AT&T Unlimited Smartphone data a thing of the past

[Jason Foster]

I just bought an iphone about two weeks ago so I have the unlimited plan through my 2 year contract. I just called an AT&T rep to verify that.

It can also depend on where you buy it. Never, ever buy an iPhone from the Apple store...at least not in Palm Beach County. While there I noticed the service was twice as much....yeah...I know. Maybe someone on the board lives near there....I was at the eastern one, not the one in the Wellington area.

 

[Tim Vasquez]

Are most people streaming that TornadoVideos.net, etc, stuff on one of the unlimited AT&T plans? It seems like having that equipment on for a couple of hours a day on 10 chases a month would really use up a 5 GB cap quickly (plus pulling in the radar data).

Tim

 

[rdale]

As far as I know, there are no unlimited AT&T plans for computers. Tethering wasn't a legal option with the iPhone, and now that it is - it's not unlimited.

I streamed a few chases per month with Verizon's 5GB cap while running GR2AE and had no issues. If it's a daily thing, you'll be hurting...

 

[Matthew Crowther]

While out chasing the last week and a half, I spent a lot of time in WY, NE, KS, MT which (as I know now) are considered "off network" for AT&T and they told me I went way over my "off network" data limit for the month on my iPhone. It turns out the limit is 29MB ... unbelievably low! Like others, I don't use the iPhone that much and the heaviest usage typically comes from RadarScope, but, 29MB is pretty easy to hit even just using that application. They reprogrammed my iPhone to show "Off Network" instead of "AT&T" when in those areas (why that wasn't the default I don't understand) which hopefully is all they'll do for my "first offense" but they threaten to do all sorts of things (some that could be pretty expensive) for violations of the limit.

Not sure how the announced changes will affect this, but, I just had to share this discovery.

Huh? I have an iphone and had no idea about this
off network" garbage?? I used it a lot in the Plains thisn year (where I had coverage, which was pretty dismal at times). I will raise holy hell if I am charged extra $$- that may be the final nail in the coffin for the iphone for me as much as I love the device itself...

 

[Gene Moore]

Huh? I have an iphone and had no idea about this off network" garbage?? I used it a lot in the Plains thisn year (where I had coverage, which was pretty dismal at times). I will raise holy hell if I am charged extra $$- that may be the final nail in the coffin for the iphone for me as much as I love the device itself...

Matt, Off Net has been going on for a long time. It's likely in areas where AT&T leases towers....they are not nearly as "big" as they lead people to believe. They have threatened me numerous times, but never cut my service. One thing to consider, most chasers are on the phone/data all the time and I question if that's really necessary.

I've heard recently that for some plans they are bringing back tethering with the gigabyte surcharge. I'm skeptical it's just another con-job though. The way it's set up now we have to pay for Internet twice, one for the phone and second for the (air stick) data plan.

 

[Nick Nolte]

While out chasing the last week and a half, I spent a lot of time in WY, NE, KS, MT which (as I know now) are considered "off network" for AT&T and they told me I went way over my "off network" data limit for the month on my iPhone. It turns out the limit is 29MB ... unbelievably low! Like others, I don't use the iPhone that much and the heaviest usage typically comes from RadarScope, but, 29MB is pretty easy to hit even just using that application. They reprogrammed my iPhone to show "Off Network" instead of "AT&T" when in those areas (why that wasn't the default I don't understand) which hopefully is all they'll do for my "first offense" but they threaten to do all sorts of things (some that could be pretty expensive) for violations of the limit.

Not sure how the announced changes will affect this, but, I just had to share this discovery.

Do you know how much you actually used off network beyond the 29MB? I'm curious what it takes for them to actually threaten you.

I just looked at my bill from first first half of May, it only has the first four days of my chasecation, but I used 118MB over those four days (I had rented a Verizon broadband card, so that probably saved me a lot). On the bill it seems they don't even differentiate between their towers and leased towers in the codes or anything, so there isn't even a way to see what kind of data usage one had "off the network"

 

[Lou Ruh]

Do you know how much you actually used off network beyond the 29MB? I'm curious what it takes for them to actually threaten you.

I just looked at my bill from first first half of May, it only has the first four days of my chasecation, but I used 118MB over those four days (I had rented a Verizon broadband card, so that probably saved me a lot). On the bill it seems they don't even differentiate between their towers and leased towers in the codes or anything, so there isn't even a way to see what kind of data usage one had "off the network"

They sent me an e-mail message when the off network usage hit 100MB. I'm not sure how much over that I went before/after I started restricting my usage.

 

[Mike Hardiman]

I've yet to encounter this problem. But what would "off network" correspond to on AT&T's coverage maps for data?

http://www.wireless.att.com/coverageviewer/#?type=data&lat=37.29801171875&lon=-98.4909890625&sci=3

Would that be the "Partner Edge/GPRS" area?

Verizon has no separate limit data limit if you are in an "Extended Network" (e.g., contracted non-Verizon tower) area, which sounds analogous to "Partner Network" on AT&T.

-Mike

 

[Lou Ruh]

I've yet to encounter this problem. But what would "off network" correspond to on AT&T's coverage maps for data?

http://www.wireless.att.com/coverageviewer/#?type=data&lat=37.29801171875&lon=-98.4909890625&sci=3

Would that be the "Partner Edge/GPRS" area?

Yep ... if it says "Partner" it's off network. Once they reprogrammed my phone to actually display off network, it seemed to line up with that very well.

 

[Mike Hardiman]

Yikes! That's a good chunk of real estate...

Yep ... if it says "Partner" it's off network. Once they reprogrammed my phone to actually display off network, it seemed to line up with that very well.

 

[Scott Olson]

We blew way past the off network data limit. They sent us the message that we were over 29 mb and when we called two days later they said we were 600mb over the limit... The guy on the phone said that as long as you do not go over 1gb you will not be shut-down/ or kept to AT&T only... That's just what we were told.

I was surprised that he told us off the actionable ceiling limit, maybe he was new.