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loudWaterEnjoyer ,
@loudWaterEnjoyer@lemmy.dbzer0.com avatar

Get a custom ROM and a VPN.

LodeMike ,

Can custom ROMs hide hotspotting?

CrayonRosary ,

Probably, but all you really need is an app called EasyTether. I wrote a big comment about it on this post.

Fondots ,

I don't know the current state of things, it's probably more than 10 years since I've bothered with rooting and custom rooms and such.

But back then I remember my phone company tried to make me pay extra for tethering and there were a few tricks using root to get around it. I think there were a few apps out there that would work on the stock room that needed root, and I think it just worked out of the box with a custom ROM.

IIRC, at that time, my carrier had disabled the tethering options in the phone settings, and to tether you had to use their pre-installed app. My memory may be fuzzy on that though.

Zikeji ,
@Zikeji@programming.dev avatar

Yes and no. A custom kernel with a patch usually referred to as a "ttl fix" can, but a good amount of ROMs have that in their kernel by default.

loudWaterEnjoyer ,
@loudWaterEnjoyer@lemmy.dbzer0.com avatar

Yes of course, it's a software thing.

LodeMike ,

Neat

loudWaterEnjoyer ,
@loudWaterEnjoyer@lemmy.dbzer0.com avatar

Yes, if you spend a little time on it you can slowly phase out all of the fucked up software with better alternatives. I could also help you if you have questions.

LodeMike ,

I was planning on getting a pixel with Graphene OS because that's the only one that seems reasonable.

loudWaterEnjoyer ,
@loudWaterEnjoyer@lemmy.dbzer0.com avatar

Good choice

Alk ,

Get Google fi if it's available. Very consumer friendly. Actually let me rephrase that. More consumer friendly than most other cell providers. But it's still Google.

At least all the pricing and features are straight forward and they don't lock any features (like Hotspot) behind paywalls.

GroundedGator ,

Every time the ATT sales people bug me at stores I tell them what I'm paying and that I get unlimited hotspot and they usually say "oh, you're good."

Add to this that Fi actually allows you to add data only SIMS at no cost.

bandwidthcrisis ,

Yeah, even using a hotspot internationally it's the same price, with the same data limits.

And with data-SIMs, it's possible to share that data with a few other devices, still at no extra cost.

Those features are often overlooked when people ask why it's more expensive than e.g. Mint.

Alk ,

Yeah. I haven't used mint, but the apps, account management and overall ease of use and transparency is legendary with Google fi. Those things are also easy to overlook. It's just so easy and doesn't get in my way when I want to manage something like all other carriers.

phoneymouse ,

It’s too expensive. Visible is cheaper and unlimited everything, even hot spot, and no soft data cap.

atrielienz ,

https://www.reddit.com/r/Visible/comments/efsmwg/warning_there_is_a_data_cap/

I know I know, Reddit post. But there is in fact a soft data cap. The guy who made the post was torrenting and received an email for reaching the data abuse threshold.

If you're using FI, and you set the device your using the phone hotspot for to metered connection you're not too terribly likely to reach the data cap on pretty much any of the unlimited fi plans. I do this for work.

phoneymouse , (edited )

lol… 30 terabytes?! Okay. I’m sure even Google Fi has a cap like that. Most people would struggle to even come close to that. It’s 30x the cap of even a home internet provider like Comcast, which usually limits you to 1 terabyte. Most people would have a really hard time hitting even that on their mobile.

The other thing to consider is Visible is cheaper than Google FI too. And most people aren’t going to use anywhere near 30 terabytes.

tal ,
@tal@lemmy.today avatar

max 128kbps

TMobile doesn't have a hard throttle, but they'll cut priority under congestion so that if wherever you are has someone else vying for the bandwidth, they get first shot.

Frankly, given that the limited resource is the cell bandwidth, that seems like a more reasonable way to go. It doesn't hurt them much if someone wants available bandwidth and there's no contention for it from others.

pantherfarber ,

For hotspot T-Mobile does have a hard throttle. Once you reach your cap you get limited to 128 kbps. It's only phone data that has the soft cap.

psycho_driver ,

I thought T-Mobile's throttle was 600kbps now?

pantherfarber ,

It may depend on the plan. Mine limits it to 128 kbps after I reach the 3gb cap for hotspot.

You've used 100% of Smartphone Mobile Hotspot high speed data on your T-Mobile plan. Your Smartphone Mobile Hotspot speed will now be limited to 128 kbps until 03/05/2024. Data on your smartphone will still be at full speeds. Buy more at

zip ,

Mine is the same way and I get the exact same messages.

ysjet ,

I can assure you, the multi-million dollar organization does not need your defense of them.

irotsoma ,
@irotsoma@lemmy.world avatar

Laptops have large screens and windows software isn't designed to be data efficient. Unlimited data doesn't mean at full speed infinitely. They sell way more than they can support otherwise it would be impossible to support more than a few users at one time on a cell tower.

stembolts ,

"They sell more than they can support"

At that point is where mine and your opinion diverge. In what sustainable business does one sell more of anything than they can maintain responsibility over?

Of course, there are many examples, but why?

Greed is why. Don't sell something you cannot sustain, or you have misled your customer.

I hope the user finds a way around this and burns all of the data they rightfully purchased. Plan says unlimited. Rename the plan if its a lie.

Finally, and not directed at the user to which I am replying, what concerns me the most is that this quote I took from your post would be glossed over by most because it is what we've come to expect from fucky corps. We don't have to take it, change your expectations, question the system.

SaltySalamander ,
@SaltySalamander@fedia.io avatar

At that point is where mine and your opinion diverge. In what sustainable business does one sell more of anything than they can maintain responsibility over?

What they're talking about is the mobile provider overselling service. Because they know that for the vast majority of the time, everyone isn't going to be demanding huge amounts of bandwidth all at the same time. Cable/GPON fiber ISPs do the same thing.

BallsandBayonets ,

Doesn't change anything. If I go to a sandwich shop that advertises sandwiches with meat, but I go during the lunch rush, they don't get to sell me two slices of plain bread just because it's busy. Even if their advertising includes in microscopic text the words "up to".

And the legality of these practices is irrelevant. We're making the argument that it's morally wrong and therefore should not be tolerated.

stembolts ,

Good addition, I guess I am making a moral argument. I was coming at it from an ethics POV but yeah. Also good sandwich analogy.

irotsoma ,
@irotsoma@lemmy.world avatar

Problem is that shared infrastructure shouldn't be operated for profit. But American conservatives seem to think that's the way to go. If infrastructure is shared, then there's every incentive for a business to sell even if the infrastructure can't handle it.

That being said, it's a required thing. This is why we have society in the first place. If every customer had to have their own cell infrastructure, it would be a mess and a waste. I mean you are sold unlimited bandwidth at let's say 1Gbps on 5G. There are about 1 cell tower node for every 1000 people in the US across the country. If we build enough infrastructure for everyone to use it at full speed each tower node would then need to be able to handle 1,000Gbps. That's just not possible with current technology. So should we build one tower node per person plus all of the cabling and routers to handle that much traffic? Does everyone really need to be able to download a gigabit of data every second of every day? What would you do with that data?

What internet infrastructure is designed for is peaks of up to that speed for short bursts. Not sustained speeds. And then sharing that infrastructure. Just like if everyone were to turn on their water at the same time, no one would get more than a drip, but does that ever actually happen in real usage?

The difference is that water infrastructure is owned collectively, so it is more equitably developed to make it available to all as equally as possible, rather than just to those who pay more for it.

bigMouthCommie ,
@bigMouthCommie@kolektiva.social avatar

not to be a shill, but i have xfinity mobile, and they gave me unlimited tethering. there is service degradation at some point, but i haven't ever hit it or if i have i haven't noticed it.

CosmicCleric ,
@CosmicCleric@lemmy.world avatar

What is the difference between cellular data being used on my phone and cellular data being used on my notebook?

The difference is the cellular company's profits amount.

Oneobi ,

They had this restriction in the UK where the networks would prevent hotspots from actually working. You had to buy a special additional package.

Restriction has now vanished and there are no such limits on usage. Not sure if the Regulator intervened but it was most certainly a cash grab.

These days they still manage to rip us off by annual contract increases of RPI+3.9%. That applies even during a 2 year contract.

Mr_Blott ,

Not sure if the Regulator intervened

It was an EU thing before....well you know what you did

Armand1 ,

I didn't ask for this. 😭

GroundedGator ,

I think this is also an archaic model from before smart phones and the early days of smart phones. In the early days of apps, most attempted to limit data usage because most network providers charged a premium for data and the networks were much slower and smaller.

While you could tether in these early days, even before smart phones, the computer was capable of much higher data usage than the phone. These limits were put in place to protect a network that wasn't really built for this level of load.

Old rules with good purpose turned into a way to charge more money.

CosmicCleric ,
@CosmicCleric@lemmy.world avatar

Fair enough. That describes the past, but not the present, or the future.

jordanlund ,
@jordanlund@lemmy.world avatar

Your data is unlimited, the SPEED of the data is not. ;)

alphacyberranger ,
@alphacyberranger@sh.itjust.works avatar

That's like trying to download 1 TB on a dial-up connection. It'll never be done.

Etterra ,

Oh no I can assure you it'll be done. It's just so slow that by the time you finish not only will your modern be teetering on the ruckity precipice of death, but you'll have already upgraded to a neutral modem for direct-to-mind augmented reality. Remember to get an ad blocker and VPN for your cerebrum.

scottmeme ,

Using a phone purchased through them or unlocked?
Locked phones will have proprietary bullshit to check if you are using a hotspot

4am ,

You see, this is why we need net neutrality

EDIT: see, im glad someone else said it already

Nurgle ,

Net neutrality really wouldn’t stop this, just make them reword the limit.

4am ,

No differentiation of traffic. Eg hotspots vs mobile apps can’t be a separate limit. So 5Gb/month has to be for everything or it must be for nothing.

aniki ,

This is why I love Google Fi. I go anywhere on earth, and I have coverage. Unlimited everything. Never worry about nothing, ever, and has carrier bonding for when you're really out there.

MrJukes ,
@MrJukes@lemmy.today avatar

Google Fi will throttle you after you hit a limit depending on your plan. I unknowingly hit mine after using my phone for a hotspot, watching a few hours of soccer and I think Windows downloaded a bunch of updates too. It was towards the beginning of the billing cycle so the rest of the month really sucked. Might want to double check your plan.

aniki ,

Its like 50g on the unlimited plan.

BaroqueInMind ,

TMobile provides literally the same services, beat-for-beat at a lower price.

KevonLooney ,

People don't think these things through. Google can't possibly be cheaper than a wireless carrier because they don't own any towers. Wireless carriers will make sure Google doesn't sell cheaper than they can sell it themselves.

Also, things like Metro PCS (before T-Mobile bought them) just have lower network priority. So "cheaper" just means crappy service. Good luck making a phone call at a sporting event or concert.

bus_factor ,

They absolutely can, several carriers who use other carriers are cheaper than who they lease service from. They won't be paying consumer prices to use those towers.

It all depends on what margins they have, what extra services they provide, and whether they have other ways of monetizing you. They might even be reselling at a loss to boost their initial market share. In Google's case, it's safe to assume they want your data and sacrifice some margins to get it.

KevonLooney ,

Which ones?

bus_factor ,

I can't be bothered to research every plan to answer this question, but Mint Mobile was dirt cheap while using T-Mobile service. They probably still are, but it arguably doesn't count anymore since T-Mobile acquired them.

aniki , (edited )

tmobile doesn't do free international data anywhere on earth. when I travel I have service before the airplane touches down. also, google fi uses carrier bonding so i will jump to us-cellular when I am up north which is extremely valuable for me as I am in the mountains constantly.

BaroqueInMind ,

I also have GFi and currently still use Fi, and I'm telling you Tmobile is better in every single way, including international carrier bonding. I haven't switched over due to Fi VPN being very convenient for me (and there's better VPNs out there anyways so I'm not married to it at all).

bus_factor ,

This is the Unlimited Plus plan. Their Simply Unlimited plan throttles you after 5 GB of hotspot usage, but phone data is unlimited.

aniki ,

I never said I wasn't on the unlimited everything plan.

bus_factor ,

I never claimed you did. I just clarified which plan you were on, and added how their other plan works. This could be nice for others to know. I don't know why you'd take that as a personal attack, but I certainly didn't intend it as one.

woelkchen ,
@woelkchen@lemmy.world avatar

Oops

https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/8bf155c6-7096-418d-9328-5ed1a09c4552.jpeg

PatFussy ,

Were you downloading more ram or was that all BaNano faucet

woelkchen ,
@woelkchen@lemmy.world avatar

Downloading games from Steam and binging through a few TV shows because I had a free trial of Apple TV+.

I don't play online games, so I don't care for low ping and the speed is usually fine.

spiderman ,
@spiderman@ani.social avatar

https://ani.social/pictrs/image/21b1c539-5fc6-47e3-80aa-cbaa1225bbb9.webp

Oops!

woelkchen ,
@woelkchen@lemmy.world avatar

You also have a ventilation pad for your phone to keep it cool while it's serving that data traffic?

spiderman ,
@spiderman@ani.social avatar

Lol, surprisingly my Xiaomi doesn't heat much even when I have my mobile hotspot turned on.

woelkchen ,
@woelkchen@lemmy.world avatar

When I'm downloading a big game off Steam, mine gets pretty warm. I bricked the WiFi module of an older phone through that. Better safe than sorry.

Semi_Hemi_Demigod ,
@Semi_Hemi_Demigod@lemmy.world avatar

I'd have a lot of fun trying to get around it. For example, if the phone and the computer were on the same non-Internet-connected wifi network, and you set up an SSH server to send outbound requests through the 4G modem, would they be able to find out you're using the hotspot?

wander1236 ,
@wander1236@sh.itjust.works avatar

There are a ton of methods carriers use to detect hotspot traffic, from the device itself handling the categorization, to TTL values attached to requests, to other very clever network sniffing strategies.

JDubbleu ,

Every method I've encountered in the past was thwarted by a good ole VPN. This was all on unlocked or rooted phones though so YMMV work carrier phones.

CanadaPlus ,

I'd just try to disguise the traffic as coming from something else. Someone further down says just switching to an OS that doesn't actively snitch does the trick, but if you really wanted you could make your requests look like just about anything, given added volume is free.

Honytawk ,

Unlimited with a limit

criticon ,

Do they actually slow it down? I have 8GB of data and many months I use a lot more than that and they send me some messages that they will slow it with some links to purchase more data but it never happens, or at least not in a noticeable way

Uranium3006 ,
@Uranium3006@kbin.social avatar

the reason is wireless network carve outs from network neutrality and them wanting to abuse their monopoly status to upcharge you for every little thing

FlyingSquid OP ,
@FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

Remember when they charged 10 cents a text for data that went through the cell tower in the same way a voice did?

brbposting ,

Almost wish they still did but only if it meant more of us were using Signal.

Who am I kidding though, we’d be using What’sZuck like our European & LatAm friends. “WhatsApp: At Least It’s Not WeChat”

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