No data access on ATT prepaid but my plan has data

No data access on ATT prepaid but my plan has data - Printable Version

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No data access on ATT prepaid but my plan has data - dc2daylight - 11-17-2021

Not sure if this has been answered elsewhere (forum search feature kind of weak), but I'm using the PinePhone with default manjaro distro, just loaded the latest updates. My plan is AT&T prepaid, $30/month which includes 5GB of data. Phone and SMS seem to be working but when attempting to use data, for example with Angelfish browser, it keeps redirecting to ATT site saying my plan has no data. That site will actually allow me to log in, it shows I still have 5GB available.

I wonder if it's some simple configuration thing that is different on ATT prepaid? Or is ATT prepaid blocking this specific device from their data network, if so can I spoof some acceptable device?

Should I switch to a different distro?

Thanks for any insights.

RE: No data access on ATT prepaid but my plan has data - mikehenson - 11-18-2021

For my USA AT&T virtual provider, I had to set the wireless settings to: LINK

Code:
Name NXTGENPHONE

APN NXTGENPHONE

OS: Arch Linux Arm with Phosh

RE: No data access on ATT prepaid but my plan has data - dc2daylight - 02-19-2022

(11-18-2021, 11:44 AM)mikehenson Wrote: For my USA AT&T virtual provider, I had to set the wireless settings to: LINK

Code:
Name NXTGENPHONE APN NXTGENPHONE

OS: Arch Linux Arm with Phosh

Finally got around to trying this and it worked like a charm, thanks for the info!

RE: No data access on ATT prepaid but my plan has data - dc2daylight - 03-24-2022

(02-19-2022, 07:53 AM)dc2daylight Wrote:
(11-18-2021, 11:44 AM)mikehenson Wrote: For my USA AT&T virtual provider, I had to set the wireless settings to: LINK

Code:
Name NXTGENPHONE APN NXTGENPHONE

OS: Arch Linux Arm with Phosh

Finally got around to trying this and it worked like a charm, thanks for the info!

"charm" being relative - from a Terminal window I can ping att.com, so I know it's creating the network device and putting it online, but I can't ping any other public site, and I get nowhere with either Chrome or Firefox. I know my prepaid account is good because if I put the SIM in the crappy flip-phone ATT sent me during the 3G sunset, it has a browser that works.

So it's either something about my pmOS setup, or possibly that I'm using the "real" IMEI for the handset and ATT is blocking it as an unsupported device. But why would it allow me to ping att.com?

I also tried some other APN, like PHONE and so on, no difference.

Thanks

RE: No data access on ATT prepaid but my plan has data - mikehenson - 03-25-2022

(03-24-2022, 08:36 AM)dc2daylight Wrote: "charm" being relative - from a Terminal window I can ping att.com, so I know it's creating the network device and putting it online, but I can't ping any other public site, and I get nowhere with either Chrome or Firefox. I know my prepaid account is good because if I put the SIM in the crappy flip-phone ATT sent me during the 3G sunset, it has a browser that works.

So it's either something about my pmOS setup, or possibly that I'm using the "real" IMEI for the handset and ATT is blocking it as an unsupported device. But why would it allow me to ping att.com?

I also tried some other APN, like PHONE and so on, no difference.

Thanks

Sorry,
I can not longer help with AT&T. I am now using Patriot Mobile with a T-Mobile SIM card.

ON (Feb 07, 2022)
USA - Faith Wireless a virtual AT&T provider kicked my PinePhone off their network.

Here is the message I got from the Faith Wireless technician

I have some bad news. Your device came up registered as a Mobile Broadband Device when the Registered IMEI was updated. We do not service Mobile Broadband Devices. The reason you were able to have service before is AT&T had not previously been policing their networks. With the impending 3G Sunset they've begun doing that and you won't be able to use this device with us anymore. You may put your SIM card into another compatible device if you want to continue with us.

RE: No data access on ATT prepaid but my plan has data - Zebulon Walton - 03-25-2022

(03-25-2022, 08:01 AM)mikehenson Wrote: I have some bad news. Your device came up registered as a Mobile Broadband Device when the Registered IMEI was updated. We do not service Mobile Broadband Devices. The reason you were able to have service before is AT&T had not previously been policing their networks. With the impending 3G Sunset they've begun doing that and you won't be able to use this device with us anymore. You may put your SIM card into another compatible device if you want to continue with us.

The solution to that is to change the IMEI of the Pinephone modem to that of a whitelisted device. Of course you don't want it to be someone else's IMEI, so if you do not have a suitable device on-hand you can pick up a cheap Alcatel flip phone or maybe a used Android phone that is on the list, harvest its IMEI, and just put it in a drawer somewhere. That way you know that the IMEI is not someone else's and will not appear as a duplicate on the network. (Legal issues may apply depending on your jurisdiction.)

RE: No data access on ATT prepaid but my plan has data - dc2daylight - 04-03-2022

(03-25-2022, 08:15 AM)Zebulon Walton Wrote:
(03-25-2022, 08:01 AM)mikehenson Wrote: I have some bad news. Your device came up registered as a Mobile Broadband Device when the Registered IMEI was updated. We do not service Mobile Broadband Devices. The reason you were able to have service before is AT&T had not previously been policing their networks. With the impending 3G Sunset they've begun doing that and you won't be able to use this device with us anymore. You may put your SIM card into another compatible device if you want to continue with us.

The solution to that is to change the IMEI of the Pinephone modem to that of a whitelisted device. Of course you don't want it to be someone else's IMEI, so if you do not have a suitable device on-hand you can pick up a cheap Alcatel flip phone or maybe a used Android phone that is on the list, harvest its IMEI, and just put it in a drawer somewhere. That way you know that the IMEI is not someone else's and will not appear as a duplicate on the network. (Legal issues may apply depending on your jurisdiction.)

Turns out I was already doing what Zebulon suggested - during the 3G sunset, The Esteemed Carrier sent me a free flip phone (which does work with data on the same pre-paid plan). So (shh) I'm using that IMEI, though I get the same results with the Pine's hardware IMEI.

Digging into it a bit more, I compared the output of the ip a command for wwan0 (the LTE modem) and wlan0 (WiFi to my home router); the key difference I believe is that the modem shows POINTTOPOINT where the WiFi shows BROADCAST. Almost like the LTE modem wants to set up a PPP connection or something.

Perhaps this belongs in a different forum, but in postmarketOS/phosh, where can I find/edit the configuration that's controlled by turning mobile data on under Settings->Mobile Network->Mobile Data?

Thanks!