Operator Device Identification - eg, T-Mobile US recognizing it and cutting the $10/mo data plan
 

This is probably old news, in some sense, but I haven't had much luck googling specifics, just the occasional 'yeah, they recognize it as an N900 and block it (from using web2go)'

To clarify - I'm assuming there's some module or packet in the update from PR 1.2 to PR 1.3 that tells T-Mobile (or plausibly any operator) that you're using an N900. Does anyone know anything specific about this?

Basically, it seems that if they know your handset isn't a 'dumbphone', they block the "web2go" service (the one you'd connect to via the internet2.voicestream.com APN) and you'd have to upgrade to a smartphone data plan - one that uses the epc.tmobile.com APN.

Interestingly enough, web2go isn't blocked for the Nokia Nuron...heh

Is there a workaround for this? Or - to start - can anyone else confirm this (that tmo blocks web2go upon upgrading to PR1.3)?

And, I guess from an ethical perspective, is the community ok with a module that identifies your handset to the operator...

Thanks in advance :)

Re: Operator Device Identification - eg, T-Mobile US recognizing it and cutting the $10/mo data plan
 

Not sure what your talking about but im from australia my currentl location is Las Vegas, bought a T mobile pre paid sim week ago, unlimited data, ive been ripped down so much over night its not even funny, and my SIP calls work perfectly on it.

Re: Operator Device Identification - eg, T-Mobile US recognizing it and cutting the $10/mo data plan
 

Hey, did you get a plan, or just using it per-minute? Does that $1.49/day unlimited data work on the n900?

(you've upgraded to pr1.3, right?)

Re: Operator Device Identification - eg, T-Mobile US recognizing it and cutting the $10/mo data plan
 

I have a T-Mobile Prepaid SIM in my N900.

I am using the "Pay As You Go" plan.

I am in Los Angeles/Santa Monica area and use the $1.49 day data plan (Web DayPass) once or twice a week. When I open my browser, I am forwarded to a T-Mobile URL which offers me the option of purchasing a Web DayPass, I accept and my Prepaid Balance is debited $1.49.

I then have web access for 24 hours. Download speeds in most locations are typically 1 to 1.5 Mbps with best speeds about 3 Mbps and worst about .4 Mbps. Upload speeds are similar, maybe a bit slower.

Re: Operator Device Identification - eg, T-Mobile US recognizing it and cutting the $10/mo data plan
 

Why do you assume this? I haven't heard about any addition like this, and if Nokia were going to add something like this I don't see why they'd wait until PR1.3 to do it.

It is possible for T-Mobile to use a technique known as TCP fingerprinting where they analyse the characteristics of yout TCP/IP packets to guess at what OS you are using, they might also check your browser headers to see how your browser identifies itself, they might also look at the type of traffic and if it is traffic they wouldn't expect from the type of device they expect you to use they might block you based on that.

Re: Operator Device Identification - eg, T-Mobile US recognizing it and cutting the $10/mo data plan
 

Mostly going on hearsay, but the clearest thing I've found is here in the comments section.

I suppose either of those methods are plausible/likely -- the phenomenon I'm looking into is specifically something in PR 1.3 that seemingly didn't exist in PR 1.2.

But hey, good input, thanks man

Re: Operator Device Identification - eg, T-Mobile US recognizing it and cutting the $10/mo data plan
 

Been running PR1.3 since it came out, still using the cheap ($9.99 when I signed up, IIRC) plan, bittorrenting, httping, and sftping loads of data (>10GB/mo), and no complaints from T-Mobile USA yet.

Re: Operator Device Identification - eg, T-Mobile US recognizing it and cutting the $10/mo data plan
 

Upgrading to PR1.3 has nothing to do with your N900 device been identified by T-Mobile. The mobile used your IMEI number to identify your phone. I had a problem with tmobiel web2go back in 2009 when I got the phone but quickly switch back to tzone and never had the same problem since. Tmobile nolonger carry tzone plane.

Re: Operator Device Identification - eg, T-Mobile US recognizing it and cutting the $10/mo data plan
 

AFAIK the network operator can identify the make/model of your phone as soon as you insert a SIM card and switch it on. That's how they manage to send you configuration SMS specific for whatever model you have. And I know for sure that the N900 identifies itself correctly and is recognized by operators. I don't know if that's PR1.3 specific. I'd think that's part of the GSM spec or so.

Re: Operator Device Identification - eg, T-Mobile US recognizing it and cutting the $10/mo data plan
 

Yes, they identify your phone based on IMEI, has nothing to do with PR level.

For instance, I have a Huawei S7, capable of both voice and data. I use the $10 web plan on my N900. If I put the sim card in the S7 data immediately stops, and I'm prompted to upgrade (either apn). As soon as I put the sim card back in my N900, data works just fine.

Re: Operator Device Identification - eg, T-Mobile US recognizing it and cutting the $10/mo data plan
 

That's always been my impression - that MNOs identify your handset from a database of IMEIs provided by the manufacturer - and these databases almost always are limited (at least in the US) to handsets distributed by the MNO (branded phones). AT&T was able to identify the N75 and E62 I'd used, but not the e65, e61, N95-2, or N97. And T-Mobile the 5300, but not the N900.


So the consensus seems to be that the hearsay I'd read about PR 1.3 'telling on you' seems to be wrong..

Re: Operator Device Identification - eg, T-Mobile US recognizing it and cutting the $10/mo data plan
 

I've got my N900 running on AT&T and they definitely don't know that I have a smartphone, so I've still got the old-school 15 dollar unlimited edge connection. Slow, yes, but I'm a cheapskate.

I did get a Nexus One for my sister and AT&T automatically (and forcefully) updated her to a newer smartphone data plan.

I always assumed they had a database of IMEIs, and reading what chris_r says it totally makes sense. AT&T probably doesn't have N900 IMEIs.

(EDIT: grammar)

Re: Operator Device Identification - eg, T-Mobile US recognizing it and cutting the $10/mo data plan
 

That's really weird -- tmo doesn't seem to brand the S7, and the radio lacks UMTS band IV. I wonder if that's on bestbuy (for T-Mobile having its IMEI in its 'non-dumbphone' database).

Damn bestbuy.

Re: Operator Device Identification - eg, T-Mobile US recognizing it and cutting the $10/mo data plan
 

My N900 (and wife´s) is running Web2Go and have been since December 2009.

No problems there.

However while tethering, and using the default T-Mobile USA, settings in Nokia´s PC Suite T-Mobile recently started popping up a window telling me to upgrade my plan to allow mobile tethering.

I just changed the website that PC Suite uses to tether, to match the settings on my N900 and behold. Everything was back running as normal.

It´s not unusual that when I´m in the middle of nowhere USA, the laptop tethered to the N900 is the fastest internet connection I have available.

Re: Operator Device Identification - eg, T-Mobile US recognizing it and cutting the $10/mo data plan
 

I have T-mobile and recently bought n900. Initially when I inserted the sim and opened the browser I was redirected to the upgrade page. I was able to change the gprs settings back to the original ones and it worked. Haven't been prompted to upgrade since... That same scenario happened when I did a reset of my E71 - was redirected to an upgrade page. After a call to tech support I put in the old settings and it worked.

Re: Operator Device Identification - eg, T-Mobile US recognizing it and cutting the $10/mo data plan
 

I still have my Even More Plus 500 and Unlimited Web for Phones active. For all this plenty I pay around $40 a month instead of paying $80 when I was back at ATT. I've been using it for 10 months already so my $400 N900 is paid off with plan difference) And no 2 year contract slavery. Thank you T-Mob!

Re: Operator Device Identification - eg, T-Mobile US recognizing it and cutting the $10/mo data plan
 

That's exactly what I have - it rocks to have unlimited 3G for $10.

Also (everyone), the upgrade to PR 1.3 made no difference -- I think the poster at that other blog had his APN settings knocked out.

Re: Operator Device Identification - eg, T-Mobile US recognizing it and cutting the $10/mo data plan
 

your connection isnt edge because of your plan. the n900 doesnt support att 3g. you will only ever get edge on att with the n900. if the n900 did support att 3g, you would get it. att's policy is to not restrict data speed based on plan. you get the fastest connection available for where you are and the equipment you have. we'll see if that changes with 4g.

exactly. they only have a db of branded phones. but they could guess youre using a smartphone based on usage. although they cant prove it by imei.

Re: Operator Device Identification - eg, T-Mobile US recognizing it and cutting the $10/mo data plan
 

It seems the US operators can't be bothered to configure information about phones they don't sell into whatever rules they have in place.

But IMEI's aren't exactly secret -- I would be surprised if the network ops people don't have a database that tells them that your phone is an N900 (maybe down to the week it was built). But they don't care (unless they suddenly start seeing that various faults or non-zero clearing codes start correlating with particular model IDs).

Re: Operator Device Identification - eg, T-Mobile US recognizing it and cutting the $10/mo data plan
 

I enjoyed the $5 loyalty plan for awhile but got cut off. went to the $30 "4G" plan... called and complained and am on $20 now. I usually prefer my N97, which only gets EDGE on Tmo, though, so thinking of complaining again. Would hate to lose my grandfathered voice plan but will, if necessary. Just don't value the HSPA enough to pay that much for it.

Re: Operator Device Identification - eg, T-Mobile US recognizing it and cutting the $10/mo data plan
 

From my understanding (and experience) , tmobile knows I (we) have a N900. However, since they don't sell it, as Graham says, it's not in the database as a smartphone. So the regular dumbphone plan works.

The S7's started selling in Nov, and worked with voice and data at the same time until early Jan. At that point, someone at Tmobile coded it as tablet. Now it's either voice or data, not both.

Re: Operator Device Identification - eg, T-Mobile US recognizing it and cutting the $10/mo data plan
 

[QUOTE=lemmyslender;953281]From my understanding (and experience) , tmobile knows I (we) have a N900. However, since they don't sell it, as Graham says, it's not in the database as a smartphone. So the regular dumbphone plan works.

From my experience T mobile, my carrier cannot tell that you are using a N900 device. They can tell it's a superphone and try to block the $10 internet, but the easy work around is find a cheap (TMOBILE dumbphone) insert your sim and call to activate the $10 internet. This may require some slick talking as to how you have such an old phone but i'm sure anyone here can pass this lol.
Next step reinsert the sim into your superduper N900, find and program the internetaccess address manually<< this is a must, for they will not send it to your N900 and ur done . The N900 will do the rest and bring the sweet 3G to ur beloved BRICK.

P.s i have been using skype as my primary phone since September last without a hitch !!!!:D:D:D

Re: Operator Device Identification - eg, T-Mobile US recognizing it and cutting the $10/mo data plan
 

I remembered I had NetStory installed, so I can pull up actual usage data instead of guessing conservatively. And when I pulled it up, I was actually surprised how much data I use...

Had to take a screenshot for you

Impressive, no?

Re: Operator Device Identification - eg, T-Mobile US recognizing it and cutting the $10/mo data plan
 

@kilakev

Not my experience at all. I've been online with tech support because my $10 internet wasn't working. They were aware it's a N900, told them I was using internet2 as opposed to epc, and they had no problem getting the internet working again. Based on IMEI, they know what phone you are using, and the system updates pretty quickly when you swith the sim to a different phone.

As I mentioned, as soon as I switch my sim to my S7, data gets blocked (almost instantly) because the S7 is registered in T-Mobiles system as voice only or data only, not both. Put the sim back in my N900, data is available again (almost instantly).

There was no trickery needed to get the $10 data plan. I simply went to T-Mo, ported my number got a new sim. Put the sim in the N900, went online to my account, selected a dumbphone as my phone (since the N900 isn't a choice), added the $10 plan. On my N900 switched the APN to internet2.voicestream.com and have been happy ever since.

T-Mo is even running an IPv6 beta, of which the N900 is one of 3 or 4 phones to be allowed into the program. All that is required to participate is an "unlimited" data plan. You had to request to be in the beta, and they had to look at your account and setup the beta on it. They know what phone and plan I'm using, they don't care.

I haven't even had any issues using data while running nitroid, which has to use the internet2.voicestream.com apn (IPv4).

As evidenced by Benson, they surely know he isn't using a dumbphone to transfer that much data. There aren't enough N900 users to prompt them to change the system.