Tips for using your phone as a hot spot

Thanks to Verizon, I pretty much have an internet connection where ever I go. Not just because I have a smart phone, but because this smart phone is enabled with “Hot spot” capabilities. That means that I basically have my own wifi!  But its not all roses and sunshine, mind you. Following some of these easy tips will help you use your hot spot to the best of your ability.

1. Always bring your charger: You never know when you might need to charge up your phone. Using the hot spot wears down the battery more than normal use so, you may want to have it plugged in during the time of usage.
2. Make sure you are in a place where you can get great service: I used my phone while traveling one day and as we passed through some counties, we lost the 4GLTE service. Now, the hot spot works with 3G but it moves much slower.. and doesn’t really work at all as the signal worsens. If you are planning to just be in one spot, make sure that spot has a strong service for your carrier, that way you can get the most done.
3. Only connect the devices you need to use: Yes, it is totally awesome that you can connect up to 5 devices at one time! BUT using 5 devices at once slows down the speed of your internet. Use it wisely.
4. Find a cool place to set your phone: I’m not sure if this is something you should do with every phone but my Samsung Galaxy III seems to get kind of warm when using the hot spot. So I always make sure it isn’t covered or hidden so I don’t over-heat the phone.
5. Know your wireless plan! This one is very important and I cannot stress enough. My personal Verizon plan charges an extra $20 a month for the hot spot because I have unlimited data. But the newer plans which have you choose the amount of data are a little bit different. There maybe no fee for using the hot spot but it uses your data.. so if you only have 2G a month, you could use all that in one day because you are using your hot spot. Food for thought!
6. SHARE if you see someone struggling: This is really up to you. I have offered my hot spot to other people before because you can’t always trust the free wifi anywhere you go. It offers you to surf the net securely so of course I will let others use it. Just remember, you can always change your password if you find someone taking advantage. Quick fix!

Do you have any tips for anyone using their phone as a hot spot? Let me know, maybe I can include it on my list! Special thanks again to Verizon for allowing me to have my own personal hot spot for the last couple of months. It has saved me when I have deadlines to meet!