Use Your Own Internet Connection with Your iPhone’s Personal Hotspot
Have you ever desperately needed to get your device online, but there’s no Wi-Fi connection around? As long as you’ve got an iPhone with a 3G or 4G data connection, you’re able to solve this problem using Personal Hotspot.
With the Personal Hotspot feature, iPhone users’ have the ability to share their iPhone’s Internet connection with others through Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or USB. The iPhone acts like a wireless router for other devices, simply by transmitting and receiving data for them. For Wi-Fi connections, an iPhone 4 or newer is required. However, an iPhone 3GS is capable of Bluetooth and USB connections.
This is a great feature for public areas with limited bandwidth, and of course, you can setup a password on your connection as well. Have you been considering the iPad Wi-Fi + Cellular or Wi-Fi Only, but you’re unsure of which to buy? Keep in mind, you’re able to connect the device to your iPhone when necessary.
It’s important to track your data usage, it can be expensive when you accidentally get carried away and go over your limit.
Turning the Personal Hotspot On
In iOS 6 or lower, go to Settings, General, and then select Network; which leads you to a Set up Personal Hotspot option. With iOS 7, the process is fairly simple. Go to Settings, Personal Hotspot, then type your password into the Wi-Fi Password field and turn the Personal Hotspot on.
- Wi-Fi Connection
Go to Settings and select Wi-Fi to display the networks available near you. Choose the name of your iPhone, enter the password, and you’re connected. At the top of your iPhone screen, a blue banner will show you how many devices are connected to your Personal Hotspot.
- Bluetooth Connection
To connect using Bluetooth, pair your iPhone with your computer using Bluetooth from the menu. Select Pair or enter the code on your computer, then your iPhone will be connected to your computer.
- USB Connection
Using the USB cable, plug your iPhone into your computer. On the menu bar, select the Airport icon, Open Network Preferences, then choose your iPhone from the list of available network services on the left-hand column.