Sprint executive David Owens has confirmed that the carrier will ban tethering on smart devices next year as a part of its future smart device development plans. The ban will be placed on smart devices activated on the carrier’s current lineup of Everything plans.
Other plans include Android OS updates for the HTC Hero and Samsung Moment, Android device with a built-in MiFi style router, BlackBerry Tour with Wi-Fi and other Wi-Fi enabled BlackBerry devices, testing of Windows Mobile 6.5 updates for the HTC Touch Pro2 and other Windows devices “plan for early 2010” and WiMax phones.
Uh, there are free apps that do stealth tethering too. Heck, one is made by HTC (the company that makes most Windows Mobile phones) and it uses the WiFi if you don’t want to use USB. And you don’t need to install anything on your computer. Just look for the WiFi hotspot (which is really your phone).
Looks like Sprint has already implemented this plan for SERO. Tethering no longer works for me. I now get the following error:
” Error #67
Registration Failed. Your Power Vision username and/or password may be incorrect.”
I’ve never had to enter a user/pass when configuring the internet for tethering …
Good thing my contract has already expired. I’ll be dropping Spring and getting T-Mobile’s internet only plan. Its cheap ($40 a month for unlimited internet) and I can use the Nokia n900 on this plan (no need for paying for voice minutes when skype works just fine).
Micheal if you are moving away from SERO, would you care to transfer your plan to me?
I got that same error:
†Error #67
Registration Failed. Your Power Vision username and/or password may be incorrect.â€
I am on an everything plan.
There is an easy fix though. It’s a simple registry tweak. there is also a cab you can install that does it for you for those not comfortable making changes to the registry.
I had mine back up and running in like 1 minute. Also, pretty much all of the cooked ROMs out there have the fix built in so you don;t have to worry about it.
Look for stealth tethering fix on any of the phone websites and you will have a fast and easy fix that will get your tethering working again.
Sprint is figfhting a losing battle here…
SaltyDawg, I did some google searches for stealth tethering for the Razr (I think its the v3xx or something), but did not find anything. Also, I am not using Windows for the guest OS.
So basically, Sprint recently changed something on their system which disabled the tethering support that was on my phone. So is there a firmware that I can download to the phone that will open this back up or is this all on the backend servers at Sprint?
“Micheal if you are moving away from SERO, would you care to transfer your plan to me?”
How do you suggest doing this?
Sorry man, I don’t know anything about the RAZR. I’m a smartphone user, so I was talking about smartphones (specifically, Windows Mobile phones).
I know the smartphones recently started gett8ing that same error you posted (I got the exact same error on my Touch Pro 2) but an easy fix was discovered probably the same day the error first appeared. So I know for sure there is a way to make it work on your RAZR, I just don’t know the details on what you need to do (since I don’t use a RAZR).
Don’t know if this was addressed because the comments were tl;dr… It’s really simple for Sprint to not allow tethering, all they have to do is update the firmware or OS to disable the internet connection from being passed through the data connection with the computer. No need for special workings with Microsoft or Google or a special proxy or anything like that lol. Just disable the hardware capabilities. That being said, a workaround would theoretically be possible, but it might violate the terms of service on contracts thus landing you either fees or a terminated account.
If Sprint updates the firmware to block it (which they have) then the community will tweak said firmware to allow tethering again (which they have).
It doesn’t violate any terms. You own the device, so legally you can put whatever firmware you want on it.
Wow, sprint is missing an opportunity I think. I was just about to buy a box that I could plug into my phone, so that I could use my phone as a modem, then serve that up as wifi, and use an iPod Touch like an iPhone. I think one of the things that has sucked for sprint, is being excluded for the iPhone mania. They could easily have their phones broadcast a wifi signal that could be used by the iPod touch, maybe even sell them as a combo.
I’m surprised nobody mentioned the Palm Pre. Originally, Sprint offered it with PAM, but backed out shortly before launch. I didn’t realize it until I had my Pre home, and called for support to get the PAM to work.
No problem though. The free market stepped in, and a developer produced a spectacularly nice tethering program, and sells it cheap ( http://www.mytether.net/ ) It works so well, I’ve bought it twice to help the developer. It turns the Palm Pre into a 5 user MiFi device. I rarely use it, but when I need PAM, I NEED PAM!
It doesn’t take a genius to see that Sprint doesn’t want to include PAM in the (almost) Everything Data Plan because they would rather charge you twice for the same service (by selling you a MiFi and another data plan).
That being said, I will add that I don’t abuse the tethering capability. If I need large data downloads, I go to a WiFi hot-spot. My personal opinion is that if they back out and don’t include PAM (as promised) with the HTC EVO 4G phone, I won’t buy it, and I’ll likely switch to another provider who will include it.
I hope to move to an Android phone summer of ’10, and I’d like to stay with Sprint, if possible, so I hope the HTC EVO 4G comes out as promised with MiFi cabability.
[…] can't verify this, but check out this quote from this thread LINK […]
[…] With Verizon, it’s $15/$30 extra, depending on the data plan. Sprint is also $30 more, but is rumored to ban tethering in 2010 (as T-Mobile has already […]
This is a hilarious thread. Most of what I read is Sprint bashing. I tether whenever I need on Sprint, but I know several associates with similar phones on other carriers that can’t do this at all (read iPhone, for starters). And this leads to comments like “Thank GOD I am NOT a Sprint customer?” Way too funny. And I, too, am thankful you’re not a Sprint customer, that leaves more bandwidth for me.
Would this work on an old Motorola Q?
Thanks,
Steve
For the Motorola Q, you would want to use PDANet for Windows Mobile, or ICSControl.
http://www.junefabrics.com
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=377047
SO… WILL THIS ACTUALLY HAPPEN?
Its been like 1 year… and the EVO has tethering, and free apps….
ALSO!,
Whats up with the sprint 5g cap on wifi?
Or is that tethering only?
The Evo does NOT have tethering. It does if you pay Sprint $30 per month, but the built in HTC tethering is disabled. Of course, as predicted in the comments of this article, the community has enabled free tethering even though Sprint has attempted to block it.
Make no mistake about it, Sprint attempted, and continues to attempt, to block free tethering- even on the Evo. But the community continues to find ways to enable it.
When Sprint sells us on “unlimited data” with the everything plan, they really mean 5GB max. When you go over it is 15 or 25 cents (can’t remember which for sure) per KILOBYTE! Why do they get to care how we use it??
I want to sue sprint for Tethering ban, I am for sure spending he money to sue their butts off.