hotspot teather..pay or not pay??

[GNex Girl]

It is simple physics, only so much data can be sent via a radio signal, when that limit is reached we are all "throttled" no matter what the capabilities of our individual phones happen to be.

I get that, so why pay more when you don't have to in the here and now for something you have already paid for in the here and now because of something that is likely to happen in the future? Why not wait until your speculation about what will happen in the future actually in fact happens before you pay twice for the same data?

Beerhound is a reference to my former hobby of home brewing my own beer, not an indicator of my BAC. At this point I will avoid being a dick and saying the things that popped into my mind at first.

Sounds like you drank a lot of your own home brews to me.

 

[beerhound]

I get that, so why pay more when you don't have to in the here and now for something you have already paid for in the here and now because of something that is likely to happen in the future? Why not wait until your speculation about what will happen in the future actually in fact happens before you pay twice for the same data?

It's not a speculative thing for me. Go back and read my post about my internet options, it is more of an insurance thing. I know I could easily do this for "free" and I DID do it for a couple of months when I moved into my house. I decided to pay the money to CYA if VZW ever got anal about enforcing their policies. My internet choices go seriously down hill if VZ cuts me off for abusing my account. Go look at the news and check out what ATT is doing to it's "unlimited" customers. Look at the history of the wireless industry, when one starts a new policy that screws us, the rest follow suit.

I fully understand your comment about paying twice for the same bandwidth, I've said the same thing myself many times. The bottom line is this: whether you or I agree with that (and neither of us do) the contract we signed says that we get X amount of data (either unlimited or tiered) per month. Tethering is what VZ calls a "value added" option that makes our plan more useful and they charge extra for it. (yes that sucks) IF or more likely WHEN verizon chooses to start enforcing that clause in their contract (probably because the spectrum crunch is kicking their ass) who do you think will feel the crunch first? I choose to do it because my other options are so limited that I'm buying some insurance so that I don't get cut off for "abusing" the network. Dial-up sucks more than the $30 does!

Sounds like you drank a lot of your own home brews to me.

I drank massive quantities of my favorite concoctions way back when. Not so much these days, but it's always 5 o'clock somewhere! ;-)

 

[veloslave#AC]

It's a sad day when integrity means patsy. Sigh.

I tether without paying and have been for 10 years now... and I totally agree with you. While I am doing the same thing as some... I am not about to brag about it or even MUCH worse, make someone that is NOT doing it out to be a 'patsy" "sucker" or ANYTHING along those lines.

Commendable comes to mind.

I never do it much... heck, these days free wifi is everywhere so the actual "need" to tether is rare. I also have been with Verizon for 10 years as a very good customer... and frankly (and this has also been backed up by big red employees) if you are not abusing it, they are not concerned or looking for you. all of this could change... I doubt it but whatever.

Hold your head up high... it is that type of morals this country and more are missing big time. I know you are not special... but I am happy to see someone stand up for what is right. Everyone else here that tether's is a liar... they signed/agreed to a contract that says they will not do so but they still do... HA! Having a liar call you a patsy is pretty funny when you think about it.

 

[rcpa]

The analogy I use is to compare the unlimited data plan to an all-you-can-eat buffet at a restaurant. The restaurant prices their meal based on what a typical person will eat in a single sitting. Some people will eat less, and some people will eat more, but it averages out. However, if you come into the restaurant with 4 of your friends, buy one all-you-can-eat meal and everyone eats off of one plate, then you are violating the agreement. If you bring a couple of duffle bags with you and load them up at the buffet so you can take all the food home to fill your refrigerator, then you are violating the agreement. If you come in morning and camp out in a booth all day grazing off of the buffet, then you are violating the agreement.

Regardless of your opinion about the actual price, the Verizon unlimited data plan is priced based on the amount of data a typical user would consume on a phone. Once you distribute that data to other devices via a hotspot, you are violating that agreement. You become the guy passing out food from the all-you-can-eat buffet to his friends, or the guy stuffing his duffle bag with food to eat later.

However, if I was paying for a fixed amount of data, like the $30 for 2 gigabytes, then I would have no problems using the hotspot without paying extra. To use the restaurant analogy, it would be like two people sharing a fixed price meal, or one person taking what they didn't eat home in a to-go box. There's nothing wrong with that.

 

[p08757]

I have a problem with this statement simply because what you think is "right" and other people think is "right" may or may not be the same thing.

You should be saying "I pay because I feel its the right thing to do.".

Like I said there are two camps when it comes to this. Personally I feel paying for this feature is the right thing to do. From the title of this thread, I thought the OP was asking this forum if he should pay feature or not. I gave my input.

If you don't care, why post on this thread to tell us how you take the "high road" lol? Umm, because you obviously care.

Like I said above, the OP was wondering if he should pay for this feature or not. Personally, I feel paying for this feature is the right thing to do.

I'm glad you think I'm taking the "High Road"

High Road -- High road refers to a higher moral ground. "Taking the high road" expression refers to one being a "class act" during a very difficult time. Those who take the high road, are demonstrating being honest, fair, and selfless while not being completely defenseless.

 

[GNex Girl]

I'm glad you think I'm taking the "High Road"

I don't think you are taking the high road and that is not what I said. I said you think you are taking the "high road."

 

[GNex Girl]

The analogy I use is to compare the unlimited data plan to an all-you-can-eat buffet at a restaurant. The restaurant prices their meal based on what a typical person will eat in a single sitting. Some people will eat less, and some people will eat more, but it averages out. However, if you come into the restaurant with 4 of your friends, buy one all-you-can-eat meal and everyone eats off of one plate, then you are violating the agreement. If you bring a couple of duffle bags with you and load them up at the buffet so you can take all the food home to fill your refrigerator, then you are violating the agreement. If you come in morning and camp out in a booth all day grazing off of the buffet, then you are violating the agreement.

That is an inapt analogy.

This is an apt analogy. You go to an all-you-can-eat buffet and pay for the buffet. Paper plates are provided for you to eat your food off of. You are fine with eating dry foods like a sandwich off of a paper plate so you use the paper plate for a sandwich. But you don't like eating wet foods, like a salad with dressing, off of a paper plate because the dressing soaks into the paper plate. So you bring your own china bowl to eat your salad out of. When you do that, the restaurant owner tells you you have to pay double the price because you are eating your salad out of the china bowl instead of off of the paper plate.


The reality though, is that VZW knows the GNex is capable of this and allows it to be sold and used as it was designed to be. That is all that matters. They have the ability to stop it if they want to, but they obviously think it is a good business decision to allow it. End of discussion.

 

[GNex Girl]

Commendable comes to mind.

Naive and stupid comes to my mind.

VZW is not getting screwed here. They knowingly sell a phone to their customers that has this capability and they have the ability to stop it if they want to but they choose not to because they feel it is in their best business interest to allow it.

 

[GNex Girl]

Tethering is what VZ calls a "value added" option that makes our plan more useful and they charge extra for it.

VZW knowingly sells a phone that has the capability to tether without any extra charge and they allow it to happen because they feel it is in their best business interest to do so. They could stop it if they wanted to, just like ATT does. VZW like ATT has the ability to detect tethering and penalize customers who do it without paying extra. They choose not to. Again because they feel it is a wise business decision not to.

My guess is they hope to attract more customers from ATT by not penalizing people who tether without paying extra.

My guess is they are also happy to take money from people who enjoying paying extra for tethering. They want both customers - those who want to tether for free and those who enjoy paying extra for tethering.

 

[rcpa]

This is an apt analogy. You go to an all-you-can-eat buffet and pay for the buffet. Paper plates are provided for you to eat your food off of. You are fine with eating dry foods like a sandwich off of a paper plate so you use the paper plate for a sandwich. But you don't like eating wet foods, like a salad with dressing, off of a paper plate because the dressing soaks into the paper plate. So you bring your own china bowl to eat your salad out of. When you do that, the restaurant owner tells you you have to pay double the price because you are eating your salad out of the china bowl instead of off of the paper plate.

Actually, your analogy is off. Whether someone eats off of a paper plate or a china bowl does not affect the amount of food they consume. However, serving mobile data to non-phone devices does (or at least can) affect the amount of data you consume. Sure there are exceptions. There are people who manage to consume 30 gigabytes a month on their phones streaming music and netflix, and there are some that would consume very little when their laptop is connected to their phone's hotspot. But, in general, consuming data in much more convenient and much more desirable in non-phone devices.

Sure, you can watch five hours of netflix a night on your phone, but most people wouldn't. However, they would happily watch five hours of netflix a night on their HD TV receiving it's data through the phone's hotspot. And they would be consuming higher quality streams. Sure you can browse the web for hours on a phone, but most people would prefer to browse the web for hours on a desktop with large screen with a keyboard and mouse and therefore would consume more data on the desktop.

Therefore, the phone limits data consumption because it's not as convenient to use as other devices when you are doing heavy duty data consumption. This is definitely changing, especially as streaming services have made their way to phones over the past year and a half. But also, data plans have been changing to to account for the increased data usage of phones.

If you are paying for a fixed amount of data a month, then I believe it is absolutely your right to consume that data in any manner you choose. But if you are paying for an "unlimited" plan, you are paying a price based on the average amount of data a typical person would consume on a phone.

 

[Neptune79]

I pay out of guilt

Its been a few days since I looked at this thread and reading all of the replies has given me a laugh. Its a pretty interesting topic to discuss. I actually use my tether alot more than I thought I would since my mobile connection is alot of faster than the signal I get from my crappy ISP. I figure its best to pay so I dont have to worry about the eye of Mordor setting itself upon me.

 

[thebignewt]

Sure Vzn knows people tether and don't pay. Just like they used to use GPS and didn't pay (remember when Vzn tried to charge for that too?). But most people don't even know how to tether, have no need to even mess with it. The big deal here is (as someone mentioned) is bandwidth is shrinking. I think the LTE network will actually help Vzn with that, because it gets many of us off the 3G CDMA network (which is fine for most people). The Verizon unlimited data plan is gone of course, and those of us who grandfathered in will eventually wither out, get throttled and switch plans, or go away. I estimate that unlimited plans will go the way of the cassette tape by the end of 2013. They can always take it away, raise the rates, whatever. It isn't like we have any "rights" to unlimited data lol. They have all the cards in this game people. The only way they have to get more of your money is to charge more fees, and Verizon has that down to a science. Think about how much you paid even 5 years ago to carriers. Pretty big difference isn't it?

 

[GNex Girl]

There are people who manage to consume 30 gigabytes a month on their phones streaming music and netflix, and there are some that would consume very little when their laptop is connected to their phone's hotspot.

You just proved my point. It's not the device you use the data on, it is how much data you choose to use. And VZW says I get to use unlimited data.

Again, the real point that matters in all of this and keeps going SWOOSH over you head, is that VZW knowingly sells its a customers a phone with this capability, allows it to be used as designed, is aware that people tether without paying extra and could stop people from doing this if they want to but they choose not to because they deem it in their best business interest not to. Nuff said.

 

[GNex Girl]

They have all the cards in this game people.

Absolutely, and for now the card they are choosing to play is to allow people to tether without paying extra. If it brings you happiness to pay them extra for tethering, it brings them happiness to take your money. However, they are fine with customers like me who don't pay them extra, too.

 

[dcastillo]

is that VZW knowingly sells its a customers a phone with this capability,

Actually, the phone verizon sells you does not have this capability, in fact, if you took a stock phone and turned on the hotspot (correct me if Im wrong since I havent tried it) you would be directed to a verzon web page to sign up for the tethering plan.

In order to get it free you have to load an app that uses a work around to allow the hotspot to work for free.

-Danny

 

[Paul627g]

Heads up... Thread will remain open as long as we keep comments and views in check.

Thank you.

 

[GNex Girl]

Actually, the phone verizon sells you does not have this capability,

You're wrong. The operating system the phone came with allows this functionality.

Here's an apt analogy - my computer did not come preloaded with a word processor. However, the operating system the computer came with allows a word processor to be used on it. When I load a word processor on my computer, I am using my computer as it was designed to be used. I don't have to load a word processor on my computer, but if I do, loading one on it is simply something the operating system was designed to allow for.

 

[dcastillo]

You're wrong. The operating system the phone came with allows this functionality.

Here's an apt analogy - my computer did not come preloaded with a word processor. However, the operating system the computer came with allows a word processor to be used on it. When I load a word processor on my computer, I am using my computer as it was designed to be used. I don't have to load a word processor on my computer, but if I do, loading one on it is simply something the operating system was designed to allow for.

similar, but not exactly the same...

if I started the hotspot on my phone, it would ask me to pay... therefore it is a feature you are expected to pay for. And it continuously uses data that has to be provided and maintained by verizon at a cost to them.

If I by a PC, most come with a word processor program of some sort, if not I could buy one (or get a free open source one), but when I use it, I am not affecting the original manufacturer or vendor of the PC.

so there is a difference there.

Its like the old days where people would hack their cable boxes to get all the channels since the cable box itself is the filter... technically the cable box is capable of it, but you are supposed to pay the cable company a monthly fee for them to enable it, not you...

thanx
Danny

 

[n0obpr0]

Just turned on the wifi hotspot using Widgizoid switch, teathered my laptop to the GNEX...

I didnt get any popups or anything from VZ..just keyed in an password for the encryption and it worked.

Will Verizon be aware of this and charge me extra? I have the unlimited data.

tx

See what you did!

 

[bworley50]

"The right thing to do." Can anyone tell me if charging twice for the same data is "The right thing to do?"