[Van vs Wild]

Ok, if I can get this to work, I'll go for the $25 visible party. Does it work on a mac or just PCs? I gotta figure out how to translate PC instructions to Mac commands.

It will work on any device so long as there's a way to edit the TTL value. People have confirmed it works for Windows, MacOS, iOS, Android, various routers, and standalone hotspot devices.

I found these commands for changing the TTL for MacOS Monterey, taken from Reddit. You need to run them in terminal which is the MacOS equivalent of a Windows command prompt:

sudo sysctl net.inet.ip.ttl=65

sudo sysctl net.inet6.ip6.hlim=65

The only thing is I'm not sure if it's a permanent/persistent modification. I think there's a config file that needs to be edited to get it to apply those commands each time you reboot.

Maybe someone who is more familiar with MacOS can help figure this out.

 

[Van vs Wild]

Visible tethered device before ...

View attachment 89190

After ...

View attachment 89191



For unknown reasons my tethered speed was capped at about twice the "official" cap of 5Mbps, but this is amazing.

I'm quite surprised that they use something (to trigger whatever networking magic sorcery that they do) that is so easily circumvented on the tethered device end. I figured it was something in the service settings of the phone that would not be so easily changed.

Thanks VvW ...

Wow those are really good speeds! You got better results than I did. That's faster than my cable modem was lol.

Their main method of detecting your device is by using your phone's IMEI number, which is unique. When you tether or use the hotspot feature on your phone, they then check the TTL value on the data packets.

Android and iOS devices use a TTL of 64. Each time a data packet hops to the next device, the TTL decreases by 1. So by setting your PC's TTL to 65, it drops to 64 when the data hops over to your phone, so the mobile network assumes the data is coming from the phone itself.

A PC uses a TTL of 128. It would then drop to 127 when the data hops to your phone, and the mobile network would know you're tethering or using a hotspot with a PC.

There are apps like PdaNet+ you can install on your phone that accomplish something similar for USB tethering. I used it many years ago on 3G. It was my main source of internet for like 2 years.

 

[Van vs Wild]

@Lolaeliz
I tested this today with my 11 yr old MacBook Air running OSX-El Capitan and it worked!

1) Disconnect all devices connected to your hotspot via wifi.

2) Turn off your hotspot. In my case I'm using a Netgear Noghthawk M1, so I power it off. If you're using your phone, you can probably just disable the hotspot without rebooting your phone.

3) On your Mac, open the terminal app and run the following commands and hit ENTER on your keyboard:

sudo sysctl -w net.inet.ip.ttl=65

sudo sysctl -w net.inet6.ip6.hlim=65

4) It will prompt you for your Mac password. Type in your password, hit ENTER, and then it will show you a confirmation that the TTL value is changed from 64 -> 65.

5) Turn your hotspot back on and connect your Mac (and only your Mac) via wifi. Run a speedtest and you should see full speed instead of 5/5 Mbps.


NOTE: Visible only allows 1 device on the hotspot. Originally I tried to do this on my Mac while my Windows PC was already connected to the Visible hotspot and it didn't seem to work. My Windows laptop actually went back to being throttled. I had to disconnect my Windows laptop and reboot my hotspot. Then I reconnected my MBA and it worked. Disconnected the MBA, rebooted hotspot, reconnected Windows laptop and that was working properly again at full speed.

I tried rebooting my Mac and looks like it reset the TTL value. It's easy enough to remember the commands after you do it a few times though, but I think the solution is to set up a script to automatically run the command each time you start MacOS.

 

[Van vs Wild]

Some phones on Visible allow more than one tethered devices to connect at the same time. My Pixel can do at least 2 (I haven't tried more than 2) and I have read on the interwebz (so it must be true!) that iPhones and "some Samsungs" can also do multiple connections.

No you're right, its technically possible to connect more. I've had 4 devices connected to my netgear hotspot which has a max of about 20 connections. Sorry I meant that Visible's policy is that you only connect one device to hotspot; they aren't doing anything to force a technical limitation. I think their only recouse is to cancel your account if they pick up too many devices too often.

In the example in my previous post, both laptops were still connected to the hotspot, but the TTL hack wasn't working on device 1 after I connected device 2. I'll have to play with it some more to figure out what exactly happened.

On another note, I found out that changing the TTL to 117 works to bypass the throttling too. 116 is the value for tablets. I found that very interesting that they may not be throttling tablets because they don't even offer tablets or tablet service.

 

[Van vs Wild]

THANK YOU! I'm gonna do that, follow those directions, but I had to comment on this point -- My hotspot at times has both my macbook and ipads running on it.

EDIT: I just finished Chatting with Visible. I wanted to know if the $40 plan was the $30 plan or the + plan. Apparently it was the same as the $30 plan, But not with what they called "improvements". So I downgraded to the $30 plan (it required a new electronic sim card.) Maybe only one hotspot will be on there now, maybe I'll notice buffering or something somehow less coverage. Maybe it will be the same or better than what I paid $40 for. If I feel buffered, I'll switch to the $45 plan, because a guaranteed 50GB would be more than enough.

Sorry for the confusion, their policy says the hotspot is limited to one device, but there’s nothing actually in place to enforce the limit.

The current Visible service that is $40 (without joining party pay to bring it down to $25) is running off a cloud-based core, that then routes all their traffic through the main Verizon network core.

The 2 new plans replacing it (@ $30 and $45) will be running directly on the main Verizon network core, hence the price increase. There will be less latency since your data will have less hops to travel through. The thing is, a lot of areas have already been migrated to the main Verizon network core as early as 2 years ago. Visible has always been like a test project for Verizon, so with the introduction of the new plans, it seems like they’ve decided the cloud based core didn’t work out for them.

With the new service plans, some people may notice a huge difference while others will notice hardly any at all. The biggest differences are the premium data allotment with the $45 Visible+ plan, and the fact that it’s on ultra wide band, so it’s going to provide bandwidth much faster than your home cable modem assuming your phone is 5G. Even with the higher price it’s still the best value for hotspot users.

For those who were on the $25 party pay deal, jumping up to $45 would almost be double their monthly bill. Fortunately the $30 plan is only a small increase.

I haven’t had any problems on the old plan yet so I’ll probably stay on it until it stops meeting my needs, or they force us to pick one of the new plans, whichever comes first. With the TTL hack, the cheapest plan is better for me than the most expensive plan without the TTL hack.

 

[Van vs Wild]

A question for those of you in the know: can the one device be a router?

I have a router in my van connected to my house AP when I'm home or to Starbucks or McDonald's when I'm on the road. Could that be connected to the visible hotspot and thus serve up the rest of my van?

Short answer is yes a router can be used with the TTL hack. That’s what I’m planning to do for my van as a backup to the T-Mobile home internet in case I’m somewhere that has better Verizon signal.

The questions is whether “your” router

• has the ability to do it built-in within its firmware (most don’t unless high end)
• has the ability to accept 3rd party firmware that offers the feature (DD-WRT, OpenWRT, Tomato, etc)
• has to be replaced with one that can do either of the 2 previous options (~$50 or less)

If Visible ever decided to enforce a device limit for their hotspot, one other option that doesn’t involve messing with a physical router is to use the TTL hack on a Windows laptop, and then use Windows’ built in hotspot feature to then share the internet with your other devices.

There’s many different ways to share a wifi connection, whether it be at home, Starbucks, or a mobile hotspot. But there’s many variables to consider to get the most efficient setup for your own needs though. MoFi routers make this part simple, but you pay through the nose for them.

 

[Van vs Wild]

I have a gli open-wrt router from Amazon mounted in the maxxair cover. Pictures at the end of the following post.

What did you do to your Promaster today?

Thread idea blatantly taken from the Sprinter forum. >:D I'd like to say that I did something with my Promaster, but I don't think its even i n the build system yet. So I wait. But, what did you do?

www.promasterforum.com

That’s a nice-sized pocket router. I had thought about doing something similar to keep the device cool, but wasn’t sure if it would cook up there when the fan wasn’t running. I was going to velcro it in the vent tube/housing below the fan. But then again my next idea of stuffing it into the backup camera housing wouldn’t have been any better. I’m still not sure where I’ll put my router.

Are you currently using your Gli router with your phone, and if so, how? USB tether or as a WiFi client on the hotspot?

 

[Van vs Wild]

I used Velcro but the adhesive fails when it got over 90 (I'm sure the vent cover was much hotter), now the router just sits on the fan housing held in place by the extension cables and USB power. It is very small and light and hasn't fallen into the fan (yet )

I connect the router to my phone via WiFi (hot spot) when needed.

I found a video that shows what you need to do in Open-WRT to modify the TTL value.

You need to edit the custom firewall rules to add the TTL value command and specify the proper wan interface name like he did. In his example, his wan interface was named “eth0”. He showed that if using usb tethering, it would then be changed it “usb0”. In your case I believe you need to look at your device list because your wan device may be listed differently, like wwan0 (wireless wan) since you’re using your router as a wifi extender. After that part you have to modify the sysctl.conf file by ssh’ing into the router.

I’m going to test this out today or tomorrow with a spare router when I get a chance.

 

[Van vs Wild]

This is what happened when I entered those codes. I'll let you know if the Apple forum has any advice that works.
View attachment 89305

Ok when it prompts you for your password, it wants your admin password, which should be the one you used to log into your laptop.
As you type your password, you will not see anything come up on the screen, so type it out very carefully without mistakes since you can’t see backspace either. If entered correctly, it will simply respond with “ok” when you hit enter.

 

[Van vs Wild]

It changed to 65, but the speed didn't get faster

Sorry I missed your comment earlier where you said you had entered the commands (before I said to type in your password). I don’t know the significance of changing from bash to zsh for that step, but I know my El Capitan is on bash by default so bash worked for me.

I have a couple of guesses why it’s not working. The main one is that other devices are connected to your hotspot, which I’m assuming is your phone. So long as Visible thinks the data is being used by your phone, they don’t throttle the speeds.

If you have your laptop + other devices connected to the hotspot, any one of the devices not sending TTL=65 will trigger the throttling for all. Try disconnecting all devices, restart your phone’s hotspot, then connect only your laptop and run a speed test again.

 

[Van vs Wild]

Awesome great job! Now you’re totally a hacker lol. Those results confirm you did things correctly. Now try to connect your iPad at the same time and run speed tests on both. I think the result should be that it goes back to throttled speeds unless you also run the same commands on the iPad using a terminal app. I think all devices need to have their TTL changed BEFORE connecting to the hotspot so that they don’t trigger the throttle while on it.
————-
What I was in the middle of typing up when I saw you posted an update with your Speedtest results:
——————-
Looks like the part where it says “64 -> 65” is the confirmation of the change on yours, so the laptop is set correctly at that point until you reboot, which then reverts it back to 64.

Keep in mind this trick is only for when you are using precious mobile data from Visible (or other mobile carrier that throttles hotspots).

When you’re on your home cable modem’s WiFi network, you wouldn’t need to do this at all. The cable modem supplies way more bandwidth.

To properly test unthrottled Visible, you’ll need to disable WiFi on your phone so that data is only coming from Visible. Imagine you’re on a road trip out in the middle of nowhere. There’s no WiFi for you to connect to. You’d be strictly on mobile data with your phone, and now you want to use that as a hotspot so you can connect your laptop to the internet.

 

[Van vs Wild]

Yeah, It's only for when I'm in the van. Even in my van, my cable wifi doesn't work at all, which is nuts.

I tested it again outside in the van. My cell got:
View attachment 89313

Mac got:
View attachment 89315

Wow your phone gets really good download speeds directly even though it only has 2 bars signal. Mine gets about the same as my laptop (which is close to what you’re getting), but my iphone is an older model without 5G.

At least your laptop isn’t being throttled at 5/5 anymore. It’s odd your upload speed is better in your van than inside your house lol. The metal shell of the van causes some interference with WiFi. That’s why there’s a difference between your phone directly vs your mac. The phone is getting its data through Visible’s 5G which is much stronger than what your mac is getting from your phone’s hotspot wifi.

 

[Van vs Wild]

Here are the Mac directions that I followed, for anyone with a Mac. Mine is os Monterey, 12.5.1.

1. enter terminal: (Click the Launchpad icon in the Dock, type Terminal
in the search field, then click Terminal.)
2. enter these codes:
sudo sysctl net.inet.ip.ttl=65
sudo sysctl net.inet6.ip6.hlim=65
If it asks for your password, it's the one you unlock your mac with. Enter it carefully, you won't see any indication it's entering, then hit enter and it sends a line of code showing the change you made, and a line identifying you and your mac. That's it. Close the window.

This is what mine looked like:
Last login: Sat Sep 10 22:53:07 on ttys000
lola-----@Lolas-MacBook-Pro ~ % sudo sysctl net.inet.ip.ttl=65
sudo sysctl net.inet6.ip6.hlim=65
Password:
net.inet.ip.ttl: 64 -> 65
net.inet6.ip6.hlim: 64 -> 65
lola------@Lolas-MacBook-Pro ~ %

(the dashes are instead of my last name)

If you are prompted to change from bash to zsh (or some other shell, depending on your os):
1. system preferences->users & Groups
2. click the lock and enter your password to unlock
3. control click on your name, then on advanced options.
4. in the middle there's a dropdown menu under login shell. Pick the one you need.
5. click ok

Thanks for for posting the exact steps you took to modify the TTL value for MacOS Monterey! I'm sure it will help the next mac user who stumbles across this thread. 👍

 

[Van vs Wild]

Any idea how to change the TTL/speed on a Chromebook Laptop?

For ChromeOS, you need to enable developer mode to run commands, but this is what you would run:

sudo sysctl net.ipv4.ip_default_ttl=65

 

[Van vs Wild]

Well I spoke too soon. I had to restart the comp. I reentered the codes but I got a different reply, and I appear to be throttled. it jumps up to double digits than slowly falls back to the 5-5.9 area. Any ideas? it does the same thing inside and outside the van.

Last login: Thu Sep 15 16:09:24 on ttys000
lolat---@Lolas-MacBook-Pro ~ % sudo sysctl net.inet.ip.ttl=65
sudo sysctl net.inet6.ip6.hlim=65
usage: sudo -h | -K | -k | -V
usage: sudo -v [-AknS] [-g group] [-h host] [-p prompt] [-u user]
usage: sudo -l [-AknS] [-g group] [-h host] [-p prompt] [-U user] [-u user]
[command]
usage: sudo [-AbEHknPS] [-C num] [-D directory] [-g group] [-h host] [-p
prompt] [-R directory] [-T timeout] [-u user] [VAR=value] [-i|-s]
[<command>]
usage: sudo -e [-AknS] [-C num] [-D directory] [-g group] [-h host] [-p prompt]
[-R directory] [-T timeout] [-u user] file ...
usage: sudo -h | -K | -k | -V
usage: sudo -v [-AknS] [-g group] [-h host] [-p prompt] [-u user]
usage: sudo -l [-AknS] [-g group] [-h host] [-p prompt] [-U user] [-u user]
[command]
usage: sudo [-AbEHknPS] [-C num] [-D directory] [-g group] [-h host] [-p
prompt] [-R directory] [-T timeout] [-u user] [VAR=value] [-i|-s]
[<command>]
usage: sudo -e [-AknS] [-C num] [-D directory] [-g group] [-h host] [-p prompt]
[-R directory] [-T timeout] [-u user] file ...
lolat--- @Lolas-MacBook-Pro ~ %

All that syntax info popping up indicates that it doesn’t like the commands entered. I am guessing it has to do with why you needed to change from bash to zsh originally.

Try changing to zsh like you did before and then enter the commands again. It should prompt you for your admin password if it accepts the commands.

 

[Van vs Wild]

This is an amazing fix for a minimal to non coding person like me. To go from 5Mbps to nearly 60! For $30/month at visible I'm getting speeds of 153 5G on my cell in my van (with weboost). And I'm using it all day long every day as I'm working this week in the van. Before Verizon's recent change, I got 15 outside my van and 10 tops inside.

View attachment 89477

That's awesome! Thanks for testing it out and sharing your results.

This is only the beginning for me. The next step is to pick out a Gli.net pocket router for my van so that instead of having to modify each device, I will only have to modify the router's TTL value, and then all wifi devices connected to it will be uncapped.

The router will also offer several morr methods for sharing an internet connection.

1) It can use the data from a phone via the phone's hotspot, or direct USB tethering

2) It can be used as a wifi repeater to make use of public wifi (campgrounds, Starbucks, Walmart, McDonald's, etc and also my wifi at home)

3) It can be plugged into my Tmobile Home Internet 5G router which I plan to take with me on the road.

4) It can use a USB cellular hotspot instead of a phone.

The routers have built in VPN support to help maintain your privacy and data security. They also have models that can accept external antennas. Many people have them connected to their weboost when boondocking, and switch to smaller antennas in the city.

The most important aspect for me though, will be to maintain a si-permanent wifi network in my van to run many devices as a mobile office. Aside from the typical phone/laptop/tablet/printer, I need to have security cameras that I can access while away from the van. Mainly to keep an eye on my dog and the inside temps, but having some security cameras on top of the van or around a campsite would be useful too.

 

[Van vs Wild]

Do they make 12v routers, or are they all 120v plugs? I never run my inverter unless I'm cooking or heating the water tank. It will be interesting to see how my cell reception is when on the road.

Most routers (the big ones we use in our homes) are actually 12v, but have a power adapter brick to convert from 110v wall outlets. They can be wired directly to the DC system in our vans by cutting off the power brick.

The pocket sized Gli.net routers are mostly 5v, meaning they can run from a 2.4A USB port in your van off the 12v DC system without any extra modifications.

Their newer, more powerful routers (Beryl and newer models) might require up to 5v/4a, but the older ones will work in standard-power USB ports that are 5v/2.4a. There’s a few options to get around any limitations of running the more powerful models from pre-existing outlets if necessary, such as combining 2 USB ports, or using a dc to dc step down converter to ultilize a standard 12v socket, or even running a super mini 110v inverter just for the router alone.

I’ve got my eye on the Beryl or Slate AX model, but may opt for the Mudi mifi model (can be modified for external antennas) instead, which has 4G built in. It would be nice if they could hurry up and release a 5G version. All of them can accept a usb cellular add on though. In some ways, the Mudi is just a little more convenient because it has a built in batttery pack.

 

[Van vs Wild]

Down the line I’ll do that. Right now I have all I need from my cell. I have this adapter for my Mac: View attachment 89490

that’s perfect with enough capacity to add more devices 👍