Jailbreaking an iPhone

mattaxelrod

mattaxelrod

Pre-takeoff checklist
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Matt
I've done some reading on this--I might be interested in jailbreaking my iPhone 4 so that I can get an app by Cydia allowing me to turn my phone into a wifi hotspot without paying Verizon $20/month.

It's my understanding that even though this technically voids the Apple warranty, this process is easily reversible by going on iTunes and restoring the system.

Any downside? Will it screw up my phone? Anything?

Thanks for any information.
 
mattaxelrod said:
Any downside? Will it screw up my phone? Anything?
Click to expand...

I jailbroke mine once so that I could do tethering, back when you couldn't do that without jailbreaking.

It worked, for a while... And eventually the tethering quit working and I couldn't get it to come back no matter what I did. So, I decided to just wipe it and upgrade to the latest "clean" iOS release.

I couldn't believe how much faster and more stable it was when I went back to the "blessed" Apple system. It was like a whole new phone.

So, YMMV but I'm not gonna jailbreak my phone again.
 
I bricked my 3GS trying to revert it to a previous OS.. so that I could do the same thing.. bricked it hard... Its still sitting on my desk as a paperweight. I've not tried to mod my new IP4 I got to replace it.. and will be turning on tethering/hotspot via apple..

truth is.. I just dont through-put that much data, so.. the new limited plans aren't really a loss for me.
 
Also using the "limited" 4GB data plan on mine and sharing it with tons of other folks when they're around. Haven't even come close to hitting the limit.

Kept my wife's on the grandfathered unlimited plan, just in case we ever felt the need to "swap". Haven't yet.

Two friends have jail broken their iPhone 4s, just to be able to do FaceTime on 3G. Some App from one of the alternate stores. It works. Kinda.

I don't bother with jail breaking. I did do the non-jailbreak hack to tether on the old iPhone 3G long ago, but that phone is long-gone and no need now for that hack.
 
Not sure about Verizon, but I recently read that AT&T is trying to crack down on unauthorized MiWi tetherers. They apparently sent out an email to suspected tetherers telling them they they would be auto enrolled in an AT&T tethering plan unless they voluntarily ceased tethering. I think that they can tell who is tethering by sniffing packets and comparing IP addresses.

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2011/03/att-tethering/
 
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buzzard86 said:
Not sure about Verizon, but I recently read that AT&T is trying to crack down on unauthorized MiWi tetherers. They apparently sent out an email to suspected tetherers telling them they they would be auto enrolled in an AT&T tethering plan unless they voluntarily ceased tethering. I think that they can tell who is tethering by sniffing packets and comparing IP addresses.

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2011/03/att-tethering/
Click to expand...

From what I've heard, they're actually just looking at usage, and accusing everyone who's using a lot of data of tethering - Even those who are getting those notices are just calling in and saying they use their device a lot and being told "Okay then."

Sniffing all the packets would require some hardware and software additions to all the cell sites, and that would cost more money than it'd be worth.

BTW, the way those systems work, both the phone and the tethered devices would be showing up as the same IP to the network, I think... I'd be really surprised if they weren't using NAT. So, you have to do deep-packet filtering to catch someone for sure, and again that costs more $$$ in hardware and software than they'd make back by forcing those people onto tethering plans.
 
I believe AT&T's setup is still 1:1 NAT (must be nice to have multiple Class-A's to waste!) such that you can also connect back to the phone from the Net side once you know its current IP address. Verizon, no. Proxied.

Or maybe I have those backwards. Can't remember. Had some friends doing VoIP stuff over tethering for a while. Worked fine... on one network.

Pretty sure everything is proxied on CDMA2000 and all the grafted on things on that network all the way to LTE.

Then, everything is NATed on GSM and all of it's grafted-on things up to HSPDA+ or whatever acronym they've reached in their lofty "4G" goals these days.

None of the networks are truly "CDMA" or "GSM" these days with all the franken-protocols.

Let's not even attempt to analyze SPRINT with their CDMA/WiMAX mess. We'll probably get a headache.

Hey, I just realized that Cellular tech is worse than the Frankenkota! (GRIN!)

Keeps Ericsson and Motorola busy, I guess... making new base-station gadgetry that has to be installed in every little podunk cellular cabinet every few miles... American Tower and others are always happy to sell more antenna space -- until the tower falls over. ;)

The real winner is Qualcomm. Patents run out, it'll be an interesting free-for-all someday, if the technology ever stops "evolving".
 
p.s. Most telcos are still using abacuses and pencils behind the scenes in their billing departments. ;) Okay, maybe mainframes...
 
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