10 Steps to Create a WiFi Hotspot with Your iOS Phone

With the newest iOS for the smart phones, you can do away with your wifi connection for your laptop or ipad when you’re traveling. Your smart phone can actually become the wifi hotspot for, not just one, but multiple devices. You could literally meet your friends at the park and create the wifi hotspot for all of you to connect to at once (as long as there isn’t more than 5 of you). Here are the 10 steps to setting up a wifi hotspot with your smart phone.

1. IPhone 4 – Although you can ‘tether’ your iphone 3 and use it to gain access to the internet through its network connection, that is not same as creating a hotspot connection through your iphone 4. We’ll be referring to the steps as they relate to using an iphone 4.
2. iOS 4.2.6 or greater – Those on the Verizon network were able to begin using the hotspot feature with their iphone 4′s with the 4.2.6 iOS, however, it didn’t become available to AT&T users until iOS 4.3 was released. You must have the proper updated iOS to access the hotspot feature. The steps that follow relate to AT&T’s procedure.
3. Enable Personal Hotspot Feature – Your first step is to enable the feature, which can be done one of three ways. You can go online to your to your AT&T account and enable the feature there with a simple click; you can call customer service (611) and ask them to enable it for you; or you can use the AT&T my wireless app to activate the feature yourself through your phone.
4. Switch to DataPro Plan – If you are on the old unlimited data plan or the small 200MB plan, you will need to upgrade to the DataPro Plan to use the hotspot feature.
5. Settings – Go to your Settings, select General and then Network and then Personal Hotspot. Select ‘On’ and your feature is activated and ready to use.
6. Create password – AT&T does require a password for access to the wifi connection. This is included for your own protection, so be thankful it is there. You can use the default password, but it is always safer to create your own. Use letters, numbers and punctuation characters and make it 10 characters long. You will have to give the password to anyone you choose to allow to connect to your wifi hotspot.
7. Select connection methods – The hotspot can be accessed by USB cable, Bluetooth or wifi. The default setting has them all turned on, and they can be all used at the same time. You can also choose to turn select options off and only use one or two of the options.
8. Bluetooth, Wifi – Connecting to the hotspot via Bluetooth or wifi works the same as it does with any other connection of those types. The device desiring to connect searches for a bluetooth or wifi connection and will show your phone as an option available. You select to connect to your phone and enter your password. You are now connected to the internet and using your phone as your modem.
9. Phone calls – You can still receive phone calls on your phone while it is being used as a hotspot without interruption on the AT&T network. However, the Verizon network doesn’t allow you to accept a call and keep the hotspot operating at the same time. If you answer the call on the Verizon network, it will shutdown the hotspot feature and disconnect any devices that were accessing it.
10. Shut down – You have the option of disconnecting devices from the hotspot individually or simply turning the hotspot feature off all together.

Taken From Phone Service