3G Mobile Hotspot

[2rare2die]

I'm very confused with the 3G Mobile Hotspot App and my Data Plan. I have a Droid Pro with unlimited data plan, however from what I can tell, using the 3G Mobile Hotspot feature is an extra 20 dollars per month. When I attempt to use it though, I can still freely browse to any website so long as it doesn't require a login with security certificate. For example, I can browse to Wikipedia and look up any article that I like on my laptop while tethered to the 3G Mobile Hotspot, but whenever I try to login to a website such as Gmail, I get prompted with a Verizon Wireless subscription screen and can go no further. What's going on with this? Will I be charged for this? Why is it 20 dollars to use on the aforementioned conditions?

[AZSALUKI]

i didn't realize it would let you use it at all, unless you signed up for the plan??? but yes, it has the "capability" of becoming a hot spot. however, they don't consider data used by another device as part of your "unlimited" data plan. your phone can use unlimited data....but if you want to tether, you have to add that $20 per month plan (you get 2 gigs for that, and they charge $20 per every 2 gigs that you go over it). they just can't let you tether all your stuff with just the $30 plan. everyone would drop their home internet servers and tether....and their network can't handle that. i'd run my wii, laptop, pc, and tv, off of the hotspot if it was included in the $30. that's A LOT of bandwidth usage. it's a bit misleading though.

[jcarlilesiu]

Why not just cap the tether data at 3 Gig or something their network can handle?  They already have limits on unlimited plans anyway, as ironic as that is.

Because they can't screw their customers out of an additional $20 bucks a month and claim that it is to preserve their network.