Use of internet is on the rise and life without internet is unimaginable in today’s era. There are multiple ways to connect your device with internet such as LAN connection, portable Wi-Fi hotspots, Satellite internet, ISDN and from your phone itself by making it as a portable Wi-Fi hotspot. In this post, we are going to discuss the last option of using your mobile’s internet on various devices by enabling it as a hotspot device. But before going into the process, let me define “Hotspot” for the users who are new to this technology.
What is Wi-Fi Hotspot?
It enables you to use your mobile internet connection on multiple devices like PC, Tablet or another mobile phone without any cable. It simply convert your mobile as a Wi-Fi router with which you can connect multiple devices and use its internet data.
Now-a-days, almost all the latest mobile phones of Android, iOS and other mobile operating system comes with this Hotspot connectivity. You can enable this by a single tap.
Steps to Use Your iPhone or iOS device as a Wi-Fi Hotspot
- Tap on the “Settings” icon and make sure your “Mobile Data” is enabled.
- Open “Personal Hotspot” and then, Tap on “Wi-Fi Password” to set the password
- Turn on “Personal Hotspot” and it will give you two options:
a) Turn on Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
b) USB Only - Select the “Turn on Wi-Fi and Bluetooth” option
- Now, you device is ready as a Wi-Fi router
- Open the other device and enable the Wi-Fi option and connect with the first device to access the internet.
Steps to Use Your Android Phone as a Wi-Fi Hotspot
- Open “Settings” and then Tap on “W-Fi & Internet” option
- Now, open “Hotspot & Tethering” option and Tap on “Wi-Fi Hotspot”
- Set your desired “Hotspot Password” and toggle ON button to enable the service.
- Now, your mobile is ready to work as Wi-Fi router.
How to use your Phone as a Hotspot for PC or Laptop?
Either you have iPhone or Android mobile, you can simply enable “Personal Hotspot” by following above methods. Once you enable the mobile hotspot on your phone, you can simply use its mobile data on your PC or Laptop.
Steps to Use Your Mobile Hotspot on Your PC or Laptop
- Switch on the “Wi-Fi” on your compatible PC or Laptop
- View all the “Wi-Fi Access Points” and select the available Wi-Fi Hotspot name
- Click and “Enter the Password” to connect
- Now, your PC/Laptop is ready to use your mobile’s data.
FAQs on “Personal Hotspot”
Q. How much speed we will get on personal hotspot?
Ans: It depends on your mobile connectivity, signal strength and number of connected devices. If you are using your hotspot on a single device, it generally gives upto 4-5Mbps speed over 4G connection.
Q. Does it cost extra money to use your phone as a hotspot?
Ans: No, there is no extra charges to use hotspot. It only depends on the data availability in your mobile plan. If your plan doesn’t have any data plan then its recommended to avail a data plan before using “Personal Hotspot” service.
Q. How to use mobile hotspot without using data?
Ans: You can follow these steps to turn your mobile phone as an internet router without using your mobile’s data:
Settings > Wireless & Networks > Portable Wi-Fi Hotspot > Toggle “On”
Note: Please make sure that you turned-off your mobile’s data before enabling Wi-Fi hotspot.
Q. Does mobile hotspot affect mobile battery life?
Ans: Enabling hotspot on your mobile and using it on various devices will definitely starts consuming your battery faster than usual. Therefore, it is recommended to use hotspot when required and disable any unwanted applications running in background to restrain battery drainage.
Q. Is having hotspot internet enough for personal or home usage?
Ans: The straightforward answer to this question is “No“ because of various limitations like slow speed (assuming 5G connectivity is not yet available), battery drainage, bandwidth limitation, network availability and low security.
Broadband services with high-speed internet are good to have as we are living in a heavy data usage era. It is recommended to have a separate internet connection for home usage.