I used my iPhone as a hotspot yesterday when I was moving. I learned some things.
The first is 5G is a fantastic short-term internet replacement. It worked well with all of my devices and the only issue was a setting on the phone that I had changed myself. In the past to save on power I set the iPhone to sleep quickly, but after changing the Auto-Lock setting to never it maintained the internet connection with no problems.
I also learned that the iPhone hotspot works better to connect Windows devices if you don’t use “Maximize for compatibility”. It didn’t have any problems sharing its connection with a Mac, iPad, and Two Windows 11 laptops. I also have an emergency Mac laptop but I don’t use that as much.
Is there a downside to using the hotspot? I think it tends to drain the battery more quickly than I would like. It is a non-issue when it is on its charging stand. I only use hotspots when I am moving. The last time I used it was when I moved, and the Internet hadn’t been installed yet. I think then it was a 3G signal and it wasn’t very good.
Maybe the other downside is that when it’s being used as a hotspot it tends to get hot. However, I have noticed that iPhones in general get hot at least all the ones that I have had. I guess this is because it’s working hard but it still means they haven’t cooled it enough to be comfortable holding it. If I have a case I only use it for a short time. I don’t tend to like cases. They just seem so cheap compared to the metal. Yes, they protect the device but I am careful and have been fortunate.
If you use your hotspot when do you find it most useful?