What features did ATT Lock on 1020?

[whatup12]

Can we list features that ATT locked down on the 1020 being sold by them and through MSFT? Can you also post potential solution or consequences of the lock down if they exist?

For example, it seems internet sharing is locked down. Question: Does this follow the phone or the sim card? Ie, if you buy a phone from the UK, will this still be locked down when you put ATT sim in it? It also seems that there is a work around having to do with Spanish keyboard--but doesn't seem very stable.

Please contribute! It will help a fellow windows phone fan to make the decision whether to buy here or wait until I go to UK next month.

 

[LastBattle]

No data sense, no Wi-Fi Tethering, no ability to select max connectivity speed 2G/3G/4G.

Other than that I don't see a difference between this and my unlocked 920/925.


I bought my 1020 from Negri Electronics, so its unlocked out of the box. I heard that websites does offer them too.

 

[troylytle]

The unlocked comes with no carrier specifics. Just branded.

 

[flyinion]

No data sense, no Wi-Fi Tethering, no ability to select max connectivity speed 2G/3G/4G.

Other than that I don't see a difference between this and my unlocked 920/925.


I bought my 1020 from Negri Electronics, so its unlocked out of the box. I heard that websites does offer them too.

Do you know, will it do wi-fi tethering if you have a data plan that allows it? Or is it that the device is incapable of doing it period? I just bought a wi-fi only tablet assuming that when I upgraded to a 1020 that I'd be able to tether to it when using the appropriate data plan.

 

[LastBattle]

I am using it in Singapore with the carrier Singtel.
Not too sure on that, it says to contact ATT whenever I access tethering. Maybe changing my country to something that's not US might fix it.

I have not tried that so far.

 

[sym1a1a]

yes, the 1020 DOES do WI FI tethering, if your data package allows it, I use my tablet on it almost every day

 

[sym1a1a]

Do you know, will it do wi-fi tethering if you have a data plan that allows it? Or is it that the device is incapable of doing it period? I just bought a wi-fi only tablet assuming that when I upgraded to a 1020 that I'd be able to tether to it when using the appropriate data plan.

also my understanding is that if you enter the code ##3282# into phone it will bring up the option to set your connection speed manually, NOTE: i haven't tried this so do so at your own risk, its just something i picked up here in the forums

 

[whatup12]

Hi all--this is the question that I am always stuck with:
1) If I buy the ATT one and unlock it and use it on other networks, will wifi tethering be locked.
It sounds like the answer is yes.
2) If I buy the 1020 in the UK that would be unlocked and then bring it back to use on ATT, will tethering be locked?
In other words, does the locking follow the sim or the phone?
3) Is it worth me spending $250-300 more on the phone in the UK for this feature?

Thanks!

 

[whatup12]

Hi LastBattle,

To confirm: you bought the phone in the US at full price from Negri Electronics, unlocked it, put in Singtel sim card and tethering still blocked?

Is this ATT branded?

thanks!

 

[LastBattle]

Hi LastBattle,

To confirm: you bought the phone in the US at full price from Negri Electronics, unlocked it, put in Singtel sim card and tethering still blocked?

Is this ATT branded?

thanks!

Yes. AT&T blocked.

I'll try changing the country later, and let you know if the tethering is available.

 

[whatup12]

Yes. AT&T blocked.

I'll try changing the country later, and let you know if the tethering is available.

Thank you! At least with my focus, generally when I put in a different sim in on this unlocked phone, it would allow tethering. But really want to be able to tether on my new phone when on other sim card that allows it so may have to pay a premium in the UK or elsewhere. What do you think about buying phone in the UK--will it allow tethering if on ATT sim?

 

[strikeIII]

Tethering is ONLY available if your plan allows it. It's not that AT&T locked the feature out of the device they just control access to it when using their network. WP8 is not like Android devices where you can root the device and bypass the tethering provision.

 

[whatup12]

Tethering is ONLY available if your plan allows it. It is not locked down by AT&T or any other carrier. It's controled by your plan. WP8 is not like Android devices where you can root the device and bypass the tehtering provision.

Thanks and really helpful. But if this was totally the case, shouldn't the above scenario of a phone bought from Negri Electronics (ie unlocked ATT phone), used with different sim card that has plan that allows tethering work for tethering? Instead, it gives the 611 error. People are reporting the same for using the phone on T-Mobile where the plans allow tethering but have to do fancy run arounds where they change settings, install different language keyboards, etc to make this work? I have had the same scenario even with my focus where I use it with sims that allow tethering and still it doesn't work.

I am not sure, at all, about how this works--and am just trying to work backwards from what people are reporting. From what you are saying, if I buy the phone in the UK unlocked but from a carrier that allows tethering and bring back the phone--tethering will still be blocked?

Thanks!!
stef

 

[antiochian2010]

In my area or possibly with my phone, WiFi tethering will not work on LTE but will work on 3G/4G.

I have to use the ##3282# method above to turn off LTE, and once I do, tethering works flawlessly. To get LTE back though I have to reboot the device. If I try to change back using field test, it kills my phone calls until reboot.

 

[strikeIII]

Thanks and really helpful. But if this was totally the case, shouldn't the above scenario of a phone bought from Negri Electronics (ie unlocked ATT phone), used with different sim card that has plan that allows tethering work for tethering? Instead, it gives the 611 error. People are reporting the same for using the phone on T-Mobile where the plans allow tethering but have to do fancy run arounds where they change settings, install different language keyboards, etc to make this work? I have had the same scenario even with my focus where I use it with sims that allow tethering and still it doesn't work.

I am not sure, at all, about how this works--and am just trying to work backwards from what people are reporting. From what you are saying, if I buy the phone in the UK unlocked but from a carrier that allows tethering and bring back the phone--tethering will still be blocked?

Thanks!!
stef

One thing you have to keep in mind is that buying an unlocked phone doesn't neccesarily mean it will work with any carrier out the box. You will still need to configure the APN settings properly to get all the network services to work properly. This is probably why some things work and don't work on different carrier SIM cards. As far as what those proper settings can be found with a google search. And I'm not 100% familiar with the way WP8 works with changing APN settings as I'm used to doing this on Android devices.

 

[whatup12]

One thing you have to keep in mind is that buying an unlocked phone doesn't neccesarily mean it will work with any carrier out the box. You will still need to configure the APN settings properly to get all the network services to work properly. This is probably why some things work and don't work on different carrier SIM cards. As far as what those proper settings can be found with a google search. And I'm not 100% familiar with the way WP8 works with changing APN settings as I'm used to doing this on Android devices.

Hi and thanks!! I hear your advice--ie that buying an unlocked phone at a $300 premium may not help me ultimately. Thanks!

 

[whatup12]

In my area or possibly with my phone, WiFi tethering will not work on LTE but will work on 3G/4G.

I have to use the ##3282# method above to turn off LTE, and once I do, tethering works flawlessly. To get LTE back though I have to reboot the device. If I try to change back using field test, it kills my phone calls until reboot.

Hi Antiochian--thanks and watched your youtube video a few days ago...really helpful!

 

[blackhawk556]

tethering is available so I dont know what the OP is talking about. Data sense is the feature I want to the most. Those bastards.

 

[flyinion]

yes, the 1020 DOES do WI FI tethering, if your data package allows it, I use my tablet on it almost every day

Tethering is ONLY available if your plan allows it. It's not that AT&T locked the feature out of the device they just control access to it when using their network. WP8 is not like Android devices where you can root the device and bypass the tethering provision.

Thanks guys that's what I figured. Phew, 1020 is still at the top of my list then.

 

[kabel_mk]

After reading all of this things about the tethering, i'm still confused. It seems to me that AT&T branded L1020 has purposely messed up tethering by AT&T. I have Nexus 4 too with the same APN as my Lumia 1020 and the tethering on my Nexus 4 works without any problem (the Nexus 4 is bone stock, nothing modded) on any supported network. I'm not sure how ATT knows that tethering is being turned ON if it is not a function of the software/firmware that pops that error message (on Android there is a small daemon that runs in background and first thing people remove after they root)? The towers can't tell the phone "Oh, you have not payed for tethering plan, so next time better luck buddy" (or at least not yet). It has to be the firmware that is blocking the tethering, so if this is true it could explain why we are seeing this erratic behavior of the ATT L1020 tethering when different sim card is used (assuming sim unlocked). It seems to that AT&T is to blame for messing up (blocking) the tethering, since tethering should work with a different sim card. But it could be a bug on Nokia/Microsoft side.