Turn your iPhone 4/4S or iPad into a

personal WiFi hotspot

Article located at:

http://www.ausbt.com.au/turn-your-iphone-4-or-4s-or-new-3g-ipad-into-a-personal-wifi-hotspot

Written by: Dan Warne

About danwarne
Dan is a tech enthusiast who frequently qualifies for enhanced airport
security screening due to the number of cords and gadgets stuffed into
his cabin bag.

Add a "personal Wi-Fi hotspot" to your iPhone to share your 3G Internet connection with other
devices

Need a quick hit of wireless Internet for your laptop when you're out and about?
Here's how to set up a "personal WiFi hotspot" – also known as 'wireless tethering' –
on your iPhone 4 or 4S.

You can also create a personal hotspot on the 'new iPad' (aka iPad 3) if you're got a
3G iPad, thanks to a recent software update issued by Apple.
Sadly, the personal hotspot feature isn't available on the iPhone 3G or 3GS or the
original iPad or iPad 2.
How it works
The personal hotspot feature turns your iDevice's 3G signal into a short-range
wireless hotspot, just like you'd find a cafe or hotel lobby.

But unlike those open networks your iPad or iPhone hotspot comes with automatic
password protection so that nobody else can hitch a free ride on your private
wireless network.

Up to five devices can connect to the net via your iPhone at once. That makes it
ideal for connecting your laptop and a Wi-Fi iPad at the same time, for example,
when you're on the road.

Here's what you'll see on your iPad's screen when the new Apple software is made
available over the 3G network.

How to set up your iPhone or iPad hotspot

These instructions apply to the new iPad as well as the iPhone 4 and 4S.

Go to the settings menu:

In settings, you'll see a 'personal hotspot' menu item. Tap it.

In the personal hotspot menu, slide the "personal hotspot" option to "on".
You'll note that Apple has allocated the connection a default password which is
shown on this screen too. You can either use it (as each iPhone 4 gets a different
random password) or change it to something you can more easily remember by
tapping on it.

Then, on your computer's Wi-Fi menu, you should see your iPhone pop up in the list
after a few seconds. The network name is the name of your iPhone in iTunes — in
our case, "Dan's iPhone 4".
Once the network is selected and you've put in the password you selected in the last
step (or Apple's default password), you'll be able to connect your tablet, laptop and
any other Wi-Fi device to the net via your iPhone's data plan.

Bear in mind that the feature does tend to use up a fair bit of battery power, so use it
sparingly if the phone is already on low battery power. If you've got the iPhone's
power adaptor handy and are near an AC powerpoint, plug in your iPhone to top up
the battery while you work.