WiFi Hotspots

Fo' Rheal

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 14, 2005
102
A friend is coming to town from Belgium next week. We're going to be roadtripping, so I was looking into wifi hotspots to use in my car, as she needs a wifi network to be able to use data on her phone. Her network in Belgium is Telnet. I was looking at portable wifi hotspots but am not sure which one (if any) may do the trick. Any advice or insights on how to get them connected is appreciated!
 

swiftaw

Member
SoSH Member
Jan 31, 2009
3,434
Do you have a lot of data on your phone plan? If so, you could tether her phone to yours.
 

johnmd20

mad dog
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 30, 2003
61,996
New York City
A friend is coming to town from Belgium next week. We're going to be roadtripping, so I was looking into wifi hotspots to use in my car, as she needs a wifi network to be able to use data on her phone. Her network in Belgium is Telnet. I was looking at portable wifi hotspots but am not sure which one (if any) may do the trick. Any advice or insights on how to get them connected is appreciated!
Yeah, if you have a recent phone(less than 5 or 6 years old, Android or iPhone) it should have hotspot capabilities. Just check your settings, you can use that as a wifi hotspot in a pinch anytime. It's pretty handy. Of course, it will only be as fast as your phone's data connection, so dead spots will yield lousy results.
 

czar

fanboy
SoSH Member
Jul 16, 2005
4,312
Ann Arbor
Yes, I have unlimited data. That could be an option. Thank you!
Just be careful -- I have unlimited data (via AT&T) but there is a strict "no tethering" clause in my contract (they check TTL on packets and w/ multiple hops will automatically cancel/charge you a higher tier plan).

I think it's a mixed bag what telecoms do. Some let you tether freely against your data cap. Others are like "sure, you can do it if you give us an extra $10/month tethering fee." Others are like "that data is for cell phone only, no tethering unless you buy a completely separate plan."

Tethering to cell is easiest if that's possible. Another option is to get a prepaid hotspot. I think you can get a StraightTalk one at Walmart for like $20 plus you can buy cards that charge it by the gig or something.