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How do Three know? |
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#1 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Sussex
Posts: 12,173
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How do Three know?
I got a spare 3 PAYG sim with £10 of calls and 500mb data.... as I didn't need it I stuck it in my Galaxy Tab2 3G enabled tablet which makes voice calls too. After 1 day Three block it saying I can't use it in anything other than a phone.
While I don't really care about not being able to use it, how does 3 tell the difference between a 3G smartphone and a 3G tablet that is essentially a big phone as it makes voice calls etc? Just curious..... |
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#2 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Mar 2013
Posts: 65
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Imei..
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#3 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Sussex
Posts: 12,173
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Quote:
Imei..
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#4 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: London, UK
Posts: 8,759
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It's all part of the networks plan to con you for a mobile broadband sim. (and for the genuine reason of reducing congestion)
Three are the strictest for obvious reasons. They do unlimited data and don't want people shoving it in a mi-fi and abusing the crap out of it. Other networks may let you get away but they have the right to block you at any time and refer you to a Mobile broadband sim. T-Mobile are already starting to do this as well, as are O2 and giff gaff. |
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#5 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jul 2000
Posts: 4,807
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Quote:
Imei..
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#6 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Mar 2013
Posts: 4,249
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Quote:
It's all part of the networks plan to con you for a mobile broadband sim. (and for the genuine reason of reducing congestion)
Three are the strictest for obvious reasons. They do unlimited data and don't want people shoving it in a mi-fi and abusing the crap out of it. Other networks may let you get away but they have the right to block you at any time and refer you to a Mobile broadband sim. T-Mobile are already starting to do this as well, as are O2 and giff gaff. |
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#7 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Woking, Surrey.
Posts: 3,588
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I wouldn't be surprised if the network protocols allow broadcasting of equipment configuration these days.
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#8 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Sussex
Posts: 12,173
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So if I actually wanted a voice and data sim for my 3g tablet do any networks cater for this? if I want to play by the rules.
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#9 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: The wilds of West Tyrone
Posts: 2,122
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Quote:
So if I actually wanted a voice and data sim for my 3g tablet do any networks cater for this? if I want to play by the rules.
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#10 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: London, UK
Posts: 8,759
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Quote:
I remember giffgaff did say a while back that you could use a sim card of theirs with a goodybag that included unlimited data provided that the tablet could handle voice calls and texts - it *might* have changed since then I haven't checked up on it.
It might be worth contacting 3 Customer services to see what they say. The Galaxy tab can make 3G voice calls so technically it should support a mobile sim card. |
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#11 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Sussex
Posts: 12,173
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thanks everyone, I think the Tab2 3g is a bit of a grey area for 3, it's not really a phone but it can act like a phone.... quite why they treat it differently I don't know
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#12 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Mar 2013
Posts: 65
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Quote:
thanks everyone, I think the Tab2 3g is a bit of a grey area for 3, it's not really a phone but it can act like a phone.... quite why they treat it differently I don't know
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#13 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Scotland
Posts: 1,274
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Quote:
Well, as it called Tab2, it's a tab.
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#14 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Newcastle
Posts: 904
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Kinda makes me chuckle with three and their 'protectiveness' of their data.
You can buy a Mi-Fi and SIM card and tether that data to an iPad or PC but you cant take the SIM out and (after cutting it of course) put it direct into the iPad or PC. Yet its the same data, the same limits etc. A tad silly. (however, when I had a 30 day rolling Mifi, I used the SIM in my laptop, I just ensured that the access point on the laptop was the same as the Mi-Fi.) Which gets me thinking..... Get the access point for the PAYG SIM when its in a phone and use that access point name in your TAB, see if that works
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#15 |
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Inactive Member
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 43,524
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Quote:
I don't think that's how it's done. They analyse the connection, but I'm not sure exactly how. I don't think it's the IMEI though.
but i don't see, no matter how closely you looked at the data, even well beyond the level allowed by the law, you could identify the difference between and android phone and an android tablet that can make calls. |
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#16 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Retford
Posts: 20,464
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From experience, they default to - if in doubt, tether block it. I get tether blocked on a Nexus 4 with tethering off and doing nothing more than browsing the mobile Digital Spy forums and listening to AAC+ music files stored locally on my phone.
Quite annoying knowing I am playing by the rules of the AYCE plan I am signed up to but then being accused of breaking the rules. |
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#17 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Sussex
Posts: 12,173
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I didn't even try to tether, just put in the tab2, made a couple of phone calls then a few kb's of data and turned off, the next day I turn on and a message tells me I'm using it in something that isn't a phone.
Shame as 3 has the fastest and best signal in my village..... double the speeds I can get via ADSL
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#18 |
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Guest
Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 1,291
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My upgrade is due soon, and as there's no phone out there to tempt me (I have an S3), I thought I might try the one of the Three sim only plans, but they ban tethering except for the 'One' plans which are much pricier.
Shame really as I only occasionally use tethering, but I'm not prepared to pay an extra £5 a month just for the odd useage. Anybody know if the really do kill tethering off if used for the odd time or two? |
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#19 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 263
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To be honest, these measures wouldn't have come into effect if there weren't people out there treating the line like a fibre/ADSL service; people who admit to download 100GB a month etc. On the other hand, Three shouldn't advertise unlimited data if they can't deliver but two wrongs don't make a right.
I've been told that they can work out if you're tethering from TTL values or something? |
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#20 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: London, UK
Posts: 8,759
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Quote:
Kinda makes me chuckle with three and their 'protectiveness' of their data.
You can buy a Mi-Fi and SIM card and tether that data to an iPad or PC but you cant take the SIM out and (after cutting it of course) put it direct into the iPad or PC. Yet its the same data, the same limits etc. A tad silly. (however, when I had a 30 day rolling Mifi, I used the SIM in my laptop, I just ensured that the access point on the laptop was the same as the Mi-Fi.) Which gets me thinking..... Get the access point for the PAYG SIM when its in a phone and use that access point name in your TAB, see if that works ![]() The only legitimate way around it is to buy a sim card on "The One Plan" and then tether as much as you want from your phone. I know people who use ridiculous amounts every month and three do nothing because that's the perk of the plan. |
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#21 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Mar 2013
Posts: 4,249
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Quote:
That's not true. If you have a mobile broadband sim you can use it any broadband device (tablet but not phone). And like i said above it's the other way around for phone sims.
The only legitimate way around it is to buy a sim card on "The One Plan" and then tether as much as you want from your phone. I know people who use ridiculous amounts every month and three do nothing because that's the perk of the plan. |
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#22 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Sep 2003
Posts: 12
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Every time you authenticate on a mobile network, your device is checked against the Equipment Register to determine if its registered stolen and should be allowed on the network. Each device has a unique IMEI for that purpose (part of the IMEI is the type of device). That's how they know what device you are using and also why it's entirely legitimate that they do know (whether you believe they should be free to use it for other purposes is a different question).
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#23 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: West Midlands
Posts: 2,450
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Why not put the sim in a phone that can tether, then just use your tablet off the phones wifi? Same thing but is not breaking any rules
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#24 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 14,649
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Quote:
I don't think that's how it's done. They analyse the connection, but I'm not sure exactly how. I don't think it's the IMEI though.
Same machine, same background apps, but non-3 HSPA card - no immediate block. (other networks use it too to track phone model - e.g. T-Mobile, where if you have an iPhone will say "welcome to T-Mobile iPhone support" if you call customer services) Apart from that it looks like 3 can/does analyse traffic too - I've seen cases where running Dropbox or using the Mac App Store will cause everything to be redirected to that "stop tethering plz" page, where it can't be the IMEI because it is in a phone. |
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#25 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Central Belt
Posts: 12,290
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On a contract phone you are not supposed to sell a phone and buy a cheaper phone from elsewhere to use on the contract instead.
Virgin have different monthly contract prices for the various different phones. Virgin I would imagine would do the same as three by locking the phone number to the IMEI to stop people from intentionally making a profit on the phones that were supposed to be used on the contract. |
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