[Macworld]

Post your comments for Using the Personal Hotspot on your AT&T iPhone here

[tony_d]

quote:
"An AT&T spokesperson confirmed that you may enable or disable the Personal Hotspot feature (as with the previous tethering feature) at will and with no additional fees. You can also switch between DataPro and the cheaper 200MB DataPlus plan at any time if the Personal Hotspot option is turned off."

So I if I have the Data Plus plan I can bump up to the Data Pro plan with tethering and if I decide I don't want tethering I can cancel it and keep just a Data Pro or go back to the Data Plus. Sounds like its a flexible plan to me, sort of like the iPad plan. Pay as you go, just with the extra hassle of getting in touch with AT&T to cancel the tethering.

[TabletMonsters]

We just took our ipad 2 on the road and discovered you can get legit GPS navigation by tethering to iphone 4.

Apple’s wifi only iOS devices have had location awareness for years via wifi location services that rely on identifying MAC addresses of nearby hotspots and comparing those against a database of where those routers are located.

The location we're getting on our wifi only iPad is most certainly not this.

[whitewater2]

I still dont understand why I need to have a seperate plan for the "use" of tethering. If I never went over 2GB, then it shouldnt matter how I use the data package. Its a shame carriers charge for this "feature" as its apparent its built into the capabilites of the phone. I know its a way for them to make free money by charging for a feature that the phone can already handle, its not like they flick a magic switch to get the hardware to be able to handle it, its built into the phone.


My previous LG ENV TOUCH I could tether for free with a simple mod.

[jlowe3rd1]

Can you comment on using the iPhone4 for tethering to a MacBook when traveling in the UK? When I called AT&T about this, they advised against using my iPhone4 to tether my computer to the Internet, and instead recommended that I buy a connect plan for my USB modem, because the iPhone4 would try to "download too much data and run up the cost". What are your thoughts on this? Thanks, John

[singitloud]

Which uses less of the iPhone 4's battery... bluetooth or Wi-Fi hotspot?

[reallycrazy]

jlowe3rd1, on 15 March 2011 - 10:25 AM, said:

Can you comment on using the iPhone4 for tethering to a MacBook when traveling in the UK? When I called AT&T about this, they advised against using my iPhone4 to tether my computer to the Internet, and instead recommended that I buy a connect plan for my USB modem, because the iPhone4 would try to "download too much data and run up the cost". What are your thoughts on this? Thanks, John

This makes no sense. The MacBook requests the same amount of data whether it goes through a USB modem or tethered to your iPhone.

Second, if you use an AT&T SIM card for data outside the US, you might as well just go straight to debtor's prison, pull down your pants and bend over.

Get a USB wireless modem NOT on contract and not carrier-locked, so that you can get a SIM card in the UK, so you only pay local rates [which will probably be an order of magnitude lower than what you would pay AT&T].

Or you could see if there is a carrier-unlock hack for your iPhone, then get a SIM in the UK and pay for voice+data and tether through the iPhone, but this would also give you a new phone number while you are in the UK [also cheaper than using AT&T, as all calls would be either long-distance [phoning within the UK] or 2Xlong-distance [phoning outside the UK]].

[wreathall]

jlowe3rd1, on 15 March 2011 - 10:25 AM, said:

Can you comment on using the iPhone4 for tethering to a MacBook when traveling in the UK? When I called AT&T about this, they advised against using my iPhone4 to tether my computer to the Internet, and instead recommended that I buy a connect plan for my USB modem, because the iPhone4 would try to "download too much data and run up the cost". What are your thoughts on this? Thanks, John

My suggestion would be to buy a UK cellular dongle & service when you arrive--they are MUCH cheaper than in the US. For example, you can buy a T-Mobile dongle & SIM card, plus 30 days unlimited data service for GBP20 (around $25). Go check out UK cell service websites like T-Mobile.co.uk, O2, Vodaphone, etc. Cheers, John W.

[Golfersal]

As an orginial AT&T Iphone customer I will never see this feature since I won't be extorted in dropping my unlimited data plan.

Shame that AT&T is being this way, guess that's why I am poor because I am nice to people while AT&T makes billions, by ripping off people

[DanaHilld11l]

If I want to do this with my iPhone 4 and my iPad... if I reach for the iPad in the car, with my iPhone sitting near by, and try to activate the internet, will it use the hotspot automatically, or will I have to first go to the phone and wake up the hotspot first? In other words, will the iPad wake up and use the hotspot on its own?

And I think I understand that if the hotspot is not actively being used when I walk in the house, then use the iPad, the iPad will use the wi-fi in the house and NOT the iPhone's hotspot?

[VictorBishop]

Golfersal, on 15 March 2011 - 11:33 AM, said:

As an orginial AT&T Iphone customer I will never see this feature since I won't be extorted in dropping my unlimited data plan.

Shame that AT&T is being this way, guess that's why I am poor because I am nice to people while AT&T makes billions, by ripping off people

Same situation here. I also can't understand why they would not allow it to share a WiFi connection, for instance in a hotel room.

[Glenn_Fleishman]

tony_d, on 15 March 2011 - 09:36 AM, said:

So I if I have the Data Plus plan I can bump up to the Data Pro plan with tethering and if I decide I don't want tethering I can cancel it and keep just a Data Pro or go back to the Data Plus. Sounds like its a flexible plan to me, sort of like the iPad plan. Pay as you go, just with the extra hassle of getting in touch with AT&T to cancel the tethering.

Exactly. What prompted me calling AT&T's media folks about this was that I had done this earlier in the year and seen a pro-rated item on my bill. AT&T doesn't make this especially clear on its Web site or in the app.

So you still have to have Data Pro to use Personal Hotspot, but you can move among Data Plus, Data Pro, and Data Pro plus Personal Hotspot at any time.

[Glenn_Fleishman]

whitewater2, on 15 March 2011 - 10:08 AM, said:

I still dont understand why I need to have a seperate plan for the "use" of tethering. If I never went over 2GB, then it shouldnt matter how I use the data package. Its a shame carriers charge for this "feature" as its apparent its built into the capabilites of the phone.

You're entirely correct, and U.S. carriers are the rare exceptions in charging separately for this feature. Even other carriers that charge don't levy as high a fee as $20 per month.

[ck4jc]

I've tried to no avail to connect my Nintendo Wii to an iPhone hotspot. The Wii will see the iPhone as an access point, allow me to enter the password, but then will not connect.

I spoke with Wii support and they (of course) blame the iPhone. One suggested reason was that the iPhone uses an "automatic" setting for the broadcast channel (1 thru 11) and the Wii doesn't deal well with that. I don't know, sounds like a cop-out to me.

I was hoping to drop my home Internet in favor of just paying for the iPhone data hotspot, but if I can't get my Wii connected to it, no dice.