T-Mobile identifies and targets 'data hogs'

[shortylickens]

torrent at home thru a VPN, then copy the files to your phone.

 

[cmdrdredd]

WTF is "mobile data"? I understand carriers got Americans by the balls, but that does not mean their price gouging is completely justified.

What's next? LTE fee? LTE advance surcharge? Social media fee? Data is data.

They sell you a plan that you will use your phone or tablet for. Not to run your home office or host torrents.

 

[openwheel]

They sell you a plan that you will use your phone or tablet for. Not to run your home office or host torrents.

Yeah, and using an app on the phone which tethers to other home devices is simply: using data on the phone.

What's the difference between "tethering to my laptop to stream Spotify" and "simply streaming while using a pair of loud speakers". In both cases, the music is going to external devices, and we are talking about identical data.

 

[cmdrdredd]

Yeah, and using an app on the phone which tethers to other home devices is simply: using data on the phone.

What's the difference between "tethering to my laptop to stream Spotify" and "simply streaming while using a pair of loud speakers". In both cases, the music is going to external devices, and we are talking about identical data.

Difference is, you won't be racking up 50GB a month by streaming music. The people they are looking at are making it obvious that they aren't doing what you describe.

 

[openwheel]

Difference is, you won't be racking up 50GB a month by streaming music. The people they are looking at are making it obvious that they aren't doing what you describe.

Okay, so what's the difference between:
1. streaming HBO Go on a tiny iPhone.
2. tethering to my TV and stream HBO Go.

In both cases, same data and way over 50GB/mon.

 

[Chrono]

I'm pretty sure there are a small percentage of people who abuse it to download illegal movies etc. daily. This is breaking their ToS, so I'm ok with them throttling those jackasses. I've done 30GB but this was with spotify/youtube/etc. Glad they're doing this with those jackasses.

 

[cmdrdredd]

Okay, so what's the difference between:
1. streaming HBO Go on a tiny iPhone.
2. tethering to my TV and stream HBO Go.

In both cases, same data and way over 50GB/mon.

If you do it every month I hope they throttle you. Why? Cause you are supposed to have WiFi for that.

You are trying to justify using your phone as your home internet. There is a reason they offer tethered data in blocks. Even if you buy unlimited from t-mobile, you only get 5GB of tethered data.

 

[openwheel]

If you do it every month I hope they throttle you. Why? Cause you are supposed to have WiFi for that.

You are trying to justify using your phone as your home internet. There is a reason they offer tethered data in blocks. Even if you buy unlimited from t-mobile, you only get 5GB of tethered data.

I strongly disagree. You are assuming everyone is required to have WiFi at home and on the road. It is my right if I don't want home internet. There is no clause in my Verizon unlimited contract that states I must use WiFi for certain online activities, nor would any carrier get the balls to write that. There is a "reason" behind every carrier's move. The reason is always "profit" and "cost reduction". Some people are 100% travel status for work. They are constantly on the road. There is no way for them to utilize home WiFi. So your assumption that I am trying to justify using unlimited data plan as home internet is false. I am trying to justify using unlimited data without restrictions such as "tethering" and "movie streaming". Simply put, I think "tethering" is simply price gouging. I just can't believe people fall for it.

BTW my argument is generic (not just T-Mobile). Sorry if I am off topic. Just ranting away.

 

[cmdrdredd]

You aren't buying home internet from T-Mobile.

Tethered data has a hard cap. If you bypass that check you are violating the TOS. The end

 

[openwheel]

You aren't buying home internet from T-Mobile.

Tethered data has a hard cap. If you bypass that check you are violating the TOS. The end

Yes Sir, T-Mobile.

 

[cmdrdredd]

All I am saying is they cap tethered data, they know people are bypassing the check so they can use more without being caught. It is a little like enabling tethering without buying it from the carrier. It is in the TOS you agree to.

 

[openwheel]

All I am saying is they cap tethered data, they know people are bypassing the check so they can use more without being caught. It is a little like enabling tethering without buying it from the carrier. It is in the TOS you agree to.

I agree to that.

But my point is that "tethering" shouldn't cost extra. Everyone should be able to tether as much as their "data cap" allows.

 

[stlc8tr]

They sell you a plan that you will use your phone or tablet for. Not to run your home office or host torrents.

So running a torrent client on your Android device is OK then?

 

[Red Storm]

So running a torrent client on your Android device is OK then?

Nothing wrong with having a torrent client on your phone (I have one on mine), what matters really is the amount of data. If you're trying to download/upload a large amount of data, then you do it on Wifi. If it's small fry stuff, no big deal. But who torrents in the kilobytes and megabytes? No one I know. It's all GBs and TBs.

 

[openwheel]

I think EVERYONE is in agreement that illegal downloads via torrent is prohibited and all carriers should be allowed to enforce it. We are just saying it in different ways. Although, we have to keep an open mind that it is possible to torrent legally, but let's face it we torrent for the illegal stuff so.....

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

I agree to that.

But my point is that "tethering" shouldn't cost extra. Everyone should be able to tether as much as their "data cap" allows.

I agree that tethering shouldn't cost extra, but there's a distinct difference between tethering on a 2gb plan and tethering to make Verizon Wireless be your home internet.

 

[HumblePie]

Data is data.

If phone carriers networks can't actually handle unlimited data, then don't sell unlimited data. That is the bottom line. It's a very simple concept. There is no such thing as "abuse" if the data has been offered at an unlimited rate. As mentioned tethering means nothing. A phone is a computer, just packaged to fit in a pocket. Smart phones of today have the capacity to consume as much internet data as any pc of today. Basing model plans for data usage on out dated phones is the fault of the companies.

If a phone company needs to break a contract then let them break it through the means specific in the contract. Trust me that phone companies can break any contract they signed with any of their customers. Break it and then offer limited data plans. Let the customers chose which carrier they want after that. Problem is, as already mentioned, they don't have the balls so they throttle and hope no one really important (ie with money) takes them to court over it.

 

[stlc8tr]

Nothing wrong with having a torrent client on your phone (I have one on mine), what matters really is the amount of data. If you're trying to download/upload a large amount of data, then you do it on Wifi. If it's small fry stuff, no big deal. But who torrents in the kilobytes and megabytes? No one I know. It's all GBs and TBs.

But their argument is that TMobile is selling you an unlimited mobile plan so it sounds like as long as it's done on your mobile device and not via tethering, no matter how much data you use, it's kosher with those folks.

 

[openwheel]

I agree that tethering shouldn't cost extra, but there's a distinct difference between tethering on a 2gb plan and tethering to make Verizon Wireless be your home internet.

-To you, carriers, and their lobbyists, YES.
-To me, NO.

Data is data. Tethering data is still tethering data.
Better yet, I say good luck to carriers trying to enforce a tethering fee on unlimited data subscribers.

I sense a little jealousy from those who can't afford unlimited data.

 

[openwheel]

Data is data.

If phone carriers networks can't actually handle unlimited data, then don't sell unlimited data. That is the bottom line. It's a very simple concept. There is no such thing as "abuse" if the data has been offered at an unlimited rate. As mentioned tethering means nothing. A phone is a computer, just packaged to fit in a pocket. Smart phones of today have the capacity to consume as much internet data as any pc of today. Basing model plans for data usage on out dated phones is the fault of the companies.

If a phone company needs to break a contract then let them break it through the means specific in the contract. Trust me that phone companies can break any contract they signed with any of their customers. Break it and then offer limited data plans. Let the customers chose which carrier they want after that. Problem is, as already mentioned, they don't have the balls so they throttle and hope no one really important (ie with money) takes them to court over it.

Thing is, they don't have the guts. They make too much profit from unlimited data users. I don't have a problem if Verizon decides tomorrow to stop taking my money. I either stay with Big Red or I go elsewhere. Funny thing is, Big Red keeps taking my money. Although $340/month for 3 unlimited lines is a lot especially considering the lack of phone subsidy.

 

[Bman123]

Point is if you tether your cellular data to your PC and use it like home Internet your a damn tool and abusing the service. I personally hope you get caught and get your account banned. Its bullshit how some people here think

 

[Zaap]

I'm kinda torn on this one.

One one hand, I agree in principle with the "Data-is-Data" idea. If a person was sold on 'unlimited' data, then it should be unlimited. And yeah, the mobile providers are unscrupulous bastards.

On the other hand, I recognize the limitations of 2014 reality.

I guess it's like an "all you can eat" buffet. Just because they sold someone on it as that, doesn't mean I want a busload of fatties scarfing down every last morsel before I can get a plate too.

 

[openwheel]

Point is if you tether your cellular data to your PC and use it like home Internet your a damn tool and abusing the service. I personally hope you get caught and get your account banned. Its bullshit how some people here think

Would you be okay if I paid $30/mon for the tethering? Because it's a feature that Verizon offers. I don't believe T-Mobile has such true unlimited data feature though.

Anyway I guess different stroke for different folks. Some people march on the drums of the carriers'. Some people are little rebels.

 

[bradly1101]

Obviously they don't do it via WiFi or download at home because they're trying to avoid the cost of a home connection, or can't get one for whatever reason.

 

[paperwastage]

I simply will never understand why a customer should be penalized for using a service they paid for as advertised. While I recognize the impact of the network at hand, it just goes to show that businesses want you to pay for something and not use it.

Why have unlimited plans to begin with? The feds should ban the use of UNLIMITED if the carriers are going to refuse to honor it. And not just on cellular networks. Fucking be honest for once! BTW, I am a TMo customer.

Well, I agree with you on advertising unlimited but not really giving you truly unlimited with no restrictions. They should be advertising like unlimited browsing/music/video, maybe it'll be clearer what you can do on your phone(browser web, listen to music, watch video, no torrenting or tethering to the extreme.. Just 'fair use' of your mobile connection)

Even so, their original tos prevents torrenting. They're only enforcing their tos right now. (Though few people read TOS)...