What is hotspot on cell phones

Android Lollipop: Our favorite features. Top 10 battery tips for your smartphone or tablet. Open the App Tray and select Mobile Hotspot.

Tap the Mobile Hotspot checkbox. Bring the Internet with you. This content is provided for information purposes only. It indicates a way to see more nav menu items inside the site menu by triggering the side menu to open and close. Ron Lyons, Jr. Mobile hotspots serve as mobile internet networks by converting an LTE connection into a Wi-Fi signal that other devices, like laptops or tablets, can use. Mobile hotspots can come as pocket-sized individual devices or built-in to your smartphone.

Mobile hotspots typically rely on a data plan, which means those without unlimited data plans will likely want to be conscious of their hotspot use. Mobile hotspots can connect up to 10 individual devices, are password and WPA2 security protected, but have limited range and might be slower than your Wi-Fi connection.

Visit Insider's Tech Reference library for more stories. TECH What is a hotspot? How to connect to a public Wi-Fi hotspot, or set up your own personal hotspot. TECH Why won't my hotspot work? How to troubleshoot your phone's mobile hotspot and provide an internet connection for other devices. TECH How to change the name of your iPhone's personal hotspot to make it easier to connect your computer. Additional comments. Email optional. If you are in a place without a cell phone signal then your phone's hotspot will not connect a device to the Internet.

And, remember, the more devices that are connected to your hotspot, the faster your data allotment will go. Caty Weaver was the editor. Have you ever used your phone as a hotspot?

Does your phone have this ability? When would you use a hotspot? Share your thoughts in the Comments Section below or on our Facebook page. Load more comments. Search Search. Audio menu. Learning English Broadcast. Previous Next. A phone hotspot can be a serious collaboration tool for a group of businesspeople attempting to work together.

It can also provide a connectivity lifeline for a home office when the Wi-Fi goes down. When the phone is connected to the mobile data network, it can convert the data stream into a Wi-Fi signal for other devices to share. This technique works with just about every current Android and iOS phone, and using your phone as a hotspot can be more secure than using a public hotspot. The usage is generally included in your monthly plan, but after you reach a specified data limit for most plans, the speed drops.

In a nutshell, using a hotspot can make life easier on the road, and occasionally even at home. At its essence, a hotspot is a blend of software, hardware and back-end network data services that combine to transform a phone into the equivalent of a broadband modem and router. In other words, it can distribute a web connection to nearby systems via Wi-Fi.

Some phones also allow tethering via Bluetooth and USB cables, but these techniques are less popular. To use a phone as a hotspot, the device treats its online connection to the data network as if it were a broadband data source. It then transmits this data locally like a mini-Wi-Fi router using the The net result is that those Wi-Fi devices that are within range can tap into the data signal as if it were a regular old Wi-Fi network — because it is.

A phone hotspot uses a cellular network to connect to the internet, and typically shares that connection via Wi-Fi. Using a phone hotspot can increase your security profile by letting you avoid the use of insecure public hotspots in coffee shops and hotels. For those able to tap into one of the emerging 5G networks, the protection is increased with bit encryption; the ability to block fake mobile network transmission sites, known as stingrays ; and encryption of your identity and location to thwart identity thieves.