Does a hotspot cost money?

What is a mobile hotspot?

You form a mobile hotspot when you let other devices connect to your device’s internet connection. When there’s no Wi-Fi connection available, turning on a hotspot essentially changes your phone into a modem. Other devices can share your connection when you turn on your hotspot and give them your hotspot password. 

Be aware that sharing a connection uses your mobile data plan and could cost you money.

Unless you’re using a very outdated phone, your device can probably create a mobile hotspot. Hotspot services are possible using most operating systems, including iOS, Android, Windows Mobile 6.5, and Windows Phone 7 or higher.

Devices can link to yours wirelessly using Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. You can even use a USB cable to connect devices if they don’t have these wireless capabilities, though this is pretty uncommon. Hotspots don’t have a device limit, just like a Wi-Fi modem.

How much data does a mobile hotspot use?

How much data a hotspot uses depends on the number of devices connected and what they’re doing. Sending a few emails will use hardly any hotspot data, while streaming high-quality video and making video conference calls will use tons. Generally, we’re talking about 60-800 MB of data usage per hour, depending on what you do with your devices. 

The table below gives examples of how much data different types of activities use. Remember that this data is for a single device using your hotspot data, and you’d have to double or triple these numbers if two or three devices are connected.

Disclaimer: These are just rough estimates. 

How much does a hotspot cost?

Turning on the mobile hotspot feature on your phone or tablet is free, but you use your connected devices to surf, scroll, and stream, which requires data.

If you have a limited plan with hard data caps, you may have to watch how much data is getting used. If you reach your data cap, you may have to pay more for additional data usage until the end of the month or put up with snail-paced connection speeds. 

Remember that you can also connect to another person’s hotspot when you don’t have Wi-Fi or if you’re out of data. You just need them to turn on their mobile hotspot and share their password so you can connect to it. Remember, you’ll be using their data, so play nice!

Do you get charged for using a hotspot if you have unlimited data?

The short answer is no… usually. You can use all the data your heart desires if you have an unlimited data plan. That includes using it on your device or when sharing your hotspot with others. However, some carriers monitor hotspot usage and charge more for this data or limit the amount used. Make sure you know what the rules are for your plan before you go wild sharing your hotspot!

Does a mobile hotspot work when traveling abroad?

A hotspot is an excellent feature to use when you’re traveling abroad. If your device has a data plan, you can share your hotspot with your travel companions. 

Just be careful. When you travel abroad, you need to know your data plan. 

If you stick to your normal plan, you could be in for a big surprise when the bill comes and you have astronomical roaming charges. If you’re already traveling and not sure, check your current period roaming right away. What does current period roaming mean? Current period roaming is the data you’ve used on a mobile network other than your home network. If you go abroad and just use roaming, that mobile network will charge you heaps for its service. 

Want to know how to use your iPhone in Europe without charges? How about using your Android tablet affordably in Asia? A better alternative is to get a SIM card or eSIM that lets you use networks in the country/countries you visit. You can open up a SIM card or eSIM hotspot to share your connection with others so they don’t need to also get a SIM.

How do you use a mobile hotspot? 

If you want to use your mobile hotspot feature so others can share your connection, follow the steps below:

For iPhone

1. Go into “Settings” and make sure you have “Cellular” turned on as well as either “Wi-Fi” or “Bluetooth.”

2. Tap “Personal hotspot” to open hotspot options.

3. Slide the toggle to turn on “Allow others to join.”

4. You’ll have to share your password, which appears on this same screen, with others so they can connect to your device.

5. On the other devices you’re sharing with, users can search for mobile hotspots in their list of Wi-Fi connections or Bluetooth devices. When they select your device and input the password, they’ll be connected.

For Android

1. Go into “Settings” and then choose “Connections.”

2. Tap “Mobile hotspot and tethering.” You’ll see the options to open your hotspot with “Mobile hotspot,” “Bluetooth tethering,” “USB tethering,” or “Ethernet tethering.”

3. Choose the option you want and slide the toggle to “On.”

4. You’ll have to share the password from this screen with others so they can connect to your device.

5. On the other devices you’re sharing with, users can search for your hotspot in their list of Wi-Fi connections or Bluetooth devices. When they select your device and input the password, they’ll be connected. If you’d like to learn more about this, you can take a look at our guide and read how to use hotspots on an Android phone. 

Tips for saving hotspot data while traveling

When you’re traveling internationally, good tips to limit hotspot data usage include:

• Remember to turn off the hotspot on your mobile device as soon as you’ve finished letting other people use it.

• Protect your password, and don’t give it out to strangers.

• Ask your travel companions to use your hotspot only for low-mobile-data activities. They can use Wi-Fi at the hotel to watch Netflix or make Zoom calls.

• Ask friends to avoid downloading large files when they don’t need to and turn off their automatic software updates.