It’s my goddamn motherfucking mobile data and MY PHONE. I should be able to use it however I want. My wifi went down because the greedy, cunt-faced shitbags at Comcast stole taxpayer subsidies to enrich themselves instead of actually providing the service we’re paying for. I tried to switch to a mobile hotspot and my phone refuses to open one. Everyone responsible for this shit should be fed to alligators locked away in a fucking gulag. We have no rights and live in a corporate plutocracy.
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They detect lower than usual TTL of packets coming from your mobile device when it routes packets during tethering. They might also set TTL to 1 to packets going from internet to your mobile, so they get dropped instead of being forwarded further. You would need to plug the SIM card into your own modem+router combo with TTL modification rules in place to avoid detection. But then they might just block your modem by checking IMEI…
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Is that actually it? So could software be written to just +1 TTL on incoming and -1 on outgoing packets and then problem solved?
You would need pretty low level access so that comes around to custom rom again…
You can spoof MACs so couldn’t you spoof a IMEI as well? Theoretically speaking, not on your bog standard $2 ISP modem
Yes, I don’t know all the solutions but one would be using iptables in linux and mangling the packets to adjust ttl, “normal” ttl can vary by carrier though, and with many phones there is an extra hop to account for as the phone is a router. You should be able to tell from a ping or trace route whats “normal”, but nowadays with carrier grade nat, I think it gets messed up sometimes.
You can spoof inei information, but it appears difficult r/privacy thread on the topic.
That is a very old thread, I bet things are different than they were 8 years ago
That’s some bullshit right there. Can you get around this with a custom rom?
“Yes but actually no.” If they can get a custom ROM flashed, yes. But it’s very likely everything is just locked down, so it’s not an option.
EDIT: According to the other comments even that might not help. YMMV
Someone gave a great workaround though - use an app that creates a local proxy available through legacy Wi-Fi Direct
Very likely. Even an unlocked phone without carrier bloatware is likely to work - f-droid might even have something to do it without rooting, or even something to access hidden settings and disable whatever bloatware or setting is blocking it
Back in college, we would use a hotspot on someone’s phone (with mobile data off) as a WiFi router to play LAN games.
I just checked my Pixel 6a and it doesn’t let me do that.
Thank you, smooth-brained developers at Google. I love not being able to do what I want with my purchased device.
That’s not Google pushing that message. That’s your mobile service provider.
It’s Google.
I think there’s a misunderstanding. I was trying to convey in my previous comment that Google does not allow me to create a hotspot with my mobile data turned off.
I put my SIM in my backup phone, a OnePlus Nord N10, to prove it to you. I can create a hotspot with my mobile data turned off on it.
I can’t do so on my Pixel 6a.
EDIT: Apparently it’s working for others on Pixels. See this comment further below in the chain. Not sure why its disabled for me.
Did you buy your Pixel directly from Google? If you got it from your cell carrier, they probably have the option to lock certain settings. I have a Pixel 5a from Google and I can tether all I want.
Bought from the Google Store. Running Android 13.
Which Android version are you on? And just to confirm, you’re trying tethering with your mobile data off, right?
I’m on 13. I just turned off mobile data and I am able to turn on the hotspot.
Interesting. I’m not sure why it’s disabled for me then.