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Don't understand the hot spot thing

  • 30 July 2022
  • 6 replies
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live_poor
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I understand tethering which is a cell phone feature. I understand data plans with cell phone companies. How does a cellular plan offer “mobile hot spots”? Either your phone does that or it doesn’t. You either have cell phone data or not, it can be unlimited or capped. How does a PLAN offer hot spots? 

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Best answer by Marlena_Cricket 2 August 2022, 00:44

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Marlena_Cricket
Userlevel 2
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Hey @live_poor! Thanks for your post. With Mobile Hotspot, you can take the Cricket network with you whenever, wherever we have coverage in all 50 U.S. states. Add the Mobile Hotspot feature to qualifying plans and your cell phone becomes a Wi-Fi Hotspot among multiple devices at the same time! Here’s some additional information that breaks down the Mobile Hotspot feature. 😃

 

Mobile Hotspot Uses

 

  • Connect your laptop or tablet to the Internet when you are traveling and on the go
  • Access the Internet from your home when Wi-Fi is unavailable
  • Share your Hotspot with family and friends!
  • Tether among six (6) devices at the same time using Wi-Fi or a USB cable!

What is Tethering?

In data talk, connecting devices to your smartphone to share Internet access is called tethering. With Cricket's Mobile Hotspot feature, you can use tethering to connect six (6) devices at the same time using Wi-Fi or a USB cable.

How Does Tethering Affects High-Speed Data?

When devices are tethered to your phone with the Mobile Hotspot feature, they use you’re the Mobile Hotspot data allotment. The more devices you connect, the more data will be used. After your Mobile Hotspot data allotment is used, tethering speeds are slowed to 128 Kbps for the rest of the billing cycle or until you purchase additional Mobile Hotspot data.

What are the Requirements for a Mobile Hotspot?

To use Mobile Hotspot you'll need an eligible phone and:

 

live_poor
Badge +4

So basically mobile hotspot is additional data. The tethering is done by the phone so either it has that capability or not. That doesn’t seem like something cricket would control from the network. Why don’t you call it “additional data plan” or something like that. Why all the talk about “mobile hotspots” as if this is some new distinct technology or something. It’s really just tethering which is something I can do whether I have the mobile hotspot plan or not.  What am I missing here?

C

Can you use your phone as a hotspot without the extra feature through the service provider? Have you tried it? I’m curious to know. My phone’s hotspot works but it’s included in my plan. I never tried before it was in my plan. Seriously, does it work if you are not paying for that feature in your service plan? I mean, have you actually used it successfully without it being part of your plan? I would love to know. That would be very useful information.

 

live_poor
Badge +4

Yes, I’m gathering cricket disables WiFi tethering somehow...I haven’t tried that method. 

The fastest way to connect your computer to the internet is with a USB tether. It’s also the only method that requires extra hardware — but it’s only your phone’s charging cable. Simply connect your phone to your computer to get started.

  1. Once connected, navigate to the Hotspot & Tethering menu in the Android System popup. Toggle the USB Tethering option to On.
  2. Now, your computer should acknowledge the new connection source. Once it becomes available, simply select the network like you would with any other connection.

All Android devices feature a built-in Wi-Fi hotspot, which is probably the simplest way to share your internet access. Unfortunately, some carriers block this feature if you’re not paying for a hotspot plan. You can always root your device or upgrade to a more expensive plan as a workaround, though. Here are the steps you need to activate your Wi-Fi tether:

  1. Head to the same Network & Internet section of your Settings app.
  2. Locate and open the Hotspot & Tethering menu.
  3. You should now see four options — Wi-Fi hotspot, USB tethering, Bluetooth tethering, and Ethernet tethering. Select your Wi-Fi hotspot and toggle it to On.
  4. You can also change the name and password of your hotspot to secure your data. Just be careful to keep your security set to WPA2 PSK for the best protection.
  5. Now you can connect your laptop, tablet, or another device to the hotspot just like you would with any other Wi-Fi network. Don’t forget to toggle your hotspot back to Off when you finish to preserve your data.

One last way to tether your computer to your Android device is with Bluetooth. Sure, you have to take the extra step of pairing the two, but we connect new Bluetooth devices all the time. The steps aren’t much more demanding, so here’s what you need to know:

  1. Open the settings menu on your Windows 10 laptop and head to the Bluetooth settings. Make sure your computer is set to Discoverable.
  2. On your phone, head into the Bluetooth settings and look for your computer to appear. This is where it may help to have a unique name for your computer, just in case.
  3. Now, select the prompt to pair on both devices.
  4. Once your phone is paired to your laptop, head into the settings and locate the Network & Internet section. Open the Hotspot & Tethering options and toggle Bluetooth tethering to On.
  5. Back on your computer, right-click on the Bluetooth icon and select Join a Personal Area Network. This should open a new menu.
  6. Open the Connect Using dropdown menu and select Access Point. You should now be connected to the internet.

That’s all it takes! You should be able to jump through the hoops on any of these three methods in just a few minutes to get yourself onto the internet.

 

https://www.androidauthority.com/how-to-tether-32160/

C

That’s awesome. So what cell provider were you using when you were able to use a mobile hotspot without paying for that on your plan? Thanks.

C

Yeah, that’s what I thought. When you said you’ve actually done it, you meant you have not done it. Some people, people who know the definitions of words, would call that a lie.

Please feel free to prove me wrong.

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