Tethering on PAYG bundle

[tazzie_amazon]

Hi, after a google search on other websites it looked like tethering was available on PAYG, but I just found a recent forum post saying it is NOT available for PAYG customers, just pay monthly.  I just completed a live chat with a Vodafone rep who said it is available (I was very specific in asking - can I tether on a PAYG bundle?).  So, now I'm confused.  Can someone please confirm which is correct?

Thanks!

[drey_p]

Hi there

As far as I am aware tethering isn't available on PAYG and is only available on Pay Monthly contracts .

[tazzie_amazon]

Thanks for the quick response!

I was afraid of that.  It's just frustrating when you get conflicting answers from the same company.

Thanks, again!

[BandOfBrothers]

Hi @tazzie_amazon

I use Vodafone Payg. 

I can 100% confirm Tethering / Hotspot is not currently available on Payg. 

[Annie_N]

@tazzie_amazon

On the other hand I'm also a PAYG customer, and I can 100% confirm that this afternoon I was able to use a phone with a Text and Web Freebee as a hotspot, and another phone was able to pick up the wifi signal and navigate to some very small pages. As I have virtually no signal here, I was standing on a chair in the back garden and holding the hotspot phone above my head for a bit of signal, but the whole thing worked.

I'm not sure whether you saw the thread in which someone was informed that tethering was against PAYG Ts&Cs. I was pretty sure that I knew this document inside out, but I read it again a couple of times for luck, and there is absolutely nothing there to prohibit tethering. I've no idea where that notion came from, as I've not seen it so explicitly stated before, but it simply isn't so.

I followed the instructions on the Device Guides about setting up a hotspot, it was perfectly straightforward, and everything worked fine apart from the problem that Vodafone supplies a lousy signal here.

However, I understand that there is a problem with iPhones being used as a hotpsot on PAYG, because they need this to be facilitated by a separate APN, and Vodafone doesn't supply such an APN for PAYG. The technology is beyond me, so I can offer no view as to whether this is prejudice, policy or accident, but be assured that for an Android phone that can act as a hotspot, there shouldn't be any problem.

[tazzie_amazon]

Thank you so much for testing that out, Annie!  Much appreciated!  I am using an iPhone so I might do some searching to see if an alternate APN is available on another site.  You never know, someone may have found it

I did see the thread you mentioned about tethering being against PAYG T&Cs and, just like you, I checked them and didn't see any mention of 'tethering' or 'hotspot'.  Weird...

Thank you to everyone who has responded, I really do appreciate it.  I'm currently based in the US but will be going back to the UK for a holiday next month and since I know how unreliable hotel wifi can be, I wanted the option to connect my laptop to the internet another way.

Thanks, again!

[Annie_N]

Hi @tazzie_amazon

I was afraid you'd say it was an iPhone! I've no idea why Vodafone apparently knew nothing of this issue, but with a bit of luck the two cases cropping up simultaneously will get it addressed.

The only alternative that I can think of would be to get a PAYG mobile wifi device or dongle - see http://www.vodafone.co.uk/shop/mobile-broadband/dongles-and-mobile-wi-fi/index.htm - but the pricing is such that you might be better off buying an inexpensive PAYG Android phone for your visit. Though do check out the Device Guides to make sure that tethering is possible on the phone! Also, if you might want to use it in the US, make sure it's quadband, as triband phones aren't finding much coverage there nowadays.

[Biz88]

I know this post has been here awhile but I had the same issue. I just figured  out how to use a iPhone as a hotspot with a payg plan and thought I would share as I couldn’t find a answer on this forum or voda site. If you go to settings-mobile data-mobile data options-mobile data network- then scroll to the bottom to personal hotspot and enter the following: APN: pp.vodafone.co.uk Username: wap Password: wap After this if you back out by tapping the left arrow at the top it will automatically update the new APN settings. The hotspot option should now be avalible within mobile data option in the settings. The issue I had was that my hotspot APN was wap.vodafone.co.uk by default but after making the changes I can now tether my iPhone. I hope this helps anyone he comes across this issue and this thread. 

[MOD EDIT: This post has been edited]

[Annie_N]

Hi @Biz88, and many thanks for that information. It sounds as though something, somewhere, must have been changed, and I'm very glad you found a way to make the hotspot work. Assuming that the APN is in fact pp.vodafone.co.uk, this is the standard setting for mobile data connection on PAYG, but I'm not sure enough of the technology involved to know whether it is Apple or Vodafone who have changed something!

[Biz88]

Good spot @Annie_N I did mean to put pp.vodafone.co.uk rather than pp.vodaphone.co.uk must of had abit of a moment!  If a mod could correct my post I would be grateful as can’t see the option. When I first put in the sim in it did have a link in the settings to set up a hotspot. But when clicking on the link just gave u details of the general payg APN settings and didn’t make it clear that you have to also change the APN setting in the hotspot field as well. Might be abit obvious to someone who is techie but I think this might have to be looked into. But glad that tethering is avalible on payg as even the manager in shop today said it weren’t avalible on payg.