Does Sprint Monitor Your Data Speed?

[Antilamr]

I have Froyo running from SD card on TP. I'm on a old retention family plan with unlimited txt, data etc at evdo speed. When I use the phone it shows 3g as the speed connection. Per the Sprint CS reps, my "plan is not compatable" with the new phones offered and I will need to get a new plan (ie.. everything $69) to be able to use a newer phone with the faster data speeds. (I know this is BS). My question to all of you is;

1. If my phone is using the 3g network, can sprint find out the actual data speed my phone is using?
2. If they do find out I'm using the faster data network that my plan doesn't offer, what will/can they do to me for it?

Sorry if this is a lame question but I don't want to give up my old plan and do enjoy using Froyo on my TP. Once I can afford a more expensive plan I'll go with the EVO or what ever comes after it.

 

[RiverOfIce]

Yes they can, but would be kind of pointless. Chances are they will just cancel your service if you try to use a phone that is not compatible with your current plan. I would be shocked if you could add an evo to your account with out them saying no, not with out the new contract. Regardless of the plan, read your contract carefully. With the older plans, they included the right to discontinue service if you used excessive amounts of data. The HTC evo uses excessive amounts of data, Sprint considered anything more then 5gb per month excessive with the older limits. The newer contracts void that with the 10 dollar fee as stated in the new terms of service.

 

[silencer271]

I have Froyo running from SD card on TP. I'm on a old retention family plan with unlimited txt, data etc at evdo speed. When I use the phone it shows 3g as the speed connection. Per the Sprint CS reps, my "plan is not compatable" with the new phones offered and I will need to get a new plan (ie.. everything $69) to be able to use a newer phone with the faster data speeds. (I know this is BS). My question to all of you is;

1. If my phone is using the 3g network, can sprint find out the actual data speed my phone is using?
2. If they do find out I'm using the faster data network that my plan doesn't offer, what will/can they do to me for it?

Sorry if this is a lame question but I don't want to give up my old plan and do enjoy using Froyo on my TP. Once I can afford a more expensive plan I'll go with the EVO or what ever comes after it.

3g speeds are 3g speeds if you tether it they cant tell.. their are ways for them to tell but legally no.

 

[IOWA]

They won't let you activate a new ESN on the old plans. There is no way around it, yet.

 

[Antilamr]

Thanks for the replys. I think I need to clarify what is going on. My Touch Pro is on a data plan that includes unlimited data (evdo). While running Froyo, my phone connects to and shows 3G as my data speed/network. Once I upgrade my phone to the EVO or (?), I'll have to upgrade my plan also. But for now, can Sprint tell that I'm using the 3G speed/network(when I'm using Froyo). Thanks in advance.

 

[AndroidSPCS]

Can you tell me more about running Fryo on SD card on Touch Pro?

It's not the Touch Pro 2 is it? That's my wife's phone and I'd love to put Android on it if it will run well.

 

[Antilamr]

Can you tell me more about running Fryo on SD card on Touch Pro?

It's not the Touch Pro 2 is it? That's my wife's phone and I'd love to put Android on it if it will run well.

It took me a couple of tries to get it right but works good. Phone does run hotter than normal. Here's the links I used to format the SD card and install the software;

The Mother Tutorial - How to's/Where's/When's? - All right here! | Neopeek - Network

and another link to study;

[KERNEL] SOME GOOD TESTED KERNEL | Neopeek - Network

Make sure you research the TP2 forums before jumping in. Good luck.

 

[RiverOfIce]

3g speeds are 3g speeds if you tether it they cant tell.. their are ways for them to tell but legally no.

Lol, don't be so naive, they can tell the minute you connect the phone to the network. Want me to prove it to you, 100%? Tether your phone and click on the link, http://www.danasoft.com/vipersig.jpg BUSTED!!

The minute you connect to the internet they know the os and the browser you are using, if you let them. There are ways to stop your pc from sending os and browser and there are ways to fake it. But if you are not taking simple precautions, they know the minute the connection hits the server. Now there are a few problems with doing anything about it. If you are not interfering with internet traffic, it is easier to ignore you then punish you. If they ignore you, you keep paying the bill. If you start to suck too much data, they they will start to throttle you. If you work around the throttle, they will simply send you a letter telling you to find another cellphone provider. Something like this, Letter to Sprint customer image - Image: Sprint's Dear John customer letter - CNET News. Change frequent calls to excessive data usage. You get the point.


But do not think for one min that sprint can not tell if you are tethered or not, they can very easy. To be honest, to find if someone is tethered, would be as simple as flagging ip addresses. If you hide the os and browser, make sure you stop windows from contacting its server, which you cant with out major hacking, because when win 7 calls redmond for a update packet, it looks a heck a lot like you are tethering a phone. When windows anti virus phones home, it looks like a lot like a tethered phone. When you play battlefield 2 on an android phone or use a standard IM or VPN or a hundred and one other things on a android phone, it looks like you are tethered. You see there is a difference between not knowing and not caring. Don't be naive about which one sprint is.

 

[IOWA]

Lol, don't be so naive, they can tell the minute you connect the phone to the network. Want me to prove it to you, 100%? Tether your phone and click on the link, http://www.danasoft.com/vipersig.jpg BUSTED!!

The minute you connect to the internet they know the os and the browser you are using, if you let them. There are ways to stop your pc from sending os and browser and there are ways to fake it. But if you are not taking simple precautions, they know the minute the connection hits the server. Now there are a few problems with doing anything about it. If you are not interfering with internet traffic, it is easier to ignore you then punish you. If they ignore you, you keep paying the bill. If you start to suck too much data, they they will start to throttle you. If you work around the throttle, they will simply send you a letter telling you to find another cellphone provider. Something like this, Letter to Sprint customer image - Image: Sprint's Dear John customer letter - CNET News. Change frequent calls to excessive data usage. You get the point.


But do not think for one min that sprint can not tell if you are tethered or not, they can very easy. To be honest, to find if someone is tethered, would be as simple as flagging ip addresses. If you hide the os and browser, make sure you stop windows from contacting its server, which you cant with out major hacking, because when win 7 calls redmond for a update packet, it looks a heck a lot like you are tethering a phone. When windows anti virus phones home, it looks like a lot like a tethered phone. When you play battlefield 2 on an android phone or use a standard IM or VPN or a hundred and one other things on a android phone, it looks like you are tethered. You see there is a difference between not knowing and not caring. Don't be naive about which one sprint is.

Yep, beat me to it.

My question is, why do people really think the carriers can't tell if you tether or not? Seriously? I can write a 5 minute Javascript to determine OS and Browser version, why do people REALLY think a freaking ISP can't determine where the traffic is coming from , or how its being used? That's just stupidity at its best.

 

[Antilamr]

So basicly, Sprint (as well as all the other carriers) knows every win mobile phone that has Froyo installed on it in place of the windows os and just looks the other way unless you abuse the data usage? Just want to be clear here. I know I might sound naive, but would like to cover my a_s on this. I like using Froyo but am not ready to upgrade my account to a Android phone plan yet. I don't have the funds to put 3 phones on the more expensive plan as yet as well as buying 3 new phones.

On a side note. Any links to the info on how to mask my phone to continue using Froyo for now?

 

[FreakyLocz14]

So basicly, Sprint (as well as all the other carriers) knows every win mobile phone that has Froyo installed on it in place of the windows os and just looks the other way unless you abuse the data usage? Just want to be clear here. I know I might sound naive, but would like to cover my a_s on this. I like using Froyo but am not ready to upgrade my account to a Android phone plan yet. I don't have the funds to put 3 phones on the more expensive plan as yet as well as buying 3 new phones.

On a side note. Any links to the info on how to mask my phone to continue using Froyo for now?

Yes, but they really don't care. It's actually to their advantage that you just voided your warranty.

And no, you don't need a contract extension to upgrade phones at full retail price or to activate any phone that you didn't purchase at a subsidized price (i.e. from EBay/Amazon, from a friend, bought a used phone, etc.)

 

[Antilamr]

Yes, but they really don't care. It's actually to their advantage that you just voided your warranty.

And no, you don't need a contract extension to upgrade phones at full retail price or to activate any phone that you didn't purchase at a subsidized price (i.e. from EBay/Amazon, from a friend, bought a used phone, etc.)

The only problem I have is that Sprint will not allow me to activate a newer Android phone on my current account. I've tried 3 times and get the same response, " You have to change to the everything plan due to the Android phones not being compatible with your current data plan".
I'm pretty much stuck with my current phones until I can stomach the higher cost plans.
Anybody had any success in getting an Android based phone activated on Sprints old data plans? If so, how did you get it done? Also, how long ago was it? Sprint has made a lot of changes to what they'll allow the retentions people do (so I'm told).

 

[silencer271]

The only problem I have is that Sprint will not allow me to activate a newer Android phone on my current account. I've tried 3 times and get the same response, " You have to change to the everything plan due to the Android phones not being compatible with your current data plan".
I'm pretty much stuck with my current phones until I can stomach the higher cost plans.
Anybody had any success in getting an Android based phone activated on Sprints old data plans? If so, how did you get it done? Also, how long ago was it? Sprint has made a lot of changes to what they'll allow the retentions people do (so I'm told).

want the best gotta change to the plans. Policy wont ever be changing and I wish people would get off those clear plans in all honesty they kind of suck.

 

[Antilamr]

want the best gotta change to the plans. Policy wont ever be changing and I wish people would get off those clear plans in all honesty they kind of suck.

What sucks about unlimited data, unlimited texts, unlimited picture mail, free calling 7pm nights and weekends, free calling to sprint network phones and having multiple phones sharing 1000 daytime minutes for less than the cost of a single android phone plan? Aside from Sprint limiting the choice of phones I can use, please enlighten me.

 

[FreakyLocz14]

What sucks about unlimited data, unlimited texts, unlimited picture mail, free calling 7pm nights and weekends, free calling to sprint network phones and having multiple phones sharing 1000 daytime minutes for less than the cost of a single android phone plan? Aside from Sprint limiting the choice of phones I can use, please enlighten me.

You do realize that the plan is $69.99 for Unlimited EVERYTHING, don't you?

 

[Antilamr]

You do realize that the plan is $69.99 for Unlimited EVERYTHING, don't you?

Yes I do. I already have Unlimited EVERYTHING except for day time phone calls (sprint to sprint is free on my plan). I never go over my minutes on my existing plan so unlimited is no big deal for me. Also, you need to add $10 to the $69 for 4g when using the new smart phones. $79 a month for one phone vs $50 total a month for my existing 3 phones.

I understand that my plan is not available to most folks and Sprint would love for me to be paying the higher rate that all the new subscribers are paying. I would just like the option of having a semi current phone without having to change to a high monthly phone bill!

 

[April_Fool_79]

Coming from a former Sprint rep, you *WILL NOT* be able to activate an Android phone on any plan except an Everything Data (Indv or Family), an Employee or Advantage Club plan (employee friends) or whatever they're calling the old Employee Referral plans (Everything Plus, or something last I heard). When you call in to activate a phone, you give them the ESN number. The system knows what model phone goes with what ESN, and will give them a pop up message saying that the phone is not compatible with the plan, and stop right there. Period. End of discussion. There are no "codes" to get around it, and complaining up the ladder will not get you anywhere, either. Trust me. We went through the same thing when the Pre came out. Threatening to cancel won't get them to "magically" be able to do it, either, so don't try bluffing it. You wouldn't buy a Porsche and complain that the payments are more than your old Civic payments were, same theory applies; you want the hot new cool phone, you pay more.

It's really not that bad for a family plan. Unfortunately Account Services (and unscrupulous floor agents that would do anything to get good surveys) spoiled too many people by putting them on the "retention" plans when they weren't really warranted (I don't know your situation, so I'm not saying this is the case with you, but in general), so congrats, those customers got one over on Sprint for X number of years. Call up Sprint and ask them if your employer has a discount program in place that can be used with the Everything Data plans, or at least a Credit Union member (that was 10-15% last I heard). My company has a 25% discount available to us, for 4 lines on the Everything Data 1500 plan ends up being $130 a month, which isn't bad at all.

And if you think that Sprint's plans are expensive, check out the iPhone plan, or Verizon's plans. They're much more expensive.

Oh, and as far as turning your TP into an Android device ... that phone still has WinMo running on it. Says so in post #8: "Is WinMo always running in the background or is it a real flash of Android?" and #9: "This is not a flashable Android. None have been released, but hopefully one will come along soon." Seems to me like this is just some sort of emulator thing, and not really Android (I may have that terminology wrong, I don't know much about computers and programming).

 

[catpowrd]

There seems to be one exception to the rule that android phone have to be on everything plans. I was able to add a nextel M1 android phone to an old talk only plan that had other sprint and nextel phones on it. I guess because the nextel iden network does not move much data quickly, they allow the M1 on any plan.

 

[lordofthereef]

Well, it's good to know that if you want to get out of an ETA all you have to do is call them a million times to piss them off!

 

[Antilamr]

April_Fool_79 , don't you find it funny that some phones are not compatible to use on the data network you have but when you're getting a phone replaced and Sprints out of stock on a replacement for you, suddenly, as if magic happens, they send you the non-compatible phone (AN UPGRADED ONE) and low and behold, it works on your plan. If only Sprint was honest and up front with the customers. I wouldn't feel so insulted. Just come out and say we're not allowing any current phones to be activated on any old plans so we can increase our cash flow and get our stock prices up before our competition improves their plan offerings and we have to become even more competitive to maintain our customer base again. I would love to have an honest rep tell it like it is. I might even respect them for it and not be as upset with the position they're taking.
In today

 

[April_Fool_79]

And the agreement that Sprint has with you for your plan is still in place. Show me where in the Terms and Conditions it says that you will be able to use *ANY* phone on your retention plan. The plan was set up for the phones you had *AT THAT TIME*, not for *ANY* phone Sprint *MAY* come out with in the future. If you decided to change over to a Nextel network phone, there's a good possibility that you'd have to change your plan as well (again, not knowing what the system code is for your plan, I can't be certain, but if someone is on, say, an old Power Pack plan for a Sprint phone, and wants a Nextel phone, they'd have to change over to one of the current plans). Believe me, I understand, I went through similar arguments multiple times when the Pre came out, and as agents we can't tell customers that it's because Sprint is wanting to make more money. They're losing money hand over fist because of the old retention policies of just giving people pretty much whatever they wanted to keep them happy and keep them as customers (Why else would have been a $12.50 unlimited *EVERYTHING* plan in the system before? Even if you didn't *USE* your phone at all, they'd still lose money on those customers), and Dan Hesse & Co are trying to stem that flow. Things change, if you can find a better price for the phone and plan you want, go for it. I'm not trying to sound rude or anything (I know things can easily be misconstrued through text without the benefit of seeing and hearing the speaker), but I'm really tired of people bellyaching that they have to change their plan if they want a new phone. Things change, life sucks, move on. If there was a way to get those phones on the old plans, I'm sure I would have found it while I was working there, I knew all the tricks to getting stubborn phones to activate, but the system simply does not allow it, and unless someone can hack into their system and change the way the plan codes are set up, it's not gonna happen.

And if you hear someone saying that they've done it, that doesn't mean they have. I have a friend that is swearing up and down one of the guys he works with has an iPhone activated on a Sprint account, even though I keep telling him it's physically impossible, since they are different technologies. Yeah, I've heard the rumors about a Verizon iPhone possibility, and theoretically it *IS* possible he was able to get a hold of a prototype of them and hack it to pick up on Sprint, but the only way to activate a phone is if Sprint has the ESN already loaded into the system (which, again, in theory, he *COULD* have found someone high enough up the food chain to have access to add it, but we are talking a *BUNCH* of "ifs" here). Just because someone *SAYS* they have done so, doesn't mean that they *HAVE*.

 

[Antilamr]

April_Fool_79, I agree with most of what you've posted above with some exceptions. I'm not expecting to get an EVO with 4g on a power pack plan. I believe that Sprint is trying to recoup their investment in their version of 4g while they can and good for them and all the early adapters who are jumping in. I would just like a newer phone, not a 4g phone! Isn't it funny that these same phones were being activated on older plans by Sprint until they rolled out 4g? I know the reps can only do what the system will let them do. But Sprint controls the system. A little loyalty from Sprint to all the customers that gave them loyalty for over 10 years would be appreciated! Dan Hesse & Co will have to re-learn the customer service lesson all over again (history does repeat itself). When the other carriers have their versions of 4g out, offer the "Wow" phones and competitive pricing, Sprints customers will jump ship due to the way Sprint is now not giving a sh_t about them staying a customer. I know I'm getting off topic here but one more observation. If and when a carrier in the U.S. offers real 4g, all the other carriers will lose most of their customer base! 100mb+ per second data on your wireless device. Imagine that!!