Q: Unknown data usage early morning

Maybe the law suit filed on Monday against AT&T will motivate some action. I am checking my useage and find even now large data use at shortly after midnight! No way this is right. I have wi fi in next room and my iPad working fine (thankfully) not using 3G since I won't purchase the service. Too many of us have this problem. Expecting each person to call and hassle with AT&T is unacceptable. I know many many more have this issue and don't know it yet. How do we get this fixed. Articles in NYTimes, WallSt Journal, loads of messages here...and still no help or word on this from apple or AT&T ...? Painfully I am about to give up my iPhone over this.

After you give up your iPhone what will you get? All smartphones have this problem.

Well I may just rerun to an old "cell phone". My iPad gives me everything I want with wifi and no monthly charges. I can save enough in no time to wean my husband off it and buy him an iPad. Phones will be for phoning. Wild idea but my old phone cost $15. Per month each. Now paying about $140.! Doesn't take long to do the math. I'd rather have this problem fixed, but I have watched this dialogue since last summer with no action or even admission of an issue from AT&T or Apple.

maven have you read at least 10 pages in this thread?

Absolutely...looking for everything that might show a dim light of hope. Have also read all the related news articles, and latest case filing. Why do you ask?

Apple iPhone: Phantom Data Outstrips Bandwidth Supply?
http://www.nojitter.com/blog/229201099

Thanks for the link. I really don't understand why we don't have more discussion of this on this site. I cannot believe there aren't more upset about major data usage (outgoing) when we, in fact are not using it. Together we could help one another solve this mystery. I am on track to use as much this month as last at least (39,000kb)! I watch no films, play no games, etc. I do open a couple news sites from time to time and check the weather, but since Christmas I do most of that on the ipad. And I am always at home where I have wifi. Still looking for the techy detective out there.

reading maven wrote:
Thanks for the link. I really don't understand why we don't have more discussion of this on this site.

There are almost 1200 messages in this thread. Everything that can be said HAS been said, dozens or sometimes hundreds of times. How much more discussion do you think there should be? Can you think of anything to say that hasn't been said already?

Bingo. I know we all have our own theories on this forum, but I think JES42 nailed it. I believe this is an AT&T billing issue that is only happening to certain customers. The last time I talked to customer service representatives --which, quick piece of advice again: I always had the best luck calling Apple, getting to 2nd level service there, and had them call the higher level service over at AT&T. Never got beyond the lower level service when calling AT&T directly.

Anyway, last time I had the customer service reps from both Apple and AT&T on the phone, the AT&T guy DID admit that their technical department was aware of this problem, but didn't know why it was only affecting some customers. Maybe me pushing to that point got my name in the queue to solve the problem for me personally, because as I've reported in this forum before, my problems went away around the time I had this conversation and upgraded to iOS 4.2.1. I can't be sure which of those actions actually led to the solution, but I'm 23 days into my billing cycle and have only used 75 MB data. Yay normalcy!

I guess if they don't have a systematic way to determine who is affected, they can't figure out how to implement a more general fix? The whole thing still stinks, of course, and I know I'm one of the lucky ones at this point. I'd be curious if someone who is still having the issue were to get pushy with 2nd level AT&T customer service, and ask specifically to have the "maintenance bandwidth" fixed, whether that would work.

Message was edited by: magreen17

iOS 4.2.1 was more than likely to resolve your issue not the speech from AT&T because it contradicts the response AT&T made to the FCC.

I agree with you the whole thing stinks.

What say other users---- have you called AT&T and said the magic words, "Maintenance Bandwidth" needs fixing?

Wouldn't that be a hoot if it works (gets fixed) globally?

I'll make a jump over to the International end and take a peek.

@magreen17

Agree with you. The work order for my problem on both phones on our account was issued and over the course of a couple of days, I was contacted by the service rep. who was handling the problem. Yes, the work order was completed and my problem went away. I still see occasional 50 - 100kb "phone" data charges but because neither my wife or I get anywhere close to our 200mb limit, I've quit worrying about it. On the other hand, after reading a few of the updates here I've considered going into my AT&T account and reviewing data usage again. I think I will go to MediaNet/Internet and copy and paste the data into Text Editor and print the page. Next step is to go to the section showing my text messages and doing the same thing. That way I will have a side by side comparison to work with and eliminate the data charges that match up time wise. Anything that doesn't match up will then be "maintenance bandwidth" and give me reason to get back on the phone with AT&T. Being 68 and long since retired, you can bet I am NOT up in the wee hours of the morning texting anyone!!

I suspect that because the work order that was issued on my behalf (and the paper I had all the names and work order number written on is long since gone) it was treated as if it was only for my account rather than making it a "global" change. Anyone have the time to get with Apple Customer Service and ask for second level help? The name to ask for is Rasheed. If you get to him, relate my story from my earlier entry and ask him to get in touch with "James" at AT&T again. I know it is a long shot but worth attempting since the dates of my entries should get them close.

By the way, if you were to turn the phone off at night, power it down, the early morning data dumps will not occur. I suspect, though, that they will be made up once it is turned back on.

Good luck, will keep watching this.

AT&T does contribute to some of the problems but not the phantom data part. Every networking device has overhead, there is just nothing they can do to fix that. These devices will randomly send out broadcast messages but I think the problem is that AT&T will round them up to 1K even if each of these message is less. When packets get lost they will be retransmitted and this will also cause overhead. That second part is actually how the Internet protocol is designed for years, AT&T is not the authority to fix that.

The biggest problem is confusion.
1. AT&T does not record the actual usage at the time you use data. It will wait until that data session is over then report it as one sum. This normally happen when the user shut the phone down (closing the browser) after 1 week of use. If they do that at night, the bill will report that sum at night.
2. AT&T reports incoming and outgoing data as just Data. There is no way to tell if they are incoming or outgoing. My online account shows them all as Sent.

I believe they should (i dont know how) make it so that the bill correctly reflects outgoing and incoming data. They also need to stop reporting the data usage as one lump sum. But that will cause a very very long bill of thousand of pages. I think they should have the user agree that they will not get a paper bill if they want the data plan

Despite common beliefs, AT&T cannot tell which feature is generating traffic.

Message was edited by: VinUnleaded

Hallo people! You are not alone. And the problem is not (only) caused by mobile operator.

I am from Russia. Me (IPhone 4) and my wife (IPhone 3GS) have the same problems as you. We have latest iOS 4. Fortunately, there is no so much traffic, but it is. But we have not unlimited plans, so the traffic and money losing is noticeable. I have no mail accounts, I have turned PUSH off, Find my phone off, turned NOTICES off, all updates are manual, no programs running. But... In the same periods, shedulled, for example:

05.01.2011 0:35:56 +03:00 internet.mts.ru gprs 62Kb 0,6910
05.01.2011 1:36:02 +03:00 internet.mts.ru gprs 60Kb 0,6910
05.01.2011 2:36:08 +03:00 internet.mts.ru gprs 64Kb 0,6910
05.01.2011 3:36:13 +03:00 internet.mts.ru gprs 48Kb 0,6910
05.01.2011 4:36:19 +03:00 internet.mts.ru gprs 42Kb 0,6910
05.01.2011 5:36:24 +03:00 internet.mts.ru gprs 42Kb 0,6910
05.01.2011 6:36:30 +03:00 internet.mts.ru gprs 35Kb 0,6910
05.01.2011 7:36:35 +03:00 internet.mts.ru gprs 43Kb 0,6910
05.01.2011 8:36:40 +03:00 internet.mts.ru gprs 42Kb 0,6910
05.01.2011 9:36:45 +03:00 internet.mts.ru gprs 36Kb 0,6910
05.01.2011 10:36:51 +03:00 internet.mts.ru gprs 42Kb 0,6910
05.01.2011 11:36:57 +03:00 internet.mts.ru gprs 42Kb 0,691

or

20.01.2011 23:24:44 +03:00 internet.mts.ru HSDPA(3G) 51Kb 0,6910
21.01.2011 0:24:49 +03:00 internet.mts.ru HSDPA(3G) 36Kb 0,6910
21.01.2011 1:24:54 +03:00 internet.mts.ru HSDPA(3G) 43Kb 0,6910
21.01.2011 2:24:59 +03:00 internet.mts.ru HSDPA(3G) 42Kb 0,6910
21.01.2011 3:25:04 +03:00 internet.mts.ru HSDPA(3G) 29Kb 0,6910
21.01.2011 4:25:09 +03:00 internet.mts.ru HSDPA(3G) 42Kb 0,6910
21.01.2011 5:25:14 +03:00 internet.mts.ru HSDPA(3G) 37Kb 0,6910
21.01.2011 6:25:20 +03:00 internet.mts.ru HSDPA(3G) 42Kb 0,6910
21.01.2011 7:25:25 +03:00 internet.mts.ru HSDPA(3G) 42Kb 0,6910
21.01.2011 8:25:30 +03:00 internet.mts.ru HSDPA(3G) 43Kb 0,6910
21.01.2011 9:25:35 +03:00 internet.mts.ru HSDPA(3G) 37Kb 0,6910
21.01.2011 10:25:41 +03:00 internet.mts.ru HSDPA(3G) 43Kb 0,6910
21.01.2011 10:35:06 +03:00 internet.mts.ru HSDPA(3G) 14Kb 0,6910

I also have Wi-fi at home, and phone does not use it, it uses 3G This is terrible! In present time I have no solution for this problem except to turn off the "Cellular data transfer", so I have no mobile internet:-( But also no traffic.

I think this is only Apple bug, or not a bug, but special option...

mamushka!

Dance!!

Maybe iMap issue too?

http://www.withinwindows.com/2011/02/02/yahoo-your-buggy-imap-server-affects-iph one-too-thanks-for-playing-though/

(Pay attention to the replies on this post above)

After you seek out the solution, you too will be dancing the Mamushka!

Also I noticed that phone goes to internet during the syncronization. Although my computer is connected to Internet via wi-fi, and phone is connected too.