*Need WiFi? Use your phone as a hotspot

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We know that using public WiFi is about the worst way you can connect to the Internet. But what if you are in a public location and absolutely need to connect? Or if you are in a place where there is no WiFi available?

There are several worthy smartphone apps that allow you to tether your phone to another computer. But both Android and iPhone have this already built in.

Use Android Phone as Hotspot

There are more Android phones in use today than any other OS, (including Apple iOS), thanks to the wide variety of customizations available. But tethering has never been easier.

Things may vary slightly here depending on what Android phone you have, but so long as it’s running on a relatively recent version of Android (5.0 and later), the same general rules apply between phones. This process is with the stock version of Android 7.1 Nougat.

Go to Settings, “More” under “Wireless & networks,” then “Tethering & portable hotspot,” and tap the “Portable Wi-Fi hotspot” slider to turn it on.

Once you’ve done that, go to “Set up Wi-Fi hotspot” to take a look at (or change) your network name, password, and even AP band between 2.4GHz and 5GHz.

When you’re done, tap “Save,” make sure your mobile data is switched on, then go to the wireless network settings on the device you want to connect to your phone and select your Android network name.

Use iPhone as Hotspot

And for those of you still using iPhones, here is the way to connect:

Tap “Settings -> Mobile Data,” then tap the slider next to “Personal Hotspot” to make it green. If your WiFi or Bluetooth is switched off, you’ll be asked to turn them back on. (Yes, you can also share your connection via Bluetooth, but WiFi generally works better.)

Select the appropriate wireless connection, then enter a password for your hotspot when prompted.

Your hotspot is now active. Go to the WiFi settings on your computer, and connect to the network corresponding with your iPhone. (By default, it’s [your name’s] iPhone.)

A Word of Caution …

Hotspots are a fantastic way to get your computers, tablets, other phones, etc. to take advantage of your iPhone or Android’s Internet. But be careful because your other devices may be set to automatically download updates when connected to Wi-Fi (Windows 10 in particular) and could quickly destroy your data allowance.

You can avoid this by setting up a metered connection in Windows 10, and you should make sure automatic app updates are switched off on other phones using your hotspot.

Be Safe – Backup Your Data Regularly!

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