Tethering or Dongle?

Gti

My gf uses a Tmobile internet dongle for £15 a month but i'm wondering if it would make more sense to get her an android smartphone and use the tethering on it instead of the dongle.

Is this a good option if the phone is on Tmobile too? do they use the same technology as in the service would be exactly the same as the dongle?
Can they tell if your tethering? im sure i read they don't allow it

Deru

They probably can't tell but it's more convenient to tether.

Whether it's practical or not depends on how much data your GF uses? Too much could go over the fair usage....

Jon_01

You're very liable to go over the networks fair use policy. You'll use far more data on a computer than on the phone...

JJ_Egan

Average data is 500 mb to 750mb monthly on many plans .Some plans do 1gb-3gb . jje

Gti

As it's an Android phone on tmobile the fair usage policy would be 2 or 3gb a month (can't remember which) and the dongles data plan is actually less than that at 1gb a month so she would actually have a higher limit for a few quid more plus a good smartphone.

Right now it's £15 a month for the dongle and around another £15 a month spent on topping up her old pay as you go phone. Unless Tmobile has a way of knowing your tethering or the internet service is inferior on it i'm thinking it's a much better deal to do this?

Im_just_careful

Tethering can be a reasonable way of getting occasional internet access while on the move and if you have cheap or free data can save the cost of a dongle but I've yet to see a "proper" tether on Android 2.1, I may be missing it but all I've found is PdaNet.

PdaNet may be fine but seems to require a "special" driver on the PC whereas my old Sony or Nokia phones both just required a DUN connection set up on the PC (and a day of experimentation and gooogling ! to get the initialisation strings right).

Perhaps PdaNet is the right answer if it avoids the DUN settings faff but I don't like things with drivers.

TwistedPsycho

I tether on Vodafone using a Nokia and Nokia OviSuite....
Never had a problem, I even play World of Warcraft on it when I am on a break at work!

gjchester

Tethering a phone to a PC *without* buying the add on tethering bundle is forbidden by all mobile companies. Any data allowance in a phone plan should be for the phone use only.

TM's Terms and conditions specifically state:

Remember that you can only use internet on your phone in the UK and you can’t use your phone as a modem or use internet on your phone for peer to peer file sharing, instant messaging or making internet phone calls.

Can they tell? Yes, pretty easily if they wanted to. Will they do anything? problably not unless you cane it, but if you do expect to be paying whatever there data rates are, and that can get to be pricey if you are charged at out of bundle rates.