WiFi Personal Hotspot now on AT&T iPhone 4 with iOS 4.3, but jailbreaking is cheaper
News that iOS 4.3 will bring the WiFi Personal Hotspot feature to AT&T iPhone 4’s is welcome, but I’m going to reiterate my opinion from the past regarding the Personal Hotspot usage fee. If you missed it, it goes like this: what you’re really paying for is convenience and ease of use.
Jailbreaking & MyWi vs AT&T’s Personal Hotspot
Here’s how this breaks down:
- Jailbreaking & MyWi: Slightly more technical to enable, requires jailbreaking the iPhone, one time $20 MyWi purchase, works on iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4 with any version of iOS.
- AT&T Personal Hotspot: Convenient & easily enabled, costs $20 every month in addition to your standard data plan charges, works only on iPhone 4 with iOS 4.3.
Just like with Verizon, paying for AT&T’s Hotspot use over the course of the year will rack up $240 in additional charges. If you jailbreak and use MyWi, you pay $20 once for the app and then you just use your existing data plan.
Who should pay the AT&T Personal Hotspot fee? And who should jailbreak?
As I’ve said before, paying AT&T (or Verizon) the personal hotspot usage fee is for those who want ease and convenience. There’s practically no setup involved, it’s just signing up for the hotspot plan and then selecting the option on the iPhone 4 to enable the feature, it’s as easy as it gets. For anyone that is less technical or who doesn’t mind paying for simplicity, forking over the cash to AT&T or Verizon is the way to go.
And then there’s people like me. If you’re technically inclined and familiar with jailbreaking, just buy MyWi and create your own iPhone wireless hotspot (it works on older iPhones too, while Personal Hotspot is limited to iPhone 4 only). The other nice thing about MyWi is that it offers a free 3 day trial, so you can jailbreak your phone and then test out the wireless hotspot functionality without any obligation to buy anything. If you hate it or it doesn’t work for you, reverse the jailbreak and just go with the monthly plan option.
PS: Jailbreaking is legal
Finally, a reminder that jailbreaking is not illegal. No Apple doesn’t like jailbreaks, and you’ll want to undo the jailbreak by restoring your iPhone before you take it in for Apple service, but it’s perfectly legal.
Hi, most Asian carriers don’t charge “hot spot” fee, not even heard of!
ATT is very creative for aqueezing more milk from customers and other major carriers follow…
Not sure the reasons people post here:
1. You pay extra for the extra service: what service? The hardware support this natively already, and I paid for the phone; there’s no extra data I didn’t pay for
2. If you don’t like ATT go somewhere else: unfortunately this industry is all about monopoly and “protected” business, what it says is cosumers can only pay money big coporates without any resistance for unreasonable charges!
Believe it or not, in order to set up the personal hotspot through AT&t, I would have to pay $20 more for less data AND I would lose my unlimited data plan for good. How does it even remotely make sense that I would have to pay More for Less data to enable this feature. Simply ludacris. I am very much looking forward to trying Jailbreak and MyWi! Thanks so much for sharing
I have a rooted Android phone that I use to tether my laptop occasionally.. I haven’t gotten a letter yet fortunately. If I did I would immediately switch carriers. I pay for my data, if I want to use it for my laptop while I travel, I have the right to do that. Even if I want to share my internet connection with a friend, I paid for the data, Why should I feel guilty about how I use it. How is that the slightest bit dishonest.
What is dishonest is all the claims that at&t has made about getting faster with 4G. I’ve had a 4G phone for years now and I don’t know about any of you, but I have yet to enter a 4G coverage area with at&t. When is that going to happen?
I pay enough for at&ts lies and their crappy service. I’m not paying them even more so I can actually use what I’ve already paid for. If anyone here has a problem with that, they can just cry about it.
P.S. I’m jailbreaking my girlfriends Iphone next week so she can tether too.
OK here’s an idea that trumps everything!!! Everybody should get Internet for free everywhere! Why you ask? Because in this modern world the internet is as important as having FREAKING AIR TO BREATH!!! Without the internet the whole world would be screwed and governments would fall. Oh but it costs money to keep it going and get it to your house or phone, yeah but how many advertisements do u see everyday? We can watch basic tv without paying a dime. Why? Because of advertising! These companies pay billions a year to get us to by their stuff. So why shouldn’t Internet be free? It should. But somehow we let AT&T, Verizon, and others be a middle man that charges out the wazoo for something that the world needs. And to get back to the topic at hand, now they want to charge us to use a small tool, thats already on the phones that WE bought, so we can use the Internet that WE ALREADY PAID FOR!!! SCREW YOU ATT AND VERIZON! SUCK IT!!!
Justify it all you want but you are wrong if you agree to buy a product and then knowingly violate the terms and agreement of the usage contract. Grow up….
From the AT&T Wireless Customer Contract Section 6.1
A data plan designated for one type of device may not be used with another type of device. For example, a data plan designated for use with a basic phone or a Smartphone may not be used with a LaptopConnect card, tablet, or stand-alone Mobile Hotspot device, by tethering devices together, by SIM card transfer, or any other means. A data tethering plan, however, may be purchased for an additional fee to enable tethering on a compatible device. An Activation Fee may apply for each data line.
JB, how much does AT&T pay you?
AT&T may face antitrust law suits by preventing innovation from companies such as Jailbreak.
That might be true that this is a bad-faith practice from AT&T but until that goes to court to prove that this violates antitrust laws (and let’s remember that we’re in a recession; unless you’re doing something serious, nobody is going to risk political suicide by going after a large company that’s generating revenue just for being dickish about their customer contracts in a market that does have competition – even if the competition is similarly dickish)… until that time, you’re breaking the contract that you signed and agreed to by jailbreaking and sharing.
I’ve seen lots of really lucid and arguably correct *ethical* arguments in these comments about the idea that it’s your data that you’ve bought and you should be able to do whatever you want with it… but the unfortunate reality is that it breaks the legal contract.
I’m not advocating one way or another… there are so many times where unjust laws have been defiantly broken by a minority that sparked change and new innovations in business and legality – but let’s not lie to ourselves. You may be ethically justified, but you’re still breaking your legal contract. It’s a bad contract, they defined all the rules without regard for logic or ethics, and they’ve got you by the balls (metaphorically – sorry ladies), but you did sign it and you thus have implicitly acknowledged the risks associated with breaking it.
Let’s just remember that there’s so many shades of grey here… and that just because you’re right doesn’t mean that you’re defendable should AT&T select you as a demonstrative case. The world sucks, and we do our best to live within it.
I walk across a street at a red light often when there’re no cars on the road. I was in no risk and I put nobody else in danger… but I still jaywalked… in some cities that’s legal, but just because it’s legal in Springfield doesn’t mean that I haven’t broken the law if I did it in Shelbyville, where it’s illegal.
T mobile has phones u can use as hot spots with no extra charges ,i have my i phone 4with tmobile i only pay 70 bucks a month unlimited instead atts i phone plan over 120 a month sucks att sucks ,using my phone like a router is not illegal cuz im already paying my data usage cmon people please
These carriers are ridiculous! first of all T-MOBILE OFFERS IT FOR FREE, i have never paid extra for wifi hotspot. however, they are getting bought out by At&T. Now that i can’t stand t-mobile, either, i am trying to find another network.
THE BOTTOM LINE: these carriers try and lock us in for 2 years because they know it is kind of a scam. We pay all this money for unlimited data and we SHOULD BE ABLE TO USE IT HOW WE WANT. Stop being such pansies and whining that doesn’t mean it is right to do.
It is not right for them to be charging for every little thing that they charge us for. They should need us to sign 2 year contracts. If they were good at what they do, and offered good customer service, they wouldn’t be worried about losing customers. FACTS are FACTS. WE pay for the data, we should be able to use it the way we want!! if that means connecting it to our laptop, then so be it.
I pay for unlimited data at home and can use as many devices as I want to access that network. It should be the same for tethering. I am paying for the bandwidth. Why does it matter what device I use to access it?
Been following this, and sadly don’t have an iphone4 from NZ but one from CA.
Here’s what i’m wondering…as one grandfathered w/unlimited data plan from AT&T and “not allowed” to have a personal hotspot, does anyone know whether i would get away with tethering to my ipad assuming my data usage stayed about the same? I would be shifting my data heavy work from phone to pad (easier to seee dangit) but data load would likely remain at a similar level.
Thanks for your input!
Chris, you’re an adiot.
We pay for data usage already so we have to pay “$20” so we could use it in another way?
Using the buffet analogy, if I wanted to eat with bowl instead of a plate i will get charged more because Im eating the food I paid for?
I do understand at&t dont want you shareing your data but what if you are only using it for yourself? At&t cant monitor that so the only thing they can do is charge you a ridiculous price.
I say screw them and just use mywi. Ppl who dont think its a ripp of can use the service all they want.
Been using mywi since it was released on cydia with my att unlimited 3g data plan and haven’t got any issue with att. I stream daily watching Netflix movie on my ipad (minimum 4 hours a day) using mywi to get 3g data from my iPhone. works PERFECTLY fine.. but i shouldn’t say this, the more people uses it the more they will dig into this. LOL just a theory. But yeah…
Im a Happy MyWi customer. Did i mention, they just added the MyWi on demand? Works pretty darn good with my ipad.(my ipad auto wake MyWi on my iphone when it needed internet. If not, my iphone will shut MyWi off to save battery; all automatic without switching on or off apps).
Loving the fact that I Bought my iPhone in NZ… It’s unlocked, wifi hotspot is free, tethering is free, the phone has no limitations (outside of apple) but all for the one off fee of about $900 USD lol
While technically it is your own plan, it is sharing I with other who don’t pay for it. It is just like sharing music. However, I agree that the cell companies are becoming greedier as they see how much things are used. For example, texting used to be free because it transmits so little data, a lot less data than it takes to call someone. When they saw how much the service was being used, they decided to jack up the price so that they could turn a HUGE profit. All of the simple things, such as hotspots and texting, are already churning up big bucks for the cell companies. The hotspot uses the same amount of data, but distributes it differently, so it is just a senseless thing for a cell company to make money off of, seeing as they are not using more data than has already been paid for. Cell companies have become ravenous beasts who feed off of people because they know that they are needed, so they can do anything to prices and will still get more customers because here in 2011 we cannot live without cellphones. I am only 15, but I know that something must be done about the deviousness of the cell phone industry.
Wait just a second, your right and your wrong here. Yea, your sharing your data that you pay for, but you are sharing it with another device that you have also bought and paid for. Im sharing the data that MY phone has access to with MY laptop while I’m out and about. This is just like the music that you brought up. You are right and wrong again. File sharing with music is illegal, but if I go buy MY own CD, place it in my laptop to copy it, upload it to iTunes so I can download it to my iPhone and still carry that out to my truck to listen to while I’m on the road, now this is legal. I own this CD and can play it on any device I want to. This iPhone is mine, bought and paid for as well as the data and laptop that I want to tether to.
“….Log in with your online user name and password. Then go to “Features”. There you will find the option for “DataPro 4GB for iPhone Tethering”. This will add it to your account. One warning: people grandfathered into the unlimited plan that was available before the iPhone 4 will lose it. It even warns you first, ….”
For me all AT&T has to do is allow me
To keep my unlimited plan that I’m already paying for and just charge me a fee to use the tethering option but.. charge me a higher price than those who don’t have the unlimited plan.
This way they can earn some extra from the folks who pay for unlimited data!
If you give the choice of a limited data
plan along side an exta fee to tether vs
An unlimited data plan with no tethering,
The ones with unlimited plan will not choose any tethering option
Due to being forced to loose their unlimited plan.
Folks that chose the unlimited plan in the first place
Did not mind spending what ever charges would be for such a plan
Because it mitigates cost.
It’s more cost effective to pay 160.00
For unlimited data,voice and text messaging.
If I decided to add on tethering, I have to loose my unlimited data, in this case no!!
I like knowing I can browse much as I like with no worries of cost.
What would be even better is this:
I have unlimited everything on my iPhone 4 and I also have the iPad 3G and 2 GB of data on that.
I pay 25 bucks for that.
If AT&T would allow
Tethering option on the iPad that would be fine!
Just charge me an extra 25 bucks for the ability to drain my 2GB
Data using a pc. If they could offer a larger data plan of 5 GB of data to use on the iPad, that would be great!
This way they could make an additional 25 bucks instead of nothing. This would also incourage me to
Keep paying for data on the iPad.
If AT&T is smart they would learn to target customers like me who already pay for the highest plans.
We just want the ability add tethering with out loosing any of our features and services.
You risk customers like me spending less or not at all.
The goal is to get more not promote more by forcing users to
Get less.
For new customers that don’t have the ability to choose an unlimited plan ,ok but for those that do have this plan keep these customers Happy!
The conversation goes like this:
Customer: why is tethering 40/50 bucks
AT&T : well sir for you we have special pricing.
For everyone else that don’t have the unlimited
Plan,tethering is 20 bucks with a cap.
Being you have an unlimited data and you also have a data plan on the iPad
We allow you to enjoy this feature.
If you want tethering for your phone
It’s 40 dollars using your unlimited data.
If you want tethering for your iPad we
Will charge you 50 but you would get 5 gigs instead of 2.
If you did not have a data plan on your iPad, we can only offer tethering for your phone.
If you did not have the unlimited plan we would only be able to offer you the tethering option with the 4 gig data cap but being that your grandfathered in and have purchased data even for your iPad we see that you have
No problem with the cost and we want to keep you as a valued customer!
Customer: Wow cool let’s do it!!!!
Here’s another analogy. You who stated it is greed or a sort of corporate tax are correct. Let’s look back at long distance. Here is a fee that was total BS. You would have a phone bill and then a Long distance plan. AT&T was of course one of the BIGGEST long distance rip off companies. If you were 20 miles away, you would be charged the same long distance rates as if your call was 1000 miles away. Well, were did long distance charges go? When the market got competitive and cell phone providers (cellular one before AT&T bought them out) included long distance which forced the bogus charge out. Then you have the modern marvel, text messaging. How much data is involved in sending a phone message over the wireless lines vs sending a 3 word text message? Yet they nickel and dime you to death with text messaging. $5 plan for 200 text, $10 plan for 1,000 (used to be $20) then if you go over or you don’t have a plan it’s $0.10 per text. You can talk on the phone all you want, but text messages are an extra charge?? come on, really? That’s like signing up for cable and they say, if you watch the picture it’s $50 a month but if you want sound we will charge you $5 per show…..
[…] was previously unavailable on the iPhone prior to the release of iOS 4.3. If you have chosen to jailbreak and use MyWi rather than pay the tethering fee, it’s possible that you will receive this email from […]
We are already paying for the data plan…. its just like turning your phone into a router…. why would they charge me again…. T-mobile’s tethering is free… I’m switching.
Your a little late, T-Mobile was bought by At&T last week.
first off if AT&T charged anywhere near $.01 per MB id be screwed since i use between 10 and 15 GB a month but Jailbreaking the iphone is against both AT&T and you warranty with apple, does nobody else notice that this article says to jailbreak it and then says to restore your phone before bringing it to apple so they don’t see it? That is because they will not serve you as your warranty is void and legally it is still void after the restore is complete.
I agree peter. It is just a way for AT&T to charge more money for less service. I will wait to jailbreak my phone, but I won’t give up my data plan because of this bait and switch. I also believe it is a conspiracy within the carriers.
ATT users that were grandfathered with the unlimited data plan for iPhone have to break their contract and by a separate $45 plan. This is because the ATT internal systems can’t modify the plans to accommodate tethering. I am all for paying for network access but if you are already paying for an unlimited plan you should be able to use the device as a hotspot for tethering!
I have lived in the UK, Holland and Australia. None of the choice of 10 carriers out here charge for tethering. They are all enabling the WiFi hotspot features free of charge.
In the US with the 2 carrier options avaliable to you they have banded together and are charging $20 for something that the rest of the world gives away for free.
In short you are being seriously ripped off. I know there are data issues in the US as the AT&T network can’t cope. That is because the design of the network is rubbish, there are no such problems here.
If you have bought 2GB of data then the network should be capable of supplying that data without fault, it should not matter how you use it.
If you buy 1 unit of electricity they don’t then charge you extra because you plug in a 4 way power strip and share that electricity between a fridge and a microwave. Yet this is acceptable practice for AT&T?
Nice analogy!! Serious!!
It’s about time someone finally explained this with an understandable analogy. Too bad it’s buried deep in comments as it should be a headline. If a utility company charged you $20/mo extra for plugging in fridge or an electric car using the same electicity as any other appliance in your home, it would be headline news and there would be crowds of outraged customers.
But when AT&T, Verizon, and the other American wireless providers routinely rip off their customers with a bogus charge for tethering or wifi hotspot–barely a peep in the news. Sad.
Except there is no such thing as an “unlimited” plan with an electric company. If I had an “unlimited” plan with an electric company would you think it is ok for everyone on my block to run an extension cord to my house. Maybe you would because you think the electric company is charging you too much. Justify it all you want but you are wrong if you agree to buy a product and then knowingly violate the terms and agreements of the usage policy.
JP,
Seriously, no one really uses ‘unlimited data plan’. AT&T, Verizon charges more to make money.
What AT&T/Verizon, etc are doing is wrong and should be illegal. Other carriers in other countries do not charge for tethering a device. I’m sure all the cell carriers in the U.S. talk to each other about not offering free hotspot because the minute 1 does the rest will have to also. So they are ripping us off because they can get away with it. This really makes no sense for the people who do not have unlimited data because when they go over they pay no matter what. So essentially the carriers are pushing people to want to jailbreak their iphones,
Which is weird that AT&T would even care how quickly I buzz through my bytes. I mean, if I go through 2GB or 4GB or 6GB in a matter of days or hours, doesn’t that benefit them, because they get to sell me more data?
Is it true that jailbreaking means not paying for data? I thought users had to have a data plan just like jailed users… That jailbreaking just enabled an interface feature… which in turn allowed other devices to siphon off data from the bucket-o-bytes that’s already in the plan…
This option my violate the AT&T agreement but you are not stealing dat you are already paying for it monthly if you have a 2 gig cap guess what you still have a 2 gig cap and if you go over you will have to pay and pay big. If you have been grand fathered in froman unlimited plan you are paying for it and not stealing anything.
The carriers in the US are ripping us off by charging us a usage fee for using what we already pay for monthly that is the real crime and they get away with it. What added service am i getting from them except the right to use what i am paying for.
I am not saying violating your agreement is right but charging individuals to use what they already are paying for is not right either.
[…] News that iOS 4.3 will bring the WiFi Personal Hotspot feature to AT&T iPhone 4′s is welcome, but I’m going to reiterate my opinion from the past regarding the Personal Hotspot usage fee. If you missed it, it goes like this: what you’re … Link: WiFi Personal Hotspot now on AT&T iPhone 4 with iOS 4.3, but … […]
Don’t forget that iOS hotspot only supports 3 devices connected, MyWi is unlimited
Paul, you could be violating your carrier agreement with AT&T and Verizon by using MyWi!
My, you’re grumpy today, K9.
You are forgetting to mention one very important fact about the jailbreak method of the MyWi hotspot. Using the jailbreak method goes against AT&T’s Terms of Service rules and could get your service terminated, both data and voice!
Sure Jailbreaking may be legal, but that doesn’t mean stealing data from AT&T is also legal. If AT&T wanted to give away WiFi Hotspot data usage, they would be doing so already and would also do so when iOS 4.3 arrives.
So, if your readers decide to go the “free” jailbreak method of getting a WiFi Hotspot, they should be warned that there could be a more expensive cost, the loss of their cell service.
Thank you Dave. The whole time I was reading this, I could not believe how careless and immature the piece was. Apparently nobody taught Mr. Horowitz that because it’s possible (and even legal) does not mean it’s allowed, or even right.
How is it different from paying for admission to an all-you-can-eat buffet and then share the food with my non-paying friends? The act of sharing food is legal…
You may think it’s only a couple of hot dogs and that the law doesn’t condemn it. But it’s against the restaurant’s rules and liable to get you thrown out.
If you don’t like this restaurant’s rules, you’re free to go eat elsewhere.
PS: I’ll admit this is not the best illustration but it’s Friday afternoon.
Your analogy makes me hungry
It’s mobile data and I pay for it in the first place, no matter if I browse the web on my iPhone or a big screen. There’s no reason to pay extra for tethering/hotspot functionality other than ripping people off.
Thank you Andy for summing it up….. Its AT&T being greedy… nothing more. We already pay for the data but AT&T wants to charge us for the right to use a door created in an operating system update provided by the manufacturer which is always free. They aren’t losing money…. its more of a tax…
Have there been any cases of AT&T discovering mywi use or of cutting off access?
If your contract with AT&T doesn’t prohibit the use of a Wifi Hotspot application then there is nothing wrong with giving it a go. If AT&T sends you a hefty bill or if they shut you off, you can always take your complaint to them and try to get it resolved.
If you don’t like AT&T you can always go with some other carrier that you like more. If your favorite carrier doesn’t support the phone you like? Oh well, sometimes you can’t get everything you want.
The markup per gigabyte carriers charge to average customers is estimated to be a 2,500% markup!
Source: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/11_08/b4216031355061_page_2.htm
Does $10 worth of food at a buffet cost the owners 40 cents? I don’t think so! I will jailbreak all day until I stop getting ripped!
Except that we’re not really “free to go eat elsewhere”. I don’t know about you, but I’m locked into a 2 year contract with AT&T. If AT&T really thought I was easily able to go eat somewhere else, they would become more competitive, I promise.
In my opinion, all of this could be made much easier if AT&T just charged me $0.01 per MB. That way, they could open up facetime, hulu, personal wi-fi, and whatever else they wanted to and not worry about it at all.
The power companies figured this out a long time ago. They sell power and a connection to that power – that’s it. AT&T sells data and a connection to that data. Imagine how outraged we would be if the power companies started charging us for a 500 kwh “plan” each month instead of metering us…but I digest.
Except it makes no sense at all. If I pay for data, I should be able to use that data (the data I paid for) however I want. Your right in a technically pedantic sort of way in that the contract builds in the AT&T double dip, however AT&T has that in the small print and, at least previously, the word Unlimited in the large print. Sort of misleading really.
TLDR; congrats on being technically right in that AT&T’s double dipping is built into the contract, despite the fact that people are paying for the same thing 2x.
Your analogy is incorrect. A properly written analogy would be: it is like paying for 5 hotdogs and being told you have to pay another $20 if you want to share those hotdogs with your friends. Get it now?
Why is it considered stealing when you already pay $180 for two phone plan. I pay for my internet on my phone, why can’t I have other devices I own connect to my phone’s internet without paying extra. I pay for internet service. Not what can or can’t connect to my phone. So should you have to pay for more devices that connect to your router at home? You pay for provider at home. Guess I owe them for my iPhone, iPad, and 3 other computers on my home network. You people need to wake up and realize ATT is pimping you. Technology that already exist on your phone, internet you already getting gouged for. Yet they want more. I mean if you go over data plan then you should owe. But not until then. These big company’s need to quit being greedy… (ATT)
Thomas, you must be getting paid by AT&T.
Your analogy is inaccurate picture of this! If u wanna compare it your way….it would be like going out to eat, and buying 5 hot dogs for a flat rate, and then sharing those with your friends! (which is totally fine, cause you payed for them) And if they or you, eat all 5 and want more, you go pay extra, as in the $10 more for each GB!
Agreed. What most dimwits don’t realize when they’re “stealing” data – I can give a fsck less whether others JB or not – is that they’re “unbalancing” the cellular network. Networks require some planning – undocumented and unplanned resource draining leads to problems for those of us who actually play by the rules and pay for tethering. It’s fsckers that hack into the cellular network to siphon off data that led directly to these data caps. How would you – OSXDaily – like it if someone stole from you or used storage space on your server or web portal without your permission? I asked VZW and ATTWS a while ago about tools that steal bandwidth – you’re why the rest of us have data caps. So, thanks for fscking it up for the rest of us and being part of the problem. I’m going to call a few of your advertisers and tell them I’m never using their service because of this post and why – essentially bragging about stealing from a company and telling others how to do it. Shame on you.
Quit being a fag Chris. At&t owns half of the Fu@IN world, and they continue to rip us a new ass whole whenever they have the opportunity!
Cheers mate.
ass hole
If I sold someone 5gbs a month on my network (I run one for a medium sized business actually) I would be sure to have the ability to provide that 5 gb. Your post is inane. It’s not like they are leeching.
Listen. You’re failing at comprehension. Whether you tether legally, illegally or not at all, you still pay for the data. Jailbreaking in this case is not talking about circumventing your data plan, just refusing the bullsh*t $20 fee. No data stolen, all payed for. Thanks for playing.
Chris obviously you aren’t reading the posts. We pay for the G Damn data you Fn idiot. What fn device we choose to use it in is none of their GD business PERIOD. Now shut up and sit the F down. Or pull your head outta you A** and clean the Shi* out of your ears.
This isn’t exactly true. It’s not that you’re stealing data … you’re still paying for the data plan, regardless.
To follow up with Thomas’ analogy … it would be like going to an all you can eat buffet. Staying for two hours and then having an employee come up and charge you again, because they didn’t realize you would be there so long.
Or even more accurately, it would be like your home internet provider charging you to use a router and charging you an extra fee for every computer connected to your router. Which, by the way, they tried to do back in the day … but then after people realized that was just absurd, they stopped.
I’m paying for unlimited data … I _should_ be able to use that on any device of my choosing. Sharing it with other _people_, however, is quite another story.
In the age we are in an at the level our data usage is at the plans are ridiculous and making people pay for what is embedded in the phone is outrageous. I hope somebody like the FCC or somebody with somebody files a lawsuit I know it would win. Charge me what you have to but give ms unlimited data. The days of paying per kilobyte or even gig are behind us.
Are you daft Dave, Thomas, etc.? By jailbreaking it does NOT go againest AT&Ts Terms. IF so prove it. I disagree with the artical on one fact. You do not have to restor the phone to original iOS before taking it in for service. Apple actually applaudes the fact that people are using the phone for what it is made for. Atleast George from Brandon, FL’s Apple store says so. Second what are you stealing? I was grandfathered into the unlimited plan and have not changed from it. I Jailbreak and use MyWi and My3G. I pay my monthly fee every moth for unlimited. SO what preytell am I stealing. I am not paying a rediculas charge everymonth to AT&T to do what the phone was made to do in the first place. If anything AT&T is in the wrong. If a Hardware company makes a product for use then a service provider limits the hardware usage unless you pay them to do so, that in my book is stealing. I payed $200 to use this peice of hardware to its full extent and now AT&T is saying I cant unless I pay them more. CROCK!!! Thats like saying I am going to buy a laptop from Best Buy and oh you cannot use the wifi card in it to connect to your LAN at home unless you pay me $20 a month to utilize that feature. Apple is who I baught the phone to us it from and AT&T is a service provider choking the full potential of of modern technology. Give me a break and stop being an analog person in a digital world. Go Forward!!
how does it go against them when ur already paying for the net? its all stupied
Hold up now. It may violate AT&T terms of service crap, but in a way it really doesn’t. MyWi is using the data from the plan u already have n effect. It’s like u yourself are using data right off ur phone. So ur not stealing data from AT&T, ur just using the data u have n a different method. It’s like any other app on ur phone that requires data and it pulls this data from ur existing plan.
Dave M, you must be getting paid by AT&T. The various data plans AT&T insists on charging iphone users clearly goes to pay for salaries of many.
Canadians get Hotspot free:
http://www.loopinsight.com/2011/03/03/canadians-get-ios-4-3-personal-hotspot-for-free/
Americans are getting ripped off.
MyWi rocks, I use it all the time.
You should mention that it shows your data usage too so it’s easy to not go over your plan limits.