How to Use Your Android Smartphone as a Mobile Hotspot

Bye-bye public Wi-Fi: Leaving the house with an Android smartphone means you’ve got the Internet in your pocket.

 

Gone are the days of searching for a public Wi-Fi hotspot just to connect your laptop or tablet to the Internet. Today, most Android smartphones from Verizon Wireless have a built-in mobile hotspot function—allowing you to work on the go and browse the Internet anytime. And now that functionality is included when you choose Verizon’s Share Everything Plan.

With a mobile hotspot, you can create an Internet connection for up to five mobile devices on a 3G phone and up to 10 on a 4G LTE smartphone. After a few quick steps, the phone creates its own secure Wi-Fi network, which your devices can join. There’s no need for a USB cable, and multiple users can share your phone’s mobile data plan.

There are just a few things to keep in mind: Be aware that any data used by a connected device will be deducted from the total amount of data you’ve selected in your Share Everything Plan. Also, be sure not to disable the mobile hotspot’s Wi-Fi; if disabled, anyone could connect to the hotspot without your knowledge or permission and potentially access any data being transmitted.

Here’s how to turn your laptop into a virtual office, your camera into a global traveler, your MP3 player into a streaming playground, and more:

1.    Ensure the Verizon Wireless Mobile Hotspot feature is activated in your Settings or Manage Connections area. (With a Share Everything Plan, the Mobile Hotspot functionality becomes automatically available on your capable smartphone.)

2.    Open the App Tray and select “Mobile Hotspot.” (If your Android device isn’t set up this way, learn your phone’s individual process by checking out a Device Simulator.)

3.    Tap the Mobile Hotspot checkbox. (Note: The Mobile Hotspot feature can use a lot of power, so it’s a good idea to plug your phone into a charger while the feature is turned on.)

4.    In a few moments, an icon will appear in the notifications panel showing the availability of your new hotspot.

5.    Computers and other connected devices can now connect to this hotspot through Wi-Fi and share your smartphone’s data connection.

For a visual walk-through, watch this video on how to set up a mobile hotspot on a Droid.

And newer phones such as the Pantech Maurader, which runs Ice Cream Sandwich, can take full advantage of Verizon 4G LTE speed when creating an Internet connection. This operating system makes fast work of setting up a mobile hotspot and connecting to the web via your smartphone, so you can enjoy on-the-go flexibility and powerful performance.