Turning an Android into a Hotspot
 

Next year, I'm taking a long cruise from Portugal to South Africa. Our cruise line only seems to allow one device on the net. I am also a Fi subscriber. I am playing with using my old Pixel 3 (or buying a new one) and trying to make it into a hotspot that will blend Fi data and ship internet data. I thought about using a VPN like speedify that will blend the two connections together to give me respectable speed. I've also considered buying a smallish Windows tablet as a dedicated tool. I also have an old Surface 3 LTE (not Pro) on my self which might be repurposed for this, but smaller is better. Any thoughts?

Your current Android phone can't do WiFi sharing for Hotspot? That way you don't have to bring another device. Or just use your old Pixel 3. Pixel 3 can also be used as a spare phone in case something happened to the main phone while traveling.

I am using an Android Motorola Edge 2022 that was free from T-Mobile with a trade in. I have an app called PDANet+ installed. This app was used way back when you could JailBreak the latest iPhone and then run the app to enable pass through WiFi. The function would link to the local WiFi on the 2.4Ghz signal, then rebroadcast on 5Ghz for your local service. I am told that this app is no longer needed with current Android phones, but I cannot be sure, since the app is installed and I don't want to screw with what is currently working. It may be performing some magic in the background, but "If It Works, Don't Fix It".

My Android phone is working well with only WiFi on, and has been stable for days at a time. It will stay activated overnight and the speeds are acceptable, at around 50-60% of the source speed seen on the user device. I merely go to Settings, Network & Internet, Hotspot & Tethering, WiFi Hotspot and use the ON/OFF slider for service. You can name it and assign a user login password. I would recommend a password for cruises, since you will be amongst a throng of others seeking service. I've given mine the innocuous name of "Maint.". I don't feel like I'm stealing service from the cruise line since the data use is being consumed by my one, paid connection. It is merely a matter of convenience to not have to switch devices to connect each one. I can browse on my iPad while still using my phone for calls, texting, etc. Having WiFi calling enabled 24/7 is great while on a cruise if you need to stay in touch with home. I generally buy an unlimited plan for each of us for the entire cruise. The WiFi calling works quite well for this, as we both have T-Mobile, and our US numbers can call or text for free this way.

I just activated it and my iPhone 14 Pro Max just read 772Mbps on Xfinity service, and 404Mbps on Maint., for a 48% drop in speed. My experience with cruise WiFi is expect 2-5Mbps directly connected, depending upon the ships' service and user load. I have used it with other networks, and the one at my gym performs similarly.

Samsung Note 20 Ultra factory Unlocked SM N986U1 Android 13 April 1, 2023 security patch
Connected to my home WiFi , turned on mobile hotspot, connected my laptop to phone WiFi, works fine. I don't have an Pixel to try. There are WiFi repeater app's for Android if built-in hotspot doesn't cooperate.

Mobile hotspot on android requires wifi to be turned off. Mobile hotspot uses mobile data, it is a not a wifi repeater function.

It seems to work as a pass through WiFi on my Android Moto Edge 2022. It may be the PDANet app I have mentioned, but others have indicated that is probably not required.

Edited to add: My Motorola phone is on Android 12 and currently up to date according to Settings.

That's like 5 years ago. Android is updated to allow WiFi pass through for hotspot. Just need to have a newer Android OS version.

I have reconfirmed that it works for me by turning off mobile data before starting mobile hotspot.
Note 20 U Android 13.

​​​​​​The Play Store says the app is only for old versions of Android. I can't install it on my Pixel 7.

You don't need it for Pixel 7... native OS can already do the same thing with hotspot.

I wonder if it's a carrier restriction on my device, then. VZW in the US.

Very odd decision to do that if it is a carrier restriction. Wi-Fi pass thru would save usage on Mobile data, and most carriers want you to NOT use their bandwidth.

Not very likely, but why can't you just pull the sim card or turn off that line in settings if on an esim so the phone is not associated with a carrier? My Moto Edge 2022 works fine with no sim inserted. I just tested it and got over 400Mbps on my iPhone 14 Pro Max on the Moto WiFi hotspot.

How do I do this? Pixel 7.

Turn on Airplane Mode
Internet -> Connect to a Wi-Fi connection
Turn on Hotspot

If you have never setup your Hotspot before, you may have to give it a name and password. Your Pixel 7 Hotspot should be in Wi-Fi pass thru mode as you have no mobile data at all because you are still in Airplane mode.

If your OS version does NOT support Wi-Fi pass thru, when you try to turn on Hotspot, it would not let you because you are in Airplane mode. It would ask you to turn off Airplane mode.

Update on my Android hotspot on a cruise ship WiFi.

I’m now on an MSC ship that sailed from Miami, and their system is very restrictive. An unlimited package only allows for 1 device to be registered. It CANNOT be user switched to another device according to the web café staff. Login is quite convoluted also with on screen contradictions like “Enter birth date mm/dd/yyyy, then literally 1 line down, “Error: enter birth date as dd/mm/yyyy. To add insult to injury, mine is 10/10, so either way it should have registered properly.

Fortunately as hoped, using my Moto Edge 2022 which will pass through WiFi, solved the multiple device issue. I am on my second day and will update any changes, issues or impressions as they occur. Speeds vary widely from 2-25 Mbps, depending mostly on time of day probably due to user load.

MSC needs Starlink.

Multiple cruise ships including Royal Caribbean use Starlink and are adding more ships

Starlink and cruise ships with installations and planned installations

I'd be curious to see if it's a simple mac filter. If so, you could probably have set up a router of some sort. Bit more tedious, but a lot more convenient (at least in your room and possibly your neighbours if you are traveling with kids)

I am not familiar with configuration of routers except my home Comcast module. My Android phone is still working quite well, and has allowed us to have up to 4 devices connected at once with the WiFi pass through function. It also gives me the option to use a spare line for cellular functions while near land. That, plus portability and long battery life makes it a great solution.

I am now approaching Saint Martin and there are several carriers that seem to have T-Mobile roaming service. My plan is to set up the IMS function with 2 of them for free calling to & from US numbers on my dual sim iPhone 14 Pro Max, and also free data service.

Here is my final update on my Motorola Edge 2022 Android phone as a pass through WiFi hotspot.

After a 17 day cruise with transatlantic crossing, I am happy to report that the functions I hoped would work were all successful. The Android WiFi pass through was flawless and provided a reliable hot spot with expected speeds and connectivity. I set up both of our iPhone 14 Pro Max' on IMS function in foreign ports and they tested and worked perfectly for both US calls and calls to each other while roaming internationally. I have been reviewing my T-Mobile Data Usage. It reports nothing but WiFi calling with two exceptions to local numbers in Barcelona as I expected. Shipboard WiFi calling was also quite good, even at the slow WiFi service in the middle of the 6 day Atlantic crossing. T-Mobile does not reliably allow account login outside the general North American region, so I could not check my usage stats once we began our crossing. I had some 20-30 minute chats with tech support over WiFi while at sea with no charges. Also, on the ship we could call each other for free due to our unlimited WiFi data packages. Be certain you are on WiFi only for this however, for the calls are free on WiFi, $6 a minute on the ships cellular service!

For other T-Mobile users with the 5 Gb, free high speed international data roaming service, I see that the international data use DOES NOT count against your regular data plan. I saw this effect using my phone in Mexico then other nations whle traveling this past January. The high speed 5 Gb Mexico roaming service is independent of the international 5 Gb data bucket. This bookkeeping method saves my main voice line the Kickback $10 @<2 Gb reward, while allowing each number a full 5Gb of high speed international roaming service. This is actually a pretty big deal to me, since I have often touted using a dual sim second line for data roaming while keeping your main line active for calling & texts. I now can count on having the free 5 Gb int. roaming data for each of the dual sims in my daily driver while overseas. So, I end up with 10 Gb of high speed data roaming per billing period.

Does your cruise have Starlink? My cruise in 3 weeks has Starlink and according to reports, it should have about 5Mbps speed. Not fast comparing to land side but fast enough for normal usage. And the T-Mobile 5Gb is per billing cycle, not per month. So, if your trip date crosses over your billing cycle end date, your 5Gb gets to start over! Unfortunately, my next 3-week trip ends in 1 day after my billing cycle ends LOL.

I am wondering if I don't put my T-Mobile on airplane mode while on the cruise, would I be charged with a ship cellular charge? I read on forums that when they got a cruise, they actually got a TXT saying that it is free. I have cruise WiFi, so putting phone on airplane mode while sailing would be fine, but there are lots of shore days that I need to turn off airplane mode. I am just afraid that I forgot to turn airplane mode back on when got back to the ship one evening and get a huge ship cellular charge overnight sailing.

I can't speak for the charges, but if you'll accept a recommendation... often when I am in similar situations, I set an alarm on my phone for when I should be back (in my case, it's turning off airplane mode because I'm inside a data centre where I get no signal). I do this to preserve battery life. In your case, let's say you're expected back by dinner, so you set the alarm for dinner with an appropriate label... then worse comes to worst, you have a small charge.

I was on the MSC Divina and it was not equipped with StarLink. I expect Starlink to give better speeds, but 5Mbps should handle most traffic if it is consistent.

The shipboard charges stem from cellular use while connected to their service. If you do not enable Airplane Mode, you MAY get an incoming call if your phone has connected to "Cellular At Sea" for instance or possibly 918-100 or similar. You will be charged the $6 a minute rate even if you do not answer, as you have had a completed call when it reaches your phone. Generally Airplane mode only disconnects cellular service so WiFi and Bluetooth both should be active and usable. Also, be careful of using your cellular service while in port but still on the ship. Some cruise ships "Forget" to turn off their cellular service within the typical 12 miles from shore. Look for the local carrier ID in your status bar (Top Row On Your display Next To Signal Bars) to confirm you have shore service.

Yeah that's what I am afraid that I have to do. I wish there is a way that you could set T-Mobile to say "Anything that requires extra charge do not let me do it." And Starlink was over 100Mbps on the cruise originally when it was introduced, but then the cruise line limited it to 5.

Try using VPN and see if you can access your TMO account outside of North America. I've been able to access mine from Canada and Europe. Silly me forgot to test this out in Singapore despite flying SFO-SIN many times last year.

TMO called me while I was in SIN to ask about my experience with them. They assured me the call would be free, but when got home, I saw a LD charge for picking up the call. I called TMO and they removed it after they verified it was a TMO call.

I think we discussed this in the past. I don't see a separate data counter for international or Canada/Mexico. I see everything lumped together. Therefore it's hard to tell what my usage is like. My domestic usage is well below what Magenta Max allows. I'm more worried about international usage than domestic.

​​​​​​​How do I figure out the date for my billing cycle? I only know the due date, which is the first of each month. I changed it to make it easy to remember when my bill is due.

Not really a solution to cut down the costs, but you can define this WiFi-hotspot generated by your phone as a METERED account on each device it connects to it.

AT least no background downloading of mails, social media, software updates....

Isquare,

On my desktop T-Mobile Account Manager I get a separate display for International Data under: Usage, Data, then scroll to the bottom of the list. There should be a category simply labeled "International Data" below "Messages" and "Calls". I don't think it appears unless you actually have some international data used. This appears per line if you have more than one on your account. Canada & Mexico do not register separately from my recollection. This had me wondering, but after roaming in Mexico, then several other countries, the High Speed data I was getting was in excess of the 5 Gb allocation. This was also confirmed by other users on Reddit. My plan going forward includes having 5 Gb HS data in Mexico, then another 5 Gb HS data globally per line, per billing period.

Your on line account displays the days remaining in the billing period under: Usage, Current Cycle. My billing has it's last day on the 4th of every month. This is a copy/paste:

Current cycle

Jun 05 - Jul 04, 2023 (30 days left)

I recall discussing this with you in another thread. I don't think I ever saw a different counter despite roaming in Malaysia and Singapore. I'm pretty sure I mentioned that. Doesn't matter if I'm on the desktop or mobile, I just don't see a separate counter. I forgot what you said.

I've wondered whether the 5GB is per month or per trip. Last year, I got the the message congratulating my wife on her free 5GBs every time we crossed a European border. Welcome to France, enjoy 5 free gigs; welcome to Germany, enjoy 5 free gigs, etc. She will be to Canada 3 times in just over a week. Does she get 15 figs?

check out the carrier SMS services query SMS or messaging numbers one can ping to get a text back with any current usage status…minutes, data, sms, etc. That should go through as data or an SMS worst case but give real time account feedback. I have used this with ATT often outside our home region and it has worked to verify any data usage amounts

https://www.t-mobile.com/responsibil...20press%20Send

I don't think so. You just get the "notification" that's it is free when you change roaming partners, but you are really using the same 5GB until the end of the billing cycle. That's just my guess though, never tested it myself. I don't use a lot of mobile data.

BTW, my phone also displays the data usage of my current billing cycle. On my Pixel phone, it is under Network & Internet -> Internet -> Click Gear Icon next to T-Mobile
If you need to change billing cycle, go down to Data warning & limit > Mobile data usage cycle
I already changed mine to match the billing cycle date on my T-Mobile statement.

It's nice to have it locally on the phone as you don't have to connect to T-Mobile account to check. The phone and T-Mobile data usage are very close. Last full billing cycle, my phone shows 3.08GB used, T-Mobile says 3.09GB. But you still have to remember how much data you used in the billing cycle when you are out of the country so you can add 5GB to that and that's your data limit.

OMG, that's so cool, and at the same time so Lo-Tech LOL. I just tried #WEB# at home just for fun. Easy to remember too. Does it show your international data usage on a separate line?

So, I just came back from a 3-week Euro trip. T-Mobile 5GB international fast data is per billing period, not per country. There may be a separate 5GB for Canada/Mexico, but not for countries in Europe. Every country we visited, we got the "welcome" text, but it is same 5GB as I can see them on my T-Mobile app. The app works fine for me in Europe. I don't need to use any VPN to access my account. My wife and kid used up their 5GB in about 5 to 7 days. They were both steaming videos. I only used about 2.5GB in 3 weeks. But even after the fast data were gone, they were still able to do most things with the 256K speed. They can even stream Spotify with that speed. I was offering to buy them extra fast data, but they both declined.

Back to topic of the thread. I am the only 1 of the 3 who has a Pixel 7 which could do hotspot in WiFi only mode. It is very useful when you need to purchase WiFi or if Sign-In portal is complicated. It is so much easier to just sign into WiFi with my phone, and have other devices connected to my phone's hotspot. I also found out one thing about WiFi that I didn't know before on this trip. If there is a WiFi connection with a very long password, you could just type it in once on your phone, then share it with a QR code to other phones that needs connection. It saved so much time.

Based on my cruise in January this year, there are separate 5Gb data buckets for Mexico and global high speed data I used in Panama and South America. I believe on T-Mobile your plan per line home data is also separate from your roaming data use. In my case, I saw on my app that the monthly total for lines did not add roaming data use to the line total. This hopefully will preserve my $10 line discount a month via Kickback and still allow the full 5Gb of high speed roaming on the same number. I also saw this effect in May of this year. I am going to Europe in October so I will try and wring out the details of this strategy and report the results here for reference.

I have also noticed that iPhones do prompt users to allow WiFi password sharing with other iPhones trying to connect to the same network. No QR code was needed or offered, just a simple yes or no for the guest to connect.

I would be very careful about allowing this. While it is convenient, it could potentially let people you don't necessarily know connect to that network you are connected to and all that entails. Having to pass along a password manually (even if by QR code) gives you a measure of control.

I think they would have to be in bluetooth range and pretty quick to take advantage of this feature. It has only appeared to me within a few seconds while someone was attempting to log into my home WiFi service, and once I tapped "Yes" they were connected immediately I have not seen the option while using it at other locations.

You'd be surprised how often people will just click ok without reading the popup. Social engineering is a pain in the butt sometimes.As for range, it's limited, but BT is still sometimes a hazard. I've seen pairing popups on my dining companions' phones when I'm in the restaurants (I disable bluetooth when I am not using it)