Set Up Your Own Mobile Hot Spot Using a 3G phone.


The growth of mobile broadband has come home. First it was only Safaricom who could offer us the 3G services. At first if you memory is as clear as mine, the cost of access was so high that you could not be tempted to venture in the direction of You Tube. Not forgetting you had to purchase a very expensive dongle in order for you to access the internet on your PC or Laptop. Oh did I mention that the dongles or we call them Modems are locked by the service provider? Now let us assume you have been waiting for another service provider to offer the mobile broadband at a lower price or let’s just say to offer “true broadband” if you are savvy and improvising as a majority of Kenyans are then am sure you had the dongle flashed/jail broken but you aren’t that of a street smart then you must have found yourself with the second and third modem and you might not stop coz Airtel just launched there 3.75G mobile broadband.
Well, have you ever thought of using your 3G phone as a modem? I have been doing this on Sony Ericsson phones since way back and I know that many other phones are capable of this either by USB, Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. This is called tethering and it’s a so easy in that you do not have to be a networking genius to do this and it actually saves the hustle of having all those gadgets with you. This can also save you a lot if you are a frequent traveller to destinations since the cost of Wi-Fi access at airports and hotels can spiral upwards over a period of time. The option you will choose will be highly dependent on your phone and the security features in place on either your 3G tablet or phone i.e. Bluetooth on android turns off after a minute of no connection and the same happens with Wi-Fi on IOS devices. The other consideration is the amount of charge in your phones battery hence the third option which is tethering via USB which is the most reliable as it also powers your phone.
There are a couple of challenges that you might encounter while using your phone as a modem but the advantages might out weight the disadvantages. For starters, don’t get excited about the capability of being able to access the internet on your laptop and you may just zap out your data bundles assuming it is not unlimited bandwidth. The other concern is that you might not experience supper fast speeds because of the throttling subject to usage policies enforced by service providers if you are on the unlimited access or the architecture of your phones access features including the software…

FAQ: Tethering with a hotspot phone

What is tethering?
Tethering is the ability to share a smartphone's Internet connection with computers or other devices. It can be accomplished by connecting the devices with a USB cable, a Bluetooth wireless link or a Wi-Fi connection. This story concentrates on Wi-Fi hotspot tethering because it's convenient and can service more than one client at a time -- and because just about all laptops and tablets have Wi-Fi built in these days.
How does a hotspot phone work?
After connecting to the mobile phone data network, the smartphone can distribute its Internet connection to several clients via a Wi-Fi connection. Any Wi-Fi-enabled computer or tablet can connect to it, and the real bonus is that the Wi-Fi router is inside your phone so there's no extra stuff to carry with you and no other device to recharge.
Which phones and networks support Wi-Fi tethering?
They come from the major phone makers; use a variety of mobile operating systems, including Android, BlackBerry, iOS, webOS and Windows Phone; and come in a variety of sizes and shapes. At the moment, Android offers the most options, with around four dozen hotspot-capable models available.

Does Wi-Fi tethering make the phone any bigger or heavier?
No. Wi-Fi tethering requires that the phone have a Wi-Fi chip built in, but smartphones already have this for connecting at Internet cafés or at the office. The hotspot ability is enabled by software and doesn't add to the bulk of a phone. In fact, there are hotspot phones that weigh as little as 3.2 oz.
Is the setup hard to do?
Anyone who's set up a Wi-Fi router or used a mobile hotspot can enable Wi-Fi tethering. To get the phone to act as a Wi-Fi hotspot, you need to start the tethering app by tapping on its icon; it usually has some variation of "mobile hotspot" in its name so it's hard to miss.
The details vary based on the phone in question, but after clicking a box to turn the hotspot on, you'll typically need to configure it by typing in a network name, choosing its encryption type and designating a security password. (You only have to do this once.) Most hotspot phones are up to date with WPA2 protection so that outsiders can't tap into your mobile network or read any data. Setup takes a couple of minutes; when you're done, the phone is ready to be used as a hotspot.
How difficult is it to connect devices to the phone's hotspot?
It's no more difficult to connect a notebook or tablet to a hotspot smartphone than it is to connect one to a home or office Wi-Fi router. The network name shows up on the Wi-Fi connection screen, and you are required to type in the network's password the first time you connect. After that, you can set it up to connect automatically.
What clients can connect to the hotspot and how many clients will it support?
A hotspot phone can link to any device that has Wi-Fi networking. I've used hotspot phones with various laptops, an iPad and several Android tablets.
The phone can supply an Internet connection to as many as 5 to 8 clients, depending on the model. Be warned, though -- the connection speed is often not enough to spread across several users, and you might be disappointed.
What speed and range can be expected?
The connection speed depends on many variables, including the cell network you're connecting to, how far you are from the network's closest transmission tower and how congested the Internet is at that moment in time. I've had connections on both Safaricom’s and Airtel’s 3G and even though Safaricom does not offer true 3G I am able to surf the net while avoiding YouTube and heavy flash sites.
When it comes to 3G data network, geography is destiny. Even as the competition intensifies, there are still many places in the Kenya, particularly in high density neighborhoods, in the country side and the northern parts of the country that are sparsely covered.
Typically, the phone's Wi-Fi signal has a range of about 100 feet, so it works well in a temporary office, at the beach or even in the largest hotel suite. One thing to keep in mind is that, as with Wi-Fi routers, the signal's strength and bandwidth decline as you get farther from the hotspot.
Can you tether and talk on the phone at the same time?
That depends on the phone and network it lives on. Phones on older CDMA-based 3G networks can't; and phones that run on HSPA-based 3G networks are a mixed bag.
How much does tethering cost?
I have been able to tether my phone to my PC for the past 5 years at no extra cost from the service providers apart from my data bundles but this might vary on whether you on postpaid or prepaid plan.
Can I use a third-party tethering app instead?
If your phone has Wi-Fi built in and you are unable for find the settings for tethering, you can download and use apps such as MyWi for the iPhone, Android WiFi Tether for Android or JoikuSpot Light WiFi Hotspot for Symbian to turn your phone into a hotspot. Each basically does what the phone's built-in tethering app does. If you want to do this on a postpaid plan, my advice is to read the very fine print in the service agreement to see what your rights are and where you stand so as to avoid punitive bills or throttling due to violation of the fair usage policy.

Comments

  1. Hello Steven,Thanks for this.I got an Ipad Mini as gift and unfortunately didnt come with 3G, i got it from the states.I just wanted to find out about the tethering,i have read your blog but would like to find out more in less Techie language...i am not the most techie person.just wanted to find out about the 1.Reliability of the tethering using the smartphone as a hotspot 2.The cost implications 3.exactly which network i should go for Safaricom or Airtel!Diana

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