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Root ZTE ZMAX Pro (Z981) tethering discussion

anubis2048

Android Enthusiast
Dec 27, 2015
335
467
McMurdo Station,Antarctica
I KNOW this is off-topic but it still relates to the ZMAX Pro... Has anyone been able to bypass the phone's hotspot detection? I have the 60 dollar plan at Metro and the FoxFi app doesn't work since ZTE uses their own black magic in that little USB C port. Anyone had any success using hotspot and avoiding detection?
 
Well I'm back and I'm pleased to admit that a combo of APN editing and FoxFi premium will at least semi-bypass the hotspot restrictions. I started earlier today with 30.1GB of total data usage for the month and ever since I edited the APN and used FoxFi hotspot, the total usage for the month boosted to 30.7GB while the hotspot data seems unchanged. You never know for sure though, it might be using small amounts of hotspot data, but who cares? Not enough to make a 100MB difference. I'm going to post this as another topic. Hope this helps you guys out with your data usage!
 
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Well I'm back and I'm pleased to admit that a combo of APN editing and FoxFi premium will at least semi-bypass the hotspot restrictions. I started earlier today with 30.1GB of total data usage for the month and ever since I edited the APN and used FoxFi hotspot, the total usage for the month boosted to 30.7GB while the hotspot data seems unchanged. You never know for sure though, it might be using small amounts of hotspot data, but who cares? Not enough to make a 100MB difference. I'm going to post this as another topic. Hope this helps you guys out with your data usage!

Anubis, do you pay the for the hotspot, also? I have the hotspot, limited to 5GB/month. I also have FoxFi full unlocked compliments of Blackmart. Did you use WiFi tether for your test?
 
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I pay for my plan. I pay 60 a month for unlimited everything. And yes I tested the FoxFi connection over Wifi hotspot. The FoxFi + APN combo will bypass most of the hotspot usage, I'm unsure if it blocks everything. If you want I can PM you the instructions on how to do this. Since FoxFi doesn't support USB C... Or whatever is stopping USB tether, Wifi is the only way to share internet.
 
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I pay for my plan. I pay 60 a month for unlimited everything. And yes I tested the FoxFi connection over Wifi hotspot. The FoxFi + APN combo will bypass most of the hotspot usage, I'm unsure if it blocks everything. If you want I can PM you the instructions on how to do this. Since FoxFi doesn't support USB C... Or whatever is stopping USB tether, Wifi is the only way to share internet.
Its either conflicting with marshmallows usb tether, foxfi doesn't like usb c, or it can't access the protocol required
 
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Either way, USB tether via FoxFi is out of the question, but if this Wifi method turns out to be good in the long run, I will hardly miss USB tethering. I've always found it more annoying to be wired to my PC.

Just keep in mind that it uses way more battery using the wifi hotspot, so you will have to plug it in anyways.

Really hoping root comes around. I can tell this phone is super popular right now. The Stylo 2 plus dropped in price $20. it hasn't even been out that long itself.
 
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Just keep in mind that it uses way more battery using the wifi hotspot, so you will have to plug it in anyways.

Really hoping root comes around. I can tell this phone is super popular right now. The Stylo 2 plus dropped in price $20. it hasn't even been out that long itself.

I've been using HotSpot for 3 days straight and battery life is hardly effected by it. I still plug it in when the battery gets low, but I don't even have to worry about it.
 
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I pay for my plan. I pay 60 a month for unlimited everything. And yes I tested the FoxFi connection over Wifi hotspot. The FoxFi + APN combo will bypass most of the hotspot usage, I'm unsure if it blocks everything. If you want I can PM you the instructions on how to do this. Since FoxFi doesn't support USB C... Or whatever is stopping USB tether, Wifi is the only way to share internet.

can you pm me that info please.
tho i have used 10gb already on hotspot that i ran using foxfi and still going strong it cant hurt to have a backup plan
 
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I have been using FoxFi with edited APN (just added dun) and other than downloading from/browsing PSN with my PS3, I am not getting throttled either. Felt like I was for a bit, but rebooted the phone and it was blazing fast on the laptop. In actuality, Metro hasn't even been counting my PC usage, and video streaming on the PS3 with the YT app or web browser. It has literally ONLY BEEN COUNTING PlayStation Store data usage. Weird.
 
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I have been using FoxFi with edited APN (just added dun) and other than downloading from/browsing PSN with my PS3, I am not getting throttled either. Felt like I was for a bit, but rebooted the phone and it was blazing fast on the laptop. In actuality, Metro hasn't even been counting my PC usage, and video streaming on the PS3 with the YT app or web browser. It has literally ONLY BEEN COUNTING PlayStation Store data usage. Weird.
Heres the thing im not even useing foxifi, im just useing the taskbar short cut, i don't know how in the hell metro can be so stupid to forget to enable tether cheacks when hotspot is turned on via the short cut, but they did, i didn't even edit the apn im now up to 57gb just downloaded the battlefield 1 beta and hotspot data usage is still reading 11kb. Why pay for foxifi if you dont need it?
 
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I just copied all of the information from the MetroPCS APN and created a new one with it, adding ,dun to the end of the APN Type field.

Just another reason for root, the stock keyboard on this thing is glitchy as hell. On top of all that it will randomly autocorrect (to the wrong word) after just typing in one or two letters half of the time. I had just started getting used to the new keyboard in CM13 on my S3, which was very nice, so now this keyboard is annoying as hell.
 
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Tether checks can't be completely disabled, because, like I said, PS Store downloads and browsing were counting towards my usage,and now that I am at 8.3 gigs (according to MPCS anyway, according to my phone I am at just over 100) those things are being throttled. Nothing else though. PC is still running at full speed, other online enabled features of the PS3(YouTube, web browsing) all work fine. Strange that only one type of usage would count. Of course if we could get USB tethering working with PDANet, even those things wouldn't be a problem. Connect USB to PC, then th PC to the PS3 via Ethernet or ad-hoc wifi.

And I really don't like this keyboard.

Heres the thing im not even useing foxifi, im just useing the taskbar short cut, i don't know how in the hell metro can be so stupid to forget to enable tether cheacks when hotspot is turned on via the short cut, but they did, i didn't even edit the apn im now up to 57gb just downloaded the battlefield 1 beta and hotspot data usage is still reading 11kb. Why pay for foxifi if you dont need it?
 
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Just had a thought though. Maybe Metro figured that with a screen this big, it wouldn't really make much of a difference if we are tethering or not, since we can stream 1080P on the phone all day if we wanted, it isn't really going to use any more data than a PC. Whereas with the game console, you are constantly downloading multi gig games and updates,sometimes without even knowing it is happening in the background.

Only sense I can make out of it anyway.
 
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Just had a thought though. Maybe Metro figured that with a screen this big, it wouldn't really make much of a difference if we are tethering or not, since we can stream 1080P on the phone all day if we wanted, it isn't really going to use any more data than a PC. Whereas with the game console, you are constantly downloading multi gig games and updates,sometimes without even knowing it is happening in the background.

Only sense I can make out of it anyway.
I doubt it, if so they wouldn't perform tethering checks when I use the app, or go into settings
 
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I have been using FoxFi with edited APN (just added dun) and other than downloading from/browsing PSN with my PS3, I am not getting throttled either. Felt like I was for a bit, but rebooted the phone and it was blazing fast on the laptop. In actuality, Metro hasn't even been counting my PC usage, and video streaming on the PS3 with the YT app or web browser. It has literally ONLY BEEN COUNTING PlayStation Store data usage. Weird.
Seems like you picked the wrong console then m8, had zero issues with the Xbox one.
 
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Meh, I just need to figure out how to swap SIM cards and make it work. Only problem is trying my SIM card is 19 digits,and Metro's website needs a 20 digit SIM. IF I could get that to work I can just switch between this phone for normal use and the old Desire 626s for tethering use.
Seems like you picked the wrong console then m8, had zero issues with the Xbox one.
 
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Meh, I just need to figure out how to swap SIM cards and make it work. Only problem is trying my SIM card is 19 digits,and Metro's website needs a 20 digit SIM. IF I could get that to work I can just switch between this phone for normal use and the old Desire 626s for tethering use.

It's 19 digits and one letter. You are missing the letter at the end. The number of every Sim card I've had ended with the letter F. I bet if you add an F to the end of the number it will work.
 
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