Value of 3G capability

Harry P said:
I'm going to buy a Nexus 7 in the next week or so and the comments here are very useful. I believe I'll only use the 3g occasionally and as I already have unlimited Data with my Orange contract the idea of linking my Blackberry to the Nexus by Bluetooth, and using it as a king of 'modem', seems a perfect set-up. But does it work? Has anyone experience of this setup? It makes me think that if this was possible why would anyone buy the 3G version? I really hope it is possible because it would be a perfect solution! :-)

Regards
Click to expand...
For your Blackberry it looks like you need an app:
http://tetherbridge.com/btbridge4bb.html

iPhone tethering - just set up the Personal Hotspot built in and you can share by wifi or bluetooth (dependent on which iphone you have got).

Android tethering:
http://support.google.com/android/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=168932
 
lovezoo said:
For your Blackberry it looks like you need an app:
http://tetherbridge.com/btbridge4bb.html

iPhone tethering - just set up the Personal Hotspot built in and you can share by wifi or bluetooth (dependent on which iphone you have got).

Android tethering:
http://support.google.com/android/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=168932
Click to expand...

If you have an iPhone on Giffgaff it won't allow, or even offer, personal hotspot. Giffgaff say this is because Apple don't recognise them as a network.
 
lovezoo said:
How can they stop you on an unlocked phone? You just put the APN in the tethering section of the setup?
Click to expand...

Easy for you to say :)

On my iPhone, there is no tethering section of the setup.

Settings>General>Cellular>Set Up Personal Hotspot doesn't exist.

You have to contact your network provider to set it up, but the Giffgaff community tell me that Apple don't recognise Giffgaff, so can't tether on an iPhone.

I can't see a way round it.

If you can find one, I'd be interested -
 
Richard10002 said:
Easy for you to say :)

On my iPhone, there is no tethering section of the setup.

Settings>General>Cellular>Set Up Personal Hotspot doesn't exist.

You have to contact your network provider to set it up, but the Giffgaff community tell me that Apple don't recognise Giffgaff, so can't tether on an iPhone.

I can't see a way round it.

If you can find one, I'd be interested -
Click to expand...
You won't have the option "Settings>General>Cellular>Set Up Personal Hotspot" until you have set up the tethering APN first at "General> Network> Cellular Data Network". I've no idea if GiffGaff can disable this.

yoigo-tethering.jpg


These are the instructions for my network provider, Yoigo:

http://mynerja.com/view/nerja-infor...oigo-for-internet-personal-hotspot-tethering/

BTW I don't believe their explanation that Apple are blocking it, if its an unlocked phone, its unlocked.
 
With an iPhone, it's to do with the network. If your network enables tethering on your account, that personal hotspot option appears in your cellular settings. I've done this before and that's now it has worked.
The problem with Giffgaff is that it runs on the o2 network and the phone doesn't see the difference. As o2 don't enable tethering for you (why should they, you're only borrowing their network) then the option doesn't appear.

Interestingly, the option is available on my iPad, however if I try to enable it it just tells me to contact o2.
 
lovezoo said:
You won't have the option "Settings>General>Cellular>Set Up Personal Hotspot" until you have set up the tethering APN first at "General> Network> Cellular Data Network". I've no idea if GiffGaff can disable this.

yoigo-tethering.jpg


These are the instructions for my network provider, Yoigo:

http://mynerja.com/view/nerja-infor...oigo-for-internet-personal-hotspot-tethering/

BTW I don't believe their explanation that Apple are blocking it, if its an unlocked phone, its unlocked.
Click to expand...

On that "page" I get a heading of Cellular Data, then MMS, then Reset Settings. No heading for Internet Tethering or similar.

As Cardo says, it needs to be activated by O2 - I wonder if Giffgaff could get O2 to sort it. Anyway, life's too short for me to try and make that happen. It's not critical to me, and I'll be off to Three and their One Plan in a few months, and Giffgaff will see me no more.
 
3G capapbility

Take a look at Gymsim if you're travelling around. It gives you a UK number, free incoming calls and hassle free data- although not as cheap as some local deals much easier
 
GiffGaff Tethering FAQ

It looks to me as if it's not for O2 to sort it out, it's for Apple to update their phones to recognise GiffGaff. It's a virtual network (MVNO) just as, say, Virgin Mobile is. It's been around for a while now so phone manufacturers should have got round to recognising it in their 'unbranded' firmware - if they have such a thing.

Perhaps Apple want paying to do it - that would be unsurprising.

I use GiffGaff in an iPad and noticed that it set the APN wrongly to O2, so I had to reset it manually.
 
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DaveRo said:
GiffGaff Tethering FAQ

It looks to me as if it's not for O2 to sort it out, it's for Apple to update their phones to recognise GiffGaff. It's a virtual network (MVNO) just as, say, Virgin Mobile is. It's been around for a while now so phone manufacturers should have got round to recognising it in their 'unbranded' firmware - if they have such a thing.

Perhaps Apple want paying to do it - that would be unsurprising.

I use GiffGaff in an iPad and noticed that it set the APN wrongly to O2, so I had to reset it manually.
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I don't believe it is anything to do with Apple. I have an unlocked iPhone and tethering works fine on Yoigo, which is also a virtual network. It seems that GiffGaff are deliberately disabling it.
 
Richard10002 said:
On that "page" I get a heading of Cellular Data, then MMS, then Reset Settings. No heading for Internet Tethering or similar.

As Cardo says, it needs to be activated by O2 - I wonder if Giffgaff could get O2 to sort it. Anyway, life's too short for me to try and make that happen. It's not critical to me, and I'll be off to Three and their One Plan in a few months, and Giffgaff will see me no more.
Click to expand...
I think the idea from Giffgaff is that if you want tethering use O2. That does seem stupid.
 
lovezoo said:
I don't believe it is anything to do with Apple. I have an unlocked iPhone and tethering works fine on Yoigo, which is also a virtual network. It seems that GiffGaff are deliberately disabling it.
Click to expand...
According to this and this Yoigo is not an MNVO.

But I didn't suggest that the the iPhone doesn't recognise any MNVO - though that might be true - just that it doesn't recognise GiffGaff. My experience, which is only with Nokias, is that it takes a while for a new operator (virtual or not) to get included in its internal tables, and that MVNOs often appear as their host network until that happens.

But I might be wrong: I don't have an iPhone, so I'm not sure how Apple do this.
 
DaveRo said:
GiffGaff Tethering FAQ

It looks to me as if it's not for O2 to sort it out, it's for Apple to update their phones to recognise GiffGaff. It's a virtual network (MVNO) just as, say, Virgin Mobile is. It's been around for a while now so phone manufacturers should have got round to recognising it in their 'unbranded' firmware - if they have such a thing.

Perhaps Apple want paying to do it - that would be unsurprising.

I use GiffGaff in an iPad and noticed that it set the APN wrongly to O2, so I had to reset it manually.
Click to expand...

Hi Dave,

How's it going?

Giffgaff give a variety of reasons why Apple won't recognise them. The latest from one of the "Members", is that it's because they don't sell Apple stuff.

Each time I have upgraded the iOS I have to change the Internet and MMS settings, as the phone resets them to the O2 settings. This suggests that the phone thinks its on an O2 network, (which it is). If that's the case, something from O2 should solve the issue and, as Giffgaff and O2 have the same owners, it shouldn't be rocket science to sort this out.

I don't believe it's an Apple problem - but I may be wrong.
 
Hi Richard (PM sent)

It's not clear. There's no definitive statement from giffgaff - but that's the nature of giffgaff. This thread on the giffgaff support forum has many opinions and one of them (post 18) says:

"Tethering is allowed on Giffgaff but it needs to be on a Gigabag or using airtime credit. Also it is not Giffgaff who have removed the ability to use the personal hotspot feature, Apple are the people who won't provide native support as Giffgaff do not sell iPhones branded."

I don't know if that last sentence is true or not, but it seems to me that the iPhone (my iPad anyway) behaves as if the MVNO giffgaff just doesn't exist - and therefore defaults settings to the host network O2. Why O2 disallows tethering I've no idea.

One thing we're agreed on, though, is that we both may be wrong!
 
O2 do allow tethering, but it seems to be via a bolt on which has to be paid for monthly. So no reason why a "switch" can't be operated, and tethering turned on.

I've lost interest in Giffgaff now. I liked the offer, and it's definitely competitive, but I've gone from feeling pretty loyal and kind of defensive of them, to not bothered either way. They are definitely a business, with the normal motives of a business, which they couch in a fluffiness, and a cuddlyness - "run by members for the members".

Can't blame them for wanting to maximise income, and reduce costs though.
 
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