The new iPhone 15
Anp1215's profile

Tutor

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6 Messages

Wednesday, September 11th, 2013 3:07 AM

Can't use Mobile Hotspot or Teethering with unlimited plan.

I called AT&T today and tried to set up Internet for my laptop through my phone. My friend has it and loves it!
I really only need it to send word documents and files and attachments for work. Something you can't really do from your iPhone.
Since my unlimited data is Grandfathered in I was told I couldn't use any of their Internet options including a USB wi-fi device without downgrading my data plan and paying more.
Being a loyal AT&T customer for over 8 years this is very disappointing they are trying to trick you out of your current plan to make more money and have no solution to this.

Advice?
Thanks in advance.

Scholar

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338 Messages

11 years ago

It's been this way for a while now. You have to have a tethering or mobile share plan tonise tethering.

Tutor

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6 Messages

11 years ago

I do have a share plan, I have 3 lines with them currently.

Scholar

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338 Messages

11 years ago

If you have unlimited data you're not on a MobileShare plan. The mobile share plans share a pool of data between devices and there was never an unlimited option under the MibileShare plans.

ACE - Master

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10.3K Messages

11 years ago

AT&T has never allowed tethering with the unlimited data plan. Ever since they started to allow tethering a few years ago they made you swap to one of the capped data plans to be able to use it.

Expert

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12.2K Messages

11 years ago


@Anp1215 wrote:
I called AT&T today and tried to set up Internet for my laptop through my phone. My friend has it and loves it!
I really only need it to send word documents and files and attachments for work. Something you can't really do from your iPhone.
Since my unlimited data is Grandfathered in I was told I couldn't use any of their Internet options including a USB wi-fi device without downgrading my data plan and paying more.
Being a loyal AT&T customer for over 8 years this is very disappointing they are trying to trick you out of your current plan to make more money and have no solution to this.

Advice?
Thanks in advance.

they are not trying to "trick" you out of anything,  the unlimited plan was never authorized for tethering / hotpsot and since it was discontinued it will never be authorizied. If you want to do this you need to switch to the 5GB data plan or to the mobile share plan (not to be confused with a family plan) a mobile share plan allows you to choose a block of data and put smartphones, tablets or internet gaming devices on it. It allows up to 10 devices to be added, it also has unlmited voice and text.

 

No trick, just corporate policy

Scholar

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397 Messages

11 years ago


@Anp1215 wrote:
I do have a share plan, I have 3 lines with them currently.

Yes, but is it a shared data plan?  There is a difference between a shared phone service plan where the lines share minutes vs. a shared data plan where the data is shared.  If you believe that you have a shared data plan, then I'm pretty sure that the line that has the unlimited data plan associated with it is not a member of the shared data plan since it is not possible to have a shared data plan in which one of the lines associated with said plan is under an unlimited data plan.

Tutor

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6 Messages

11 years ago

Thanks for your responses, it is not a shared data plan. It is for only one of the lines, the iPhone. So since that is the case...
I don't have an interest in downgrading my plan and paying more for it. And since that is what I would need to do to obtain Internet for my laptop from them thorough any means or device I will have to find another provider for my laptop Internet.
It's disappointing, I just need to view the same pages from my phone on a bigger screen so I can use attachments. I don't need a shared plan for up to 10 devices. I just need very seldom access to my laptop. But if they can't help me without charging more for less GB I will go else where.

Expert

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12.2K Messages

11 years ago


@Anp1215 wrote:
Thanks for your responses, it is not a shared data plan. It is for only one of the lines, the iPhone. So since that is the case...
I don't have an interest in downgrading my plan and paying more for it. And since that is what I would need to do to obtain Internet for my laptop from them thorough any means or device I will have to find another provider for my laptop Internet.
It's disappointing, I just need to view the same pages from my phone on a bigger screen so I can use attachments. I don't need a shared plan for up to 10 devices. I just need very seldom access to my laptop. But if they can't help me without charging more for less GB I will go else where.

what are your data requirements and what is your current voice plan. You can get a mobile share plan with 2GB data, unlimited voice, unlimited text, hotspot, tethering for 95.00 a month before taxes and surcharges, data can be doubled to 4GB for 15.00 a month more

Tutor

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6 Messages

11 years ago

Thanks but that is what I was told when I called and I don't want to lose my unlimited data on my plan.
I would be happy to add on to my plan and pay $30-$40 more to be able to use my phone for laptop Internet. I am not expecting for it to be free.
But since I have to lose my unlimited data to accomplish this through at&t, I will use another internet provider.
Thank again for your responses.

Expert

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12.2K Messages

11 years ago


@Anp1215 wrote:
Thanks but that is what I was told when I called and I don't want to lose my unlimited data on my plan.
I would be happy to add on to my plan and pay $30-$40 more to be able to use my phone for laptop Internet. I am not expecting for it to be free.
But since I have to lose my unlimited data to accomplish this through at&t, I will use another internet provider.
Thank again for your responses.

really not much of a difference anymore for unlimited vs tiered, if you exceed 3GB during a billing cycle or 5GB if LTE your data speeds are throttled down to edge speeds or less until the end of the current billing cycle.

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