Using a Smart Phone as a Mobile Hot Spot

It is as fast as your smartphone's web connection.

Wifi is *much* faster than 3G so it isn't the bottleneck.
The only concern is that the hotspot app will drink your smartphone's battery.

I can confirm this approach works with Chromebooks and a HTC Desire on 02 in the UK.

Yeah. I use my Smartphone as a hot spot with Verizon's 4G. Honestly, it seems almost as fast as my wifi, and is nice to use when I am not in range of wifi. However, like russ said, this is going to kill the battery quick. In my case it is about an hour. So you still need to stay near a plug.

russcasey said:

The only concern is that the hotspot app will drink your smartphone's battery.

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Yeah, that is the only issue I ever have when I do it, you can practically see the Nexus S battery start dying.

My sister bought this thing that she can carry around with her. It is pretty large, about the size of a car battery. Anyway she can charge it up and then use it as a plug. At any given time she can just plug her phone and laptop in to it and get surfing the net. I can't remember what that thing is called though.

homer said:

My sister bought this thing that she can carry around with her. It is pretty large, about the size of a car battery. Anyway she can charge it up and then use it as a plug. At any given time she can just plug her phone and laptop in to it and get surfing the net. I can't remember what that thing is called though.

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Something like this monster? Extreme Battery Kit DC AC Inverter Power iPad Laptop Portable Converter Battery Charger

You can charge an android phone by connecting it to the CB with a USB cable. This of course will shorten the CB's endurance, but I can live with that for a few hours.

Unless you need to be actually moving (in which case I recommend a power inverter for your car), you might be better off just getting free wifi from a hotel or restaurant (some businesses have it broadcasting where you can get access from their parking lot).

Dee said:

Unless you need to be actually moving (in which case I recommend a power inverter for your car), you might be better off just getting free wifi from a hotel or restaurant (some businesses have it broadcasting where you can get access from their parking lot).

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Thank you captain obvious

However there is a significant portion of the UK which has no free wifi, is not easily accessible by car (cities count here in addition to remote spots), but do have cellphone coverage. I suspect the OP's country is similar, perhaps yours too when you think about it.

There are times I've stayed in a hotel and have preferred to tether my cellphone than pay their crazy wifi charges.

I always tell myself that unless it is really necessary, I can never use my smartphone as a mobile hotspot. My main concern is really with the risk of a shortened battery life.

russcasey said:

There are times I've stayed in a hotel and have preferred to tether my cellphone than pay their crazy wifi charges.

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Here in the US the quality of WiFi (free or pay to use) provided in hotels varies enormously. IMHO, the pricier the hotel and the more it charges for the service, the worse the connection!

Yeah, I guess we are pretty lucky in the US. I really appreciate the free wifi because my USB ports don't work. That is why I can not wait to replace this piece of junk with a Chromebook.