You can use your iPhone 5 as an internet dongle to connect a laptop, tablet, or PC to the internet.
You can either have a quick look at our guide on how to set up your iPhone as a mobile hotspot
or read the following instructions.
Setting it up
- Go to your iPhone's on-screen Settings
- Look for Personal Hotspot; or General, followed by Network, and finally Personal Hotspot
- Tap on Personal Hotspot and then slide the switch to On
- Then connect the iPhone to your laptop or tablet using a USB cable or Bluetooth.
Using a USB cable
You'll need a laptop or tablet running Windows XP SP2 or later, Vista, Windows 7 or Mac OS 10.5.7 or later. Plus make sure you have a free USB port, iTunes 8.2 or later installed, and an iPhone USB cable.
Plug the USB cable into your iPhone and then into your laptop or tablet.
You may need to set up a new network connection - just follow the simple instructions on you laptop or tablet screen.
Using a Portable WiFi hotspot
This requires a computer running Windows XP SP2 or later, Windows Vista, 7 or Mac OS 10.4.11 or later, with WiFi.
Connect your laptop or tablet to your phone via WiFi, the same way you would connect your laptop to your home WiFi. Just enter your WiFi password when asked for it.
Using Bluetooth
This requires a laptop or tablet running windows XP SP2 or later, Vista, Windows 7 or Mac OS 10.4.11 or later. And you must be able to use Bluetooth 2.0 on it.
First switch on Bluetooth on your iPhone and on your laptop or tablet.
Now 'pair' your iPhone with your
laptop or tablet, then connect. Here's how...
If your laptop or tablet uses Windows
Click on the Bluetooth icon in your iPhone's Notification area (the system tray)
Select Add a Bluetooth device, and follow the onscreen instructions
When you've successfully paired your iPhone with your laptop or tablet, click on the Bluetooth icon in the Notification area again
- Select Show Bluetooth devices
- Highlight your iPhone, and then click the Properties button
- Now click the Services tab
- Then tick the Wireless iAP checkbox, and click OK
- To connect your Windows laptop or tablet, click on the Bluetooth icon in your iPhone's Notification area (system tray)
- Click on Join A Personal Area Network
- Now click Connect.
Your devices are now tethered. Browse away.
If your laptop or tablet is a Mac
- Open your iPhone's Bluetooth Preferences
- Click on Set Up New Device and follow the onscreen instructions
- When you've successfully paired your iPhone to your Mac, choose the option Use Device as a Network Port on your iPhone
- To connect your Mac laptop or iPad to your iPhone, click on the Bluetooth icon in the menu bar
- Click on your iPhone, and then choose Connect to Network.
Your iPhone should now have a blue bar at the top of the screen to show that tethering is up and running.
Turning it off
To avoid any unexpected call charges, it's best to switch off internet tethering when you're not using your iPhone to connect your laptop or tablet to the internet.
- To do this, just click on Settings on your iPhone menu
- Choose General, go to Network
- Tap on Internet Tethering to switch it off.
Making calls while tethering
If you're using the 3G or 4G network, you can make mobile phone calls and use tethering at the same time.
If you're using the 2G network, your tethering session will be stopped when you make a phone call.
A wireless router is a great way to enable internet connectivity with multiple devices. However, if you still haven’t got one, or are stuck in in a place where you don’t have access to one, then don’t worry. If you have a laptop, chances are that you can actually create a wireless network on it, just like a router. The best part is you can share a connection using the wired port on the laptop, or using the in-built WiFi feature. Not just that, you can also use it as a range extender for a router you’re using. Let’s look at the steps involved in creating a wireless hotspot on the laptop.
Creating a hotspot on Windows 10
The ability to create a WiFi hotspot on a laptop has existed on Windows for a while now, with the help of some 3rd party software. However, with the new Windows 10 Anniversary edition, it has become a lot simpler. The update has also added the support for a sharing wireless connections, which wasn’t available. So if you are running Windows 10 and haven’t got the Anniversary updated yet, we suggest you get it. Go to the Windows Update feature on your laptop and update to the latest version.
Creating a network is only a few steps away. First, press the Windows button and search for ‘Control Panel’. In the Control Panel, select ‘Network and Internet’. Once the ‘Network and Internet’ page opens, go to the tab on the left and select ‘Mobile Hotspot’. Turn on ‘Share my internet connection with other devices’. You also get to choose between the internet connections you want to share, be it Ethernet (Wired) or Wi-Fi (Wireless). Choose the medium as per your preference.
Windows already has a default Network name and password assigned to the laptop. However you can change it. Press ‘Edit’ and then type in the desired network name and password. Press ‘Save’ once you’re done. That’s all, a wireless network will be created on the laptop. You can connect other devices to it, using the network name and password you’ve assigned it.
Using Virtual Router to setup a wireless hotspot on your laptop
If you haven’t got the Windows 10 Anniversary update yet, then you won’t be able to share a wireless network. Don’t be alarmed because you can also use a third-party software to do it. There are plenty of software available. The one we recommend is called ‘Virtual Router‘. It’s a free software and is compatible with some of the older Windows versions, not just Windows 10.
Download, install and open Virtual Router on your laptop. All you have to do is put in the desired network name (SSID) and the password for it. Select the wireless connection that you want to share with other devices. Once you’re done, simply click the ‘Start Virtual Router’ button and the network will be created. You can also monitor all the devices connected to this network. It’s that simple. A few simple steps done in a few minutes can turn your laptop into a wireless network. While this is not recommended for heavy usage, it’s certainly useful when all you have is a wired connection for all your devices.