[Electronics-talk] Mobile hot spot question

[Jim Barbour]

Hey Linda,

This is called tethering.  That is, it's possible to tether your ipad or laptop to your cell phone so they can use your cell phone's internet.

There are several caveats here worth paying attention to.  The bottom line is that I was set it up, test it, and understand how this will impact your cell phone bill before turning off your household internet.

Below are a bunch of things that can go wrong with tethering.  Please don't think I'm saying you shouldn't do it.  Tethering as your only internet connection can work fine for folks, you just need to know what your limitations are.

1) Your data plan needs to support it.  Depending on your carrier, you may pay a fee for tethering service.  They'll understand the word tethering if you call them and ask.

2) Tethering devices to your phone will likely mean that you'll be using more data.  Be aware of your data cap, if any, and consequences for going over the cap.

3) Your cell phone internet is very likely slower than your household internet.  i.e. file transfers, etc. will likely take longer, and certainly you won't be able to do as many things at one time.

5) with 99% certainty, I will say that you will only be able to tether one device at a time to your phone.  If you're very techy, you can tether a wifi access point to your phone, and that wifi access point can aczamodate more devices at once.  Be aware of how this will effect the speed of your connection and the amount of data being used.

Feel free to write back with questions.

Take Care,

Jim

On Fri, Sep 12, 2014 at 01:38:05PM -0400, Linda via Electronics-talk wrote:
> Hello,
> 
> I want to make sure I have the proper understanding of what a mobile hot spot is before I give up my landline and internet service.
> 
> I heard that a smartphone can somehow be connected to my iPad so that I will still be able to use it or my laptop.
> 
> Is this tru?  Is it easy to connect to the mobile hot spot?  Thanks for your assistance.  I have never been without a landline, and want to make sure I'm doing the right thing in getting rid of it.
> 
> Linda
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