Last month, I was at the airport with my buddy on our way to Cabo. He was complaining about how the airport’s Wi-Fi kept dropping and that he really needed to send a couple important emails before we boarded. Being the nice guy that I am, I offered to let him connect to my iPhone’s personal hotspot. The response I got was “what the hell is a hotspot?” So if you’re clueless like my buddy, here is a tutorial on how to use your iPhone’s hotspot.
What is a personal hotspot and what’s so great about it?
A personal hotspot basically turns your iPhone into a wireless router that other devices can connect to. The connected devices will use your iPhone’s data plan to connect to the Internet. Another term you might hear referring to this feature is called tethering. This is a super useful feature if you’re in an area with bad Wi-Fi or no Wi-Fi at all. As long as your device can access Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or USB then you are good to go.
REMINDER! You will be using your cell phone data. If you’re low on data, I would recommend using this feature only for emails or simple web browsing. If you decide to start streaming YouTube videos, your wallet is going to be incredibly unhappy.
I always use my personal hotspot when I am in a public area. Public Wi-Fi is really convenient, but it is not the most secure. Sensitive information should not be viewed on your laptop because it can be easily hacked. So if you’re thinking about logging in to your bank account, think again. However, connecting to your phone’s hotspot is much more secure. It is similar to logging into your home’s Wi-Fi that is password protected. The only way anyone will be able to access your hotspot is to enter the correct password.
I would highly recommend creating your own complex password of at least 8 characters. According to 9to5mac, the default password isn’t as random as you might think and could be susceptible to being hacked. This was reported in 2013 and may have been fixed, but it doesn’t hurt to be on the safe side when it comes to your private information.
How to use your iPhone’s hotspot
There are three different ways to connect to your phone’s hotspot: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and USB. Apple does a great job of giving clear directions for each, which can be seen in the “personal hotspot” setting.
- Go to Settings
- Tap Personal Hotspot
- Tap the Personal Hotspot slider to enable.
To Connect Using Wi-Fi
- Choose “your phone’s name” from the Wi-Fi settings on your computer or other device.
- Enter the password when prompted.
To Connect Using Bluetooth
- Pair iPhone with your computer (or other device).
- On iPhone, tap Pair or enter the code displayed on your computer (or other device).
- Connect to iPhone from computer.
To Connect Using USB
- Plug iPhone into your computer.
- Choose iPhone from the list of network services in your settings.
The personal hotspot feature is going to drain your phone’s battery. If you are using the Wi-Fi option, I would recommend connecting your iPhone to a portable battery. If you don’t have a portable battery, I would recommend using the USB option. This will keep your iPhone charged, while your laptop is accessing the Internet.