How to use a hotspot on your cell phone

Setting up a hotspot with your personal carrier

A hotspot allows you to use your cell phone to as a Wi-Fi router, so that you can connect devices to the Internet when you are away from your home or office. This uses your personal cell phone data plan and your carriers 4G/5G networks to connect devices to the Internet. Each major carrier: Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile (which includes Sprint), has the ability to allow the use of a hotspot on your personal cellphone depending on the plan you purchased. If you are not sure, contact your carrier to confirm if your plan and if your phone supports the use of a hotspot.

How do I turn on the hotspot on my phone?

The interface can look slightly different on each mobile device but the steps are generally the same.

1. Go to Settings on your mobile device.
2. Go to the section that is in charge of your device's network connections. It often includes words like "network", "internet", "connections", "cellular", etc.
3. From there, there should be a hotspot section. You can turn on your hotspot and change its settings here.

Here are some articles that include the steps for different devices:

• Apple: How to set up a Personal Hotspot on your iPhone or iPad
• Samsung Galaxy: How to use and configure a Mobile Hotspot on your Galaxy phone
• Google Pixel: Share a mobile connection by tethering or hotspot on Pixel

Note: Setting up a hotspot will use data from your cell phone data plan, which might result in increased charges to your cell phone bill if your data plan is not unlimited. Please check with your cell phone plan for details.

How do I connect my laptop to the hotspot?

Hotspots are exactly like other Wi-Fi networks you use. 

1. Make sure your hotspot is enabled on your mobile device, i.e. others are allowed to join. 
2. On your laptop, find this hotspot among the Wi-Fi networks and connect to it. If you are not sure what the name of the network should be, it tends to just be the name of your mobile device. You may also see the name of your hotspot on the page where you turn it on. Enter the password if you configure one. You should now be connected.

Note: Your hotspot is only going to work when your cellphone has service. Please check your carrier's coverage map if you are unsure that you will have service in a specific area/destination. 

What if my phone does not have a hotspot?

Most of the time, you shouldn't need a hotspot. Remote staff and fellows usually do not need to travel, and in-person SDs and fellows have internet available at their sites. If you do struggle to get stable internet and it prevents you from work, you can reach out to IT at helpdesk@saga.org to discuss possible solutions. Saga does NOT provide cell phone data plan except for certain eligible roles. See the Telecommunications Policy here for more details.

Can I get a MiFi instead?

Saga does NOT support MiFi devices for personal use. The telecommunications policy outlines how we support our staff and fellows with stipends based on their role and responsibilities. You can view the Telecommunications Policy here.