How do you make a phone into a hotspot?

To turn a smartphone into a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot, toggle the phone's hotspot setting to on. The procedure for enabling the setting differs slightly with different phones, so this process details only the general step-by-step on Android phones, which is similar to the process on Windows 8 and iOS.

1. Go to your phone's wireless settings menu

   On an Android device, open the Settings menu. From there, look for the Wireless & Networks option, and tap on it.

2. Setup the wireless hotspot

   Tap on Set Up Wi-Fi Hotspot. The prompt that appears asks you to provide a name and password to protect your Wi-Fi hotspot from unwanted users. Fill these in, and tap Save or OK to save the new settings.

3. Enable the hotspot

   Tap Portable Wi-Fi Hotspot to enable your mobile hotspot. A check mark appears beside the setting to signify that it is enabled.

4. Connect to your mobile hotspot

   Once enabled, your portable Wi-Fi hotspot should be visible to your computer and other Wi-Fi enabled devices. The name of your hotspot matches the name you provided when you set it up. Tap or click on your hotspot name on the connecting device to connect to it. Input the password you created to complete the connection and browse the Internet.