps a palm pilot.
Why pay your provider $40+ if you are not using it? I myself have an unlimited data plan, but I rarely use it. I have WiFi at work and at home and I am on WiFi network most of the time. It is critical for me to access my email at all times and I need to pay for the data plan. But for most people, it is not that important and they can still get access 80% of the time. Don't judge people because they don't live by your rules.
Related
This question has probably been answered a hundred million times but I just wanted to double check before trying this out. Dont want to end up with a huge bill. I have the PDA Personal – Unlimited ($30) data plan. I keep seeing 2 options throughtout the pda. AT&T ISP GPRS (isp.cingular) and MEdia Net (wap.cingular). Does my plan include both or should I just stick with MEdia Net for internet.
Thanks.
It's my understanding that the wap.cingular is for interwebs on the tilt and isp.cingular is for use with tethering and possibly internet sharing.
If you only have the PDA Personal plan, then I'm pretty sure your AT&T ISP connection won't even function. I had the same question when I first signed up and while I could get signal and connection with ISP selected, I couldn't actually get any data to come across. From everything I've read, Yusuke is right.....ISP is for tethering and you're best off sticking with Media Net........it's been working great for me.
I'm on a pda personal as well and as Valtamr said, my ISP won't even connect. I tether on media net. Been doing it for a while just make sure proxy is disabled adn haven't been charged yet. Last month i hit something around 4.5 gigs of traffic no charges!
fone_fanatic, what is the reason to disable proxy? Does Internet Sharing not work if proxy is enabled?
And I am curious about tethering. I want to try it once. Would AT&T be able to detect tethering if I used "Internet Sharing" through USB set to MEdiaNet.
Thanks
MEdia NET VS PDA Personal
Do you know if one could get away with purchasing the MEdia NET versus the doubly priced PDA Personal Plan on the HTC TyTN II? Looking at them, it looks like AT&T is just charging double for the same service, Unlimited MEdia NET access...
Thanks,
Jeremie
jlariviere said:
Do you know if one could get away with purchasing the MEdia NET versus the doubly priced PDA Personal Plan on the HTC TyTN II? Looking at them, it looks like AT&T is just charging double for the same service, Unlimited MEdia NET access...
Thanks,
Jeremie
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree. All you need to do is switch your sim to a non-PDA phone call att and tell them you purchased the wrong plan because you no longer like using a pda phone. ask them for $15 unlimited medianet.
An experienced YES
I have been using Medianet on my tilt for 2 months with -0- problems. the at&t rep even suggested using it instead when i was asking about plan options for my tilt.
jlariviere said:
Do you know if one could get away with purchasing the MEdia NET versus the doubly priced PDA Personal Plan on the HTC TyTN II? Looking at them, it looks like AT&T is just charging double for the same service, Unlimited MEdia NET access...
Thanks,
Jeremie
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
MrEous said:
I have been using Medianet on my tilt for 2 months with -0- problems. the at&t rep even suggested using it instead when i was asking about plan options for my tilt.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
redbandana said:
I agree. All you need to do is switch your sim to a non-PDA phone call att and tell them you purchased the wrong plan because you no longer like using a pda phone. ask them for $15 unlimited medianet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks guys!
Jeremie
If you use the media net with internet sharing just to browse the internet and check email they will not know it. but if you start to dl lots of stuff and large files and p2p you will get charge for excessive data usage and i think they can ban you don't really know. i have been using the internet sharing in my laptop on my media net plan for almost a year now with no prob.
redbandana said:
I agree. All you need to do is switch your sim to a non-PDA phone call att and tell them you purchased the wrong plan because you no longer like using a pda phone. ask them for $15 unlimited medianet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i taught you well
$15 media net
OK guys i called ATT and told them i put my sim in another old phone and gave my tilt to my wife. They asked for my IMEI number and the number on the SIM....crap. I dont have a old phone laying around except one from a different network and its prepaid. I dont think it will work will it?? If any of you have a old phone laying around that you know you wont use anymore PM me the IMEI and make model of the phone please, if it works ill send you a little donation..
simmons79 said:
OK guys i called ATT and told them i put my sim in another old phone and gave my tilt to my wife. They asked for my IMEI number and the number on the SIM....crap. I dont have a old phone laying around except one from a different network and its prepaid. I dont think it will work will it?? If any of you have a old phone laying around that you know you wont use anymore PM me the IMEI and make model of the phone please, if it works ill send you a little donation..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OMFG are you serious
Just hang up and call again till you get someone else that wont ask questions, I went threw a long process of them putting my blackberry plan on when I had one cause they were wondering why I was putting the BB Unlim. on a RAZR lol. just go online and change it, i think that works.
wireless.att.com
The Data Buffet
I've used this analogy at the at$t forums before when it comes to data plans, and why at$t would price them the way they do. The real bottom line is, they figured out a way to charge more money, but let me explain the buffet.
Purchasing data plans from at&t is like paying to eat at a buffet. In this case there is the child price, teenager price, and adult price. We could expand on this because of all the variations at&t has with data plans, but let’s stick with three to keep the illustration simple.
The child price (Media Net plan @ $15) is for all the non PDA type phones. at&t assume these types of phone will not consume that much data in a month. Much like a child would not eat that much at the buffet.
The teenager price (PDA plan @ $30) is for all the PDA phones, like a Tilt and BB. at&t assumes one would consume a moderate amount of data in a month’s time.
The adult price (Data Connect plan @ $60) is for laptop cards and tethering your phone to a laptop. at&t assumes if your using a laptop in any way it will consume a huge amount of data.
There are two APN (wap.cingular & isp.cingular). Consider them two different lines to get in when going to the buffet. isp.cingular is an express line reserved for the Data Connect plan. If you are on the Media Net or PDA plan, isp.cingular will not be provisioned for your account.
Then there is the proxy connection. Consider this a different room to go through before getting in line at the buffet. In this room would be a different buffet table with some extra stuff. And that stuff would be the Media Net home page. Whooopy!!
Just like a buffet, some will try and cheat the system. Much like lying about your childs age to get the child price. In this case, giving at&t a wrong IMEI number. Once you’re in, it's all you can eat regardless of the price you paid. Just be aware, you eat too much paying the child price, someone will take notice.
Good analogy; however, my issue is that they claim, for $15 to provide "Unlimited".
It really isn't Unlimited if they charge for different amounts.
Jeremie
Indeed. And I HATE those stupid marketing-driven "Unlimited*" plans that just mean nothing. Unlimited is unlimited. If you want to limit to 5GB, you say it clearly and state it's 5Gb. Grr.
At least it's not that way here. But if I remember well they legally can't do such a stupid thing, which is just right.
* within reasonable considerations
I recently switch to att. I am using the $15 media net w/ the tilt now. I heard ppl saying that the media net is pretty fast(thatz the main reason why I switch to att). but after I switch to att and experience the media net. I found that the speed is that as fast as what I expected. I personally think it's not that fast, it's just a bit faster than the T-zone from Tmobile. I don't know if I have the wrong setting or what. it takes about 10 sec or more to load the google.com and about 35 sec (or more) to load the yahoo.com. is this speed normal? how fast are you guys' media net on ur tilt? just wondering. Please share your experience. thank you
GWelker62 said:
Then there is the proxy connection. Consider this a different room to go through before getting in line at the buffet. In this room would be a different buffet table with some extra stuff. And that stuff would be the Media Net home page. Whooopy!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not completely right here. Since you are being filtered thru the proxy, many applications and protocols will not work properly w/ proxy enable (e.g. HTC home Weather update)
I'm currently using my Kaiser on T-Mobile, and I don't have a data plan as I don't intend to access the internet other than via WiFi. However, sometimes if I try to sync my email or access a webpage without first connecting to WiFi, I get a notification that my phone is connecting to EDGE. This obviously shouldn't be happening, since my plan doesn't cover it. Usually I can cancel it within a few seconds so I don't think it's ever actually connected.
However, I'm afraid that rather than denying me access to the network, it's just going to let me connect and then automatically charge me for a data plan, which is something I would definitely like to avoid. Does anyone know why this is happening, whether I'll actually get connected to EDGE/be charged for it, and how I can get around it? Or should I talk to T-Mobile and find out from them? Also, when my phone connects to the data network to receive MMS, does that count as part of a data plan or is that covered in the regular MMS charge? I have virtually no knowledge of how phone and data networks function, so sorry if this info is painfully simple.
Thanks in advance.
Not having a data plan doesn't prevent you from connecting to the data network, but only changes the way it gets billed. Without a plan you usually get billed for the amount of data you transfer, at a fairly high price per MB. With a plan you'll pay some monthly fee but will then be free to transfer up to a certain amount of data per month, altogether for much cheaper.
If you don't want the EDGE to connect, either simply delete the connection parameters from the connection settings or use a program like this one to deactivate the connection:
http://www.modaco.com/content/pocket-pc-software/246171/new-free-utility/
MMS is a separate connection that can only be used for MMS and doesn't charge.
you can also change the different cell data connections to disabled with KaiserTweak, on this forum, that's worked well for me.
Jeremie
Okay, thanks guys, I'll check it out. I skimmed through some of the connection options and didn't see anything, but I'll look more thoroughly and figure it out. Also need to remember to install KaiserTweak again, keep forgetting to while trying out various ROMs.
Also thanks for the info about the billing, I didn't realize it worked like that - I thought it was like internet access, if you don't have a plan you can't get on.
You can get unlimited access to media net for $15 a month
Ok, so I called the AT&T dorks at their "Business Center" and this question:
"Can I use the WiFi from my own personal wireless router on my phone? If I do, do I have to pay for it? I ask because there is no reason that I should be paying for internet 2x."
The response:
"If you access the internet on your phone regardless if it is WiFi or if it is over the AT&T network, you will be charged for it if you do not have a Data Plan."
Is this correct? I mean, if I turn off the "phone" on my phone, will it still charge me? Can anyone tell me if there is a way to get around this garbage? I would like to use the WiFi on my phone, but I don't really want to pay the 50 cents a Kb or whatever for it. Thanks for the help!
They do rip u off ALLL the time, that the same question I thought of when I was getting my tilt. but tell u what, start using UR phones wifi and if they charge u for data , U can sue them for extortion. Call them now and tell them to disable data connection and start using ur WIFI.
such a RIP OFF att is sometimes.
Yea, using Wifi has nothing to do with ATT. If you connect to your router, and you don't see the little E or G or 3G icons, then your NOT using any data from ATT. - they can see your data usage as it is sent from your router to your phone.
Your fine.
^ yep, you will NOT incur any fees/charges from AT&T for using wi-fi.
Oh boy if they had told me that I think I would have been crying with laughter.. Yeah man you can take your sim card out and wifi... Stupid at&t, you should call them back and say something about that.
AT&T, like any other large corporation, does have its share of idiots working there. You managed to talk to one...lol
Great
Thanks for the help, guys, I thought I was just going to get ripped off. Appreciate it greatly!
There is no way for them to tell if you're online on your phone if you're not connecting through MediaNet. Trust me, I bought a wireless router a couple years ago just so I could browse the net on my phone. They can't tell. Just go into Settings, Connections tab, Connections, Advanced tab, Select Networks, Adjust both dialog boxes to anything but MediaNet. That fixes that. I called them and asked the same question just like the next man a few years ago & got the same answer. It all depends on who you talk to. If you can get someone on the phone that has a similar device that you do, they'll know better. Trust me, been surfing wirelessly for years now with absolutely no fluctuation. If I'm not connecting through thier servers, then how would they know?
They will charge you, dont listen to the people that dont know, they just THINK that they cant charge you, but they have not talked to any reps like you and I. And I did get a $119 for using my wifi, and when I called I was told that wifi is not free if I dont have a pda package. Also I have a No Data installed on my phone to ensure I do not use up any data services except for wifi.
kolombok said:
They will charge you, dont listen to the people that dont know, they just THINK that they cant charge you, but they have not talked to any reps like you and I. And I did get a $119 for using my wifi, and when I called I was told that wifi is not free if I dont have a pda package. Also I have a No Data installed on my phone to ensure I do not use up any data services except for wifi.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If that is the case and you are 100% sure that you werent streaming data via edge/3G, take it to court. They WILL loose. Period.
You do NOT have to have a Sim card in the phone to use the WiFi via a Wireless Router. Your device will get online and surf without it ( the sim ). If they charged you for using your OWN Wifi and you let them charge you, then the yolk is on you.
For all of the other posters, I will tell you a Simple way to make sure you dont dial out and accidentally catch onto a 3G / Edge network.
Just DELETE The damn Medianet / MyISP settings inside of network connections. Make sure it is 100% empty and void of any and all other connection types. Also, Make sure you take your phone OFF of THEIR proxy. Doing this will 100% prevent them from even knowing that you are using the phone at all with data.... as this is their only means of tracking the data usage on the phone.... ( Research the word Proxy and you will be all the more wiser )
Good luck and I hope I have helped some of you!
P.S.
My father was given my old hermes when I got the kaiser. He is too cheap to buy a data plan however has wifi in his house as well as his office ( Both of which I set up ) and has absolutely no problems with ATT. They have NO IDEA he is using the phone with his own Wifi.
kolombok said:
They will charge you, dont listen to the people that dont know, they just THINK that they cant charge you, but they have not talked to any reps like you and I. And I did get a $119 for using my wifi, and when I called I was told that wifi is not free if I dont have a pda package. Also I have a No Data installed on my phone to ensure I do not use up any data services except for wifi.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is absolutely no reason why they would have charged you if you were actually using just wi-fi. I have no data package and I only use wi-fi and I have never been charged for it. I havent even deleted the media-net connection or 3G connection...just be smart and pay attention to your title bar and it will tell you where your internets coming from...Hope this helps,
-John
Johnster988 said:
There is absolutely no reason why they would have charged you if you were actually using just wi-fi. I have no data package and I only use wi-fi and I have never been charged for it. I havent even deleted the media-net connection or 3G connection...just be smart and pay attention to your title bar and it will tell you where your internets coming from...Hope this helps,
-John
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly. He more than likely was streaming via Edge and didnt know it.
In an effort to cut costs I removed the data plan from my phone. I setup wifi at home since I rarely use the internet while I am away from home and I plan on just stopping using it at all unless I'm home.
Here's my question. I have a lot of apps on my phone and some of them use the net. Without a data plan are those apps going to connect to the internet while I'm away from home and run up my bill?
Is there anything that I need to do on the phone now that I don't have a data plan to ensure that it is all set up to just be a phone when I'm away from home and a fully functional Android device when I'm home and on wifi?
There is an app for your issue. Can't remember the name, but I'm sure someone will come on to tell you.
You have to ask your provider... are they going to let your phone connect to the net and charge you ridiculous fees or they are not going to let you even hook up unless you have a data plan? Because the phone itself will check for stuff every so often. You can disable wireless synk for google stuff but your other apps may still hook up to the net Either way, screwing something up in the apn settings will guarantee you not to be able to get on the net, it may mess up with your mms messages too though.
Good luck
Check my provider? Seriously? T-Mobile just tells me that I HAVE to have a data plan cause they want to make more money
Try APNdroid in the market... it disables the 3g/edge data...
'Toggle Data' is also good. You just tap the icon and it will disable, and tap to enable again. I also don't have a data plan (not all the time anyway) so it's very useful.
WiSyncPlus is your friend from now on.. http://www.cyrket.com/package/mobi.gearsoft.android.wisyncplus
Kafluke said:
Check my provider? Seriously? T-Mobile just tells me that I HAVE to have a data plan cause they want to make more money
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey now.. how am I supposed to know you have t-mo... it's not like it's in your details or in your signature lol
So I've been tethering my Tilt at work for over a year; it's been great to bypass the filters my employer has in place, and I only used it when I had to so I wouldn't get "flagged" by AT&T for too much data usage. Honestly, I have no idea how they enforce their tethering policies.
Or do I?
I got married earlier this year, and just last night we went into AT&T and put my wife on our family plan. She picked the Samsung Solstice, and the salesman and I chatted VERY briefly about the Tilt 2 (how expensive it is), and I mentioned that I had a Tilt.
That's IT!
This morning, I plugged my Tilt into my PC at work, and the connection looks good on my phone, but my PC says "acquiring network address" for far too long, and then says "limited or no connectivity." WHAT?!? This has NEVER happened before. This can't be coincidence that the morning after...did they look closely at the account or something? Can they disable tethering somehow?
Thanks.
i don't know for sure about data plans in the US but my provider enables unlimited internet usage (only EDGE/GPRS is available here, no 3G yet) for a per month flat rate of the equivalent of about $6.
to the best of my knowledge, the service provider can NOT tell if the phone is using the internet or a computer tethered to the phone is using the internet.
so if the internet is connecting and working fine when using apps on your phone, then the internet sharing should also work. i have noticed that the internet sharing can be finicky when trying to assign an IP to your computer when tethered...so try soft resetting your device. also, try different sequences of steps...for example, manually connect the data connection on your phone and THEN start internet sharing, or vice versa and so on.
http://www.wmwifirouter.com/
works great. can connect up to five pc's and/or cell phones.
software is 30, free trial
ASCIIker said:
i don't know for sure about data plans in the US but my provider enables unlimited internet usage (only EDGE/GPRS is available here, no 3G yet) for a per month flat rate of the equivalent of about $6.
to the best of my knowledge, the service provider can NOT tell if the phone is using the internet or a computer tethered to the phone is using the internet.
so if the internet is connecting and working fine when using apps on your phone, then the internet sharing should also work. i have noticed that the internet sharing can be finicky when trying to assign an IP to your computer when tethered...so try soft resetting your device. also, try different sequences of steps...for example, manually connect the data connection on your phone and THEN start internet sharing, or vice versa and so on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, since it was working fine for two years and just happened to break the very next time after I added someone to my plan, I just figured that's what did it. I'd like to say I was right, but I can't prove it.
You were right, it wasn't able to aqcuire an IP address, but data worked fine on the rest of the phone.
In any case, I ended up just rerunning Connection Setup on a whim and I'm happily back on xda-developers via a tether.
Thanks!
[UPDATE] Right in the middle of typing this "it's fixed!" post, my connection flaked out again. This time my whole data connection, not just the tether. "The remote party has ended the connection" or some such. So I rebooted with the same result. So I'm back on my work connection. CRAP. Are we sure they're not onto me?
Hmmm
Later that same day (12/11, 2 days after we added the new phone to the family plan), I received this text message from 7535: Your Smartphone is active! A data plan is required & if omitted, will be added to your account. For more details, see your sales rep or att.com/smartphoneplans.
On the plus side, tethering seems to be working again. Might as well go check out my online account and make sure they didn't switch me to a tethering plan or something!
If you find they've changed you to a more expensive data plan I'd go in there and politely but firmly demand they change it back, as you did NOT authorize changes to YOUR line when adding a line. If necesssary, remind them you have 30 days in which to cancel the new line and take your business elsewhere.
If you previously had a $20 MEdia (w/ text messages included) you might find yourself paying $35 or more now.
I'm pretty sure they have the right to add data without your permission.
khaytsus said:
If you find they've changed you to a more expensive data plan I'd go in there and politely but firmly demand they change it back, as you did NOT authorize changes to YOUR line when adding a line. If necesssary, remind them you have 30 days in which to cancel the new line and take your business elsewhere.
If you previously had a $20 MEdia (w/ text messages included) you might find yourself paying $35 or more now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Strange. It looks like I'm still at the $30 data plan I was at before. I wonder if adding a line just "resets" all the other lines and makes them act wonky for a few days. So after a few hiccups tethering still works, and I'm still at the same data plan. Works for me.
In other news, the wife's new Solstice stopped working for several hours yesterday. It had 4 bars, but wouldn't make or receive calls. It could receive texts, but couldn't send them. A few hours later it was back to normal. VERY WEIRD. Hopefully it isn't a regular thing, as she's a nurse and often on-call.
Having switched her from Verizon, it didn't leave a good first taste in her mouth...