How To Turn Your Google Nexus 5 Into a Mobile Hotspot
Turning your Google Nexus 5 smartphone into a mobile hotspot opens up a whole new world of possibilities. Let’s say your ‘normal’ internet service goes down for the day. Rather than waiting around hoping that a technician makes it out to your house, you can turn your Nexus 5 into a WIFI hub, allowing you to connect gaming consoles, desktop computers, laptop computers, tablets and more to the internet.
Note: some cell carriers disable tethering by default. Before you attempt to turn your Google Nexus 5 smartphone into a mobile hotspot, it’s recommended that you first check to see whether or not tethering is enabled.
Steps to turn your Nexus 5 into a mobile hotspot through tethering:
- Power up your Google Nexus 5 smartphone.
- Access the settings through the app or by taping the icon located at the top right hand corner of the screen.
- Select Wireless & Networks
- Select More…
- Choose the option labeled Tethering & portable hotspot.
- Next, tap the option labeled Set up WiFi hotspot.
- Under Network SSID, choose a name for your new wireless network. eg: Bob’s Nexus
- Choose a form of password encryption under Security.
- Next, enter a password for your new wireless network.
- When you are finished, tap Save to complete the setup.
Test It Out
Assuming you followed the 10 steps previously mentioned, your Google Nexus 5 should now serve as a mobile hotspot. Go ahead and test it out by connecting an WIFI-enabled device to it. You should be able to see the new wireless network under your device’s list of available networks. Connect to it using the password you entered in step 8. Congratulations, you’re now connected to the internet via your Google Nexus 5 device.
Watch The Data Usage!
Unless you’re on a cell plan with unlimited data, you should pay attention to your data usage when tethering a Nexus 5 device. Certain activities, such as playing video games online or streaming movies, can burn through your data plan fast. And with some carriers charging their customer an outrageous amount for “extra” data usage, you could end up with a massive bill at the end of the month.
Help! My Carrier Blocks Tethering
Unfortunately, some carriers prevent tethering, rendering this process useless. The good news is that you bypass this restriction by downloading one of the many apps like Klink on the Play Store.
Did these steps work for you? Let us know in the comments section below!
