can your carrier tell youre using FoxFi

[Bateluer]

Verizon has yet to bug me about my unsanctioned tethering, so until they do, I will continue to use it...

Same for me. Though, admittedly, I've only tethered to my SGTab and only pulled ~300MBs that way. Total.

 

[bucwylde23]

I tether occasionally to my ipad/ipod using my Galaxy nexus using built in hotspot (rooted, AOKP rom).
I have noticed it randomly turns itself off as well, I always wonder what causes that but they haven't said anything to me yet.

 

[DisgruntledVirus]

Can I just quote someone elses post from XDA? I dont really understand networking much (luckily my mobile operator lets you tether for free anyway so Ive not looked into it a lot).

Is that the difference between a phone being a modem or a modem+router?

Yeah, that's essentially what I was saying. There are really 2 possibilities, either your phone sends/receives all data then passes it to the computer (carriers won't use this if possible as it can't differentiate between what device is using the data, thus not chargeable) OR your phone just acts as the authentication to the network just like your home modem does (i.e. it says you can use the services, but it shows the end device using the resources/services). The second method carriers want to use as it can create more revenue from tethering charges.

Why would, say, a torrent app on my phone look different to a torrent program on my PC if all the traffic is being routed by my phone?

*not trying to be argumentative,just trying to get a better understanding of whats going on*

Edit: You shouldnt need to hack your phone to tether, if it dosnt tether as stock then its been hacked before you got it (from the Android perspective)

A) I don't think there are torrent apps on the phone, but really doesn't matter either way
B) Without an understanding of network headers and how the IP stack works (i.e. OSI model) it's hard to really explain the difference, but let me try. So assuming you have torrents on phone and laptop, and those are the *only* thing sending/receiving data. The way that the headers are most likely setup from the two devices (various flags and such) could allow a carrier to see one is a computer and the other is a phone. This requires a lot of processing power through deep packet inspection which slows the network plus is resource intensive. I haven't researched how Android actually encapsulates data though, so I'm just guessing on this
C) Real world use ends up having many things outside of *just* the one application sending/receiving data. Windows updates for example. This is one of the easiest ways to tell
D) It's possible that how LTE has authentication performed, it forces checks be made to see if it's sharing it's internet and simply flag data that is not from the phone
E) The amount of data being used. Most phones are not going pull 100+ mb of data in an hour or two. Computers can. This is outside of stuff like streaming, which a carrier could tell based on IP addresses and packet inspection.

Basically if a carrier wants to get you for tethering they could (on 4g VZW, 3g VZW wasn't as restrictive on authentication so it's a little harder to detect). Now it would take resources to put into finding and proving people were tethering, but technically speaking it could be done. If you're not stupid about it and don't abuse it through torrents and the like, then you shouldn't have too much of a problem. However it is a risk you take, and you should be ok with having to pay if you get caught tethering without the "feature."

 

[OBLAMA2009]

so you guys is tethering a free feature with galaxy nexus whereas you have to pay $30 a month for tethering on any other 4g phone?

 

[AznAnarchy99]

so you guys is tethering a free feature with galaxy nexus whereas you have to pay $30 a month for tethering on any other 4g phone?

All you have to do is root it and with the GN its one click.