hotspot

Hot spot on the AT&T iPhone remains easy to use, but not so fast

When the Verizon iPhone finally went on sale last month, it bested its AT&T cousin by offering a wireless hot spot that could support up to five devices. It was a welcome addition and, as we found in our Verizon iPhone review, the feature performed well. It wasn't necessarily better than other smartphone hot spots we've tested, but it offered a simple and relatively speedy way to get online.

When AT&T would join the hot-spot party became the next question, of course, but Apple offered an answer Wednesday when it delivered its latest software update a couple of days early. Though as iOS upgrades go, iOS 4.3 activates the hot spot on the AT&T iPhone 4 (earlier iPhones will not support the feature). It's almost the same experience as on Verizon's device, but there are some important and disappointing differences.

What's the same As with Verizon's handset, AT&T users will need to activate the optional tethering plan to use the feature (if you don't have the plan, the option won't appear in your Settings menu). And, like Verizon, AT&T charges an additional $20 for the plan. Though AT&T's data cap is 4GB per month for tethering and the hot spot (Verizon has a 2GB cap), the carrier requires you to select at least the $25-per-month Data Pro plan for basic data. … Read more

How to enable tethering on the LG Optimus V

Virgin Mobile's LG Optimus V is selling like hotcakes right now (it's out of stock just about everywhere), and with good reason: It runs Android 2.2, requires no contract, and costs as little as $25 per month--a price that includes anytime voice minutes and unlimited data.

The only drawback? Despite the presence of Android 2.2, which offers native support for tethering (i.e., using the phone as a mobile Wi-Fi hot spot), the Optimus V comes with the feature disabled.

Thankfully, there's a very easy workaround, one that requires no rooting and no expense. All you need is a free app called Quick Settings, which is available from Android Market.

When you run the app, you'll see a list of settings: brightness, Ringer, Volume control, Wi-Fi, and so on. Here's how to add Wi-Fi hot spot to that list:… Read more

Get a no-contract MiFi 2200 3G hot spot for $129

I've long been a drooling, slobbering fan of the Novatel Wireless MiFi 2200, a credit card-size 3G router that was first available from Verizon, then picked up by Sprint.

This amazing little device creates a broadband-powered Wi-Fi hot spot for up to five devices. The only sucky part: buying one meant buying into another two-year contract and paying anywhere from $40-60 per month for service.

What is it with the carriers and their damn contracts?

Anyway, when Virgin Mobile (now owned by Sprint) started offering the MiFi last year, it did something incredible: it took away the contract. Suddenly … Read more

Streaming Netflix on the iPad via Verizon iPhone 4

One of the most exciting advantages the Verizon iPhone 4 has over its AT&T counterpart is its ability to become a mobile hot spot. A mobile hot spot allows several devices to connect to it via Wi-Fi and then uses a cellular signal to connect those devices to the Internet. Essentially the hot spot becomes a wireless router.

I was curious about the strain something like this would have on the iPhone 4's battery, so I decided to run a little test. I turned on the iPhone 4's hot spot and then connected a Wi-Fi-only iPad … Read more

6 ways to use public Wi-Fi hot spots safely

Places like Starbucks, neighborhood cafes, Barnes&Noble, and universities are all jumping on the "free Wi-Fi" bandwagon--hey, it's trendy. As a result, more of us are connecting to these networks without realizing the security risks.

But did you read the fine print? Wi-Fi hot spots are unsecured networks that hackers like to take advantage of. Everything--including your data, account information and passwords, Google searches, and finances--can become available to the hacker who wants it badly enough.

So before you pay your bills or write your genius business plan at the local cafe, get to know these … Read more

More people grabbing Wi-Fi from their neighbors

More people are trying to tap into unsecure but easily available Wi-Fi networks around them, according to the results of a poll from the Wi-Fi Alliance.

Conducted by Wakefield Research in conjunction with the Wi-Fi Alliance, the results out this week found that 32 percent of those polled admit to trying to hop onto an unsecure Wi-Fi network that wasn't theirs. Some say they've done it only once while others reveal they've done it many times. That percentage compares with the 18 percent who admitted to borrowing a Wi-Fi connection according to a December 2008 poll.

Though … Read more

Apple releases iOS 4.3 beta

Apple has released to developers a beta of iOS 4.3, the newest operating system update for iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad. iOS 4.3 will include several feature upgrades including the addition of personal Wi-Fi hot spots, new multitouch gestures for iPad, and customizable messaging alerts.

Also included in the first beta of iOS 4.3 is the return of orientation locking by using the hardware switch on the side of your iPad. Users will be able to toggle the usage of that switch from its current function, muting, to the new orientation lock.

The App Store app has … Read more

CES: Samsung Smartphone, Mobile Hotspot join Verizon LTE 4G family

LAS VEGAS--Verizon's LTE party just got a little bigger with the addition of the Samsung 4G LTE Smartphone.

Debuting on the first official day of CES 2011, the Samsung 4G LTE Smartphone is an expansion of the Galaxy S series and features Android 2.2 and a 1GHz Hummingbird processor. It also rocks a HTML 5 Web browser and access to Samsung's Media Hub video store, which should work nicely with Verizon's 4G network.

Other highlights include an 8-megapixel camera and a front-facing 1.3-megapixel camera for video chats, Swype, and a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus … Read more

Tethering and a hot spot on the Nexus S

As I said last week in CNET's full review of the Samsung Nexus S, I was pleased to find that the handset supports tethering and it can function as a Wi-Fi hot spot. Such is the benefit of using a phone with the stock Android OS. Indeed, both features are increasingly popular among smartphone users, but some carriers have stood in the way of making them a reality.

Sprint and Verizon Wireless, for example, declined to add tethering to their Froyo-equipped handsets, even though the Android 2.2 update promised to add the feature. And though Sprint does offer hot-spot capability on its HTC Evo 4G, the carrier charged an extra $29.99 per month for the privilege.

The Nexus S, on the other hand, adds both features for less money. We're still confirming with T-Mobile if there will be a separate fee. T-Mobile will charge an additional $14.99 per month to use them, but you're saddled with a few restrictions. I was able to play with both over the weekend, and I'm pleased to say that I was quite impressed with the performance on both fronts. … Read more

Five surprising things about the Sprint ZTE Peel

A couple weeks back I told you about the Sprint ZTE Peel, an iPod Touch accessory that sounded almost too good to be true. For a mere $79.99, plus a no-contract monthly service fee of $29.99, you could add 3G connectivity to your Touch.

Goodbye, pricey iPhone! Hello, much more affordable iPod Touch-Phone! Well, not quite. Now that I've had a chance to test-drive one, I must admit it's not what I expected. Here are five reasons why:

1. It's not actually a dock.

I mistakenly assumed that the Peel plugged into the Touch's dock connector, much like an external battery/case hybrid. But it doesn't: the Peel is actually a kind of specialized MiFi 2200, one that's been molded to function as an iPod Touch (second- or third-gen) case. Just pop in your device--or don't. Makes no difference.

2. Only two devices can access the Peel's connection.

Either the preliminary information was incorrect, or I made a mistake, but I originally wrote that two other devices could tap the Peel's 3G goodness at the same time as your Touch. In reality, it's two devices total. Again, it doesn't matter if your Touch is snapped into the enclosure or not--two devices, period. I wouldn't call that a deal breaker, but it's a little disappointing given that the MiFi supports up to five. On the other hand...… Read more