[PiggyMiddle]

Just to reiterate, my tethering issues was found to be a problem with my data plan.

That may be so, but many other people are having the same issue *with* active data plans. There are at least three recent/current threads on this issue.

[michail71]

I have no tethering as I'm on a non-shared data plan on AT&T plan and get the issue. Although the past week or so has mostly been problem free. However, last night TXT/SMS started failing but data still worked. A reboot cleared it up.

Installing the new update now.

[pietroroman]

let us know if the new update solves this problem!

i look forward to be able to install 8.1 without having to lose my data connection...

[Prasun Banerjee]

Problem still persists even after the new update ... my solution still is to switch off data connection and switch it back on ... dont know why but still suspect its a carrier specific problem !!!

[PiggyMiddle]

my solution still is to switch off data connection and switch it back on ... dont know why but still suspect its a carrier specific problem !!!

Not sure I agree. Turning data on/off has nothing to do with the carrier. That is a totally an internal thing as with reboots etc. Providing the carrier signal is emitting from the tower that is all the carrier is concerned about. How that signal is deciphered and used is up to the phone. If the little "3G" or "4G" icon was going on and off then I may be convinced that there could be an issue with the carrier.

But - I have two phones, a Moto X and the 520 and and neither show that icon differently at any time. If there is an issue with the 3/4G then both phones will show it. I have seen that probably twice in the past six months and only for minutes duration even then.

Turning data off and on again probably resets the QoS process. It sounds like the same issue I have sometimes with the Moto X. Android is hopeless at QoS. I now have 4.4.3 and it is still no better, so I have to use the 520 for Tethering at home as wp8.0 is excellent at the QoS.

[Prasun Banerjee]

Been on roaming over the last 24 hours .. havent had a data connection drop yet ...

[Pondrew]

Problem came back for me after several lovely days without it after the most recent update :(

Very very strange. Don't understand why it was fine for a few days only to revert. If anything it seems worse today with toggling data on off having to be done twice or more before it starts working again

[PiggyMiddle]

Problem came back for me after several lovely days without it after the most recent update

Almost certainly a wp8.1 "feature," of working in the background even when background tasks are set to off. I suspect that setting only applies to non-msoft apps and the wp8.1 is hogging the data-bandwidth for it's own purposes. That would explain your several-day hiatus.

I am convinced that is the problem with Android Tethering as almost every time I had trouble it would shortly thereafter announce, "restart to install new updates." etc.

It's weird as Tethering (IMHO) is going to be the big thing in the coming months and years for data at home. I would have thought they would have given the Tethered QoS total precedence over all internal stuff. It appears to be that way with wp8.0 as it Tethers perfectly and my Android sits unloved and unused on the shelf. :)

[adzzzbatch]

I've seen some improvement since the last update, it's not cured, but at least data connection isn't being lost all the time.

[Pondrew]

I found the same adzzbatch (that the last updated improved greatly) however Tethering was impossible. Finally resolved today.

Unfortunately it looks like Three UK customers with Windows Phone 8.1 are being blocked. Three network team have promised that they'll add an exception to my account to enable it to work for me but will take two days.

More info here
Data Connection Issues

[tejedor1967]

Having the same problem in Spain with WP8.1 (updated) and Simyo as provider. I don't use too much tethering and I don't consider the problem is related to that. May be people thinks that because they find out the drop when trying to use tethering.

In my case I notice the problem with Whatsapp and Telegram but this is because I use them a lot so it's logical that I find the data drop when using that program.

My tests points to problems when you go from coverage to no-coverage and back to coverage areas or when changing from one cell to another. I'm not sure.

Anyway looks a software issue to me on the cell-radio part of the WP8.1.

My phone is Lumia 1020.

[michail71]

I had it happen once after the last update. But it doesn't do it as often. Usually my first clue is a text message that won't send.

This should be show stopper bug. So I'm surprised it hasn't been fixed in the past couple of updates.

[huppy]

Usually my first clue is a text message that won't send.

Text messages don't use the data connection

[Prasun Banerjee]

The problem's become a lot worse over the last few days ... Disconnecting atleast 3 to 5 times a day ... have to switch off data and then switch it on again ...

[huppy]

The problem's become a lot worse over the last few days ... Disconnecting atleast 3 to 5 times a day ... have to switch off data and then switch it on again ...

Me too, it got a bit better last week.

Qatar 4G Ooredoo network here. At first I thought it was the network being overloaded and dumping me off. Friends with iPhones though don't have the same thing happen to them.

So far I can spot nothing that causes it.

Sometimes switching data connection off then back on fixes it but sometimes it doesn't.

Seems strange that a software update should effect this when it worked fine before.

[adzzzbatch]

It seems to have gone back to how it was these last two days, constant data loss, after it had improved after the last update.

[brixpaul]

Mine seems better today.

[jfa1]

I haven't experienced data loss on 8.1 with my 920 or my new 1520. Could this possibly be a tower reception strength degraded signal strenfth issue? Just wondering.

[three_thoughts]

I am also having this problem on Three UK. I'm 99% sure that the issue is with carriers where tethering is not allowed in the contract.

The tether blocking system that they use detects the user agent string of the browser and uses that to decide if you are tethering or not. 2nd line support from Three confirmed this to me. If you search for "what is my user agent" you can see what it is and you will notice that it has changed from ie10 on wp8 to ie11 on wp8.1. So the tether block systems that the carriers use are detecting this and thinking that we are tethering and blocking the connection.

It's intermittent because the blocking system isn't very good and doesn't work properly all the time. Sometimes I get an error message that says something along the lines of "tethering isn't allowed" but most of the time I don't get redirected and just get "DNS error" or "the server is down" error.

So this isn't a fault with the OS or the firmware, so don't expect updates from MS or nokia to fix it. It's the responsibility of the carriers to fix this, they need to make the user agent string of ie11 exempt from the tether block system. I guess this is the down side to OS releases that are untested by carriers.

By the way I have used wp8.1 with both o2 and ee who don't block tethering with non problems.

[three_thoughts]

And by the way, Three already said they had taken the block off my account last week, but I'm still getting the same error. I don't mind so much that I don't have data at the moment (can use wifi at home and at work), but I want it to be sorted by the time I can get my hands on a 930 so I can use those 4g speeds!

[barneyboyhughes]

I'm having the same issues as above. I'm on 3 network. Constant loss of connection.

[three_thoughts]

I'm having the same issues as above. I'm on 3 network. Constant loss of connection.

Have you ever seen the SIM002 error message? It has a message something like "are you using your phone as a personal hotspot?". Can you access the Three website at times when the data connection is not working?

If so then it's certainly the same tethering issue and you should ring them up and tell 2nd line support. The more people who do, hopefully the quicker they will fix it for everyone rather than just putting exemptions against accounts on an individual basis. Also I'm not convinced that these exemptions they are saying they are putting on are actually doing anything other than temporarily fixing it.

[adzzzbatch]

I had that message for the first time yesterday and I never use tethering.

[awesomeindeed]

My 1520 does it as well on AT&T US. Happens several times a day, usually when I'm on WiFi for an extended period and then leave the WiFi area.

[jfa1]

let us know if the new update solves this problem!

i look forward to be able to install 8.1 without having to lose my data connection...

This issue does NOT affect everyone whose updated to WP8.1 DP!!