How to use a smartphone as a mobile hotspot

Here's everything y'all demand to know about Wi-Fi tethering from your phone.

Contributing Writer, Computerworld |

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Buried within simply well-nigh every smartphone is a capability that few people take advantage of but that I have come to rely on more and more: the ability to plow the phone into a Wi-Fi hotspot.

Using my phone equally a hotspot (also known every bit Wi-Fi tethering) ways that whenever I have a couple of bars of indicate strength, I can get my tablet or laptop online — and share my internet connection with work colleagues. It's my manner to stay on acme of piece of work wherever I am, allowing me to read and send emails, move data back and forth with the visitor'southward servers and even become a taste of the latest office gossip from the condolement of a total-sized device.

A phone hotspot can be a serious collaboration tool for a grouping of businesspeople attempting to work together. The potential ranges from a grouping on the way to the airport in a van finishing a grouping presentation to an accounting squad working in a conference room with an internet connection independent of the visitor they're auditing. It can too provide a connectivity lifeline for a home office when the Wi-Fi goes down.

Information technology works simply like a defended mobile hotspot, only considering it's inside your telephone, there'southward nix extra to charge, behave, and effort not to lose. When the phone is connected to the mobile data network, it can convert the information stream into a Wi-Fi signal for other devices to share. Happily, the phone can however view web sites on its screen, make calls and respond to texts while information technology's hosting the hotspot connectedness.

This technique works with just well-nigh every current Android and iOS phone, and using your phone as a hotspot tin can be more than secure than using a public hotspot. The usage is generally included in your monthly program, but afterwards you achieve a specified information limit for nearly plans, the speed drops. On the downside, using your telephone as a hotspot can chew through your phone'south bombardment very apace.

After talking to representatives of phone makers and networks about their products and using my Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G equally a hotspot on several field trips, I've updated the answers to the post-obit fifteen cardinal questions virtually telephone hotspotting. In a nutshell, using a hotspot can make life easier on the road, and occasionally even at home.

Mobile hotspot Q&A

1. What is a phone Wi-Fi hotspot?

At its essence, a hotspot is a blend of software, hardware and dorsum-end network data services that combine to transform a phone into the equivalent of a broadband modem and router. In other words, it can distribute a web connectedness to nearby systems via Wi-Fi. This not only lets me get my laptop and tablet online, simply I tin share information technology with co-workers, as long as they're in range and they know the password.

Some phones also allow tethering via Bluetooth and USB cables, but these techniques are less popular.

2. How does information technology work?

To use a telephone as a hotspot, the device treats its online connexion to the information network as if it were a broadband information source. It then transmits this data locally like a mini-Wi-Fi router using the 802.11ac or 802.11ax protocol with the newest handsets. The net result is that those Wi-Fi devices that are within range can tap into the information indicate as if information technology were a regular old Wi-Fi network — because it is.

mobile hotspot chart2c 2020 Computerworld / IDG / Getty Images

A phone hotspot uses a cellular network to connect to the internet, and typically shares that connection via Wi-Fi.

3. How secure is using a phone hotspot?

Using a phone hotspot can increase your security profile past letting you avoid the use of insecure public hotspots in java shops and hotels. At the telephone terminate of the equation, it's just as secure and private every bit making a phone telephone call or spider web surfing with your phone, because 4G data traffic is generally encrypted using the Snow Stream cipher with a 128-bit encryption central.

For those able to tap into one of the emerging 5G networks, the protection is increased with 256-bit encryption; the ability to block false mobile network transmission sites, known every bit stingrays; and encryption of your identity and location to thwart identity thieves. This is only the example if the network implements these defenses, though.

With any mobile network, a VPN can build a stronger wall around your communications with AES 256-bit encryption, but it oft comes at the price of performance.

Between the phone and the clients connecting through it, the phone'south hotspot uses WPA2 encryption, which requires a passcode of at least 8 characters. Some newer phones from LG, Asus and Samsung can use the stronger WPA3 scheme that better protects the authentication stage of connecting.

4. Which phones can be used as hotspots?

The good news is that just about every Android or iOS phone on the marketplace tin can be turned into a Wi-Fi hotspot. All it takes is a small configuration change that takes a minute at about.

Hotspot connections happen over whatever cellular networks your phone typically uses — and so if your phone supports 5G and is in range of a 5G network, that'south what it will use for hotspot connections. Otherwise it will drop down to a 4G or 3G network every bit needed.

5G phones typically have a "5G" logo that replaces the "LTE" or "4G" one. In that location are a couple dozen offset-generation 5G phones available, which will probable balloon in the coming years equally the networks get built out and the required handset fries get cheaper and less power-hungry. The following are among the first ones out, but equally you'll see, neither Apple tree nor Google is represented. Look to run across 5G iPhone and Pixel handsets in the fall.

  • Huawei Mate 20 X 5G
  • LG V60 ThinQ 5G
  • Motorola Border Plus
  • Nubia Scarlet Magic 5G
  • OnePlus 8 Pro
  • Oppo Find X2 Pro
  • Samsung Milky way S20 Ultra 5G
  • Vivo iQOO 3 5G
  • Xiaomi Mi Mix iii 5G
  • ZTE Axon ten Pro

5. Which networks support Wi-Fi tethering?

Because it is treated like other data, all the mobile networks back up the utilise of a telephone hotspot. Y'all'll need to make sure your mobile plan supports it, though. Virtually of the business plans and many of the consumer plans from the Large Four (before long to be Big 3) national networks include hotspot use in ane way or another, although the landscape might change over fourth dimension with the merger of T-Mobile and Dart.

The bad news is that while your talk-time and texting might be theoretically unlimited, the networks typically limit hotspot access to a ready corporeality of data per month at full speed (anywhere from 3GB to 100GB, depending on your plan); after that information technology drops to a much slower speed.

6. How much does it cost to use a phone as a Wi-Fi hotspot?

These days hotspot employ is generally included in most business and consumer plans. While y'all can expect these plans to modify equally the networks endeavour to gain competitive advantage over each other, here's a rundown of what each of the Big 4 national networks offers at the moment.

Unless otherwise noted, prices shown below are for accounts with a unmarried telephone line. The monthly cost per line goes down as you add more than lines to the account.

AT&T

Business customers have the choice of several plans, starting with the Business organization Unlimited Performance and Elite subscriptions that include 4G and 5G hotspot data. The Performance plan starts at $75 per month and includes 30GB of hotspot information, while the Elite plan starts at $85 per month and tops out at 100GB. In that location are also Mobile Share for Business plans that include 3-, 9-, 20- or thirty-, sixty- or 120GB of hotspot data and take monthly fees starting at $50, $60, $120, $225, $375 and $615.

By contrast, the Mobile Select and Mobile Select Priority plans let companies pool data limits, which can assist with organizations where users don't travel often. Pricing starts at $35 per handset, and the Priority account includes 5G data.

On the consumer side, AT&T has iv plans with 4G and 5G data admission for creating hotspots, starting with the $50 a calendar month Mobile Share Plus 3GB account (with 3GB a month) and the $60 Mobile Share Plus 9GB plan (yous guessed information technology, 9GB of information). At that place'south as well the visitor's Unlimited Actress and Elite plans for $75 and $85 per line per calendar month that come up with 15GB and 30GB of hotspot data. The Elite business relationship can tap into AT&T'due south burgeoning 5G network and comes with an HBO Max subscription to grab upwardly on missed episodes of "Westworld."

When y'all accomplish your monthly allocation of hotspot data, all AT&T accounts drop the bandwidth to almost 128Kbps for the rest of the calendar month.

Sprint

Equally office of the merger with T-Mobile, Sprint continues to operate independently but is repurposing its two.5GHz network for employ in a combined 5G organization. Dart's consumer and business organisation plans mirror each other in pricing and features, and the network treats 4G the same as 5G when it comes to hotspot connections.

It all starts with the Unlimited Bones plan, which allows up to 500MB of hotspot data for $60 a calendar month. The Unlimited Plus plan costs $70 a calendar month and includes up to 50GB of hotspot access. The top of Dart'southward pyramid is the $eighty Unlimited Premium account, which offers 100GB of hotspot data.

After yous hit Sprint's data threshold for any of these plans, the hotspot information speed drops to 3G levels.

T-Mobile

The network'due south Magenta for Business programme includes 3GB of hotspot information at 4G or 5G speeds depending on what'due south available; after that the bandwidth drops to 3G speeds with unlimited access. Need more than? T-Mobile'due south PlusUp option raises the limit to 20GB for an extra $fifteen a month. Magenta plans start at $threescore per line per calendar month for two lines.

Every bit far as consumer accounts become, T-Mobile'southward $seventy Magenta program mirrors the Magenta business plan with 3GB of 4G or 5G data per month and unlimited 3G access. The Magenta Plus programme ups that to 20GB of 4G or 5G data and costs $85 per month. If high-speed data is non needed, T-Mobile'due south Essentials plan provides unlimited use of hotspotting at 3G speeds for $threescore a month.

Verizon

In that location are three commercial Verizon plans (Concern Unlimited, Business organization Unlimited Plus and Business organization Unlimited Essential) that offering different levels of mobile hotspot speed. While the $35 per month Business Unlimited Essential program offers unlimited use at 600Kbps, Verizon'south Business organisation Unlimited account costs $45 a month and includes up to 10GB of 4G data for hotspotting with a $fifteen option for adding unlimited 5G ultra-wide band (UWB) service. Meanwhile, the Business organisation Unlimited Plus program provides 15GB of 4G access and unlimited UWB 5G information for $50 a month. Verizon plans to launch its low- and midrange-band 5G service later this year.

By contrast, Verizon's consumer Play More Unlimited and Do More than Unlimited plans price $80 a month and provide 15GB of 4G and unlimited 5G UWB hotspot access. The Get More Unlimited programme is $90 a month and boosts the data limit to 30GB of 4G or 5G UWB information.

For all Verizon plans, when you achieve your 4G limit, the speed drops to 600Kbps.

7. What kind of devices tin can connect to a phone hotspot?

A telephone hotspot can piece of work with whatsoever Wi-Fi-based device, including laptops, tablets, other phones, and even game consoles. (We don't judge what you do in your off-hours.) Think of it as just another Wi-Fi source, only it comes from your telephone.

viii. How many devices can connect to a phone hotspot?

Most Android phones can connect up to 10 users at a time, while iPhones from the 4S model to the electric current iPhone 11 can arrange up to five connections at once, although this might exist limited to four clients by the network. Of course, the more than users sharing the internet throughput, the lower the speed for each client.

nine. Where can I employ a hotspot?

Using a hotspot is not limited by where you are, as long every bit your phone is continued to your service provider's data network. In fact, any place where you have a signal stiff plenty to use the web on your telephone, you can generally use it every bit a hotspot with favorable results. I've used phone hotspots in my home, in my office, on trains, in hotel lobbies and in coffee shops throughout the U.S. besides as in Europe and Asia.

In that location's a big bonus as well if your office's information connection goes south. When my office'due south internet connection went dead for an 60 minutes earlier this yr, I used my Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G's hotspot abilities to keep my office upwardly and running. It wasn't as fast as I'yard used to, just it kept the emails and data exchanges flowing. The key was configuring the hotspot with the network'southward name and passcode.

10. Is the setup hard to exercise?

Not at all. In fact, information technology's one of the easiest configuration changes you lot can make. It's different for iPhones and Androids but should take no more than a minute or 2. A word of advice: For security purposes, be sure to modify the network proper noun and countersign.

For an iPhone or iPad:

  1. Offset on the Home screen and tap the Settings icon.
  2. Open up the Personal Hotspot section.
  3. Tap the slider switch to Let Others to Join. (If you're yet using iOS 12 or before, the slider just says "Personal Hotspot.")
  4. Instructions now appear almost the middle of the screen and the network'southward password near the peak; the network proper name is the same as the proper name of your device.
  5. I suggest for security's sake changing the countersign past borer the Wi-Fi Countersign department and typing in a new i.
phone mobile hotspot ios IDG

Turning on an iPad'south hotspot and changing the default password.

Considering of the variety of models, providing instructions for Android phones is a little trickier. I've included instructions for my Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G using Android x, but depending on its software and network, your telephone might be slightly unlike.

  1. Swipe the Habitation screen upwards or down to bring upward the apps and open Settings.
  2. Tap Connections, then ringlet down and tap Mobile Hotspot and Tethering, and then tap Mobile Hotspot to enable it. Depending on your software, your menu wording might be different (such equally "Wireless & networks" instead of "Connections"), and you lot might need to tap "More" to discover the tethering and hotspot choice.
  3. Open the Mobile Hotspot section to do everything from changing the network proper noun and password to picking whether you want the hotspot to run on the two.4- or 5GHz Wi-Fi network.
  4. If you whorl down, at the bottom you can see how many devices are connected to your hotspot network.
phone mobile hotspot android IDG

Enabling a hotspot on my Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G.

Once you've enabled the hotspot, it will be discoverable by devices scanning for Wi-Fi networks in the vicinity, but only users you've shared the password with can connect. Start past opening the Wi-Fi settings for your laptop or tablet and look for your new network. And so, enter the password. The organization should link up in less than a minute.

Some newer Android devices offer a shortcut to hotspot connections with a QR lawmaking. To do this:

  1. Tap the QR lawmaking icon in the hotspot phone screen's upper right; it now displays a QR lawmaking.
  2. Aim the camera of the phone or tablet you lot desire to connect at it, and snap a photo.
  3. Tap to ostend yous want to connect.

All told, it takes about 10 seconds to accomplish and get online.

phone mobile hotspot android qrcode IDG

Some newer Android devices let you scan a QR code to make the hotspot connexion without a password.

Disconnecting a device from a mobile hotspot is exactly the same as with a more stationary one: either plough the Wi-Fi information exchange off or switch to another network.

Important: To prevent trailing a Wi-Fi signal wherever you go, it's a good idea to plough the hotspot tethering off every bit soon equally you're done. Your battery will give thanks you as well.