Unlike US customers, Australian customers generally don’t need to pay extra for tethering when using an iPhone 4 as a wireless hotspot. But there’s one plan where you should be cautious: the Infinite plans launched by Vodafone last November don’t allow their included data to be used for tethering.
Reader John pointed this out in a comment, and a quick check of Vodafone’s terms and conditions confirms that you’ll be paying extra if you do use data from an Infinite plan for iPhone tethering:
Included data excludes tethering. Additional data usage rate is $0.25/MB (min 50KB session).
That restriction would affect not just iPhone owners, but also Android customers. The lesson? If you do want a Vodafone deal (and yes, that in itself might seem odd) and you’re thinking tethering will be important, then its standard cap plans are the only option to consider. Thanks John!
Paul
Monday, March 14, 2011 at 10:56 AMHow do they know you’re tethering Vs normal data usage?
Bruno
Monday, March 14, 2011 at 11:34 AM@Paul – I was thinking that to but I’m sure Apple has added some code to allow carriers to determine if the data used is being tethered or not.
Would be interesting if someone could confirm that and if using a JB iphone with MyWi would bypass that? I’m sure a lot of people would like to know.
Personally I’ve moved over to Telstra and paying the premium for quality internet data, no complaints yet just happy to be off Vodafail.
Benjamin Mosher
Monday, March 14, 2011 at 11:35 AMyeah, isnt there a way to disguise it?
Mike
Tuesday, March 15, 2011 at 2:48 AMIf you’re Jailbroken there is an app called TetherMe which tricks your carrier into thinking you aren’t tethered.
I don’t think MyWi does this though i haven’t tested it fully yet.
abraham
Monday, March 14, 2011 at 11:09 AMBut i tethered before with a nokia 6120 classic and no extra charge. I used nokia pc suite to do it.
James
Monday, March 14, 2011 at 11:39 AMI used a Vodafone 3G dongle at a trade-show in the Darling Harbour Exhibition Centre last week to demonstrate the mobile features of the website application we sell. It was virtually useless on weekdays, the upload and download rates rarely breaking the 1kb barrier, often they were zero. My colleague’s iPad — which uses Telstra 3G — worked brilliantly and my phone (with Optus) was fine too.
Moral of the story; I will never use Vodafone wireless for data again.
Rohan Kapur
Monday, March 14, 2011 at 11:42 AMI find the Vodafone cap plans to be of far better value generally than their Infinite plans. I am on a $59 cap, which gives me a Desire HD and $700 worth of credit and 2GB of data per month. An equivalent infinite plan would cost $45 + $15 per month of handset repayments (with only 1GB of data).
In a busy month I use up a little over half of my cap, and it allows me to tether, and to make far more international calls than I could otherwise ($700 worth of credit opposed to $45).
Grim
Monday, March 14, 2011 at 11:53 AM“Included data excludes tethering.”
Wow, that’s some really weird grammar.
Dave
Monday, March 14, 2011 at 12:53 PMSo is using my android phone as WiFi hotspot considered tethering?
Scootah
Friday, March 18, 2011 at 10:49 AMI’m also pretty interested to know if this applies to android devices also. the HTC wifi hotspot seems pretty awesome – but I don’t want to pay the excess data rates.
JT
Monday, March 14, 2011 at 1:12 PMBut how can V* exactly see that you are Tethering? Or other carriers?
Ryan Creagh
Monday, March 14, 2011 at 1:31 PMThis is not true, thats cost you charged AFTER the data allotment you are given.
I just had this conversaion with the TIO rep for vodafone as she just placed me onto this plan :)
Angus Kidman
Monday, March 14, 2011 at 1:50 PMAre you saying that Vodafone is misrepresenting its own plan on its own site? Doesn’t seem very ambiguous to me.
Andrew Swan
Monday, March 14, 2011 at 2:34 PMIt says right there:
“Included data excludes tethering. Additional rate of $0.25/MB applies for tethering.”
As Angus said, it doesn’t seem very ambiguous.
B
Tuesday, March 15, 2011 at 4:48 PMI have a Desire HD on the Infinite 45 plan. I’ve used the wifi hotspot feature 3 times now and never been charged any additional fees on top of what I signed up for.
Not disagreeing that the wording states to the contrary, but can confirm that they don’t seem to be enforcing it!
poedgirl
Monday, March 14, 2011 at 1:56 PMFor the people wondering how the carrier knows, the iPhone has carrier bundles which specify which APN to use for which purpose. Therefore, it is simple for the carrier to specify a different APN for tethering as they do for general usage on the device.
Of course, jailbreaking and editing this file is reasonably easy.
None
Tuesday, March 29, 2011 at 8:11 PMFrom Vodafone as per link:
“Yes – tethering is now an included call type on all Infinite plans – pre and post 28/03 sign ups!!”