Hotspots are usually physical locations through which individuals gain access to the internet by utilizing Wi-Fi technology, using a wireless area network (WLAN) and a router that is connected to a service provider.
These physical locations are termed as public hotspots because they are configured for the purpose of providing internet access and are controlled to a large extent by the host.
Over the years, the need for data has increased tremendously. Data is now required on the go. Getting to physical locations to connect to hotspots is no longer the only option. Smartphones now come with tethering options through which mobile Wi-Fi hotspots can be set up.
The convenience of using smartphones as mobile hotspots has become the norm among smartphone users. Data connections are often needed on the go, so knowing how to get this done on your smartphone is necessary.
Complete Guide to Fix Mobile Hotspot Issues
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- How to setup hotspot for iPhone & Android?
- How to see who is connected to your hotspot on iPhone & Android?
- How do I kick people off my hotspot?
- Why is my hotspot cutting out?
- Why does my hotspot say connected but no Internet?
How to setup hotspot for iPhone & Android?
The process of setting up mobile hotspot on your smartphone depends on the operating system of the smartphone. It may be complicated on some devices but with practice, you’re sure to get the hang of it.
Here, we’ll try to explain how to setup hotspot on devices using the two main operating systems, iOS and Android.
How to setup hotspot for iPhone?
Setting up a mobile hotspot on your iPhone or iPad requires a few easy to follow steps.
- Go to settings > Personal hotspot
- On the screen, tap the toggle button beside Personal Hotspot. You will notice a change in colour to green when the toggle button is tapped.
- Note: if Personal Hotspot is not displayed in the Settings menu, tap on Cellular > Personal Hotspot.
- Take note of the displayed Wi-Fi password.
- On the device you intend to connect to the internet, open Wi-Fi menu.
- In the Wi-Fi menu list, search for your iOS device name and tap it.
- Enter the password you took note of above.
Executing the steps above will enable your secondary device connect to the internet via the mobile hotspot.
Toggle the Personal Hotspot again when you want to turn off the mobile hotspot.
How to setup hotspot for Android?
Setting up mobile hotspot on Android devices is dependent on the device. The wise range of devices on the Android platform makes the setting up product specific. As a result, different devices have slightly different procedures to set up the mobile hotspot.
How to set up mobile hotspot for Samsung Galaxy S8
Setting up mobile hotspot on the Samsung Galaxy S8 can be achieved by following these simple steps.
- In the home screen go to the app tray and click on Settings
Alternatively, pull down the notification bar and tap on the gear-shaped icon
- In the Settings menu, tap on Connections
- In the Connections menu, tap on Mobile Hotspot and Tethering
- In the Mobile Hotspot and Tethering menu, tap on Mobile Hotspot
- In the Mobile Hotspot menu, tap on Mobile Hotspot
- Tap on Mobile Hotspot
- Use the displayed name and password or create a new name and password
- Tap the toggle button to turn on Mobile Hotspot
How to set up mobile hotspot for Tecno W3
- In the home screen, go to app menu then Settings (or pull down the notification bar and tap on the gear-shaped icon
- In the Settings menu, tap on Tethering & portable hotspot
- In the Tethering &portable hotspot menu, tap on Wi-Fi hotspot
- In the Wi-Fi hotspot menu, tap the toggle button to switch it on
How to see who is connected to your hotspot on iPhone & Android?
The procedure to see who is connected to your device’s mobile hotspot varies, depending on the operating system and device manufacturer.
How to see who is connected to your hotspot on iPhone?
A quick way to see if a device is connected to mobile Hotspot Wi-Fi network is by looking at the lock screen. The personal Hotspot icon is displayed in the status bar of your lock screen when a device is connected to the Hotspot Wi-Fi network.
Multiple devices can connect to your Hotspot Wi-Fi network simultaneously, so it’s advised that you perform a regular check to know who is connected to your Hotspot Wi-Fi network.
To view the number of devices connected to your Hotspot Wi-Fi network, apply the following procedure.
- Access the control center by swiping down from the upper right corner of your screen.
- Select and long-press the connectivity tab
- View the list of connected devices displayed under Personal Hotspot.
How to see who is connected to your hotspot on Android?
You can see who is connected to your Hotspot Wi-Fi network through the navigation bar or settings, both routes give the same results.
Notification Bar
When the Hotspot Wi-Fi network is on,
- Swipe down from the top of the screen
- Tap the gear-like icon to access the Settings menu
- In the Settings menu, tap on Tethering & portable hotspot
- Tap on Wi-Fi hotspot
- See the number of connected users and their MAC addresses under Connected Users
How do I kick people off my hotspot?
Having unauthorized users on your Hotspot Wi-Fi network means your password has been compromised or hacked. It could also be that you haven’t enabled network encryption.
If the latter suffices, then you’ll have to turn on network encryption. Be sure to choose “WPA2”, and create a password. Your network will become available to only those you give the password.
However, if the former is the case, you’ll have to do a password reset. Check regularly for breaches until you are sure the hacker no longer has access to your network.
Another option to kick people off your hotspot is to block them using the block option in the Connect Users section of the Wi-Fi Hotspot menu.
Why is my hotspot cutting out?
This is a very unpleasant experience, particularly when you’re on to some serious activity. There are a number of reasons that can cause your hotspot to cut out. Finding out the exact cause can be challenging sometimes. We’ll just highlight some of the causes of hotspot cutting out.
- Fast boot: this can sustain some settings which will prevent your Wi-Fi Hotspot from staying on.
- Timeout settings: another cause of hotspot cutting out is when the Wi-Fi timeout settings is turned on.
- IP setting: selecting IPv4 and IPv6 instead of IPv4 from IP setting in network setting will lead to hotspot cutting out.
- Third party app: some third party apps can cause hotspot cutting out by initiating or disabling settings that affect the hotspot Wi-Fi network.
Why does my hotspot say connected but no Internet?
There are a number of reasons why this occurs. The easiest check will be to ensure you have an active subscription. Sometimes, your subscription may have expired so being sure of this could save you a lot of headache.
When mobile internet APN and tethered mobile internet APN don’t match, the result could be a connection without internet access.
A restricted network could be the cause of no internet. This usually occurs when you are connected to a network that has a connection password. When this happens, you will have limited or no internet access. A simple solution will be to get the password and connect to the network with it.
Proximity to the modem or router could determine the strength of the signal received. A poor or weak signal could result in limited or no internet access. Moving closer to the router can improve signal strength.
Another cause for this could be phone overheating or overuse. When this occurs, the adapters no longer respond accordingly and may need some cooling off. This can be solved by turning on airplane mode and turning it off again. Turning on airplane mode results in the system slowing down. Turning off the airplane mode enables the system to go back to normal resume sending mobile signals.
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Hi, some of the devices connected to my hotspot are only identified by a * and a mac address. Some show a name, like Alexa. Is it possible to get all devices to show a name so i can easily identify and shut some down when i need a space freeing up?