How to connect mobile hotspot to another mobile

Want to connect your laptop to Wi-Fi while you're on the go? Or maybe you're working from home and your internet connection is less than stellar. If so, no need to rely on public networks—use your smartphone as a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot to share internet with other devices using your mobile data. 

Asurion Experts help millions of customers fix their tech fast and find solutions to their everyday tech care needs. In this article, they'll be sharing how a hotspot works, how to use your iPhone® or Android™ phone as a hotspot, and how to block others from using your hotspot network. 

A friendly reminder: Verizon®, AT&T®, and Sprint®, among other carriers, offer hotspot plans, so check with your wireless provider to find out whether additional data charges apply. 

What is a mobile hotspot? 

Using your phone as a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot lets you share your smartphone's mobile network connection with your other devices, letting them connect to the internet anywhere that you have mobile service. Most smartphones, including the Samsung Galaxy® and iPhone, have built-in features that allow you to quickly turn on a Wi-Fi hotspot from the Settings or App menu. 

Sure, free Wi-Fi can be found everywhere from coffee shops to national parks, but using public Wi-Fi always carries certain security risks and often requires you to give out personal information, like your email address, in order to use the service. Using your smartphone's mobile hotspot allows you to put extra security measures in place to help protect you and your private information. 

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How to turn your iPhone into a mobile hotspot 

1. Tap Settings, then Personal Hotspot. 
2. Tap Allow Others to Join, and then tap Wi-Fi Password to change the password for your shared network. 
3. Connect your computer to your phone's internet—you can choose to connect via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth®, or USB. 

Note: Your iCloud® devices will be able to use it automatically. 

How to use your Samsung Galaxy as a mobile hotspot 

1. Tap Settings, then Connections. 
2. Tap Mobile Hotspot and Tethering. 
3. Tap Mobile Hotspot to turn it on. 
4. Once it’s on, tap Mobile Hotspot again, then tap Configure, where you can change the password to something difficult enough to help keep unwelcome guests from joining. 

How to use your Google Pixel as a hotspot

1. Tap Settings > Network & internet > Hotspot & tethering. 
2. Tap Wi-Fi hotspot, and tap the switch to turn it on.  
3. Once you’ve turned it on, you can tap Hotspot password to change it to something difficult enough to help keep unwelcome guests from joining. 

How to block others from using your mobile hotspot 

The easiest way to block others from using your personal mobile hotspot is to protect it with a strong, complex password. Combine uppercase and lowercase letters as well as numbers and special characters like, $, @, and #, to create a password that's at least 8 characters long. Don't use personal information, like your anniversary or your pet's name, and avoid using repetitive characters. 

If you suspect someone is using your mobile hotspot without your permission, you can check to see who is on it by going to the Hotspot section in your phone's Settings and looking at Connected Devices. If someone is on your network that you don't want to be on it, disconnect your mobile hotspot and reactivate it using a completely different password. Some devices also offer you the option to select the user under Connected Devices and tap Block to prevent them from using your hotspot. 

Protect your phone

For more than 25 years, Asurion has helped 300 million customers protect, connect, and enjoy the tech they love most. And smartphones are no exception. Your life is on your device, make sure it’s protected. Learn more about Asurion phone insurance plans today.

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Using your phone to connect a laptop, tablet or even another phone to the internet is called tethering. It's a bit like using 4GEE WiFi - but you can use either Bluetooth, USB cable or portable WiFi hotspot to connect your phone to another device.

How do I tether using my iPhone?

How do I tether using my iPhone?

Set up your iPhone:

1. 1

   open your iPhone settings

2. 2

   go to General > Network > Personal Hotspot

3. 3

   tap Personal Hotspot and slide the switch on

You then need to connect your iPhone to your laptop or tablet. Follow the instructions below to connect using either a USB cable, a portable WiFi hotspot or Bluetooth.

Connecting using a USB cable:

1. you'll need: a laptop or tablet running Windows XP SP2 or later, or Mac OS 10.5.7 or later; a USB port; iTunes 8.2 or later; an iPhone USB cable

2. plug the USB cable into your iPhone and then into your laptop or tablet

3. you may need to set up a new network connection. If so, follow the instructions on your laptop or tablet screen

Connecting using a portable WiFi hotspot:

1. you'll need: a WiFi-enabled laptop or tablet; a laptop or tablet running Windows XP SP2 or later, or Mac OS 10.4.11 or later; your WiFi password

2. then connect your laptop or tablet to your phone by searching for the phone as you would for any other WiFi network

Connecting using Bluetooth:

1. you'll need: a laptop or tablet able to use Bluetooth 2.0; a laptop or tablet running Windows XP SP2 or later, or Mac OS 10.4.11 or later

2. switch on Bluetooth on both your iPhone and your laptop or tablet

Once you're connected you need to pair your iPhone with your laptop or tablet.

To pair your iPhone with an iPad or Mac:

1. 1

   click on Set Up New Device and follow the onscreen instructions

2. 2

   when you've successfully paired your iPhone with your iPad or Mac, choose the option Use Device as a Network Port on your iPhone

3. 3

   click on the Bluetooth icon in the menu bar of your iPad or Mac

4. 4

   click on your iPhone, and then choose Connect to Network

5. 5

   your iPhone should now have a blue bar at the top of the screen to show that it's tethered to your iPad or Mac

To pair your iPhone with a Windows tablet or laptop:

1. 1

   click on the Bluetooth icon in your iPhone's notification area

2. 2

   select Add a Bluetooth device and follow the onscreen instructions

3. 3

   when you've successfully paired your devices, click on the Bluetooth icon in the notification area (the system tray) again

4. 4

   select Show Bluetooth devices

5. 5

   highlight your iPhone, then click the Properties button

6. 6

   click the Services tab

7. 7

   tick the Wireless iAP checkbox and click OK

8. 8

   click on the Bluetooth icon in your iPhone's notification area again

9. 9

   click on Join A Personal Area Network

10. 10

    click Connect

You can tether on most, but not all, 3G or 4G devices.

How do I tether using my Android phone?

How do I tether using my Android phone?

You'll need an Android phone with version 2.2 or later.

Set up your phone:

1. 1

   open your phone menu

2. 2

   go to Settings > Wireless & Networks > Portable WiFi hotspot

3. 3

   open Portable WiFi hotspot settings to set up a password and name your phone's hotspot

You then need to connect your phone to your laptop or tablet. Follow the instructions below to connect using either a USB cable, a portable WiFi hotspot or Bluetooth.

Connecting using a USB cable:

1. you'll need: a laptop or tablet running Windows XP SP2 or later, or Mac OS 10.5.7 or later; a free USB port; a USB cable

2. plug the USB cable into your phone and then into your laptop or tablet

3. follow the on-screen instructions if you need to set up a new network connection on your laptop or tablet

Connecting using a portable WiFi hotspot:

1. you'll need: a WiFi-enabled laptop or tablet; a laptop or tablet running Windows XP SP2 or later, or Mac OS 10.4.11 or later; your WiFi password

2. then connect your laptop or tablet to your phone by searching for the phone as you would for any other WiFi network

Connecting using Bluetooth:

1. you'll need: a laptop or tablet able to use Bluetooth 2.0; a laptop or tablet running Windows XP SP2 or later, or Mac OS 10.4.11 or later

2. switch on Bluetooth on both your phone and your laptop or tablet

Once you're connected you need to pair your phone with your laptop or tablet.

To pair your Android device with your laptop or tablet:

1. 1

   on your Android phone or device go to Settings > Wireless & networks > More > Tethering & portable hotspot

2. 2

   slide Bluetooth tethering to On

3. 3

   set up Bluetooth on your other device:

   Android: tap your Android device's name then Internet Access

   Windows: right click your Android device's name, select Connect using and then click Access Point

   Mac: click your Android device's name, then the settings gear at the bottom of the window and select Connect to Network

   iPhone: should be automatically enabled if there's no WiFi

Pairing instructions for Android phones may be slightly different for each device.

You can tether on most, but not all, 3G or 4G devices.

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