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OUR SMARTPHONES ARE incredibly useful devices, but a handy option is to use it as an impromptu WiFi connection.
However, while it’s useful in certain situations, there are a few things to keep in mind before you decide to use it wherever you go.
What it’s useful for?
An impromptu internet connection is useful for a number of reasons. For one, there’s only so much you can do with a smartphone or tablet – they’re mostly designed for consumption rather than creation – and so having an internet connection makes it easier to get work done on your computer/laptop if online access plays a major part.
Also, they can connect up to five devices, which is handy if you have a large data plan and/or have 4G speeds.
What to keep in mind
Before you do anything, it’s worth remembering that if you’re using a hotspot for desktop usage, the amount of data used is greater than that of a mobile site. The reason for that is that mobile sites are designed to load up quickly while desktop uses WiFi.
In short, it means you will be using more data which can quickly add up if you’re not careful. Each OS has ways to limit how much data you use, either directly or through apps, and that includes the times you use it as a hotspot.
Also, if you’re using it to connect to another smartphone or tablet, be sure automatic updates are turned off as it’s not able to tell whether it’s using a WiFi router or smartphone to connect.
Also, the battery is going to drain significantly when this is activated although this can be fixed by connecting it to your computer or plugging it into its charger.
Just be sure to turn it off as soon as you stop using it as it will still drain battery power, even if it’s not connected to a computer.
Keeping it secure
By right, the minimum you should have for a smartphone hotspot is a password and have WPA2 security activated. Both of these should be activated before you begin using it so you don’t have any unwanted guests using your data.
How to activate it
Now that you have all that in mind, here’s how to activate it.
iPhone
When in settings, you will have to go into mobile, and halfway down, you will see the option for automatically see an option for a wireless hotspot near the top of the screen.
Android
When in settings, go into ‘More’ and tap ‘Tethering and portable hotspot.’ Ticking the box beside ‘Portable Wi-Fi hotspot’ will activate it, but remember to set a password first.
Windows Phone
Again, in settings (noticing a pattern here), look out for ‘internet sharing’ where you can then activate your hotspot.
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I like these tech articles …. Good work Journal !!
Be very carefull about using wifi tethering if you have an unlimited plan. Mobile phone networks do not have unlimited plans. Meteor for example are advertising unlimited data fir ten euro a month, when in fact its 7.5gb a month under their fair use policy.
Three’s fair usage is 15 gbs a month. Any time I’ve accidentally or deliberately gone over it nothing happens, I’ve never been charged extra or had my service stopped, they dont really enforce the fair usage policy that much.
True.O2 charged my Sister 1200.00 Euro for her ‘unlimited plan’ when she used her phone as a hotspot
Where is that now?
I was about to explain how to do it for Windows Phone, as you guys usually leave that OS out, but I was happy (as I’m sure the other 20 WP users were) to see it included!
Be careful with usage and check the small print. You may have a data bundle but not a tethering bundle. Carriers can tell the difference and will charge you extra if you use your phone as a hotspot. I know Vodafone do anyway not sure about the others.
Bill pay users with Vodafone have tethering included in their plan, Pre-pay users do not.
You’d need to be real careful doing that with some phones – the phone company may choose to ream subscribers since some want you to think that data intended for your phone only might be charged-for at a different rate than data intended for another device. This kind of stuff is probably documented in tiny, tiny, tiny print on page 75 of the mobile contract.
Be careful. More info needed.
Vodaphone did charge a lot to use this service maybe they quit because some the rest don’t
@Irish
Your usual shite off the cuff remark without knowing the facts
on a topic,give us some facts on Wi-Fi and cancer.
These cancer causing radioactive WiFi waves and signals are never mentioned.
the journal is going by the text book.
Really? How about the constant stream of television and radio signals all around you, all the time?
Can you provide any authoritative evidence to prove that wi-fi causes cancer or is this just another urban myth like the bozos on here who said you could charge a phone in a microwave oven ?
Nothing about wifi being bad for your health
See above.
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