Cell phone wireless to Laptop

If the phone you have has "internet sharing" in settings or something similar it can be used to connect over 4G or LTE.

My phone can serve 8 devices.
It's not real fast though.

what Sprint phone
new Android or old flip phone
most older phones are cable or Bluetooth connection Not wifi hotspot

and most important, what is the data feature/plan of the sprint phone

I have a verizon Android phone You can pay extra a month for the hot spot on the phone or you can just download Pda Net Or FoxFi and load on your phone Its free to try and $10-15 one time price well worth it! check to make sure you have unlimited data as it can go fast. we use our at the lake when there is bad weather the kids both have tablets and My laptop we can watch netflix and almost everything else you can do at home.

Some phones can do this and some cannot. AS in most issues, it's all in the details. It is a feature on MOST Android phones but SOME carriers will charge you extra for using the features. T Mobile does not have any extra charge for hotspot use but coverage not as good as with Verizon or AT&T. If you use the system only in metro areas or along Interstate or other major highways that isn't an issue but in the back country it can be.
Good luck / Skip

Old flip phone, but Genie has the Android and gets web on it, yes she pays extra each month ($30 I think), but she only does email usually. So, I'm wondering if the Android feature works as well as the independent hotspots.

I'm buying a new phone as soon as I figure this out, and will get Android if it does both - I now have 4G Verizon hotspot AND a Sprint flip phone - but don't need both if one can do the job. It's up for renewal, so can chose what I want ... I may change to Verizon or to Sprint depending on which one does the best job. I'm almost thinking Verizon because then we'd have one Verizon and one Sprint - and that way, cover both when we're traveling. Don't know if one is better - never had any trouble with Verizon tho, except in very back-country areas where nothing covers it anyway. And Sprint seems all over too ...

It is my understanding Sprint blocks PDANet and/or FoxFi. I use Verizon and use FoxFi. Works fine but again it depends on your phone and Android version. Do a search and read about PdaNet/Foxfi, they are now the same.

Okay, will read. But my basic question is: Does the cell phone version of internet access work the same or different than a dedicated hotspot?

At the moment, cost doesn't matter in this question - just the 'works as well as' part. If it doesn't, then I'll keep the hotspot as I need good web access on the road. But, if the cell works equally as well, THEN I can change and have only one phone bill.

I believe they are the exact same technology, but am not sure -

Verizon with android phone works exactly like a hotspot. My only source of Internet is my phone hotspot. Was in a situation like yours a few years ago and got rid of the dedicated hotspot and have used only my phones since. I do have the old unlimited plan, though. Which changes nothing except the amount of data I can use compared to the current verizon plans.

cell hotspot, works the same as 'hotspot device'
there can be a difference in the wifi strength depending on the phone
myVZW samsung Nexus phone(new spring of 2012) has a good wifi signal, and i frequently use my Xoom tablet outside the RV

When sharing WiFi with the phone recommend plugging it in or using QI wireless charging.