Tethering Sprint/Verizon/ATT phones - info, costs, etc

Maureen · Last edited by Maureen on Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:21 pm; edited 1 time in total

Some of the info on tethering in this forum might be a little outdated now that there are so many great tether-capable Rev-A phones available, so I thought I'd jump in and remind everyone that you can find out all the basics of tethering here:

Tethering (AKA Phone-as-Modem): Get the Facts!

This article breaks down the pro's, con's, pricing, compatible devices currently available from Verizon and Sprint, and other FAQs.

The bottom line IMHO (and I have considerable experience with both tethering and dedicated devices, obviously), is that tethering can be the perfect solution for occasional EVDO (vacations, etc) but I wouldn't recommend it for everyday use. I also strongly recommend going with a Rev-A phone if you plan to use tethering fairly often - it makes a big difference!!

If you've used your phone to tether, post your experience here! What did you like about it? Was it fast enough? Which phone did you use?

Maureen · Posted: Mon Aug 24, 2009 12:38 pm Post subject: AT&T tethering info added

Our tethering article (http://evdoinfo.com/tethering) has been updated to include information about AT&T, including a list of tether-capable phones, pricing, etc.

Check out the updated tethering article here: Tethering (AKA Phone-as-Modem): Get the Facts!

Maureen · Posted: Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:21 pm Post subject:

Attention, tether-ers (and potential tether-ers)!

We've updated our tethering article again to include a notation for the phones that have ANTENNA PORTS. Since mobile broadband performance is highly dependent on signal strength, having the option of adding an antenna can be very important (especially for travelers). Unlike mobile broadband cards, almost all of which have antenna ports these days, most phones do NOT have antenna ports (and those that DO have ports often "hide" them under plastic inlays or under the battery cover). If you're in the market for a new tether-capable phone, you may want to consider making "has an antenna port" one of your must-have features.

Check out the updated tethering article here: Tethering (AKA Phone as Modem)

Hurst · Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2009 5:19 am Post subject:

My wife just ordered me a new BlackBerry 8330 through Sprint,.. has not even arrived yet. So forgive me if my question is not in the correct location,.. completely new.

My question is concerning using my phone as a modem for a laptop.
i have been searching and reading various information (thats how I came across this forum) and videos as well as reading about various hacks and such.

I plan to use the phone as a modem for a laptop,.. not as a perminant household solution,.. we have 20mbit cable modem service at the house so not needed.

Lets say I run smartview and connect my laptop to my phone and start browsing the internet. Is it that simple,.. or am I missing something here? Some places say that I need to have a tethering or 'phone as a modem' service plan for it to work. Others say only a data plan is needed. Currently we just upgraded to the Simply Everything Family plan. Upon further reading of the fine print in this plan,.. Sprint clearly states "Phone as modem or tethering: not included."

By "Not included". Does that mean not supported? Or just not included in the billing? Are they going to charge me extra for tethering my phone? If so,.. how will they know I am tethering? Provided I stayed under the 5gb limit should I not worry about it,.. or is it simply not possible with out a mobile broadband or "phone as a modem" plan?

Sprint's documentation and information is confusing and misleading if they want to charge extra for tethering. We purchased the phone because Sprint advertised the phone as being able to be used as a modem. No where does it say that you need anything more then a data plan when you purchase the phone. The description for the "Simply Everything Family" plan leads you to believe that you have unlimited internet usage. Yet when you search around and read their mobile broadband solutions,.. they say that 3G is limited to 5gb and that only 4G is unlimited,.. but only available in certain areas. Unfortunately this part of Florida is only 3G.

I understand my phone is only EVDO Rev 0. I'm fine with that. I have 20mbit cable for heavy internet usage. I just wanted something for when away from home. I dont want to have to pay $15 extra,.. plus another $30 for an additional data plan on top of the $189 for the "Simply Everything Family" plan just to tether my laptop (Thats what I think is what Sprints wants from me in order to tether my laptop). If true,.. they can stick it and I'll cancel everything. I'll experiment with hacking a Samsung Instinct which my son's friend uses to get internet for his laptop and they do not charge him extra for tethering.

If you can clear this up for me that would be great.
Mean while I'll keep searching Google for a definite answer.

Thanks,

Hurst

ComputerGranny · EVDO Newbie Joined: 19 Apr 2007 Posts: 10

I'm sorry if I'm posting this in the wrong place. Hopefully, I'm not. I'm trying to find out if there is any way to use a pre-paid phone like the Net10 phone as a modem. Obviously, it would have to be the right type of phone, but I'm uncertain if their network could support it even if the phone could. Their web site has nothing about it. Sorry, I know you mainly support Sprint, Verizon and AT&T, but I thought you might know about it. Also, does Verizon's prepaid plan support it? Their $49 a month tethering fee is a bit spendy. Would prepaid be different?

Thanks for any help you can provide.
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ComputerGranny