Have you ever needed internet while working on the move? Or have you arrived at a hotel room to find there's either no wifi internet access, or internet that is so slow it’s not worth using? Or maybe your home network has gone down and left you without access to the web? Well, the solution could be as simple as using your smartphone to get internet access wherever you have phone connectivity.

Here’s how to turn your smartphone into a personal wifi hotspot. 

iPhone

Step 1: On your iPhone, go to “Settings”

Step 2: Tap “Personal Hotspot” and slide the switch to ‘on’. Make a note of the network name (the name of your iPhone) and your new wifi password

Step 3: On your tablet or laptop, make sure wifi is enabled and search for wireless networks. Select the one that matches your phone's name and then enter the password to ‘pair’ your device.

Android

Step 1: Tap “Apps”

Step 2: Scroll to and tap “Settings”

Step 3: Tap “More settings”

Step 4: Tap “Tethering and portable hotspot”, on some models this will be found in “Network settings” or an equivalent, rather than “More settings”

Step 5: Tap “Portable Wi-Fi hotspot”

Step 6: Tap “Configure”

Step 7: Enter a new name for your hotspot

Step 8: Tap “Password”

Step 9: Delete the existing text and enter a password

Step 10: Tap “Save”

Step 11: Tap “Portable Wi-Fi hotspot”. The portable wifi hotspot should now be active. You can also connect other devices to it by using the network name in step 7 and the password you entered in step 9.
 

One of the main problems with using your phone as a portable wifi hotspot is that it can use up your monthly data allowance quite quickly. If you are using your phone as a device for connecting your laptop or tablet, it is important to remember that it is your phone’s data plan which will be depleted. It can be quite expensive should you go over your monthly data usage. So you should disable automatic updates or downloads and keep a close watch on how much data you use. Oh, and remember to disable the hotspot when you're not using it, otherwise you will shorten your battery life.