Help Need help with settings

[MoodyBlues]

I posted in the AT&T forum a while back but ended up talking to myself. I'm at a COMPLETE loss as to how I'm using up my data plan when I'm ALWAYS connected to my wireless network--which is supposed to not count against my data plan.

I contacted AT&T and they were literally LESS than no help at all. They couldn't even grasp the point, which is:

. At home, I have zero bars. It's been like this since I moved back home to California in 2006. I have been unable to use my [previous] cell phones at home because of having *NO* bars. Every once in a blue moon I'll get one bar, but if I tried to make or take a call...DROPPED! Always. Everyone who knows me KNOWS not to bother calling my cell phone number because it's been impossible to USE my cell phone at home since I moved.

. I'm at home 99% of the time, due to post-brain surgery health issues.

. When I'm at home--which is 99% of the time!--my Bravo is ALWAYS connected to my wireless network. That's obvious in a variety of ways, including seeing the wireless connection icon in its tray and seeing the name of my wireless network as the network it's connected to. So, yeah, it's definitely connected.

So the problem? I somehow--without my knowledge and, at least in my opinion, inconceivably--nearly used up my plan's 200MB of data last month.

I asked AT&T how it's possible to be connecting to them when, A) I have zero bars at home and, B) I'm always connected to wireless, but I got nowhere.

So, fellow Bravo users, any ideas on what I'm doing wrong? I have EVERY setting I can find set to "only do whatever when connected via wireless." For example, under "E-mail delivery" I have "Fetch schedule" set to manual and "Sync over Wi-Fi only." ALL settings that I can find that have any choice similar to this, that's what I've chosen.

If I'm connected to wireless, HOW and WHY would the phone be connecting to AT&T--enough to almost eat up 200MB? And how do I stop it? If I don't even know when/why/how it's happening, how do I control it? I resorted to shutting my Bravo off for the last several days of my billing cycle just so I wouldn't get hit with an additional charge for more data usage. That seems like a pretty dumb "solution" to the problem! Here I was happily using my phone's cool features, thinking I was doing it all free of charge over wireless, only to find that I was somehow using up data.

Any input/advice/suggestions will be greatly appreciated!

 

[beledi]

I posted in the AT&T forum a while back but ended up talking to myself. I'm at a COMPLETE loss as to how I'm using up my data plan when I'm ALWAYS connected to my wireless network--which is supposed to not count against my data plan.

I contacted AT&T and they were literally LESS than no help at all. They couldn't even grasp the point, which is:

. At home, I have zero bars. It's been like this since I moved back home to California in 2006. I have been unable to use my [previous] cell phones at home because of having *NO* bars. Every once in a blue moon I'll get one bar, but if I tried to make or take a call...DROPPED! Always. Everyone who knows me KNOWS not to bother calling my cell phone number because it's been impossible to USE my cell phone at home since I moved.

. I'm at home 99% of the time, due to post-brain surgery health issues.

. When I'm at home--which is 99% of the time!--my Bravo is ALWAYS connected to my wireless network. That's obvious in a variety of ways, including seeing the wireless connection icon in its tray and seeing the name of my wireless network as the network it's connected to. So, yeah, it's definitely connected.

So the problem? I somehow--without my knowledge and, at least in my opinion, inconceivably--nearly used up my plan's 200MB of data last month.

I asked AT&T how it's possible to be connecting to them when, A) I have zero bars at home and, B) I'm always connected to wireless, but I got nowhere.

So, fellow Bravo users, any ideas on what I'm doing wrong? I have EVERY setting I can find set to "only do whatever when connected via wireless." For example, under "E-mail delivery" I have "Fetch schedule" set to manual and "Sync over Wi-Fi only." ALL settings that I can find that have any choice similar to this, that's what I've chosen.

If I'm connected to wireless, HOW and WHY would the phone be connecting to AT&T--enough to almost eat up 200MB? And how do I stop it? If I don't even know when/why/how it's happening, how do I control it? I resorted to shutting my Bravo off for the last several days of my billing cycle just so I wouldn't get hit with an additional charge for more data usage. That seems like a pretty dumb "solution" to the problem! Here I was happily using my phone's cool features, thinking I was doing it all free of charge over wireless, only to find that I was somehow using up data.

Any input/advice/suggestions will be greatly appreciated!

I to am having the same issues and AT@t people do not seem to get what is going on.

 

[shalemail]

Well my first suggestion would be to download an app called Droid Stats, it tracks (and can cap) you minutes/data/wifi usage. Find out if your phone is really burning that much data. Second get System Panel lite it tracks your apps running in foreground and background, and allows you to kill the ones you want to.

See if you are using the data, then find out where (if at all) and then nip it in the bud...
NIP IT IN THE BUD!

 

[MoodyBlues]

I to am having the same issues and AT@t people do not seem to get what is going on.

Tell me about it! Seriously, at one point--after I asked them [via e-mail] "can I disable 3G so the phone CANNOT connect to AT&T without my initiating it?", you know what they said? "We understand you want to disconnect your phone number..."

I don't know what's so difficult to understand about "I'm always connected via my wireless network, I have zero bars at home, therefore HOW and WHY is my phone connecting to AT&T and using up my plan's data?"

 

[MoodyBlues]

Well my first suggestion would be to download an app called Droid Stats, it tracks (and can cap) you minutes/data/wifi usage.

Thanks for the heads-up. I had tried a couple of other apps but they didn't do much. I've just installed Droid Stats and am tinkering with its settings. I'm a little flustered with its apparent refusal to let me set 'nights and weekends' accurately. My nights are from 9:00pm to 5:59am the next morning (which I'm setting as 6:00am since that's the closest choice in its list), but it won't accept those settings. I guess it's not getting the overnight concept!

Second get System Panel lite it tracks your apps running in foreground and background, and allows you to kill the ones you want to.

Thanks again. I'm giving this a whirl, too. My only issue is that I don't really know what apps/processes are 'safe' to shut off, and which will affect functionality. I mean, some are obvious, but some are not. I'll experiment a bit and see how it goes.

 

[shalemail]

Thanks for the heads-up. I had tried a couple of other apps but they didn't do much. I've just installed Droid Stats and am tinkering with its settings. I'm a little flustered with its apparent refusal to let me set 'nights and weekends' accurately. My nights are from 9:00pm to 5:59am the next morning (which I'm setting as 6:00am since that's the closest choice in its list), but it won't accept those settings. I guess it's not getting the overnight concept!
Thanks again. I'm giving this a whirl, too. My only issue is that I don't really know what apps/processes are 'safe' to shut off, and which will affect functionality. I mean, some are obvious, but some are not. I'll experiment a bit and see how it goes.

The reason I love system panel is it will NOT shut down needed apps, only things running that are not essential. It's a nice option. If you hit the "stop all" option it will only kill what is safe to kill. So relax, you're covered.

 

[roadkizzle]

Well if you already can't and don't make any calls while you're home, and you're home the majority of the time I'd say you could probably set your phone into Airplane mode to disable it from attempting to connect to the carriers network at all. I believe you should still be able to connect to wifi even with airplane mode on because airlines are now providing wifi on the planes but you still have to have the network connections shut off.

 

[MoodyBlues]

Well if you already can't and don't make any calls while you're home, and you're home the majority of the time I'd say you could probably set your phone into Airplane mode to disable it from attempting to connect to the carriers network at all. I believe you should still be able to connect to wifi even with airplane mode on because airlines are now providing wifi on the planes but you still have to have the network connections shut off.

Thanks for the idea! I'm brand new to smart phones--this is the first time I've ever had an "airplane mode" option--and hadn't even thought about that. I'm doing it right...now...

Okay, just set airplane mode to on; it disconnected the wireless connection right away but then I turned that back on, so this looks promising.

 

[MoodyBlues]

The reason I love system panel is it will NOT shut down needed apps, only things running that are not essential. It's a nice option. If you hit the "stop all" option it will only kill what is safe to kill. So relax, you're covered.

Great to know. Thanks!

 

[MoodyBlues]

Just wanted to post an update. Thanks to roadkizzle's suggestion to switch the phone to airplane mode, I believe my issue is resolved. I'm able to use wireless while in airplane mode, so all's well.

What I CANNOT understand for the life of me is why AT&T couldn't have just told me, switch to airplane mode! I explained the scenario to them very clearly, yet they couldn't figure out that the solution was airplane mode? See, *I* didn't know that, seeing as how this is the first phone I've had that even HAD that option. But you'd think they would.

 

[roadkizzle]

Well, I'd say that the problem could have been that AT&T doesn't want to admit that you would get zero bars at your home, and therefore be unable to make any calls. They would not give you the option that restricts you from receiving any call or being hooked to their network.

 

[MoodyBlues]

Well, I'd say that the problem could have been that AT&T doesn't want to admit that you would get zero bars at your home, and therefore be unable to make any calls. They would not give you the option that restricts you from receiving any call or being hooked to their network.

Believe it or not, they HAVE admitted it in the past. At one point I told them to review my call records since I moved back to California and compare those to the years prior to that. I explained that the REASON I no longer had the miles' long list of calls on my cell phone was because I had no bars and it was useless at home. And then I said, either give me a credit or I'll leave AT&T! And they did!

They gave me a nice credit and I must say I was impressed by that, because all we generally hear about cell phone carriers is how much they suck. I've been with AT&T so long I've watched them go from AT&T to Cingular and back again to AT&T--yes, since the last millennium--and that may have had some clout.