'Unlimited Data' and Tethering/Hotspotting? Are you on one of these plans?

Forums › New Zealand Mobile and Wireless › 'Unlimited Data' and Tethering/Hotspotting? Are you on one of these plans?

CaptainSandwich

6 posts

Wannabe Geek

#223490 2-Oct-2017 09:43

Hiya

is anyone on one of the unlimited data mobile plans via Spark, Skinny Direct or 2degrees? These plans come with a limitation that you aren't allowed to tether or hotspot data, but is this simply 'please don't do it, it's not allowed and we'll be watching' or is this "we disable your ability to tether/hotspot" ?

I would have thought disabling a handset function would only be possible if the OS has been customised by the service provider, but I've heard second hand reports that Spark/2Degrees are able to disable the tethering/hotspot on anyone's device when on an unlimited plan. Can anyone who is on the plan please confirm?

Thx

DjShadow

4088 posts

Uber Geek

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#1875930 2-Oct-2017 09:49

There is another thread with a screenshot showing browsing being prevented on a tethered device

Coil

6614 posts

Uber Geek
Inactive user

#1875937 2-Oct-2017 09:52

I went with the Vodafone on the 22.5GB data plan which allows everything.
Suppose its better than having reduced usage for 22.5GB then slowed to 2G rates....

sbiddle

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Biddle Corp

Lifetime subscriber

#1875943 2-Oct-2017 10:00

Tethering is disabled which is very simple to do at a network level by looking at the TTL. There are numerous threads already on here discussing your very question.

Spark have allowed tethering since last week on this plan when you buy the $10 add-on pack which gives you 10GB of tethering data so your question is now pretty much irrelevant now.

PSlover14

203 posts

Master Geek

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#1875946 2-Oct-2017 10:05

I don't know about Skinny Direct, but on my Skinny Prepay, I can still tether or make a hotspot even if I buy say 12 hours of unlimited data through their Data Binge thing, even though you aren't supposed to. I'd say that if you did something like play PlayStation or Xbox on the data that would raise a flag at Skinny, as an example though.

jonb

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#1875970 2-Oct-2017 10:47

It is pretty rubbish whichever way you look at it - always a major criticism of how it data is run in the U.S. For me it would be very restricting - I don't use that much data but when I need it on my laptop I definitely need it.

CaptainSandwich

6 posts

Wannabe Geek

#1875979 2-Oct-2017 10:55

I get that you can identify data that's come from a tethered device using TTL but I hadn't realised that could then be used to block the tethering function on the phone, or to block data that's going from the network, through the phone, to the tethered device.

Jase2985

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#1876202 2-Oct-2017 16:11

it doesn't block the tethering function it just doesn't allow data to be sent back to that device thats being tethered, hence it has no internet.

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hio77

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Lizard Networks

#1876229 2-Oct-2017 16:29

There are multiple ways to achieve blocking tethering.

no single solution will work for all cases and IF tethering is working for you on a plan that it is unsupported, Don't be surprised if it is caught out on.

While sparks approach may seem a little grabby, there is legitimate reasons for it.

I'm sure nobody here would do it, but can bet if unlimited tethering was allowed some customers would switch to using an unlimited sim, stick it in a modem and do away with their fixed BB connection (Which this is not a replacement for.)

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