Turning the mobile’s cellular network into a mobile hotspot is an exciting and useful feature that is offered in almost every smartphone these days. You can use your phone’s hotspot to share your mobile data on the go with anyone you want.
Having a mobile hotspot makes it easier for multiple people to connect through a single network and complete various tasks. Suppose you are sitting at an airport terminal waiting to board your flight for a vacation when your boss suddenly needs you to send in some reports.
At the same time, your kids are bored out of their minds and your wife remembers that she forgot to pay her Spectrum internet bill. What do you do? You can use your mobile hotspot to send those urgent reports while your kids enjoy their activities and the wife takes care of her bill.
What Is A Mobile Hotspot?
A mobile hotspot actually turns your phone into a Wi-Fi network (like the Wi-Fi router you use in your home) and allows other Wi-Fi-enabled devices to connect to it and use its data. It simply takes the 3G or 4G signals provided by your cellular network company and converts them into a Wi-Fi signal. Mobile hotspot tethering happens when other devices connect to your phone’s hotspot signal. For a device to be able to use this network, it must remain within its range and know the password you set up for your hotspot.
How to Create a Mobile Hotspot?
Creating a Mobile Hotspot is not a difficult process at all. It involves the following simple steps.
#1. Turning on Mobile Hotspot
To set up a Mobile Hotspot on the phone, you will have to turn it on first. You can do that in two different ways.
Method #1:
- Swipe down from the top of your mobile phone’s screen.
- Tap on the Hotspot icon
Method #2:
If you don’t find the pot icon there, then look for it in the phone’s settings. You can follow these steps once you open the phone’s settings.
- Find and tap your ‘network and connectivity’ settings. The names for this setting may vary for each mobile phone manufacturer.
- Samsung phones name it ‘Connections’.
- LG phones call it ‘Tethering’.
- Google Pixel and Motorola Moto have labeled it as ‘Network & Internet’.
- Huawei phones use ‘Wireless & Networks’.
- Now, look for ‘Hotspot & Tethering’. Some phones may have ‘Tethering & Portable Hotspot’ instead. Tap it.
- You will see an option called ‘Portable Hotspot’ or ‘Mobile Hotspot’. Tap it.
- It will be off. Toggle the switch on.
Now that your mobile hotspot is on, you can use various settings on this page to configure your hotspot to your liking. For instance, you can customize the name of your hotspot, set up a password, set your data limit, and so on.
#2. Connecting Another Device to Your Phone’s Hotspot
Once you are done setting up your phone’s hotspot, it is time to test it out. You can use the following steps to connect any Wi-Fi-enabled device to your cellphone’s hotspot.
- Open the list of Wi-Fi options on the device you want to connect to your mobile hotspot.
- Look for your mobile hotspot name in that list and tap it.
- If you have set up a password for your mobile hotspot connection, enter it here.
- Click/tap on ‘Connect’.
- Once it connects, you can search anything online to see if it is working alright.
If you don’t like to put in a password every time you connect a device with your phone’s hotspot, then:
- Follow Method 1 or 2 to find your mobile’s hotspot.
- Tap it to open (if you find it in the dropdown menu of your phone, you will need to tap and hold it for a few seconds).
- Look for the option labeled ‘Security’ and tap on the one that says ‘None’.
A mobile hotspot allows you to connect up to 10 devices.
#3. Extending the Battery Life of Mobile While Tethering
It is important to know that using a mobile hotspot for an extended period of time may cause your phone’s battery to drain quickly. So, it is better to plug in your devices while they are tethered. Suppose, your internet connection is down. You have connected your TV with the mobile hotspot to watch your favorite show using Spectrum TV. If you want to watch it without interruptions, I suggest you plug in your phone so it won’t switch off.
Once you are done using the hotspot, you should turn off tethering connections on all devices. Some android phones offer a feature where the mobile hotspot can turn off by itself if no device is connected to it. If your phone has that option make sure to use it.
