If you're stuck in a situation where you need a Wi-Fi connection, but can't get it anywhere else, chances are your smartphone can give you the boost you need. By setting up a hotspot through Wi-Fi or a USB cable, you can turn your phone into a source for internet that laptops, tablets, and other phones can use to get online.
It may sound complicated, but you can be connected with just a few taps. Most of the major carriers offer tethering services, though your ability to create a Wi-Fi hotspot depends on your service plan and data allowance.
One thing to keep in mind: Tethering eats up battery life in addition to data. Investing in a portable charger is a good idea if you intend to use hotspot mode frequently. If you're ready to tether, here's how to turn your phone into a Wi-Fi hotspot.
To set up a personal hotspot on your iPhone or iPad (Wi-Fi + Cellular), go to Settings > Personal Hotspot > Allow Others to Join and toggle it to on (if you don't see Personal Hotspot in Settings, tap Cellular > Personal Hotspot). Make note of the Wi-Fi password.
Open the Wi-Fi menu on the device you need to connect to the internet. Look for your iOS device (ex: PCMag's iPhone), select it, then enter the hotspot password to connect. Once your secondary device is connected, you should now be able to use the internet (while consuming mobile data).
If you use Family Sharing, your hotspot can be set up so family members can join it automatically without a password. Open Settings > Personal Hotspot > Family Sharing and turn the feature on. Tap the name of your family members, then determine if they must ask for approval or can join automatically.
How you access hotspots on Android devices will depend on which phone you have and what version of Android you're running. You can generally open the pull-down shade and turn on your mobile hotspot from there or find it buried in settings.
Where exactly and what it's called will differ depending on your phone's manufacturer. Samsung phones hide it in Connections > Mobile Hotspot and Tethering > Mobile Hotspot. Google's Pixel has it under Network & internet > Hotspot & tethering > Wi-Fi hotspot. Those with a Motorola phone can open Settings > Network & internet > Hotspot & tethering. USB and Bluetooth tethering options are also available from these menus.
You can probably find it quicker on your specific device by searching for "hotspot" or "tether." Once the hotspot has been enabled, there should be a network name and password displayed in the settings screen. Enter those credentials in the other device's Wi-Fi settings and join the hotspot like you would for any other network.
If you need a mobile hotspot but can't use your phone, you could instead turn your laptop into a Wi-Fi hotspot. If you're a business traveler who needs to be connected all day, consider a dedicated Wi-Fi hotspot.
You can use your phone's mobile data to connect another phone, tablet, or computer to the internet. Sharing a connection this way is called tethering or using a hotspot. Some phones can share Wi-Fi connection by tethering.
If your phone is a Google Pixel, Motorola, Samsung or any other Android, you can easily create a personal hot spot. The setup may vary, since phone makers sometimes tweak the way Android looks and operates on their device, but this walk-through should work. If not, do a web search with the name of your phone and how to set up a personal hot spot.
Android phones have a handy feature that allows you to share your cellular connection with other devices, turning any phone into a Wi-Fi hotspot. In many situations, this can be a lifesaver. If you own a 5G Chromebook, like the Acer Chromebook Spin 714, or a 5G tablet, like the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra, getting online isn't a problem. But for many other devices requiring the internet, you need a secure connection to a Wi-Fi source or be plugged in directly.
There's an easy way to share your phone's cellular signal to open a secure, stable Wi-Fi connection. Google allows any Android phone to turn into a handy Wi-Fi hotspot, which allows any device (like a Chromebook) to connect with Instant Tethering. So, to help users get started on this convenient feature, we devised a guide demonstrating how to turn any Android phone into a Wi-Fi hotspot.
You can create a Wi-Fi hotspot with your Android phone to share your internet with other devices that lack mobile connectivity. If you can't or don't want to use Wi-Fi, connect a USB cable or try Bluetooth tethering instead.
Bluetooth tethering is slow and potentially unusable compared to a Wi-Fi hotspot. If you must resort to this method, limit your internet use to the bare minimum. Avoid streaming video or updating apps, which could take a long time.
Many of the best Chromebooks lack 5G or LTE capabilities, but you can fill that gap with your Android phone. Google's Instant Tethering feature makes it fast and easy when you connect your Android device to ChromeOS in Phone Hub. When done, follow these steps:
You can use this feature to share the internet via mobile data and Wi-Fi from your phone. However, you'll need to turn on mobile data on your Android device for it to appear on the Chromebook. After you're connected, turning off your mobile data doesn't disconnect your devices.
Using your Android phone as a Wi-Fi hotspot consumes battery life at a faster pace. It might also cause your device to overheat, especially in summer. If you turn on the hotspot and forget to turn it off, you'll lose a lot of battery.
Charging speed is an area where Android phones have improved over the years and can help if your battery level drops too low after sharing your internet connection. Some Android phones support fast charging but don't come with a fast charger. Our guide to the best fast chargers can help.
Another issue is using mobile data quickly. While an Android phone is designed to use the internet sparingly, a laptop preloads web pages that you might not visit, refreshes content in the background, and might download system updates. You could have unexpected trouble if your mobile internet plan has limits that cause slowdowns or overage costs. Periodically check your mobile data usage if you have concerns.
Your Android phone is a capable device, but sometimes you need a larger screen. Sharing your mobile internet to a tablet or laptop allows you to easily navigate a spreadsheet or share a video with a friend.
If you forgot to do something at the office, you might be able to fix something before it's a problem by connecting your work laptop to an Android hotspot while you're between locations. This is safer than using a public Wi-Fi connection that might not be secure. Beyond personal use, you might save the day by sharing your Android phone's mobile internet as a Wi-Fi hotspot.
NOW WiFi Pass only available on WiFi hotspots that are owned and operated by Xfinity excluding other companies' hotspots including those that offer Xfinity WiFi access (e.g., in stadiums or at certain business locations).
Pricing and services subject to change. No partial redemptions. Not redeemable for cash, except to the extent required by applicable law. Subject to the NOW WiFi Pass Services Terms of Service. For help or more information, please contact the phone number provided on your email confirmation at time of purchase.
No, or at least it doesn't work on my Android phone. A hotspot is where you use your mobile phone signal to provide a WiFi connection to another device. You can't connect while you are using WiFi on the host device.
Setting up your phone as a wi-fi hot spot only works when you are connected to a cellular network. When you connect to a cellular network at sea, it is via satellite roaming, not the ships wi-fi network.
Well I was able to hotspot from my Samsung phone to my son's iphone. I was connected to the ship's internet and turned on mobile hotspot and my son connected to me and shared my internet at the same time. He was able to stream the cricket live while I was facebooking. Note I don't ever put my phone on airplane mode, and I believe that's why I could do it.
It would be interesting to know where that person was cruising and what mobile service provider they were connecting to. Because as far as I know that would not work unless that person was connected to their regular network. I have a Samsung phone and if WiFi is connected I cannot use the phone as a mobile hotspot, I have to turn off WiFi and take the phone out of flight mode, and there is no way I'm going to do that on a cruise! Of course my phone is a few years old now. Maybe newer phones allow pure WiFi hotspotting.
My friends and I do it all the time and even did it recently in our Ovation cruise last month. Heck, we used our phones as a hotspot to get the Amazon Firestick that I hooked up to the TV to watch Netflix/Disney+ on the TV. Works very well.
Basically, the phone will use different WIFI frequency for each WIFI connection. (e.g. 2.4ghz for internet, 5ghz for hotspot) So yeah, you connect to the cruise's WIFI, then you can enable hotspot on your phone and it will act as a WIFI hotspot to other devices sharing your device's cruise WIFI connection.
760c119bf3