Carrier stated using smart phone as wifi hotspot would cause double data usage, but doesn't sound right.
Tags:
- Phones
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Smartphones
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WiFi
Last response: in General Connectivity
rhapdog
July 28, 2014 3:28:26 PM
Okay, long title. Sorry.
My carrier, AT&T in the US, stated that if I use my smart phone as a wifi hotspot for my laptop to access the internet, then for each 1MB of data downloaded, I would get charged for 2MB, because 1MB would be for the phone and then 1MB for the laptop. Personally, I think the person in customer service was confused, or perhaps trying to sell a larger plan. It just doesn't seem possible to me that it would track what leaves the phone as wifi after it downloads the data.
Can anyone confirm this one way or the other?
I'm using a Nokia Lumia Windows 8 phone, if that even matters.
My carrier, AT&T in the US, stated that if I use my smart phone as a wifi hotspot for my laptop to access the internet, then for each 1MB of data downloaded, I would get charged for 2MB, because 1MB would be for the phone and then 1MB for the laptop. Personally, I think the person in customer service was confused, or perhaps trying to sell a larger plan. It just doesn't seem possible to me that it would track what leaves the phone as wifi after it downloads the data.
Can anyone confirm this one way or the other?
I'm using a Nokia Lumia Windows 8 phone, if that even matters.
More about : carrier stated smart phone wifi hotspot double data usage sound
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Alabalcho
July 28, 2014 4:29:02 PM
Usually, you need separate "tethering" plan with most US carriers.
It looks like ATT calls it DataConnect
It looks like ATT calls it DataConnect
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rhapdog
July 28, 2014 6:12:30 PM
That solution (DataConnect) is only for business customers. Forgot to mention this is my personal phone for personal use only. I'm retired. No business use for me.
AT&T told me under my plan that I could use the phone as a hotspot, but tried to explain that because it was 2 devices being used, I get charged the data for each device.
Now, it would make sense, that if I had a laptop tethered through WiFi that I would be charged for anything the Laptop was pulling down, and it would also make sense that if someone else was surfing on the phone, that there would be data accumulated there. But that's now how it was explained.
Since the WiFi hotspot is built into the phone itself, and since AT&T is unable to tell if the data I am using is for a tablet, desktop, laptop, or just the phone, then how can I be billed 2x for the data that is:
1. received by the phone
2. retransmitted by the phone's WiFi to my PC
The phone's WiFi is not part of the phone's data plan, so how could that count?
AT&T told me under my plan that I could use the phone as a hotspot, but tried to explain that because it was 2 devices being used, I get charged the data for each device.
Now, it would make sense, that if I had a laptop tethered through WiFi that I would be charged for anything the Laptop was pulling down, and it would also make sense that if someone else was surfing on the phone, that there would be data accumulated there. But that's now how it was explained.
Since the WiFi hotspot is built into the phone itself, and since AT&T is unable to tell if the data I am using is for a tablet, desktop, laptop, or just the phone, then how can I be billed 2x for the data that is:
1. received by the phone
2. retransmitted by the phone's WiFi to my PC
The phone's WiFi is not part of the phone's data plan, so how could that count?
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Alabalcho
July 28, 2014 6:56:55 PM
ATT (and any ISP) can tell how many "hops" a data packet has traversed before landing in their hands. That's the way for them to know whether the traffic originated from the phone itself, or was routed.
I am not AT&T advocate at all, and that explanation for "double the price" sounds siliy for me as well.
I am not AT&T advocate at all, and that explanation for "double the price" sounds siliy for me as well.
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rhapdog
July 29, 2014 6:31:02 AM
If it's just because they "know" you're using an extra device, but you aren't actually putting any extra load on their network, then it's all BS. It will probably be a month or so before I know for sure if it's doubling, but I'll keep an eye on it.
I used my device as a WiFi hotspot yesterday, and downloaded a 1.8MB file, posted here, and read a bit here, and did some other browsing, checked the weather, etc., and my data usage only increased by 2.2MB. I highly suspect it's a line they fed me to try to sell me more bandwidth than I need, but we'll see for sure after I've monitored it closely for a month.
I used my device as a WiFi hotspot yesterday, and downloaded a 1.8MB file, posted here, and read a bit here, and did some other browsing, checked the weather, etc., and my data usage only increased by 2.2MB. I highly suspect it's a line they fed me to try to sell me more bandwidth than I need, but we'll see for sure after I've monitored it closely for a month.
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Best solution
rhapdog
July 30, 2014 8:19:35 AM
How would my data usage double with both? Data should be downloaded from AT&T, then forwarded to my PC via WiFi.
It's like saying my wireless router will double usage with my cable company, because it counts once when it comes from modem to the router, then counts again from the router to the PC. Doesn't make sense to me.
It's like saying my wireless router will double usage with my cable company, because it counts once when it comes from modem to the router, then counts again from the router to the PC. Doesn't make sense to me.
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rhapdog
July 30, 2014 1:51:44 PM
rhapdog
August 6, 2014 9:17:50 AM
Talked to another person at AT&T Tech support, and they couldn't believe I was told it would double the data usage. They said they do it all the time with no issue.
Not that it matters now, because my phone updated from Windows Phone 8 to Windows Phone 8.1, and the Internet Sharing is now broken. AT&T knows about it, and they even admitted they have a few hundred thousand users affected by it, and are working with Microsoft to get a fix for it as soon as possible. In the meantime, no tethering, period.
I love the new Windows Phone 8.1, but the tethering not working for Nokia Lumia is a pretty serious issue.
Consider this issue solved.
Not that it matters now, because my phone updated from Windows Phone 8 to Windows Phone 8.1, and the Internet Sharing is now broken. AT&T knows about it, and they even admitted they have a few hundred thousand users affected by it, and are working with Microsoft to get a fix for it as soon as possible. In the meantime, no tethering, period.
I love the new Windows Phone 8.1, but the tethering not working for Nokia Lumia is a pretty serious issue.
Consider this issue solved.
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