How to Use Your Phone as a Wi-Fi Hotspot

Your smartphone connects to the internet through your cell carrier — the same network that handles your phone calls and text messages. Most modern phones include a feature that lets you share that cellular internet connection with nearby devices, such as a laptop or tablet. When you turn on this feature, your phone acts like a small, portable Wi-Fi router. Other devices can find your phone's Wi-Fi network, enter a password, and get online — all through your phone's data plan.

This feature goes by different names: "Personal Hotspot" on iPhone and "Wi-Fi Hotspot" on most Android phones. You may also hear it called "tethering."

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When is a hotspot useful?

• You are staying at a hotel and the Wi-Fi is slow or unreliable.
• You are traveling and need to get online with your laptop.
• A storm or outage has knocked out your home internet, but your phone still has cell service.
• You are somewhere without Wi-Fi — a park, a waiting room, a family member's home — and need to get your laptop online for a few minutes.

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Before you start: check your data plan

Using a hotspot uses your phone's cellular data — the same data used when you browse the web or watch a video on your phone. If your plan has a data limit (for example, 5 GB per month), streaming video through a hotspot can use up that limit quickly. Check your plan before streaming. A quick phone call to your carrier (the number is on the back of your phone bill) can confirm whether your plan includes hotspot data and how much.

If your plan includes "unlimited data," read the fine print. Many unlimited plans slow down your hotspot speed after a certain amount of usage each month. Regular web browsing and email use very little data, so those tasks are fine on almost any plan.

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How to turn on a hotspot on an iPhone

1. 1Open the **Settings** app (the gray icon with gears).
2. 2Tap **Personal Hotspot** — it is near the top of the Settings list, below your name.
3. 3Tap the green switch next to **Allow Others to Join** to turn it on. The switch turns green when it is on.
4. 4Look at the line that says **Wi-Fi Password**. This is the password other devices will use to connect to your hotspot. You can tap that line to change the password to something you prefer.
5. 5Note the name shown at the top — this is the name your phone broadcasts as a Wi-Fi network. It is usually your phone's name (for example, "Bailey's iPhone").

Your phone is now sharing its internet connection. Keep the Personal Hotspot screen open or return to the Home Screen — the hotspot stays on either way.

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How to turn on a hotspot on an Android phone

Android phones vary slightly by brand (Samsung, Google Pixel, Motorola, etc.), but the steps are similar on all of them.

1. 1Open the **Settings** app (the gear icon).
2. 2Tap **Network & Internet** (on some Samsung phones this is labeled **Connections**).
3. 3Tap **Hotspot & tethering**.
4. 4Tap **Wi-Fi hotspot**.
5. 5Tap the switch at the top to turn the hotspot on.
6. 6Tap **Hotspot name** (or **Hotspot name and password**) to see the network name your phone broadcasts and the password devices will need to connect.

Your phone is now sharing its connection.

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How to connect your laptop to your phone's hotspot

Once your phone's hotspot is on, connect your laptop the same way you would connect to any Wi-Fi network.

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How to turn off the hotspot when you are done

Always turn off the hotspot when you no longer need it. Leaving it on drains your phone's battery faster and continues using cellular data.

• **iPhone:** Go back to Settings → Personal Hotspot and turn off the "Allow Others to Join" switch.
• **Android:** Go back to Settings → Hotspot & tethering → Wi-Fi hotspot and turn off the switch.

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Troubleshooting: my laptop cannot find my phone's hotspot

• Make sure the hotspot is actually turned on — check your phone's screen.
• On iPhone, if the hotspot disappears from the Wi-Fi list on your laptop after a few minutes without a connection, unlock your iPhone and keep the Personal Hotspot screen open.
• Restart your phone and try again.
• If your carrier has not enabled hotspot on your account, it may not work even if your plan is supposed to include it. Call your carrier's customer service to confirm the feature is active.