iPhone 4 and 4S

[subxero]

I also called this morning and nobody knew anything about this, even when I pointed the person on the end of the phone at this forum.  Trying to explain what the hotspot is was difficult enough.

vodafone wrote:

If you want to use your iPhone as a modem to get you online, you can tether it to your laptop or netbook using a USB cable - or wirelessly via Bluetooth. This may mean having to change some of your iPhone's settings or upgrading its software.

The above I have quoted from the Vodafone site.  If this is the case then this is just an excuse to get money out of us. 

Data is data.  It makes no difference where it comes from or what it is used for.

The personal hotspot feature is NOT tethering.

I think I speak for everyone here when I ask why is this charged for and this should be added on at NO COST to all iPhone customers.  Android customers get this for free on contacts where you get 500mb.  iPhone customers get 1Gb, so why are we being asked to pay for this?

If bish7751 has had this added on for free, is this something that I can have as well please?

[4user]

I called Vodafone today to speak to there customer services and was categorically advised that tethering my laptop to my phone on my iphone 4 two year contract, would come out of my 1GB allowance and that I wouldnt be charged extra for it.

[Elliott99]

Ok.. so I was on the phone to vodafone today at about 4pm.. Had a chat to their customer service rep who was next to useless so I asked to speak to his Manager.

I was talking to the manager for a good 25 minutes (After talking to the customer service rep for about 20) only to have the Manager hang up on me.

I explained to both of the the situation but they were completely baffled.

Nice work vodafone!

I can't wait until I leave you!!!!

[4user]

Can only go with what I'm directly told by Vodafone - time, date and name of person spoke to noted so they can refer to there recorded calls should they dispute anything or try charging me for this service.

[ChriX]

Updated to 4.3 to use this feature and watched it disappear before my eyes and be told I need to activate it with VF. Once again terrible service, I can only agree with everyone elses comments. I bought the phone completely independantly from VF and at full price from Apple, yet they are allowed to dictate what I can use my paid data for? What a joke!

[bish7751]

Does this mean unless you have activated personal hotspot with VF it doesn't even show up on your phone?

Like I posted earlier, VF have supposedly added the functionality to my handset for the remainder of my contract for free.

It will be interesting to see if this is the case once I upgrade to iOS 4.3, they have been less than truthful before

[Nabs]

Sorry to say it guys but you appear to be at the mercy of Apple's intense controls over their software.

Android users get if free because we are using an open source freely available OS with no dictations of what we can and can't do!

[twentynine12]

Another mislead Android user. If you in anyway understood the iPhone and the way the Hotspot works you'd understand that Apple have given the decision whether to charge for the Hotspot feature to the carriers themselves who can choose to charge for it or not. VF have chosen to charge for it, 3 on the other hand don't charge for it. The solution is to either pay twice for the data, jailbreak your phone or move elsewhere.

[LordLanky]

Hiya VF,

iOS4.3 added to Vodafone Business Contract phone last night.

After it settles itself down (the Personal Hotspot menu appears on the main settings page then disappears), you can find it where tethering usually is.

Sometimes the windmill keeps spinning and I don't get the option to turn on Personal Hotspot - suspect it's not getting to the network to register/check the contract for tethering exists.

I power off the device and start again. Eventually it appears.

I turn on Personal Hotspot and devices can merrily connect over WiFi with the password.

Whether devices have or are connected the internet is immediately blocked - both for the iPhone4 itself and for any devices that have attached.

Turn off Personal Hotspot and all returns to normal - the iPhone4 can once again connect to the internet.

I have a Ping application that allows me to ping the subnet that I am within, and I can see other devices that are connected as clients, so we know the IP traffic is working.

Before Personal Hotspots appear as per tethering does, the device gets a 10.x.x.x IP range address.

After Personal Hotspots appear as per tethering does, the device gets a 172.20.10.x range address

I suspect a routing issue, but without better tools (device is NOT Jailbroken) it's a struggle.

Vodafone were helpful-ish stating that it was new software and I need to contact Apple.

Apple were helpful-ish suggesting that I was outside of my free 90 day support "quota", and could only offer to email a link to the Apple Troubleshooting page which wasn't as much help as I had hoped: iPhone: Troubleshooting Personal Hotspot

Anyone else had this problem?

[graemerenfrew]

So..wait... a friend is on 4.3, with a pay monthly £35 contract

They can see Personal Hotspot - it's always there, it doesn't disappear like 'Tethering' used to.

They can connect their Macbook via bluetooth to Personal Hotspot to the iPhone and they can browse the web on Macbook.  Slowly.

but

as I understand it now (from reading on this forum), VF will instantly stick the £5 'tethering' charge on?  Even though he hasn't purchased a standalone 'tethering' bolt-on to his plan? And there is no warning to this?  

Nice tactic.  It's akin to the iPhone apps that let consumers spank cash on in-app purchases without warning, and without requiring the App Store login.   Can't see how VF can avoid giving folk free tethering as soon as someone calls CS and says 'I used an inbuilt feature, not 'Tethering', and you done stung me for £5'.  

It won't end well...

[edit: wha... now since the forums moved, I don't have my 'forum name' anymore, without warning?  And you made me reset my password because you moved forums?  That'll be £5 please VF.  Becoming more like O2 by the day]

[Elliott99]

Has anyone used TetherMe? It's like MyWi but from what I can see, works with the iOS 4.3 Hotspot feature, changing the APN to the 3G connection instead of the Tethered APN.