Using smart phone as a hot spot

[camper_ron]

Using smart phone as a hot spot

I am getting ready to dump Sprint and go to Verizon with a Galaxy 7 for a hot spot, eliminating the need for my curing Spring hot spot and cell phone. I was reedy to do the transfer when a Verizon representative informed me this was not a good idea and that using the Galaxy 7 with a non-replaceable battery was not good and that I should use a separate device for a hotspot. I am so confused over this as I have never owned a smart phone. Any help would be appreciated.

r0n….

[tatest]

Jayco-noslide wrote:
OK but how do I use it as a hot spot, exactly. I have a Samsung with Android. The phone is only about 3 months old but was not the most expensive one through Cricket wireless. Do I connect my laptop to th phone or what?

Cricket is a re-seller, not a service provider. Hot spot service is usually enabled by the service provider, under contract. I know some pay as you go re-sellers offer hot spot, sometimes an extra cost option, but I don't know about Cricket. You need to talk to Cricket.

Also, the specific phone has to be able to operate both mobile data and WiFi at the same time, and have software to operate as a router and server IP addresses to the WiFi clients. These features are usually included in more recent Galaxy S phones and iPhones, but not every Samsung phone is in the Galaxy S class.

[MrWizard]

the new Verizon MiFi hotspots are 4G LTE

my Samsung S5 can get very warm, when being used as a wifi hotspot

not sure i would want to use something as a hotspot, that i can't get extra batteries for, just in case, i like being able to change to a spare battery,
putting it on the charger is not always convenient

[srt20]

I've hotspotted off my phones for the last 6 or 7 years as my only source of Internet. Androids, IPhones, etc.
Never a problem. I average around 30 gigs a month. My old razr would run a little warm, but never hurt anything. None of the newer phones even ran warm. Never had to replace a battery.

Everything works on LTE while hot spotting, phone calls, txt, using internet on phone while using hotspot on a tablet or laptop.
I am very rarely in a 3G only area, and it's to slow for me to use the hotspot anyway. VZW and others will be phasing 3G out anyway.

Your salesman is just trying to sell you unneeded product.

[MrWizard]

wifi hotspot is your personal wifi connection, just like campgound or coffee shop wifi

it IS NOT tethering

to Tether is to use a USB cable and the phone becomes a MODEM
not a wifi hotspot

most apps, both OEM and after market add on from the google store
do both aka either / or

but they are two different things

when you go to the coffee shop, you don't tether with a cable
when you use the CG wifi there is NO usb cable

tethering is very similar to cable modem setup hardwired to your home desk top PC with the Ethernet LAN cable

wifi hotspot on the phone turns the phone into a wifi access point,,No cable aka No Tether

[pianotuna]

Hi,

I think the concern may be that the battery in the S7 under the extra load of running a wifi hotspot may overheat and swell up. My brother had this happen to him with a mifi.

[kknowlton]

That's what we do. Usually more reliable than the CG wifi, and more secure.

[RinconVTR]

We use our android phones (one motorola, one samsung) as hot spots all the time when we travel and when we are "up north" for the kids laptops and tablets.

Works on 4G and 3G networks. We never used it all day long to run down the battery, so that is a non-issue for us. 4-6 hours use, I hardly see the battery go down.

My phone (the Motorola) will also connect to my SUV via Bluetooth to make and place calls while the hot spot is active on 4G or 3G networks. I cannot verify the Samsung.

[strollin]

Trackrig wrote:
Also check this. On our one year old Verizon Samsung phones, they works great as hot spots, BUT while using them as a hot spot, you can't make a call on it. Say, that you're using your laptop with a phone aas a hot spot looking at RV camp grounds and you want to call one. On our phones you can't do it unless you shut down the hot spot or use a second phone to make the call.

Bill

In order to use voice and data at the same time, you need to have a 4G signal. My 3 year old Verizon LG phone can do both at the same time. Have you tried it when you had a 4G signal?

[coolmom42]

Gene&Ginny wrote:
As AsheGuy said, your phone has an option to become a WiFi hotspot. The process of connecting your laptop WiFi to the phone hotspot is called tethering.

Jayco-noslide wrote:
..not the most expensive one through Cricket wireless. ...

Cricket has some restrictions on tethering. Here is what Cricket has to say about tethering:

To get the Mobile Hotspot feature, you need:

- A Compatible Phone - Own a compatible phone or upgrade to one of the phones on the compatible phones list.
- A Qualifying Plan - At this time, only the $50/mo and $60/mo rate plans are eligible for the Cricket Hotspot add-on.
- To Add the Mobile Hotspot Feature - Tether your phone and the Cricket network to your other devices for only $10/mo.

You may have to get the Cricket people to help you with this. Otherwise the steps I listed above should work.

[coolmom42]

Jayco-noslide wrote:
OK but how do I use it as a hot spot, exactly. I have a Samsung with Android. The phone is only about 3 months old but was not the most expensive one through Cricket wireless. Do I connect my laptop to th phone or what?

There should be a Samsung app called "Mobile Hotspot" already installed on the phone. Go to where all of your apps are listed. Open the app and turn it on. There will be some sort of ID for the phone hotspot just like there is for your router at home.

Then turn on your laptop and look for the wi-fi connections. Find the one that matches your phone and click on connect.

Then go to wi-fi app and you should see your computer listed with something like "authorize this device to use hotspot." Tap yes or OK or whatever. Then it's a done deal.

[Gene_Ginny]

As AsheGuy said, your phone has an option to become a WiFi hotspot. The process of connecting your laptop WiFi to the phone hotspot is called tethering.

Jayco-noslide wrote:
..not the most expensive one through Cricket wireless. ...

Cricket has some restrictions on tethering. Here is what Cricket has to say about tethering:

To get the Mobile Hotspot feature, you need:

- A Compatible Phone - Own a compatible phone or upgrade to one of the phones on the compatible phones list.
- A Qualifying Plan - At this time, only the $50/mo and $60/mo rate plans are eligible for the Cricket Hotspot add-on.
- To Add the Mobile Hotspot Feature - Tether your phone and the Cricket network to your other devices for only $10/mo.

[DutchmenSport]

Sounds like a typical "salesman"! Try to up-sell you something you don't need or want by putting down what you do need and do want!

[AsheGuy]

bighatnohorse wrote:

When my battery goes south, I can get a replacement. DW with her Galaxy 7 will need a replacement phone.

That's not true, there are plenty of places that can replace the battery. You can even do it yourself if you are technically inclined. See How to Replace Your Samsung GALAXY Tab 7 Battery. If this is not your model, a Google search will find similar instructions for any phone with a "non-replaceable" battery.

[AsheGuy]

Jayco-noslide wrote:
OK but how do I use it as a hot spot, exactly. I have a Samsung with Android. The phone is only about 3 months old but was not the most expensive one through Cricket wireless. Do I connect my laptop to th phone or what?

A hotspot, whether built in to a phone or separate, provides a wi-fi signal like any wi-fi. You simply connect the laptop the same as you would to any wi-fi.

[edatlanta]

Trackrig wrote:
Also check this. On our one year old Verizon Samsung phones, they works great as hot spots, BUT while using them as a hot spot, you can't make a call on it. Say, that you're using your laptop with a phone aas a hot spot looking at RV camp grounds and you want to call one. On our phones you can't do it unless you shut down the hot spot or use a second phone to make the call.

Bill

My Note 5 as well as the Galaxy S5 I had previous worked well as a hot spot and all other features worked at the same time including voice, text, email, etc. Nothing didn't work that I was aware of.