freakylocz14

I just recently moved into a dorm room at my new college. I chose not to use the school's network because they monitor your usage to check for things like illegal file sharing. I am using my phone (HTC Evo 4G for Sprint) to tether 3G/4G wireless broadband service to my PC in my dorm in order to forgo the above mentioned violations of my privacy. Can my school still see what I am doing online?

xSidx1337x

If you are worried that your school will see the large amounts of pornography you download, then simply do not download it.

xSteven

Which isn't illegal, so who cares?

excelblue

Uhm, it's in violation of Sprint policies to do the above also.

Your school usually monitors you as much as any other ISP would. That is, whiel they record the activity, they take no action unless there's a third-party complaint.

Because cell phone connections are encrypted, your school will not be able to see what you do online usign your cell phone. However, given the status quo, I'd be much more concerned about Sprint knowing what you're doing rather than your school.

Or, the easiest solution, if you really have stuff to hide: get a private VPN account. They run $5-$10/mo and have privacy guarantees. You still get to take advantage of the high speed and reliability of your school's connection; or, for that matter, any connection. They're actaully mainly intended for people in oppressive contries, like China.

user_007

Your ISP (whether mobile or landline based) can and always has been able to monitor you internet usage just like you are worried about your school doing...so what's the difference?

freakylocz14

I've never had issues with Sprint and I've been doing the same things I do now. My school on the other hand, has been actively campaigning to new student's about their invasive practices on internet monitoring. I also never had problems with my old AT&T DSL services.

I'll look into a VPN though.

P.S.
Successful troll is successful. Porn isn't illegal so even if I was downloading it, I have nothing to worry about.

hebrewhammer

you could also spend the money you'd be spending on sprint to actually pay for the **** you're stealing

freakylocz14

I looked into it. A good VPN will cost nearly the same as my Sprint Mobile Hotspot service. My school is actively monitoring web traffic, I've had the confirmed. An added advantage is that I can tether my connection to a laptop of my DSi while I'm on the go as long as I'm within Sprint's service area, which I am 99% of the time.

aStyle

^ Just wondering, how fast is your internet when using your Evo 4G as a mobile hotspot?

freakylocz14

I average about 1.4 Mbps on 3G if I'm sitting stationary at my PC. 4G speeds I've tested in nearby cities average 4-6 Mbps. It can go up to 10 Mbps if you're stationary and have a full signal. These are all downlink speeds, btw. I know 1.4 Mbps is a lot slower than my school's wired connection, but it's sufficient for what I use the internet for. I don't download heavy files or play lots of online games. I watch YouTube plenty and it works fine. It's still rather quick if you're not watching it in HD. Normal web pages load in just a couple of seconds. Standard res YouTube videos start up in less than 10 seconds on average. Music download take less than 1 minute on average.