Cell phone hot spot

[Camping family]

Looking for information. I have att cell phone with unlimited hot spot. While at the camper it will connect sometime n other time not. I go into tv WiFi settings n some times it will show my hot spot phone as an option n other times will not list it. Any tech guys out there with any suggestions?

[NH_Bulldog]

I have found that in order for a device to find my AT&T iPhone hotspot, you have to be on the phone Personal Hotspot page (Settings>Personal Hotspot) as long as that page is open, your hotspot will be discoverable to devices like a television or laptop or iPad, etc.

[Camping family]

Originally Posted by NH_Bulldog

I have found that in order for a device to find my AT&T iPhone hotspot, you have to be on the phone Personal Hotspot page (Settings>Personal Hotspot) as long as that page is open, your hotspot will be discoverable to devices like a television or laptop or iPad, etc.

Thanks I will give that a try. Might be the reason why it works sometimes and sometimes it doesn’t.

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by Camping family

Looking for information. I have att cell phone with unlimited hot spot. While at the camper it will connect sometime n other time not. I go into tv WiFi settings n some times it will show my hot spot phone as an option n other times will not list it. Any tech guys out there with any suggestions?

Watch your data usage VERY CAREFULLY !!!!!! ATT and Verizon both have a "data cap" on nearly all their plans. Ours is a 15gig cap on "data download" and unlimited data on "phone use"...

What that means in "camping terms" is that you can watch netflix or any "service movies" on the phone with no affect on your "data download limits".
On our plan, we can cast to a TV (watch the phone screen on the TV using bluetooth) with no "download penalty"... On the other hand, if we use the phone as a hot spot and connect a smart TV or connect a notebook or tablet to the phone (when it's in hot spot mode) and then cast that to the TV, it does count against your 15gig cap and after a couple movies, your phone plan goes to "throttle mode" and, you might not be able to check email tomorrow morning....

That said, some plans don't have that that limitation, so yours may or may not, but definitely worth checking out before you realize you can't log onto AOL to check email because the pages won't load on your "throttled connection"....

[bobbecky]

I have AT&T and have a separate hot spot. Our plan is unlimited on all data usage, but after 22 GB in a billing period, they can throttle if the area is too busy. The hotspot is a Netgear AC815S, so it has it's own phone number, so any other devices that connect to the wifi only need to use the password to access it. It is strange though, that one of the Apple tablets doesn't seem to like the hotspot, but will connect to one of the phones when they connect to it as a hotspot. Once in a while, we have to reboot the hotspot so its works properly. No explaining why it acts strange at times.

[NH_Bulldog]

We have a “Signature” plan with AT&T through my corporate partner program. It gives us the Unlimited Elite plan which is unlimited/unthrottled call, text and data on the phones with 40GB of unthrottled hotspot data on each line. I also have a separate unlimited data MiFi hotspot with Verizon through my employer so I can work from the road when traveling. Between our 10 year old daughter’s iPad, the Firestick TV, and both wife and I working from the road we have never had any data concerns.

That all being said, we also are camping and not using data like we would at home (where we burn through 700+ GB per month since at home EVERYTHING is run through our fiber optic internet). It can be very easy to exceed your data limits without realizing it, so depending on your plan specifics, be careful!

[dutchmensport]

I have a Samsung phone with AT&T. If I turn on "WIFI", the hot spot does not work. The "WIFI" setting is designed for the phone itself to piggy-back of another WIFI signal from another source. This saves your own data plan usage.

But, if the WIFI is turned on, even when there is no other WIFI signal to piggy back off of, the "hotspot" does not work. The hotspot only works when WIFI is off.

Your phone internet will also piggy back on another WIFI signal when WIFI is on. When it is "off", your phone's internet is running against YOUR data plan.

This could be the reason why, sometimes your devices pick up the "hot spot" and sometimes they do not. Make sure WIFI is off for the Hotspot to work.

[hankaye]

Howdy All;

The past month and a half my "at home" internet has been going through
what could be called an update. IOW they had to go through the 'quick fixes' they had used to repair connections since new.

So, I had my trusty Samsung and worked the intergoogle with it. As I am a Consumer Cellular customer I can use it all I want with NO overage fees. NOT a commercial, I'm just a contented user. They have a few different plans and well, check them out yourselves. Just beware, AT&T doesn't like ya leaving. They take it personal. Kept my DirecTv. and all of a sudden, had rough times paying my DTV bills. Had to make up a new password each month and it was a hassle. Took almost 2 years to get past their ugliness.

Anyway, check out Consumer Cellular.

hank

[SummitPond]

Originally Posted by hankaye

Howdy All;
[snip]

Just beware, AT&T doesn't like ya leaving. They take it personal. Kept my DirecTv. and all of a sudden, had rough times paying my DTV bills. Had to make up a new password each month and it was a hassle. Took almost 2 years to get past their ugliness.

[snip]

Yep, they didn't like it when we cut the cord for the landline. Had been trying to get them to lower the price for several years; we finally went with MagicJack. Only when we called to disconnect did they make a reasonable offer, but by then it was too late.

[wiredgeorge]

Originally Posted by hankaye

Howdy All;

The past month and a half my "at home" internet has been going through
what could be called an update. IOW they had to go through the 'quick fixes' they had used to repair connections since new.

So, I had my trusty Samsung and worked the intergoogle with it. As I am a Consumer Cellular customer I can use it all I want with NO overage fees. NOT a commercial, I'm just a contented user. They have a few different plans and well, check them out yourselves. Just beware, AT&T doesn't like ya leaving. They take it personal. Kept my DirecTv. and all of a sudden, had rough times paying my DTV bills. Had to make up a new password each month and it was a hassle. Took almost 2 years to get past their ugliness.

Anyway, check out Consumer Cellular.

hank

I have CC as well and we are on the "minimum" data plan (cheapest). When we camp and go over that minimum they just keep bumping the data rate and charge us a couple bucks for every 10 gigs we go over. My wife found it cheaper than paying for the unlimited data plan. We have fiber optic internet at home and hardly use and phone data.

The main thing is, and I have said it before, is to choose which carrier towers you use for 4G that are most reliable where you use them and for us it is AT&T (Consumer Cellular give you a choice between the AT&T towers or T-Mobile). We don't get throttled back. If Verizon has better reception or wider reception in your area check Visble Wireless as they have great rates on unlimited data/hot spot using Verizon towers.