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A work colleague briefly mentioned that this is possible - i.e. using your Iphone to get a 3g internet signal on your computer - and without wanting to disclose my levels of computing incompetence I opted not to question any further.
Can this be done and if so how? Seems like a very useful bit of information.
Personal Hotspot in Settings - turns it into a lickle WLAN hotspot
Yes - Either via physical tethering or creating a personal wireless hotspot.
Here you go...
http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/how-to/mobile-phone/3279666/how-to-tether-an-iphone-for-free/
Some operators block it though, I believe.
Eg, IIRC with O2 you've specifically to ask to have tethering enabled, it's a change to your subscription (but costs the same). Doesn't apply to Android though, it's specifically a quirk of the iPhone talk plan.
Other operators may differ, though.
Apparently O2 now allow tethering on more recent tariffs, but judging from the comments on this blog they haven't sorted out the older tariffs yet:
http://blog.o2.co.uk/home/2011/09/o2-tethering-how-to-set-up-your-iphone.html
Can't really understand why they ever prevented it. Surely they want people to use more data and pay more money??
Cougar - The O2 iphone specific talk plan no longer exists. Now its a generic smart phone contract, same for iPhone and android etc. Data is a bolt on and allows tethering by default but data is capped to either 100mb, 500mb or 1gb rather than unlimited like the old iPhone deal. (It was the unlimited data that meant they disabled tethering to prevent you using it instead of home broadband)
Earlier iPhones can't do it AFAIK
Awesome - cheers for the help - still sounds pretty complicated to me but I'll give the instructions a bash.
Is it pretty fast when it works or is it like having an old-school dial-up connection?
Cougar - The O2 iphone specific talk plan no longer exists. Now its a generic smart phone contract, same for iPhone and android etc. Data is a bolt on and allows tethering by default but data is capped to either 100mb, 500mb or 1gb rather than unlimited like the old iPhone deal.
Not sure about that. I'm on the 500MB contract, but it doesn't allow me to tether - I get a [i]"Set Up Personal Hotspot"[/i] button (with a broken O2 link) instead of the option to turn it on.
Is it pretty fast when it works or is it like having an old-school dial-up connection?
Same speed as your iPhone 3G connection - since that is what it is.
(i.e. pretty fast for me, but depends on your local network really).
I use my iphone as a hotspot for my macbook all the time. It's actually pretty quick provided you've got 3G reception, you'll be pleasantly surprised.
One thing though...be careful of that data allowance. Whenever i move home and have the inevitable couple of weeks without broadband, I always end up tanking my data allowance on my iphone. Top up every few days!
Ah, right. That makes sense, cheers.
GrahamS - Call O2. If your data is via the "The All Rounder" bolt on tethering should be available.
(although the O2 website is so bad I can't check the details)
GrahamS - Call O2. If your data is via the "The All Rounder" bolt on tethering should be available.
It's not (just checked) - my current plan is the "O2 35 on iPhone 24 month".
600 mins, Unlimited texts, Inclusive International Traveller Service, 500MB Data.
I probably need to switch tariff again. Planning on getting an iPad for my birthday (tomorrow) so I'll sort it then. 😀
Looks like I can drop to 300 mins and go up to 1GB data for the same price and that should activate tethering.
I probably need to switch tariff again.
I suspect that if you ring them, they'll just switch it.
Yeah, I can do it online anyway.
I usually switch to a cheaper tariff after 12 months on a contract anyway. Saves paying too much for a phone when on a 24 month contract.
GrahamS - Beware. The old contract that you are on allowed an unlimited number of changes to the contract once you had been on the deal for over 10 months.
However the new deals only allow one change in the life of the contract (i.e. 24 months)
And because the data is now a bolt on, not part of the headline price, you end up in a catch 22 where you can downgrade from the current deal but end up paying more with the bolt on. And because you are then on a new deal you can't downgrade again because you have already used your one go in the life of the contract.
I had this out with O2 over the phone and they eventually agreed to move me down about 3 steps but I had to escalate about 3 levels up their hierarchy and be very insistent that I had only taken out the contract (the same one you are on) due to the ability to change deals a number of times in the life of the contract.
Ooooh interesting. Thanks for the heads up jfletch.
Blooming O2. Only ever went with them for the iPhone.
I feel the Three network calling when this contract ends.
Don't do it, it will end in tears.I feel the Three network calling when this contract ends.
Don't do it, it will end in tears.
Probably when you try to leave, IME.
I did it last week when I needed to remote into my work. Very easy to setup, it's just the same as using any other wifi connection from your laptop's perspective. On the iPhone you can tell when there's a device leeching off your connection with a notification appearing on screen.
I do it on 3 all the time. No problems.
Probably when you try to leave, IME.
I was long out of contract with Three when I was moving to Oz, and they still seemed to want me to stay 🙄
Is this just iPhones? The set up I would like to use is iPad off of my windows phone on 3.
iPhone 4 user here on 3. I pay £5 a month for 2gb extra data which gives me tethering, wife also on 3 with iPhone 4 and 'all you can eat' data plan and also has tethering.
I occasionally use it on my laptop and it's dead simple. Speed is the same as on the phone.
No not just iPhones, son has it on his android phone.