The new HTC One M9 is a powerful smartphone with a host of features and can even act as a personal or mobile hotspot for the internet. A portable internet connection that can be shared with the millions of iPads, Nexus 9 tablets and laptops we use. Allowing them to connect to the internet wherever there is a cell phone signal. Here we explain how to use HTC One M9 as a personal WiFi hotspot.
Call it a personal hotspot, portable hotspot, mobile hotspot, or just tethering – we’re talking about using the M9 to connect other devices to the internet. Our smartphones’ signal and internet connection for data can be shared, giving your laptop or tablet faster speeds than many home networks, wherever you are.
This is a concept and feature that many users still do not understand, but below we will explain how easy it is to use your HTC One M9 or any Android phone as a personal hotspot and internet connection. This is a useful feature you’ll want to take advantage of if your carrier plan allows it.
The most common and preferred method is to use WiFi tethering. Basically share your phones data connection with any of your devices over WiFi. Share with tablets, whether it’s your laptop or your kids in the car. It just uses your phone connection, similar to how you connect to Starbucks or hotel WiFi on an iPad or laptop. Alternatively, there is also a wired USB connection so your One M9 can charge while sharing this connection with Macbook, HTC Nexus 9 or other devices.
The easiest way to do this requires owners to have an account through their carrier that supports hotspot functionality, which unfortunately will usually cost an extra $15-20 per month if you’re not on some of the high-limit data plans lately. Most mobile family sharing plans have hotspot enabled, just make sure you don’t use all your monthly data and exceed your limit.
Below we’ll explain where to go in settings to enable the personal hotspot feature, how to change the name and add a password so others won’t use it, then how to actually connect your laptop or tablet. HTC One M9 is your internet.
Instructions
To enable a wireless hotspot, you only need to select a few things in the settings and you’re done. Then sign in with your device that needs internet. Start by going into settings by tapping the gear-shaped settings icon in your app tray or by scrolling down and hitting settings in the notification pop-up bar.
Once in here you will see all the WiFi and Bluetooth options and you will see “More” in the first section under WiFi and Mobile Data. Choose this.
Above is a snapshot of the steps you need to take and that’s pretty much all. M9 will check to make sure your carrier plan offers hotspot functionality and then it will turn on.
The phone will take you through the setup of setting a name and choosing a password (so that others cannot use your internet), then you are done. Choose something easy to find and unique, then a strong password. Configure everything to be more personal and more secure and hit save or done.
Your tablet or laptop can now search for a WiFi connection like you always do, find the HTC One M9 hotspot with the name you created, enter the password and you’re ready. You are now using the internet connection on another device. Again, be careful if you don’t have an unlimited data plan because you can quickly use up your entire monthly limit and get stuck with huge overusage charges.
If your carrier plan is willing to charge $10 or $20 for hotspot functionality, or if it doesn’t come free, there are a few other options you can use. In the Google Play Store you can find “root without tether” apps that, once installed, will allow USB tethering to share internet connection without your carrier’s approval. our favorite clinksince it’s a simple wired connection, but Easy Tether Pro and other options are also available for those interested.
Some third-party options require root access (Jailbreak version of Android) and some do not. If you are not an advanced user, tether without root options is your best bet. Klink lets you use the included micro USB cable to connect from your phone to a laptop via USB, but that won’t work on a tablet.
Finally, it’s a good idea to add a data usage reminder or alert so you don’t spend the entire 5GB data plan. Go to Settings > More > Data usage and set the slider to an appropriate limit to keep things under control.
