How To: Set Up Tethering On Your iPhone (Telstra)

How To: Set Up Tethering On Your iPhone (Telstra)

Being able to connect to the internet and get things done no matter where you are is one of the greatest things about using a mobile device such as a tablet, laptop or smartphone.

But, what if you find yourself a sweet spot for some serious work time only to find there is either no Wi-Fi connection available or it’s frustratingly weak?

Here comes your iPhone to the rescue!

iPhones have a nifty feature called ‘Personal Hotspot’ (also known as a ‘Mobile Hotspot’ or ‘Tethering’), that allows you to use your iPhone as a wireless modem to connect any WiFi enabled devices to the web! This means you’ll have access to the internet no matter where you are.

Personal Hotspot is incredibly easy to set up on your iPhone, but before we go into how to do it, there are a few things you need to know:

Before You Begin

A Hotspot is incredibly easy to set up on your iPhone, but before we go into how to do it, there are a few things you need to know.

Need A Data Plan?

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Consumers will need to contact Telstra on 125 111.

  • You will need to check whether your carrier supports the Personal Hotspot feature. This feature is supported by Telstra and available to Telstra customers.
  • Turning your iPhone into a hotspot will use a significant amount of data. So, if you do not have a data plan or an included data allowance attached to your iPhone, note that you will be on Telstra’s Pay As You Go Rate ($2/MB) for data, which can become pretty expensive!
  • You cannot use WiFi on your iPhone while other devices are connected via the Personal Hotspot.

 

Personal Hotspot: 3 Ways

You can connect devices to your iPhone’s Personal Hotspot via:

  • WiFi

You can connect other WiFi enabled devices such as a tablet or laptop via WiFi.

  • Bluetooth

If you have Bluetooth enabled devices, you can connect the device to the Personal Hotspot via Bluetooth.

  • USB

You can connect your PC or Mac to the Personal Hotspot using the USB cable that came with your device.

 

 

Enabling Personal Hotspot

Setting up personal hotspot iPhone iOS 7 TelstraOn your iPhone or iPad, go to Settings Cellular > Personal Hotspot and turn it on.

If this is the first time you are using this feature, you will be guided through the setup process. The setup process will differ slightly depending on how you would like to connect your device to the Personal Hotspot.

 

Connecting Via WiFi

Turn on wireless and bluetoothThe Setup

  1. After enabling Personal Hotspot, if prompted, select Turn on WiFi and Bluetooth.
  2. Press WiFi Password and enter in a password.

 

About The WiFi Password

Personal Hotspot WiFi networks require a password. You cannot disable the password. This is a security feature, which prevents other people connecting to your Personal Hotspot without your permission.

The password must be at least 8 characters long and use ASCII/Unicode characters (e.g. you cannot use Japanese, Russian, Chinese characters).

 

Connecting To The WiFi Hotspot

  1. Turn on WiFi on the device you want to connect.
  2. Select the WiFi network created by the hotspot (Note: The network name will be the device name).
  3. You will be prompted to enter the WiFi password.

 

Note: The hotspot turns off when no devices are connected. To automatically turn it back on, go to Settings > Personal Hotspot.

Connecting Via Bluetooth

The Setup

  1. Ensure Bluetooth is turned on your iPhone.
  2. After enabling Personal Hotspot, if prompted, select Turn on WiFi and Bluetooth.

Setting up mobile hotspot bluetooth iPhone iOS 7 TelstraConnecting To The Hotspot

  1. Ensure the device you want to connect has Bluetooth turned on and it is discoverable.
  2. On your iPhone, go to Settings Bluetooth. A list of Bluetooth devices in range will be displayed.
  3. Select the Bluetooth device you want to connect.
  4. Follow the on screen instructions to pair the device with your iPhone. If successful, the new device is displayed on the list of paired devices.

 

Connecting Via USB

USB OnlyThe Setup

  1. Ensure you have the latest version of iTunes installed on your computer.
  2. Open iTunes.
  3. Plug your iPhone into the computer you wish to connect to the Personal Hotspot using the USB cable that came with your phone.
  4. After enabling Personal Hotspot, if prompted, select USB only.

 

I Don’t See The Option For Personal Hotspot!

If Personal Hotspot is not appearing as an option:

  • Ensure you are running the latest version of iOS.
  • Try resetting the network settings by going to Settings General Reset and tap Reset Network Settings. Be aware that this will delete all of your stored WiFi networks and their associated passwords.
  • Please note: Personal Hotspot is not available on the iPad 2 and WiFi hotspots are not available on the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 3G.

 

Don’t Have An iPhone?

We’ve created step by step guides for setting up a mobile hotspot for Windows 8.1 or Android devices. Follow the links below:

How To: Set Up Mobile Hotspot On Windows Phone 8.1

How To: Set Up Mobile Hotspot on Android Device