A portable hotspot, also known as a mobile hotspot or a tethering hotspot, is a smartphone feature that allows the device to act as a wireless access point. This enables other nearby devices to connect to the internet using the smartphone’s cellular data connection. In order to make this happen, you will need to enable the smartphone’s portable hotspot or mobile hotspot feature.
In this tutorial, we will walk you through the process of activating the Galaxy S23 portable hotspot feature. Read on to learn how to use your new Samsung Galaxy smartphone as a wireless router and share its internet connection with your other compatible devices.
Prerequisites
Before you enable mobile hotspot on your Galaxy S23, you need to meet the following requirements:
1. Cellular Data
To use mobile hotspot, you need to have an active cellular data plan with your carrier. This is because the portable hotspot or mobile hotspot feature uses your phone’s cellular data connection to share and provide internet access to other devices. That said, having sufficient data allowance on your Galaxy S23 is needed. If you’re on a prepaid, be sure to have ample data credits to utilize.
2. Enabled mobile data
In order to use the mobile hotspot feature, your phone’s mobile data must be enabled beforehand. This is typically done through the settings menu.
3. Strong cellular signal
To use mobile hotspot, your phone needs to have a strong and stable cellular signal. If you are in an area with poor signal strength, your mobile hotspot may not work as well.
4. Ample Battery Life.
Among the factors that can contribute to fast battery draining issues in mobile devices are wireless connections. In fact, you may notice that your phone’s battery is draining faster when Bluetooth, Wi-Fi or Cellular data is enabled. The same goes when using portable or mobile hotspots. It is therefore imperative to keep your Galaxy S23 sufficiently charged beforehand.
5. Compatible devices
To connect to the mobile hotspot, your other devices must be compatible with the mobile hotspot feature and have Wi-Fi capabilities. Most modern laptops, tablets, and other mobile devices support Wi-Fi connectivity, but it’s important to check the device’s manual or online documentation to confirm compatibility.
Enabling Portable Hotspot/Mobile Hotspot on Galaxy S23
Once you’ve met all the stated prerequisites, you may proceed with the activation of the Mobile hotspot or portable hotspot feature on your Galaxy S23 smartphone. Just follow these outlined instructions:
Step 1: To get started, launch the Settings app by tapping on the gear icon from the Home screen or Apps tray.
You can also launch the app by tapping on the same (gear) icon from the quick settings/notification panel of your phone. Simply swipe down from the bottom of the screen to launch the panel where you can find the settings app shortcut icon.
Step 3: Once you’re in the Settings menu, find and then tap Connections.
Doing so will take you to another menu with all connectivity features and options.
Step 4: To continue, tap Mobile Hotspot and Tethering.
Another menu opens, with the Mobile Hotspot toggle.
Step 5: Tap Mobile Hotspot to proceed.
Doing so will take you to the Mobile Hotspot settings menu with relevant options for you to manage.
Step 6: Find and then tap Configure from the given options.
The menu will then switch to edit mode, allowing you to make necessary changes to the default network values and configuration.
Step 7: To change the default network name for your mobile hotspot, simply type in the name that you’d like to use.
You can also set a password to secure your mobile hotspot network. If you set up a password, your other devices need to enter the correct password for them to be able to share the internet connection with your Galaxy S23.
Step 8: After configuring all important details for your mobile hotspot, tap Save.
You will then be routed back to the Mobile Hotspot menu.
Step 9. To enable your Galaxy S23’s mobile hotspot function, tap to turn the OFF switch ON.
A pop-up window will load up asking for your confirmation.
Step 10: If prompted, just review the message and then tap OK to confirm.
Your Galaxy S23 is now ready to act as a portable wireless router and all set to share its mobile data internet connection to a compatible device, nearby.
The Samsung Galaxy S23 mobile hotspot is now configured and ready for use.
To connect your other devices to your Galaxy S23’s mobile hotspot network, just head over to the device’s connection/Wi-Fi settings menu then locate the name of your portable hotspot. It’s the same process when you connect your phone to a Wi-Fi network.
When to enable portable hotspot or mobile hotspot on your Galaxy S23?
There are various situations when you may want to enable mobile hotspot on your phone. Among the common instances are as follows:
1. When you don’t have access to a Wi-Fi network.
If you’re in an area where there is no Wi-Fi network available, you can enable mobile hotspot on your phone to provide internet access to other devices, such as a laptop or tablet, using your phone’s cellular data connection.
2. When the Wi-Fi network is unreliable or slow.
If you’re connected to a Wi-Fi network that is slow or unreliable, you may want to use your phone’s mobile hotspot feature instead to ensure a more stable and faster internet connection.
3. When you’re traveling.
If you’re on the go and need to access the internet on a device that doesn’t have cellular connectivity, you can use your phone’s mobile hotspot feature to provide internet access.
4. When you’re in a location where you have a limited number of Wi-Fi connections available.
In some public places, such as hotels or coffee shops, you may be limited to a certain number of Wi-Fi connections. By using your phone’s mobile hotspot feature, you can connect multiple devices to the internet using a single cellular data connection.
Please note though that some carriers do implement certain restrictions on the use of mobile hotspots like charging extra fees or setting up some limits on the amount of usable data for mobile hotspot. To avoid incurring extra data charges, better talk to your network service provider beforehand.
And that’s all there is to activating the portable hotspot/mobile hotspot feature on the new Samsung Galaxy S23 smartphone.
