WiFi Hotspot Software - WiFi Hotspot Solutions

WiFi Hotspot – WiFi Hotspot Software Management

How to Turn Your Phone Into a Wi-Fi Hotspot

Almost any modern smart phone can also work as a Wi-Fi hotspot, sharing its 4G LTE connection to anywhere from five to 10 devices, whether they be laptops, tablets, or other phones. You just have to have the right service plan and tap a few buttons.

The most complex part of using your phone as a Wi-Fi hotspot, nowadays, is making sure you're on the right service plan. Not all plans allow "tethering," which is what the carriers call hotspot use. If you try to set up a hotspot and get bounced out, you may need to upgrade your service plan.

Be aware that your tethering allowance isn't the same as your data plan. For instance, T-Mobile's unlimited data plans come with a 5GB tethering allowance. You can use as much data as you want on your phone, but once you attach a laptop, it's 5GB for the month.

There are third-party Android tethering apps such as Fox Fi which you can use to get around your carrier's tethering limits, but we really don't recommend violating your service plan, since it's an easy way to get kicked off your network.

To tether without a service plan on an iPhone, you'd need to jailbreak your phone, which we also don't recommend as it exposes you to malware.

There's one other big down side to turning your phone into a hotspot: It eats up battery life. Many phones can only run for about four hours or so in Hotspot mode. An additional battery, or a battery case is a good idea if you intend to use Hotspot mode frequently.

If you're a business traveler, for instance, and you need to use a hotspot all day long, your best bet is to get a dedicated Wi-Fi hotspot. Check out our guide to the Best mobile hotspots on every carrier for that.

So how do you turn your phone into a Wi-Fi hotspot if you have the right plan.

Apple iOS •Go to Settings.

•Choose Cellular.

•Tap on Set Up Personal Hotspot.

•Go to Settings.

•Choose Personal Hotspot.

•Tap the button to turn your personal hotspot on.

•Agree to Wi-Fi and USB Only.

•Your hotspot is now active. The password is on your iPhone's screen. Make sure to turn the hotspot off when you're done using it!

Android Android phones have different methods of activating Hotspot mode. Here are instructions for some of the more recent popular phones.

You may want to install an app like Onavo Count to keep an eye on how much data you're using in tethered mode.

Also, there are a bunch of widgets in the Google Play Store that claim to turn Hotspot mode on and off. Each works on some phones and some versions of Android, and not others.

Google Nexus 5 (Android 5.0) Go into Settings in the application drawer.

Under Wireless & Networks, tap More.

Tap Tethering & Portable Hotspot.

Tap Set Up Wi-Fi Hotspot to set your password.

Tap Save.

Tap the slider next to Portable Wi-Fi Hotspot to enter Hotspot mode.

HTC One M9 Drag the notification pane down by dragging from the top of the screen.

Hotspot will be in the bottom row of quick settings. Set it up with a password.

Drag the notifications pane down again. Tap on Wi-Fi Hotspot Active.

Make sure the switch next to Portable Wi-Fi Hotspot is On.

LG G3 Drag the notifications pane down.

Drag the quick settings bar at the top to the right. It will expose Mobile HotSpot just after Rotation.

Tap Mobile Hotspot. This will walk you through the setup process.

In the future, to turn the hotspot on or off, use the Mobile HotSpot button in the notifications pane.

Motorola Droid or X Go into Settings in the application drawer.

Under Wireless & Networks, tap More.

Tap Tethering & Mobile Hotspot.

Tap Mobile Hotspot to turn the hotspot on.

Tap Mobile Hotspot Settings, then Configure Mobile Hotspot to set your password.

Samsung Galaxy S5 Go into Settings.

Tap Connections.

Tap Tethering and Wi-Fi Hotspot.

Tap Mobile HotSpot.

Tap Off (switching it to On).

Samsung Galaxy S6 Go into Settings.

Tap Connections.

Tap Mobile HotSpot and Tethering.

Tap Mobile HotSpot.

Tap Off (switching it to On).

Sony Xperia Z3 Drag the notifications pane down.

Tap on Quick Settings at the top of the screen.

Tap on Mobile Hotspot.

Step through the instructions.

BlackBerry 10.3 Swipe down from the top of the screen and choose Settings.

Choose Networks and Connections.

Tap Mobile Hotspot.

Step through the instructions. The hotspot will automatically turn on.

Make sure to turn it off when you're done/ The hotspot screen conveniently keeps track of how much data you've used.

Windows Phone 8.1 Swipe down to get the notifications bar.

Choose All Settings Scroll down to Internet Sharing.

Make a note of the Wi-Fi network name and password.

Tap the slider next to Off to turn sharing on.

It's a good idea to use your phone's Data Sense feature to limit your tethering data.

To use it, go into All Settings and scroll down to Data Sense.

Tap Set Limit.

Under Limit Type, tap One Time.

Under Days Until Data Expires, tap 1.

Enter the amount of data you want to use while tethering.

When you're done tethering, go back into Set Limit and change Limit Type back to none, or to your regular monthly plan.