Using phone as WiFi access point

[NickMH]

Apologies if this one as been raised before!

My phone has the facility to work as a WiFi access point - similar to "MiFi", so I can use it to power up the internet, wirelessly, on my laptop, tablet etc. This is instead of USB 'tethering' the phone to one device when it emulates a dedicated dongle.

I know that if I use it in USB tethered mode, the data I use on my laptop comes off my monthly allowance on my vodafone contract.

My question is: Does the same apply if I use it as a WiFi access point i.e. in that mode does the data usage still come off my monthly allowance?

Many thanks in advance.

[Nabs · Accepted solution]

NickMH,

You are correct, any data used by your phone in WiFi Hotspot mode will come off your monthly allowance.

It is essentially doing exactly the same as USB tethering but without the wires! 

I use it fairly often when i'm out and about with my tablet and can't get a normal WiFi connection. It does tend to use a lot more data though so it's worth keeping an eye on just how much you have left to ensure you don't incur any additional charges.

Also worth pointing out, If you have an iPhone you will need to have th efeature enabled on your Vodafone account for it to work. Any Android devices should just work wiothout the need for this.

Nabs

[NickMH]

Thanks for your help Nabs. I take on board your point about keeping an eye on data usage when using my phone as a 'hot spot'. Don't think I'll be using it to stream the latest episode of Mad Men Series 6!!

Best rgds

Nick