Tethering with iPad

[actor212]

Can we FINALLY have this now? Please? At least with the iPad/iPhone combination?

Come on, AT&T! Be sports about this! Some of us have needs!

[satchev]

Why?

Both the iPhone and iPad have 3G connections.

Your comment, and maybe I am misinterpreting this, almost sounds like you want to tether an iPad to an iPhone for a data connection.  Just plain silly in my opinion.

[300k]

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satchev wrote:

Why?

Both the iPhone and iPad have 3G connections.

Your comment, and maybe I am misinterpreting this, almost sounds like you want to tether an iPad to an iPhone for a data connection.  Just plain silly in my opinion.

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I think OP wants to get 3G free of charge for iPad since he/she already paying for iPhone's Data... Never gonna happen.

[iFrosty]

i dont see the point of tethering with an iPad...
the iPad is much bigger than an iphone (which tethering will be available whenever att allows it for the iphone) and then ud have to pay for the 3g version of the ipad
and again the iPad is also able to terminate a contract at any time ...
wouldnt att lose money from this if tethering was allowed for the iPad?

[Neihn]

The way i took the OP is they are askign for at least a iPhone/iPad tethering option. Meaning using your iPhone to tether your iPad to the cellular data network. I really dont see how the 3G enabled units will sell very well unless they are subsidized. 629 is alot to ask someone to drop on the base 3G iPad.

[click_clack]

Not much of a chance for subsidizing without a contract........

[Neihn]

I'm aware of that. But it would not be the first time AT&T has sold a Apple product both subsidized with a 2 year contract or Contract Free at full retail price. And I am jsut really saying if they want to move the 3G models selling some under a contract and subsidized would not hurt. Only the absolute dedicated or the insane ones would spend almost 900 dollars up front for a 3G enable 64gb iPad. You could potentially atract more peopl to the iPad by offeirng a subsidy. Specially those that are loyal to the ATT network.

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click_clack wrote:
Not much of a chance for subsidizing without a contract........

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[click_clack]

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Neihn wrote:

I'm aware of that. But it would not be the first time AT&T has sold a Apple product both subsidized with a 2 year contract or Contract Free at full retail price. And I am jsut really saying if they want to move the 3G models selling some under a contract and subsidized would not hurt. Only the absolute dedicated or the insane ones would spend almost 900 dollars up front for a 3G enable 64gb iPad. You could potentially atract more peopl to the iPad by offeirng a subsidy. Specially those that are loyal to the ATT network.

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I hear you but I guess we will wait and see. 

[mgear]

For one thing, not all iPads have 3G connections, so I don't see why it would be silly at all.  Second, who really wants to pay for two separate 3G plans from AT&T?  I know AT&T would love that, but me, not so much...

[mgear]

You have it backwards.  The poster wants to use his or her iPhone as the internet connection for their iPad.

And as for tethering on the iPhone, today's announcement has me even more annoyed with AT&T than ever before.  

Also, AT&T's claims that its network can't handle iPhone tethering, but somehow it can handle the traffic from iPads, which will be much better suited to make use of very large files? Hmm... Either they don't expect many people to by iPads, or they just figure that they will have a harder time charging for iPad data access if iPhone users can tether to their laptops.

Perhaps they forgot what they said last summer:

"As for tethering, by its nature, this function could exponentially increase traffic on the network, and we need to ensure that some of our current upgrades are in place before we can deliver the expanded functionality with the excellent performance that customers expect," an AT&T spokeswoman said in an e-mail."

[Neihn]

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mgear wrote:

You have it backwards.  The poster wants to use his or her iPhone as the internet connection for their iPad. I posted the same thign further up

And as for tethering on the iPhone, today's announcement has me even more annoyed with AT&T than ever before.  

Also, AT&T's claims that its network can't handle iPhone tethering, but somehow it can handle the traffic from iPads, which will be much better suited to make use of very large files? Hmm... Either they don't expect many people to by iPads, or they just figure that they will have a harder time charging for iPad data access if iPhone users can tether to their laptops.

Perhaps they forgot what they said last summer:

"As for tethering, by its nature, this function could exponentially increase traffic on the network, and we need to ensure that some of our current upgrades are in place before we can deliver the expanded functionality with the excellent performance that customers expect," an AT&T spokeswoman said in an e-mail."

My first guess is the data usage will still be limited like it is with the iPhone. The iPhone is stuck at 10meg max (legit) for downloads over the cellular network. They may increase that limit abit to allow for the downloading of eBooks but it will not be unrestricted like it would be with tethering a laptop. If the iPad is in deed limited in data transfer you are talking about a massive difference between adding iPads to the network vs adding several thousand accounts to tether to their laptops.

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[Ein2015]

I'd like to know when AT&T will allow you to tether your iPhone-OS-running device to anything.

It's 2010 now, this is getting old. I wish I could cancel my contract for their complete ineptitude as a carrier.

Speaking of ineptitude, the forum signup process is horrible. You only find out you have too simple of a password when you get it wrong, then you have to re-check all the checkboxes and select your timezone again. As a software developer I'll give you a hint: you can remember the choice from dropdowns and checkboxes just like you can text lines and text fields. Oh and they'll filter words like the slang for a mentally disabled person from their forums. 

AT&T disappoints me so much. I want out. I should have never purchased an iPhone 3GS in the first place... or at least not from FailT&T.

[iFrosty]

hmmm...
theres an app for your issue....

[Ein2015]

Yeah, on jailbroken iPhones. The native support in OS 3.0 is so clean though. That's why I havent upgraded the OS yet.

[iFrosty]

no i was just being funny lol
but you are also correct

[Ein2015]

I've been too annoyed with FailT&T to be amused. Sorry.

There is an app for dang near everything else I need though. 

[satchev]

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Ein2015 wrote:

I'd like to know when AT&T will allow you to tether your iPhone-OS-running device to anything.

It's 2010 now, this is getting old. I wish I could cancel my contract for their complete ineptitude as a carrier.

AT&T disappoints me so much. I want out. I should have never purchased an iPhone 3GS in the first place... or at least not from FailT&T.

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You can cancel your contract... all you have to do is pay the ETF and take your business elsewhere.

Complain all you like, no one is stopping you.  But no company truely listens to customers complaints and whining... they only listen when the customer takes their business elsewhere.  If enough customers are irritated enough to leave, then AT&T will listen.

[Ein2015]

I do plan to take my business elsewhere, unless FailT&T miraculously stops failing. So far I haven't wanted to pay the ETF but I'm really tempted to anyway. So yeah, it'll probably happen eventually.

And a number of companies do listen to customer complaints and whining. But I guess when you're a giant corporation that's gobbled up so much of your competition and you enter into exclusivity contracts, you don't really have to care anymore.

The iPhone deserves so much more than to be tied to one carrier... the iPhone in Europe has it so much better. 

Edit: First contract update that changes some tiny fee somewhere counts as a materially adverse change and allows me to cancel without an ETF. I've been on the lookout for one of these.  

Message Edited by Ein2015 on 01-27-2010 10:21:07 PM

[bartszyszka]

There's a very big point to tethering with an iPad (using an iPhone). Apple is going to be selling a non-3G version of the iPad for a much cheaper price. If iPhone people already pay $30/month for a data plan (plus extra texting plan) it's pretty ridiculous for them to need an additional monthly charge and a more expensive device (plus the non-3G iPad looks nicer without the plastic black bar on the back). It would be awesome if I could get the Wifi-only iPad and still get it Internet access through my iPhone when I don't have Wifi.

[Fred85]

I have to agree. It would be unfair to bill us for a SECOND data plan for those of us who already pay for an 'unlimited' one for our Iphones?!? Some competition would be nice...

[satchev]

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Fred85 wrote:
I have to agree. It would be unfair to bill us for a SECOND data plan for those of us who already pay for an 'unlimited' one for our Iphones?!? Some competition would be nice...

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How exactly is it unfair to charge you a 2nd data plan when you are trying to use your 2nd device on their network?

The data plan you are paying for is for your existing device, not any device you choose to use on the network at any given time.

If you want to be able to utilize two devices on the AT&T cellular data network, then you should have data plans for both of those devices (or a tethering plan).

My opinion is that it would make much more sense to get a MiFi device from Sprint or Verizon, or a clearwire mobile router and use that to provide Internet access to your iPad.

Besides, only way I can really imagine tethering an iPad to an iPhone is via bluetooth which would kill your battery.  Otherwise you would need a dock to dock connector to hook up the two.

[moxygal]

I absolutely am going to buy the iPad and probably the top model. However, if AT&T wants me to pay for my iPhone 3GS plus iPad too then I'll figure a way around paying for the service twice. Or wait on the iPad til my contract for iPhone expires and go back to using a phone with less expensive service.

[click_clack]

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Neihn wrote:

I'm aware of that. But it would not be the first time AT&T has sold a Apple product both subsidized with a 2 year contract or Contract Free at full retail price. And I am jsut really saying if they want to move the 3G models selling some under a contract and subsidized would not hurt. Only the absolute dedicated or the insane ones would spend almost 900 dollars up front for a 3G enable 64gb iPad. You could potentially atract more peopl to the iPad by offeirng a subsidy. Specially those that are loyal to the ATT network.

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click_clack wrote:
Not much of a chance for subsidizing without a contract........

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On Thursday's earnings conference call, Chief Financial Officer Rick Lindner was asked to explain how the new plans will be profitable.

QUESTION: On the iPad, could you talk about the economics of that?

ANSWER: It is a substantially different model from our typical postpaid customer economics in that we're not subsidizing the device. Customers will buy the device, they'll activate on an online basis, and they will pay for it via a credit card, pay in advance.

So we don't have the normal acquisition costs, setup costs, billing costs, so on and so forth. So then it comes down to forecasts and estimates for usage on the device. Our expectation is that the device is going to be somewhere between our highest-usage integrated devices, say an iPhone, and a laptop.

We believe though, based on where the device will be used -- in homes, offices, coffee shops, bookstores, airports ... a substantial amount of time in a Wi-fi environment...

[goobot]

does anyone know if i can just put my iphone sim into a ipad or the ipad sim into the iphone. what would be even better would just share the data charge between both, thou i dont think that would happen

Message Edited by goobot on 01-28-2010 02:40:09 PM

[bartszyszka]

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How exactly is it unfair to charge you a 2nd data plan when you are trying to use your 2nd device on their network?

The data plan you are paying for is for your existing device, not any device you choose to use on the network at any given time.

 If you want to be able to utilize two devices on the AT&T cellular data network, then you should have data plans for both of those devices (or a tethering plan).

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When you get Internet service in your home, they don't charge you for every computer that needs Internet service separately. These days they give you a cable modem with wifi built in to make it easier for multiple computers to share the connection. They're not supporting separate phone numbers, voicemail boxes, etc. on two devices. And it's not like these things are downloading gigabytes of data, like a computer with torrents might be (yes you can watch videos on it, but who's streaming videos 24/7 on a cell connection?!). And it's not like I'm going to be doing two huge downloads on my iPhone and my iPad at the same time. I just want to be able to read my email and go to webpages with both of the devices I have on me depending on which one I want to be using. I wouldn't mind paying an extra $5/month for this, but to add an extra $30/month so I can do the same thing on my iPad as my iPhone is ridiculous.

[Planet-Ed ACE - Expert]

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goobot wrote:
does anyone know if i can just put my iphone sim into a ipad or the ipad sim into the iphone. what would be even better would just share the data charge between both, thou i dont think that would happen

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No.  The iPhone uses a current regular SIM card and the iPad will use the new micro-SIM (3FF - Third Form Factor).  So you cannot swap the SIM between devices,

[BrianfromNO]

And anything you do will be a violation of the plan terms of the iPhone Data Plan, and AT&T has the right to terminate your service or charge you if they determine you've figured out a way to tether the two devices together.  Thisis no different than having two iPhones on the same account.

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moxygal wrote:
I absolutely am going to buy the iPad and probably the top model. However, if AT&T wants me to pay for my iPhone 3GS plus iPad too then I'll figure a way around paying for the service twice. Or wait on the iPad til my contract for iPhone expires and go back to using a phone with less expensive service.

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[tonester]

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moxygal wrote:
I absolutely am going to buy the iPad and probably the top model. However, if AT&T wants me to pay for my iPhone 3GS plus iPad too then I'll figure a way around paying for the service twice. Or wait on the iPad til my contract for iPhone expires and go back to using a phone with less expensive service.

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LOL--you're willing to shell out the bucks for the top model (not exactly cheap, from an absolute dollar standpoint), yet apparently don't want to shell out the funds to pay the data plan charges for two devices (iPhone and iPad)?

Message Edited by tonester on 01-29-2010 10:29:23 AM

[jjblue352]

I agree $5 extra is my limit for a second att device.  Otherwise I will jailbreak and connect over att anyways...so will everyone. Add $5 per iphone account and I guarantee 1000 times the amount of att customers will sign up. 

Message Edited by jjblue352 on 01-29-2010 01:22:56 PM

[Preluder711]

Considering i can buy a laptop for the same price or less as the top model ipad that will blow away anything this ipad does ill have to pass, plus using wifi in home for the ipad is all i would do even if i did get one as my phone provides me the porable internet i need, anyone paying for data service or 3g on the ipad that has a smartphone is just either rich and likes to waste money or the dullest crayon in the box imo