New connection frontiers: Iphone 4 as a mobile hotspot

[Andrea Griffa]

Hi all
Has anyone used the Iphone 4/4s as a mobile hot spot in order to share the internet connection while chasing? Basically you would use the iphone as a MIFI or as a mobile WIFI router and you would split your connection with other devices (for instance other iphones or IPADs or laptops).

I have to admitt I've never tried it in the Plains but in Italy it works pretty good. As far as here it don't lose signal and it is fast and accurate.

Anyone has experience with that?

 

[Ken Hughey]

Hi,

I used the iPhone 4 with mobile hotspot all day in Alabama during the apr 27 outbreak. Worked really well. My carrier was AT&T.

 

[Andrea Griffa]

Hi,

I used the iPhone 4 with mobile hotspot all day in Alabama during the apr 27 outbreak. Worked really well. My carrier was AT&T.

Thanks Ken! Don't you know if there's the possibility to get charged with more costs if you use your data plan in such a way? We have one provider in Italy that charges more money if you use the iphone as a mobile hot-spot.

 

[Brandon Jenkins]

I often used my iphone 4 as a mobile hotspot (also on AT&T). I used it mostly during the off months or home area chases where I didn't need better data coverage. I used a Mifi otherwise (Verizon). Companies charge a "tethering fee" to activate and use the mobile hotspot feature, this is generally around $20-30 and is still limited under your monthly data cap. There are other alternatives when dealing with jailbroken iphones (mywi, pdanet, etc) but there is always a chance that the carrier will catch on and terminate your data (or more likely warn you first, and then bill you if you continue use).

 

[KyleFrisbie]

Can a 3GS be rigged as a mifi hotspot?

 

[Chris Kridler]

I'm glad to see this thread is ongoing - I had the same question. It looks like this is what AT&T is offering (and theoretically, you can upgrade just for the month - but if you have an "unlimited" data plan that was grandfathered in, you lose it).
DataPro 5GB Personal
5GB of data for $50/month
Share your connection with up to four additional devices using your Smartphone as a Mobile Hotspot**
Overage rate of $10 for each additional 1GB
** Requires a DataPro 5GB plan. Devices connected to your Mobile Hotspot use data from your DataPro 5GB plan. Overage charges apply if the included monthly data allowance is exceeded. The number of devices you can connect depends on your device. Performance may vary depending on the number of devices connected and other factors. If you do not use a password, others will be able to use your Mobile Hotspot connection.

In the past couple of years, I rented a data card for my old PC laptop with Verizon service, and it worked pretty well, though the hardware was flaky last year. It was nice having AT&T on iPhone to complement the Verizon; if one had weak signal, the other often worked. I'm a little concerned about relying totally on AT&T in the Plains. But it would save some dollars.

~ Chris

 

[Chris Gullikson]

I tethered with my Iphone on Verizon last year with good results. They charge $20 per month for 2 gigs. 10 bucks for every gig that you go over. You can have it turned on and off without any penalties.

 

[Tim Shriver]

I don't use an IPhone but my Blackberry 9850 does wifi hotspot and does it well. Along with the Playbook it makes
a great radar viewer. No extra data connection needed as it uses the BB phones Internet connection (non-wifi hotspot mode).

Tim

 

[Matt Handley]

My girlfriend and I do this all the time on chases. I have the iphone 4 on AT&T and she has the iphone 4 on verizon and we turn them both on hot spot (so if the verizon signal drops we have the AT&T as a backup) and we use that for data for the laptop. We don't stream and I'm not sure if you plan to, but it works great for what we use it for.

 

[brett conner]

I use my iPhone 4s for this when I chase however I don't stream with it so it may not be what you want. I'm getting ready to buy the ipad3 with the 4g LTE. and use it as my mobile hot spot.


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[Marcus Diaz]

I don't have iPhone...but might as well throw in my 2 cents. I'm running Verizon Droid 3 and tethering it to a laptop. There's an app called Easy Tether Pro. $10 and you can tether as much as you want without it affecting your bill. Its awesome with the 4G that's out there. I find it worth it over a data card, especially if you've grandfathered into the company and have unlimited data. Its basically $10 one time fee, and you can use your phone like a router, with no extra charge from Verizon.

 

[ericjkelly]

I jailbroke my sprint iPhone 4s and use PDAnet to create a hotspot. Havent made it to the plaines yet but will soon. Paired with a wireless signal amp I have yet to lose my connection

 

[Olivier Staiger]

I still use my ole' Symbian Nokia N85 and N95 and have installed a software that turns them into hotspots, http://www.joikusoft.com/