While my iPhone comes to my rescue almost daily with handy information, directions and useful apps, the main reason why I don’t leave home without it is because it also packs a personal hotspot so I can get online with my other devices, like my laptop and Wi-Fi-only tablet. If you’ve got a data plan with your mobile carrier, you can share your connection with any device via Wi-Fi, USB or Bluetooth.

Note: You can only share your mobile data connection (and not a Wi-Fi connection) using the Personal Hotspot feature. If you’re already connected to a Wi-Fi network, your device will switch to mobile data when you turn on your Personal Hotspot. Additionally, Some carriers may not support personal hotspots, while others may charge an additional fee for using a personal hotspot, so be sure to check if that applies to your mobile plan before using this.

Here’s how you can set up and use a personal hotspot on your iPhone or cellular iPad:

• On your cellular iOS device, launch Settings from the home screen and tap Personal Hotspot.

• On the next screen, toggle Personal Hotspot on.
  

  Toggle Personal Hotspot on and change your Wi-Fi password

• You’ll notice a preset Wi-Fi password on this screen: tap it if you’d like to change it, or use the same one when logging on to your hotspot with other devices.

To connect a device via Wi-Fi, simply turn on the Wi-Fi signal on your other device and look for the network with your iOS device name. For example, my iPhone is labeled ‘Abhimanyu’s iPhone’ and that’s the name of my personal hotspot network too.

Once you’ve found your network, enter the password from the Personal Hotspot screen on your device and you’ll be able to share your iPhone’s internet connection.

To connect a device via Bluetooth, ensure your Bluetooth is turned on on both your devices. If your iOS device prompts you to turn on Bluetooth to enable hotspot sharing, allow it.

Pair your iOS device by looking for it in the Bluetooth devices list on your other device. You’ll be prompted on both devices to allow pairing, so go ahead and tap OK to complete the connection.

Note: On some devices, such as the Android-based Google Nexus 7, you may also have to indicate that you’d like to use your paired iOS device for internet access. To enable this, select your iPhone in the list of paired devices and check the box labeled Use for internet access.

Pairing an iPhone with an Android tablet

To share your hotspot with a Mac or PC via USB, connect your computer to your iOS device using the cable that came with it.

To disconnect devices, simply toggle Personal Hotspot off in Settings on your iOS device, or turn off Bluetooth, or unplug your iOS device from your computer.