AT&T Unlimited for Tablet Plan Question

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goodrap7
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AT&T Unlimited for Tablet Plan Question

Post by goodrap7 »

I have had the Unlimited MB for 30 days - LTE from AT&T for many years until recently when they detected I was using it in my Netgear MR1100. I just signed up for the $20 Unlimited for Tablet Plan with my iPad and I would like to use the data in my Netgear MR5100 that I just purchased. Is there anything that I can do so it wouldn’t get detected by AT&T? I have seen people talking about changing the TTL. Is this something I should do on the MR5100? What should I change it to? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
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Re: AT&T Unlimited for Tablet Plan Question

Post by Didneywhorl »

Changing ttl only tricks them into thinking your not using hotspot data versus on tablet data.

Most people illegally change the imei.
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Re: AT&T Unlimited for Tablet Plan Question

Post by gscheb »

Is there any reports of anyone getting shut down on this?
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Re: AT&T Unlimited for Tablet Plan Question

Post by tetranz »

Didneywhorl wrote: Sun Feb 14, 2021 7:42 pm Changing ttl only tricks them into thinking your not using hotspot data versus on tablet data.
I don't think TTL settings achieve anything at all on AT&T.
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Re: AT&T Unlimited for Tablet Plan Question

Post by goodrap7 »

Didneywhorl wrote: Sun Feb 14, 2021 7:42 pm Changing ttl only tricks them into thinking your not using hotspot data versus on tablet data.

Most people illegally change the imei.
Oh okay. I didn’t know what TTL was used for. Thanks for explaining that.
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Re: AT&T Unlimited for Tablet Plan Question

Post by Didneywhorl »

tetranz wrote: Sun Feb 14, 2021 8:15 pm I don't think TTL settings achieve anything at all on AT&T.
You're right, generally speaking from past experience.

Latest rumors are that the ipad plans are starting to track and throttle hotspot usage. It's not 100% across the board, so at this point its baseless rumor, but it is popping up.
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Re: AT&T Unlimited for Tablet Plan Question

Post by tetranz »

Didneywhorl wrote: Wed Feb 17, 2021 12:55 pm You're right, generally speaking from past experience.

Latest rumors are that the ipad plans are starting to track and throttle hotspot usage. It's not 100% across the board, so at this point its baseless rumor, but it is popping up.
It's much more than a baseless rumor. This is my standalone tablet plan. It started with new signups but is now being applied to older accounts.
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Re: AT&T Unlimited for Tablet Plan Question

Post by mtl26637 »

Or is it? I have the old tablet plan and I can't pull up any page on 'data usage' through my online account that looks like what was posted. That page doesn't look like its from att's 'buyasession' system? It looks more like att's postpaid webpage system. I have both old and new tablet plans and as far as I know the old tablet plans were only through the older style looking buyasession system?

Not trying to be crappy at all, I could very well be missing something here but wanted to throw it out there cause I see no evidence on my end of hotspot or throttling? Yet.......
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Re: AT&T Unlimited for Tablet Plan Question

Post by tetranz »

mtl26637 wrote: Fri Feb 19, 2021 10:21 am Or is it? I have the old tablet plan and I can't pull up any page on 'data usage' through my online account that looks like what was posted. That page doesn't look like its from att's 'buyasession' system? It looks more like att's postpaid webpage system. I have both old and new tablet plans and as far as I know the old tablet plans were only through the older style looking buyasession system?

Not trying to be crappy at all, I could very well be missing something here but wanted to throw it out there cause I see no evidence on my end of hotspot or throttling? Yet.......
There seems to be several variations. My plan is labeled "Unlimited for Tablet". That's the most recent standalone plan for tablets. I think that came into existence in about September last year. That replaced a similar plan called something like "Access for tablet". It seems like all the "Unlimited for Tablet" plans now have a 10 GB hotspot limit. Initially, starting about a week ago, it seemed like only new signups but now everyone who has "Unlimited for Tablet" seems to be capped. Access for tablet" still seems to be uncapped.
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Re: AT&T Unlimited for Tablet Plan Question

Post by gscheb »

Hello,
This started happening to one of the cards I activated so far. Started messing up. Was in a Netgear lb1120. Changed the ttl on the computer started working again.
If you are using it on a computer only very easy to change ttl on that computer. Videos on YouTube to do it.
Since then wanted to use it on whole house so put it into we1326 with em12 with ttl 65 no more throttling issues.

Here is a link about the change.
https://www.rvmobileinternet.com/att-en ... let-plans/
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Re: AT&T Unlimited for Tablet Plan Question

Post by tetranz »

gscheb wrote: Sat Feb 20, 2021 10:42 am This started happening to one of the cards I activated so far. Started messing up. Was in a Netgear lb1120. Changed the ttl on the computer started working again.
If you are using it on a computer only very easy to change ttl on that computer. Videos on YouTube to do it.
Since then wanted to use it on whole house so put it into we1326 with em12 with ttl 64 no more throttling issues.
The thing that's changed recently is hotspot / tethering from the tablet. As far as I know, using the SIM in a router with APN "broadband" hasn't changed.

I'll have a fiddle with TTL but everything I've read says AT&T doesn't use TTL to distinguish between hotspot and device data. I think it uses the APN of "hotspot" which comes from the SIM and can't be changed on an iPad unless it's jailbroken.

Visible (and I think Verizon in general) uses TTL. I use that when tethering from my Visible phone to get around the 5 Mbps speed cap.
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Re: AT&T Unlimited for Tablet Plan Question

Post by gscheb »

tetranz wrote: Sat Feb 20, 2021 10:56 am The thing that's changed recently is hotspot / tethering from the tablet. As far as I know, using the SIM in a router with APN "broadband" hasn't changed.

I'll have a fiddle with TTL but everything I've read says AT&T doesn't use TTL to distinguish between hotspot and device data. I think it uses the APN of "hotspot" which comes from the SIM and can't be changed on an iPad unless it's jailbroken.

Visible (and I think Verizon in general) uses TTL. I use that when tethering from my Visible phone to get around the 5 Mbps speed cap.
Everything you are saying is what I always believed too. But changed the TTL to 65 and bam started working again.
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Re: AT&T Unlimited for Tablet Plan Question

Post by tetranz »

gscheb wrote: Sat Feb 20, 2021 12:44 pm Everything you are saying is what I always believed too. But changed the TTL to 65 and bam started working again.
Do you mean that tethering from the tablet came back to full speed?
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Re: AT&T Unlimited for Tablet Plan Question

Post by gscheb »

tetranz wrote: Sat Feb 20, 2021 12:51 pm Do you mean that tethering from the tablet came back to full speed?
No sorry meant in a hot spot device it started working. But if you are tethering from the tablet try a TTL of 66. Let us know if that works.
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Re: AT&T Unlimited for Tablet Plan Question

Post by tetranz »

gscheb wrote: Sat Feb 20, 2021 12:54 pm No sorry meant in a hot spot device it started working. But if you are tethering from the tablet try a TTL of 66. Let us know if that works.
Unfortunately it doesn't work. I tried several settings including 66. I know my TTL setting works because I use it on Visible. I'm pretty sure it's seeing the "hotspot" APN which I can't change.

I bought the iPad especially for this a couple of weeks ago just when the change happened :( but I'm about to return it to Amazon and now I'm anxiously waiting for a Samsung Android tablet to replace it. With that I should be able to use EasyTether which has worked well for me on an Android phone.
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Re: AT&T Unlimited for Tablet Plan Question

Post by gscheb »

Yeah maybe that will work. Apple stuff seems to always block everything. Personally not a fan.

Do you have any hot spot device at all at the house? Mifi, jetpack, netgear,
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Re: AT&T Unlimited for Tablet Plan Question

Post by BillA »

tetranz wrote: Sat Feb 20, 2021 1:15 pm Unfortunately it doesn't work. I tried several settings including 66. I know my TTL setting works because I use it on Visible. I'm pretty sure it's seeing the "hotspot" APN which I can't change.

I bought the iPad especially for this a couple of weeks ago just when the change happened :( but I'm about to return it to Amazon and now I'm anxiously waiting for a Samsung Android tablet to replace it. With that I should be able to use EasyTether which has worked well for me on an Android phone.

If you're using an Android phone or tablet, there's no need to tie up a computer for EasyTether (consequently lose some speed and increase the latency), instead you could tether it directly to a mobile router via USB or WiFi. Here's how to do it:
https://wirelessjoint.com/viewtopic.php?p=10303#p10303
Unless you're trying to bypass video throttling restrictions, there are some carriers which lets you disable it without the need to hide it via EasyTether or a VPN (ex. Tmobile/SimpleMobile).
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Re: AT&T Unlimited for Tablet Plan Question

Post by tetranz »

BillA wrote: Sat Feb 20, 2021 2:06 pm If you're using an Android phone or tablet, there's no need to tie up a computer for EasyTether (consequently lose some speed and increase the latency), instead you could tether it directly to a mobile router via USB or WiFi. Here's how to do it:
https://wirelessjoint.com/viewtopic.php?p=10303#p10303
Unless you're trying to bypass video throttling restrictions, there are some carriers which lets you disable it without the need to hide it via EasyTether or a VPN (ex. Tmobile/SimpleMobile).
That's basically what I'm doing with a Raspberry Pi ( https://databurst.medium.com/running-ea ... 04a2bc9447 ). That worked well for me with an Android phone on AT&T. I'm not running EasyTether my laptop or other LAN devices.

That link gives instructions to change TTL but that won't work on AT&T will it? Unless I'm missing something. I still need something like EasyTether running somewhere to get > 128 kbps after 10 GB with the AT&T "Unlimited for Tablet" plan since the recent changes on that plan.
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Re: AT&T Unlimited for Tablet Plan Question

Post by gscheb »

gscheb wrote: Sat Feb 20, 2021 12:44 pm Everything you are saying is what I always believed too. But changed the TTL to 65 and bam started working again.
Hello again,
Just to double check took the TTL setting off and it is still working without it. So maybe it was just a fluke of coincidences the other day. Started to act up then turning on the TTL in the process something else must have got better. Don't know really
Just wanted to report it is working without the ttl.
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Re: AT&T Unlimited for Tablet Plan Question

Post by tetranz »

gscheb wrote: Sun Feb 21, 2021 1:01 pm Hello again,
Just to double check took the TTL setting off and it is still working without it. So maybe it was just a fluke of coincidences the other day. Started to act up then turning on the TTL in the process something else must have got better. Don't know really
Just wanted to report it is working without the ttl.
Okay, no problem. My new Android tablet has finally shown up again on USPS tracking. It looks like I'll have it tomorrow so I'm looking forward to trying it with EasyTether via the Raspberry Pi and get "unlimited" tethering back.
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Re: AT&T Unlimited for Tablet Plan Question

Post by tetranz »

I received my Android tablet and I can confirm that it works quite nicely with my EasyTether / WireGuard setup in a Raspberry Pi. It's not as fast as native tethering was on the iPad but I'm getting between 20 and 30 Mbps most of the time so still not too bad as a $20 per month "unlimited" hotspot.
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Re: AT&T Unlimited for Tablet Plan Question

Post by BillA »

tetranz wrote: Sat Feb 20, 2021 2:36 pm That's basically what I'm doing with a Raspberry Pi ( https://databurst.medium.com/running-ea ... 04a2bc9447 ). That worked well for me with an Android phone on AT&T. I'm not running EasyTether my laptop or other LAN devices.

That link gives instructions to change TTL but that won't work on AT&T will it? Unless I'm missing something. I still need something like EasyTether running somewhere to get > 128 kbps after 10 GB with the AT&T "Unlimited for Tablet" plan since the recent changes on that plan.

I can disable video throttling on SimpleMobile and PagePlus through my dealer account (on new lines only), but for other carriers you could use EasyTether, a VPN, or a regular proxy. EasyTether and VPN's tend to slow speeds down and increase latency, while a regular proxy works much better which can be turned on for specific sites only. Here's some more info > https://wirelessjoint.com/viewtopic.php?p=4706#p4706
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Re: AT&T Unlimited for Tablet Plan Question

Post by tetranz »

BillA wrote: Tue Mar 16, 2021 4:33 am I can disable video throttling on SimpleMobile and PagePlus through my dealer account (on new lines only), but for other carriers you could use EasyTether, a VPN, or a regular proxy.
You're misunderstanding what problem I'm solving with EasyTether. It's not general speed, video throttling or otherwise.

I'm tethering to a tablet using USB on the AT&T $20 tablet plan. That plan has a hard throttle on all hotspot traffic to 128 kbps after 10 GB. It didn't do this until a couple of months ago but it does now. The plan has a video throttle switch ("stream saver") which can be turned off or on but that doesn't help with the hotspot limit.

Of the choices you quoted, "EasyTether, a VPN, or a regular proxy", the only thing that fixes that problem is EasyTether or a similar app.
BillA wrote: Tue Mar 16, 2021 4:33 amEasyTether and VPN's tend to slow speeds down and increase latency, while a regular proxy works much better which can be turned on for specific sites only. Here's some more info > https://wirelessjoint.com/viewtopic.php?p=4706#p4706
It's working pretty good for me. This is a Samsung Galaxy S5e tethering with EasyTether and WireGuard VPN running in a Raspberry Pi.

Screen Shot 2021-03-14 at 7.26.24 AM.png

Okay, I admit that was one of the better speeds I got early one morning but it's usually around 40.
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Re: AT&T Unlimited for Tablet Plan Question

Post by BillA »

tetranz wrote: Tue Mar 16, 2021 6:44 am You're misunderstanding what problem I'm solving with EasyTether. It's not general speed, video throttling or otherwise.

I'm tethering to a tablet using USB on the AT&T $20 tablet plan. That plan has a hard throttle on all hotspot traffic to 128 kbps after 10 GB. It didn't do this until a couple of months ago but it does now. The plan has a video throttle switch ("stream saver") which can be turned off or on but that doesn't help with the hotspot limit.

Of the choices you quoted, "EasyTether, a VPN, or a regular proxy", the only thing that fixes that problem is EasyTether or a similar app.

You can tether ANY Android phone or tablet to a mobile router or RaspberryPI via USB or WiFi, and the hotspot limit can be bypassed simply by setting the proper TTL. To bypass video throttling, you can use a regular proxy, VPN, or EasyTether.
I think you're using EasyTether unnecessarily to bypass the hotspot limit (unless you're also using it to bypass video throttling). I much rather have no slowdown and latency increase due to EasyTether, and run a regular proxy for video sites only, that's just my take on it. Course you do what's best for you. ;)
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Re: AT&T Unlimited for Tablet Plan Question

Post by tetranz »

BillA wrote: Wed Mar 17, 2021 4:29 am You can tether ANY Android phone or tablet to a mobile router or RaspberryPI via usb or WiFi, and the hotspot limit can be bypassed simply by setting the proper TTL.
Thanks, I'll certainly give it yet another go. I successfully use a TTL setting of 65 when I use the same hardware to tether a phone on Visible. That lets me use native tethering without EasyTether to avoid the 5 Mbps hotspot speed limit.

I've had no luck doing the same with AT&T. Pretty much everything I read on this site and elsewhere says that AT&T does not use TTL to distinguish hotspot data. It uses a different APN which is somehow set by the SIM and can't be changed. I'm just confused that what you're saying about AT&T seems to conflict with what others are saying.

Sorry to go on about it but just to be clear. Are you saying that AT&T uses TTL to distinguish hotspot data the same as the other carriers?

Admittedly I only tried the TTL setting (117?) when I had an iPad. I now have a Samsung S5e. Maybe TTL works with that. I'll give it a go and watch the account to see if it registers hotspot usage. It's an AT&T branded tablet so maybe that makes a difference. With the $20 standalone plan it doesn't even show tethering as an option on the menu although I think I can make it appear with a shortcut to a hidden menu.
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Re: AT&T Unlimited for Tablet Plan Question

Post by BillA »

tetranz wrote: Wed Mar 17, 2021 7:38 am Thanks, I'll certainly give it yet another go. I successfully use a TTL setting of 65 when I use the same hardware to tether a phone on Visible. That lets me use native tethering without EasyTether to avoid the 5 Mbps hotspot speed limit.

I've had no luck doing the same with AT&T. Pretty much everything I read on this site and elsewhere says that AT&T does not use TTL to distinguish hotspot data. It uses a different APN which is somehow set by the SIM and can't be changed. I'm just confused that what you're saying about AT&T seems to conflict with what others are saying.

Sorry to go on about it but just to be clear. Are you saying that AT&T uses TTL to distinguish hotspot data the same as the other carriers?

Admittedly I only tried the TTL setting (117?) when I had an iPad. I now have a Samsung S5e. Maybe TTL works with that. I'll give it a go and watch the account to see if it registers hotspot usage. It's an AT&T branded tablet so maybe that makes a difference. With the $20 standalone plan it doesn't even show tethering as an option on the menu although I think I can make it appear with a shortcut to a hidden menu.

I have successfully tethered several Android phones to a mobile router via USB and WiFi on the ATT $65 prepaid plan, however it should also work on any of their other plans.
First make sure that you can access the web on the Android phone.
Next, on the phone it's important to set up a new APN profile with IPv4 only as follows:

APN name: ATT
APN: phone or nxtgenphone (try both)
Authentication: None
APN: type: default,dun,supl
APN protocol: IPv4
APN protocol roaming: IPv4

The MMSC items don't need to be set if you're using the phone for data only.
Once you have entered the above parameters, tap on the three dot menu on top, tap SAVE, then tap the round selection button in front of the newly created profile to activate it. Restart the phone and double check if the new profile is still selected.

Connect the phone to the mobile router or RaspberryPI via USB, and Enable USB tethering on the phone.
If you have enabled ADB Debugging under Developer Options, or set the ports to diag on the phone, reset them back to factory settings, and restart it. If you have an internal modem installed in the router, I would physically remove it in order to prevent any conflicts, and save your time and sanity during testing.

On the router edit the custom TTL settings manually to reflect the phone's device name, which is usually USB0/1/2 or ttyUSB0/1/2 or "wwan0" if tethering via WiFi. You need to find the correct device name under Network > Interfaces > hover your mouse over the little icon in the middle of the tethered interface box (most likely WAN2), look for "Device: usb<x>". The wrong device name will prevent the TTL settings to be applied, therefore it won't work. Try TTL values 64/65/66, then click on Restart Firewall.

iptables -t mangle -I POSTROUTING -o usb<x> -j TTL --ttl-set 65
iptables -t mangle -I PREROUTING -i usb<x> -j TTL --ttl-set 65
ip6tables -t mangle -A POSTROUTING -o usb<x> -j HL --hl-set 65
ip6tables -t mangle -I PREROUTING -i usb<x> -j HL --hl-set 65


To disable IPv6 and set a custom DNS in the router, go to:

Network > Interfaces > LAN > Edit > Common Configuration > General Setup tab > IPv6 Assignment Length > select "Disabled"

Network > Interfaces > LAN > Edit > Common Configuration > Advanced Settings tab > Use Builtin IPv6 Management > uncheck the box

Network > Interfaces > LAN > Edit > DHCP Server > IPv6 Settings tab > select "Disabled" on the first three items

Network > Interfaces > LAN > General Setup > Use Custom DNS Servers > set the DNS to 8.8.8.8/9.9.9.9

You may have to select the tethered phone device under Modem > Network Status > Prev/Next Modem (usually "usb0/1").

After each round of changes, make sure to click on Save&Apply, restart the router, wait 5 minutes to boot up fully, double check the settings, then test the web.


If the hotspot data is being used instead of regular data, then most likely it's leaking it due the a wrong device name and/or TTL value in the custom TTL settings.
I would use an Android first to get it working easily then you can play around with tablets and iDevices which may not be fully supported. As they say "The devil is in the details". ;)
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Re: AT&T Unlimited for Tablet Plan Question

Post by tetranz »

Thanks Bill. I appreciate your efforts with all this info.
BillA wrote: Wed Mar 17, 2021 1:59 pm Next, on the phone it's important to set up a new APN profile with IPv4 only as follows:

APN name: ATT
APN: phone or nxtgenphone (try both)
Authentication: None
APN: type: default,dun,supl
APN protocol: IPv4
APN protocol roaming: IPv4
This is the key thing I'm missing. I didn't realize that I could create a new profile and set the APN.

I thought that when tethering is used, the tablet somehow ignores APN settings and gets a APN from the SIM that can't be changed by any user setting but this sounds promising. The default profile in use uses "broadband".

Anyway ... I'm excited to give this a go in the next day or so. I'm confident that I have the rest of it right. I'm not setting TTL with iptables. Setting net.ipv4.ip_default_ttl=65 in /etc/sysctl.conf on the Pi works nicely for Visible.

It will be cool if this works although EasyTether actually works pretty good. EasyTether and WireGuard combined seems to get at least 80% of full speed.
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Re: AT&T Unlimited for Tablet Plan Question

Post by BillA »

tetranz wrote: Wed Mar 17, 2021 3:13 pm Thanks Bill. I appreciate your efforts with all this info.



This is the key thing I'm missing. I didn't realize that I could create new profile and set the APN.

I thought that when tethering is used, the tablet somehow ignores APN settings and gets a APN from the SIM that can't be changed by any user setting but this sounds promising. The default profile in use uses "broadband".

Anyway ... I'm excited to give this a go in the next day or so. I'm confident that I have the rest of it right. I'm not setting TTL with iptables. Setting net.ipv4.ip_default_ttl=65 in /etc/sysctl.conf on the Pi works nicely for Visible.

It will be cool if this works although EasyTether actually works pretty good. EasyTether and WireGuard combined seems to get at least 80% of full speed.


I have tested this myself, by setting the APN to IPv4 only (both regular and roaming), which makes the difference between service or no service. In fact when I set it to IPv6 only (on some other carriers which allow IPv6 for tethering), and run an IP check it's actually showing an IPv6 value on any device connected to the router. It's also a good idea to set the router to IPv4 + DNS to prevent any hotspot data leakage (as included in the guide). Phones by design tend to be more flexible than standalone modems when it comes to settings/testing, and less expensive especially on 5G (second-hand/used ones are even less).

The other "magic" parameter is APN type: default,dun,supl, which includes "dun" for dial-up/usb-tethering. Without "dun" it simply won't work, however it's sometimes phone make/model dependent. You may set the TTL whichever way you prefer, as long as it changes the TTL values properly, if it doesn't work you can just follow the guide instead. Try all three ATT APN's and see which one works best (broadband/phone/nxtgenphone).

The idea of eliminating EasyTether+VPN is to lessen the number of devices in the chain (no need for a constantly running computer either), thus maximizing throughput, lowering latency, and easier diagnostics. Course your mileage may vary.
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Re: AT&T Unlimited for Tablet Plan Question

Post by tetranz »

It doesn't look like this is going to work for me. There's a problem even before I get to any of this. This tablet doesn't have the hotspot / tethering option at all. The option is just not there in setup. This app https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... ingtoggler makes the standard option appear but it doesn't work. It looks promising. The USB option becomes enabled when I plug in the cable but the Pi doesn't see any new network interface. I can enable wifi hotspot but that doesn't work either. No AP signal appears. If I do nothing different but plug in my Moto G Power phone instead I immediately get a usb0 interface.

I guess there's something a little weird about this tablet. I bought it as an open box on eBay.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Samsung-Galaxy ... 4222670522. Then I got the popular AT&T postpaid $20 plan which works very well in it. I guess it never officially had tethering and it's locked out of the ROM. I have done a full factory reset since I got it. I didn't realize this when I ordered it but it's AT&T branded and plays the AT&T jingle obnoxiously loud when booting up. I guess there might be a way to load it with a more generic version of Android but I don't want to do that and risk turning it into a brick.

So ... it's back to EasyTether which, as I said, works very nicely on the Pi which is connected to the WAN port of my router. I had an iPad at first before the 10 GB hotspot limit appeared. With this tablet, WireGuard and EasyTether I really do get almost the same speed as I was getting native tethering from the iPad so I'm pretty happy. I agree with the fewer steps the better but this does work well.
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Re: AT&T Unlimited for Tablet Plan Question

Post by tetranz »

Well ... I persevered a little longer. EasyTether config on the Pi was interfering with the usb0 interface even though I set it to not hot plug enable and it doesn't seem to be a problem when I use the phone.

Anyway ... I can now get native tethering to work on this tablet using a shortcut to access the otherwise hidden hotspot / tethering settings.

Following your instructions I immediately run into another roadblock. When I enter an APN of either phone or nxtgenphone it comes back with "Error: This APN is not allowed on this device. Please try another one". It seems to be able to accept any other random string except those two. It somehow knows they are special. I think this is a showstopper.
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Re: AT&T Unlimited for Tablet Plan Question

Post by gscheb »

Hello,
Has anyone tried to get multiple Sim cards off of one Tablet Imei #? Instead of getting another tablet every time they set this up for someone?
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Re: AT&T Unlimited for Tablet Plan Question

Post by Didneywhorl »

gscheb wrote: Mon Mar 22, 2021 8:59 am Hello,
Has anyone tried to get multiple Sim cards off of one Tablet Imei #? Instead of getting another tablet every time they set this up for someone?
Hey gscheb, you really run the risk of shutdown with multiple devices using the same imei# on the same network, or do you just mean to activate the account leaving the modem imei alone?
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Re: AT&T Unlimited for Tablet Plan Question

Post by gscheb »

Didneywhorl wrote: Mon Mar 22, 2021 2:12 pm Hey gscheb, you really run the risk of shutdown with multiple devices using the same imei# on the same network, or do you just mean to activate the account leaving the modem imei alone?
Meaning to order more than one Sim card with the same tablet imei number. Then put those ordered sims into LTE devices. No funny business with imei on LTE devices. Right now so far have bought 3 tablets for three separate sim card activations. Is that really necessary? Can I order the 4th one with on of the other three tablet imei numbers?
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Re: AT&T Unlimited for Tablet Plan Question

Post by mcol2512 »

tetranz wrote: Wed Mar 17, 2021 9:17 pm Following your instructions I immediately run into another roadblock. When I enter an APN of either phone or nxtgenphone it comes back with "Error: This APN is not allowed on this device. Please try another one". It seems to be able to accept any other random string except those two. It somehow knows they are special. I think this is a showstopper.
I am getting the same thing using SimpleMobile and a Samsung A51. Does anybody know if a way to overcome this and add "dun" to the APN type?
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Re: AT&T Unlimited for Tablet Plan Question

Post by effinpissed »

I can confirm that the AT&T stand alone tablet plans can be not only be throttled but cancelled. Back in mid March after a high wind storm I lost all connectivity with our WE826T router. After numerous attempts to reconnect and a couple of weeks went by I received this message from AT&T:

Dear Valued Customer,

Account Login: ***********@*********.com
Your iPad's Cellular Data Number: ***-***-****

Your data account above has been canceled either at your request or due to inactivity on the account. To re-subscribe, please visit Settings > Cellular Data on your iPad.

Thank you for choosing AT&T.


After doing some research I came to the conclusion that it wasn't the wind storm that got us disconnected but it was my wife using her iPad as a television, streaming blogs and videos all day, which put us in the 'top 5% of users' every month. Her excessive usage most likely got our account flagged.

Since I purchased a 'grandfathered' iPad plan on eBay from a reseller, I never had subscribed on an iPad. I've never owned an iPad with a cellular modem so there was no way for me to 'visit Settings > Cellular Data' to re-subscribe.

I recently ordered a Cradlepoint MBR1400V2 multi carrier router from The Wireless Haven and have been trying figure out how to re-subscribe to AT&T without going through a reseller but it appears, after reading threads in this forum, unlimited plans are no longer available. This basically makes my cellular routers expensive paper weights unless I can find another affordable service provider with unlimited data that's less expensive than cable service. All of the carriers I've researched only offer data plans for $50 per month or more.

A Spectrum salesman stopped by our place in the city and I signed up for basic 30MPS unlimited cable service for $17.99. I'm not a gamer so it should be fine for watching videos and surfing the web. He claims it's not a promotion but a permanent plan. We'll see if that ends up being true. Spectrum doesn't offer any plan for less than $49.99 at our main home because they say it's in a higher income neighborhood. At home I'm using my cell phone as a mobile hotspot but I can't stream videos on 3G per month. My wife is now restricted to viewing free to air television. She's well aware that she screwed up the good thing we had going.
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Re: AT&T Unlimited for Tablet Plan Question

Post by Earl_the_Pearl »

If you didn't "repair" the IMEI on the hardware you put the tablet only SIM in you may have been bricked for not using a tablet.
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Re: AT&T Unlimited for Tablet Plan Question

Post by Didneywhorl »

gscheb wrote: Mon Mar 22, 2021 3:24 pm Meaning to order more than one Sim card with the same tablet imei number. Then put those ordered sims into LTE devices. No funny business with imei on LTE devices. Right now so far have bought 3 tablets for three separate sim card activations. Is that really necessary? Can I order the 4th one with on of the other three tablet imei numbers?

Ahh, just to order the SIM, not to use concurrently on the carrier at the same time.

I don't see any problem with trying.
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Re: AT&T Unlimited for Tablet Plan Question

Post by Didneywhorl »

effinpissed wrote: Wed Apr 14, 2021 6:29 am I can confirm that the AT&T stand alone tablet plans can be not only be throttled but cancelled. Back in mid March after a high wind storm I lost all connectivity with our WE826T router. After numerous attempts to reconnect and a couple of weeks went by I received this message from AT&T:

Dear Valued Customer,

Account Login: ***********@*********.com
Your iPad's Cellular Data Number: ***-***-****

Your data account above has been canceled either at your request or due to inactivity on the account. To re-subscribe, please visit Settings > Cellular Data on your iPad.

Thank you for choosing AT&T.


After doing some research I came to the conclusion that it wasn't the wind storm that got us disconnected but it was my wife using her iPad as a television, streaming blogs and videos all day, which put us in the 'top 5% of users' every month. Her excessive usage most likely got our account flagged.

Since I purchased a 'grandfathered' iPad plan on eBay from a reseller, I never had subscribed on an iPad. I've never owned an iPad with a cellular modem so there was no way for me to 'visit Settings > Cellular Data' to re-subscribe.

I recently ordered a Cradlepoint MBR1400V2 multi carrier router from The Wireless Haven and have been trying figure out how to re-subscribe to AT&T without going through a reseller but it appears, after reading threads in this forum, unlimited plans are no longer available. This basically makes my cellular routers expensive paper weights unless I can find another affordable service provider with unlimited data that's less expensive than cable service. All of the carriers I've researched only offer data plans for $50 per month or more.

A Spectrum salesman stopped by our place in the city and I signed up for basic 30MPS unlimited cable service for $17.99. I'm not a gamer so it should be fine for watching videos and surfing the web. He claims it's not a promotion but a permanent plan. We'll see if that ends up being true. Spectrum doesn't offer any plan for less than $49.99 at our main home because they say it's in a higher income neighborhood. At home I'm using my cell phone as a mobile hotspot but I can't stream videos on 3G per month. My wife is now restricted to viewing free to air television. She's well aware that she screwed up the good thing we had going.

The post paid ATT standalone unlimited ipad/tablet plan still works just fine, for now, go with that if you can.

You can also use T-mobile post paid tablet plans. There's tons of options really. Some require modifications that carriers dont support, but work.
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Re: AT&T Unlimited for Tablet Plan Question

Post by SuttonX »

So I got my MR5100 IMEI changed to what I want it to be, using python and putty. It's working and connecting fine but the APN in the Nighthawk is "broadband". Since I'm using a 5g phone SIM and plan I think it should be something else so it doesn't look like I'm hotspotting my "phone" to AT&T. I tried to name it "enhancedphone" like the phone I took the SIM out of, but it says that APN isn't allowed on this device.

Anyone know how to force it via commands? Or remove the restrictions on what's allowed in that field?

I just want to make sure that on AT&T's end it just looks like I'm browsing directly on my "phone" all day and not hotspotting it
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Re: AT&T Unlimited for Tablet Plan Question

Post by BoatGuy »

Does anyone know the exact name or number for the unlimited AT&T tablet program? I’m already a post paid customer with phones and Directv. I just want to know the easiest way to order it without paying someone on EBay. I have a 4GLTE Tablet that has never been registered. Thanks in advance.
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Re: AT&T Unlimited for Tablet Plan Question

Post by LoveMeSomeCALTE »

BoatGuy wrote: Fri Jan 14, 2022 4:54 pm Does anyone know the exact name or number for the unlimited AT&T tablet program?
I will be finding out next week and share here.

For others - Didn't want to hijack this thread so created my own - but would appreciate any feedback: viewtopic.php?t=3434
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Re: AT&T Unlimited for Tablet Plan Question

Post by gscheb »

Didneywhorl wrote: Sun Aug 15, 2021 2:08 pm
The post paid ATT standalone unlimited ipad/tablet plan still works just fine, for now, go with that if you can.

You can also use T-mobile post paid tablet plans. There's tons of options really. Some require modifications that carriers dont support, but work.
Do you know if this is still available? Cant get AT&T to say it still exists. But according to these people it does and they are usually right about this stuff.

https://www.rvmobileinternet.com/gear/a ... d/#new_tab

It it really isn't available does anyone have any suggestion on what to move to from Visible. Open to any network that has a cheaper option.
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Re: AT&T Unlimited for Tablet Plan Question

Post by Didneywhorl »

ATT, Verizon, and Tmobile all still have unlimited tablet plans (business accounts usually are the simplest). Typically it's best to get ZERO hotspot on the plan. This make it easier to understand if you're using hotspot or not. Since there is no hotspot, it either works or it doesn't.
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Re: AT&T Unlimited for Tablet Plan Question

Post by gscheb »

Didneywhorl wrote: Wed Nov 09, 2022 4:17 pm ATT, Verizon, and Tmobile all still have unlimited tablet plans (business accounts usually are the simplest). Typically it's best to get ZERO hotspot on the plan. This make it easier to understand if you're using hotspot or not. Since there is no hotspot, it either works or it doesn't.
The plans I am talking about are the stand alone plans. Tablet only no other lines on the account. Not like phones and then a added tablet. Just tablet.
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Re: AT&T Unlimited for Tablet Plan Question

Post by mtl26637 »

You are referring to the tablet plan that came about after they discontinued the 'buyasession' program. It was a post-paid account for $20/mo with a total of soemthing like 23.49 after taxes. Prior bill only indicates the following:

Services: Wireless
Plan: Unlimited Tablet

I cant find any other information indicating what plan it is on their end of things. I did hear that they did away with this plan however, or maybe you had to at least activate 1 normal cell phone line first before adding the unlimited tablet? I used to have 2 of these tablet lines on the same plan but have since canceled both. Was the best/cheapest for sure, just had too many lines and AT&T 5G is nothing more than a joke so they got dropped.
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Re: AT&T Unlimited for Tablet Plan Question

Post by gscheb »

Yes that is exactly the plan I am talking about, have one an want to get my uncle one and they keeps saying it is discontinued or don't exist.
But according to these people it does and they are usually right about this stuff.
https://www.rvmobileinternet.com/gear/a ... d/#new_tab
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Re: AT&T Unlimited for Tablet Plan Question

Post by tetranz »

I got mine a couple of years ago by calling 855-593-1430. I must have got lucky twice because the rep immediately knew what I wanted. I had to do it twice because the first order was canceled when an error on AT&T's website prevented me from accepting the terms and conditions.

There's some useful info here under "How to get the plan". Maybe that SOC number would help.
https://cellularinternet.info/tabletplan.html

I used mine for a while both in the tablet using EasyTether which I see some old posts of mine above and in a router / modem. I'm using Calyx now so the plan is back in the tablet. I don't really need it now but it's too good to give up.
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Re: AT&T Unlimited for Tablet Plan Question

Post by gscheb »

Hello,
Had called at&t multiple times and went to multiple store locations. Kept being told it wasn't available anymore. So basically had gave up.
Then seen couple places online saying it was still available. One place suggested to keep calling till you get lucky to you get someone that knows about. Another said to ask to search plans by IMEI number.
So I called again and bam for what ever reason got the plan. Have tried many times in the past. So it exist if you can get a rep to find it.
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