vB Easy Archive - Cingular 3125 and MEW1?

Pages: 1

Cingular 3125 and MEW1?
(Click here to view the original thread with full colors/images)

Posted by: Tyl3r

The cingular rep told me i HAD to change from MEW1 to the new $29.99 1000 msgs/ unlimited data and people on this forum informed me i was BS'ed so i called cingular and got it switched back to 1500txt/200mms/unlimited media net.
i just want to make sure its set up right because the rep said that the settings are diffrent and ill get charged for using the unlimited media net on IE. He said it was diffrent for smartphones.

These are what my settings are, i dont want to get charged per kb so someone please make sure these are right settings to be using for IE

GPRS Settings
# Connects From: The Internet
# Access Point: wap.cingular
# Username: WAP@CINGULARGPRS.COM
# Password: CINGULAR1
# Primary DNS: Blank
# Secondary DNS: Blank
# IP Address: Blank

Proxy Settings (APN Settings)

* Connects From: The Internet
* Connects To: WAP Network
Proxy: wireless.cingular.com:80
* Type: HTTP
* User name: Blank
* Password: Blank

Posted by: Tyl3r

Wirelessly posted (Cingular 3125: HTC-3100/1.2 Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 5.5; Windows CE; Smartphone; 240x320) UP.Link/6.3.0.0.0)

those settings work fine too but i want to be sure im not getting charged per kb. hofo could get very expensive

Posted by: Madcat455

bottom line is that normal MEDIA plans will work for Smartphones and PDA's... Cingular even admits this to thier employees.

They do also audit for people on the incorrect data plans, and will remove it (and add the PPU features back on)if they find out you're using that plan with a smartphone.

Now... will they ever find out.. who knows. You'll know when you get a huge bill.

Don't worry about the bill, CIngular will credit it back to you(because they caused that bill without telling you), but they will not put the MEDIA net plan back on.. you'll then have to go to a Smartphone connect plan... So take it as long as you can, just don't let it go more than a month when you get that huge bill IF they ever find out. Just play dumb when/if you ever get billed.

Good Luck.

Posted by: hylton

That's not correct. MEdiaNet packages are valid for smartphones, not for PDA (PPC Phone Edition) phones. If a rep is telling you different, they either don't know the right answer and are guessing, or they are trying to sell the higher plan. These plans have always been available, back to the SMT5600 and MPx220. They even specifically list the SMT5600 as a compliant phone.

Everything from the $5 (low KB) MEdiaNet package up to the $19.99 unlimited plan (MediaMax 200 or Smartphone Connect Unlimited) are valid on a smartphone. There are a couple of plans over $19.99 that are valid too, but unnecessary unless you want the extra features and/or SMS messages that are included at those prices.

The settings you have are correct for all MediaNet packages and Smartphone Connect. WAP.CINGULAR is for phones and smartphones, ISP.CINGULAR is for PDA/PPC devices.

You were right to call and get it switched back, the rep you spoke with was wrong (accidentally or deliberately).

As far as charges, you just need to make sure you don't still have PPU on your account, even w/ the unlimited plans, you would still get hit w/ huge data charges. This happens to folks all the time, and CS will happily correct it if you call and point it out, it's a common mistake made when a plan is changed, they forget to make sure PPU is removed when they setup the new plan.

If they happen to determine someday that you are 'tethering' to a laptop or PDA using a medianet or smartphone data plan, their legal contract mumbo-jumbo does reserve the right to drop you from your data plan, but nothing states that they can charge you, only drop you. To date, nobody, nowhere that I've read, has been dropped or charged. Everyone that reports ridicuously high data charges had a PPU issue on their account.

Chris

Posted by: Madcat455

Correction... "USED to not be correct".. the media net worked before the advent of the "Smartphone connect" plans. Cingular has effectivly (and literally) worded that out.

We all know that features are not contracted (thanks to the 7-7-7 thing) and can be changed at anytime regardless of how long you've had what you have.

Now that Cingular has ACTUAL smartphone connect plans, you may(I didn't say WOULD.. it's not a definate) be caught, removed, and charged the PPU causing you to call Billing where they will be happy to correct the problem for you

and put you on the correct SMARTphone conncet plan. This is from first hand experience... happened to many customers.. Cingular's, and even ATTWS did this years ago. (to me with my MPX200).

That was their whole reasoning behing creating the smartphone plans... and CSP confirmes that Media Net is now incorrect for anything other than a regular phone.. regardless of what ISP it's set up for.

I stand by my original statement.... Be careful.

EDIT: just found in CSP where it specifically states that there are no plans "YET" to forcebly migrate people from old media net plans to the newer smartphone plans. (that doesn't jive with what's been happening to our customers on the old plan though, they've been switching customers for years now)

NOW.. this was written when the Smartphone BUNDLES were not made yet, so that may have changed.. hence the new tactic forcing you to switch. But even that statement said that if you wanted to change (read go higher or lower than your current media net plan) that you would be "transitioned" to the new smartphone plans (again.. this was before the bundles), either 9.99 for 5 megs or 19.99 for unlimited.

Posted by: Tyl3r

Wirelessly posted (Cingular 3125: HTC-3100/1.2 Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 5.5; Windows CE; Smartphone; 240x320) UP.Link/6.3.0.0.0)

k thanks everyone. i got it switched to mew1 and hopefully wont have a huge bill

Posted by: SoberGuy

My point of contention with this is what happens when I swap my SIM to a non-PDA device? I simply have no internet access. No ability to check football scores, no email, no instant messenger, nothing. I have spoken to CS about this everytime they ask why I have MediaNet and a PDA device. It stops them from changing it, but I haven't seen anything offered as far as a solution to this yet. Every Friday I swap my SIM and use a "regular" phone, until Monday morning, when I pop it back into my 8125. Personally, I don't have a problem paying more for the data, but I want it to work with both devices.

Posted by: hylton

Unless we are confusing the plans, between old MEdia Works stuff, the second generation MEdiaNet Unlimited (also 19.99, which is what i have), and the current MEdiaMax and Smartphone Connect, then I'm still confused, and don't get me wrong, I'm not arguing the point and didn't intend my 'not correct' statement to come across as argumentative.

Smartphone Connect didn't exist back w/ the MPx200, MPx220, SMT5600, only the early MEdia Works stuff, then the MEdiaNet stuff came out...so there was no Smartphone Connect plan to 'switch anybody to' when they were discovered.

It may be SOP and a documented policy to put people on Smartphone Connect...but there are zillions (ok, maybe not zillions) of people w/ WM2003SE and WM5 smartphones that have MEdiaNet Unlimited because that was all that was there until recently (meaning part of the way thru the life of the 2125, Smartphone Connect came out).

So, I still stand by the fact that tons of people have it, right, wrong, or indifferent. I started with an SMT, only thing 'unlimited' at the time was MEdiaNet Unlimited, got it, I had TONS and TONS of PPU issues out of the box w/ the unlimited plan, and at no time when I called was I ever told I was suppose to have Smartphone Connect, and that includes even after it existed. My PPU issues occurred before Smartphone Connect and after Smartphone Connect.

When I purchased my 3125, I specifically asked if I needed to be switched to Smartphone Connect...both 800 CS and the store rep told me that any of the following were valid and asked me which I wanted...MEdiaNet Unlimited, MEdiaMax 200, or Smartphone Connect...all are 19.99.

Maybe they are all confused b/c they are the same price and the system lets you override anything and everything, I dont' know. I'm only going on what I've been told, I understand if there is a policy not to do what I'm hearing from reps...but if that's the case, they need to get their act together.

Chris

Posted by: Madcat455

Chris... I didn't think you were being argumentative.. this whole topic is like a Cingular black hole... Partially because they haven't had a clear cut policy until late... and the policy they had wasn't enforced, therefore not communicated to their reps.

To top all that off, their means of communication (CSP) is really bogus.. I'd say that 10% actually read it, 50-75% just hit "Submit" without ever reading it, and the rest just let it accumulate... I had a rep at our old store who had "required readings" as old as 2004 (this was last july..lol).

Basically... the OLD Media basic and works were fine for smartphones... Not supposed to be, but Cingular allowed it as they didn't have a bundled option for those users. (originally smartphone users were required to get the PDA 39.99 unlimited plan)

Then, they came out with the NEW Media plans (basic, works, max 200 & 1000)... That's when they started getting Picky about smartphones.. but still didn't push the issue.. Until they released the Smartphone connect plans... specificially for smartphones. Basically it's the exact same thing as the Media Max 1000, but just coded for smartphones... Got me as to why, but it just is.

I agree... for a communications Company, they sure don't communicate anything to it's empoyees very well. And no clear cut published process as to what will happen when auditing catches violations.

Funny thing is.. this isn't with just Cingular... ATTWS was the same way.. I rember fielding questions like this when the SX56 PDA was released.

Posted by: hylton

OK, that's where I'm definitely confused...when you talk about the old Media Basic and Media Works, isn't that before MEdiaNet Unlimited came out?

Just a couple weeks back (now the site has totally changed and reflects what you are saying) you could still see the 'approved phones' for the 19.99 MEdiaNet Unlimited. The SMT5600 was one of them. PDA Connect, that I'm aware of, was never required for a smartphone. They always allowed the $20 and up plans to be applied to a smartphone. PDA connect was only required for PPC Phones, smartphones were in their own category and Cingular marketing material for MEdiaNet backed this up w/ the 19.99 Unlimited showing the SMT5600.

I guess it's a moot point now that everything has changed in the last couple of days. The website and data plans have obviously moved in the direction you are stating, and for me at least, it doesn't matter. I don't use SMS, so Smartphone Connect or MEdiaNet Unlimited are fine for me.

I agree though, their communication and policy on this has been at best confusing and has led to a TON of unnecessary discussion and confusion in the user community.

Chris