Android WIFI Hotspot App

[ChuckYeah]

I'm looking for an Android app to set up a hotspot on my Phone, so I can surf on my laptop.

I want one that can be started by one click and closed by one click. My laptop and phone both have bluetooth so that's how I'd like to connect.

I have tried a couple, but none of them had that quick connect? Anyone using something better?

[GinYVR]

@computergeek541 It is called carrier customization in android terms. Basically it controls the load out of the phone when it gets reset. eg what bloatware has to be there, what features to be restricted eg wifi hotspot and most importantly which upstream updates to download or ignore.

The only way to get rid of that is to unlock the bootloader and flash the factory firmware via adb. That's why for most people on this forum, I just suggest the to go to a corner store cell phone shop to get it done. I can't imagine giving instructions how to unlock bootloaders on this forum.

[ChuckYeah]

How it came about I'm not sure, but yes there was no hotspot toggle on my settings. When I installed the software it was enabled so I was able to remove the app and the android hotspot toggle was still there. That was easy!

If I'd have known we're to change the setting I could have done it without installing the app I'm sure.

[computergeek541]

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@srlawren wrote:

I

Out of curiosity:  is there something wrong with the built-in hotspot features in Android?  For quick on/off, you can just add it to the quick toggles, no?

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I'm curious about this too since most Android phones can have have this feature toggled on and off very easily through the quick launch menu as srlawren was saying, unless we're talking about a Canadian version of some Samsunng phone in which the icon has neen removed.

@ChuckYeah , by any chance are you using some carrier version of a phone that has the stock version of hotspot services disabled?

[ChuckYeah]

Bluetooth tethering is available on my phone. I'll test them out and see what they work like. Battery not an issue, nor is speed really. Just has to work for what I'm doing which I don't feel will require high speed.

[ChuckYeah]

I've attempted rooting in the past with limited success and a few catastrophic failures. I think I'll leave that one in the bottom of the toolbox!

[bridonca]

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@srlawren wrote:

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@ChuckYeah wrote:

I'm looking for an Android app to set up a hotspot on my Phone, so I can surf on my laptop.

I want one that can be started by one click and closed by one click. My laptop and phone both have bluetooth so that's how I'd like to connect.

I have tried a couple, but none of them had that quick connect? Anyone using something better?

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@ChuckYeah you want to connect over Bluetooth?  Any particular reason?  The reason I'm asking is that WiFi is almost always faster for data transfers.  Also, a "WiFi Hotspot" is, by definition, over WiFi.  I guess you're looking for a Bluetooth hotspot, really?

Out of curiosity:  is there something wrong with the built-in hotspot features in Android?  For quick on/off, you can just add it to the quick toggles, no?

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Bluetooth is a lot easier on the battery, and you never have to enable anything once set up, it usually just works.  Speed usually is a non issue, it is fast enough.  

Bluetooth tethering should just work, but I have noticed a lot of carrier phones disable bluetooth tethering.  To get around that, you would need to root the phone and replace the phone with new firmware, which is not an easy task.

[ChuckYeah]

Yeah, now that I've tried a couple I see how it works. I was focused on the App and didn't see the forest for the trees. Once I set up my first hotspot, I realized, I then just log into it like a regular Wireless router.

The word tethering thru me off. I just didn't want to have to connect by USB.

[srlawren · Accepted solution]

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@ChuckYeah wrote:

I'm looking for an Android app to set up a hotspot on my Phone, so I can surf on my laptop.

I want one that can be started by one click and closed by one click. My laptop and phone both have bluetooth so that's how I'd like to connect.

I have tried a couple, but none of them had that quick connect? Anyone using something better?

---

@ChuckYeah you want to connect over Bluetooth?  Any particular reason?  The reason I'm asking is that WiFi is almost always faster for data transfers.  Also, a "WiFi Hotspot" is, by definition, over WiFi.  I guess you're looking for a Bluetooth hotspot, really?

Out of curiosity:  is there something wrong with the built-in hotspot features in Android?  For quick on/off, you can just add it to the quick toggles, no?

[ChuckYeah]

I found this one:

I'll definately check out that one too.

[Triguy]

I never used this personally.

FoxFi (WiFi Tether without Root)

Now to turn your phone into a Mobile Hotspot with FoxFi, no root or tether plan is required. It is most easy, and its simple interface is usable within a click of the installation. You can turn on the WiFi Hotspot in a single click from this Android WiFi Hotspot app. Users have rated this app with 3.9 stars on the Play Store. It offers USB Tether and WiFi Direct Hotspot, but one has to install a stand-alone Pdanet app.

Pros:

• Simple & easy to install and use.
• It supports almost every android phone.

Cons:

• It will require a paid version of a while usage of free one.
• One has to download Pdanet app to access other features.