Mobile Hotspot Question-Wi-Fi Required?

21stNow

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I've noticed that in order to use the iPhone 6 Plus as a mobile hotspot that I have to have Wi-Fi on on the phone. This doesn't make sense to me since mobile hotspot turns Wi-Fi off and uses the cellular network. Is there a way to broadcast the signal via Wi-Fi to other devices without turning Wi-Fi on on the iPhone? It's aggravating to have to turn off Wi-Fi every time I finish using mobile hotspot.
 

anon(4698833)

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Personal hotspot doesn't turn WiFi "off", the mobile hot spot feature forces WiFi on so that if it is within a usable WiFi network range, it will default to that vs. using the cellular data. This is a function to save you data usage when a known wifi network is available.

Why are you turning wifi off when you finish using hotspot?
 

21stNow

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I don't want to use Wi-Fi; I want to use cellular data. I live in a great cellular service area and I'm normally around some very weak/overloaded Wi-Fi networks. I prefer to use cellular data for a more consistent data experience.

Even if Wi-Fi is on before you turn on mobile hotspot, the Wi-Fi radio will become disabled once mobile hotspot is activated. This can be verified by checking the status bar while mobile hotspot is in use. Mobile hotspot doesn't just rebroadcast the Wi-Fi signal that the iPhone is connected to. I'm pretty sure that this isn't what you weren't trying to say something different, but correct me if I'm wrong.
 

Tartarus

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It's not convenient, but you can manually disable wifi when you are not using device as hotspot. Whenever you have the need to use hotspot, just enable it. Plus, even if wifi is on, if you haven't connected to them, your phone will not automatically connect to any wifi spots in the vicinity. Just uncheck the 'Ask to join networks' option in settings > wifi ImageUploadedByTapatalk1419276293.569216.jpg

That way it will not bother you about conmecting to a network.
 

21stNow

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Mine is already set to off.

This behavior only started recently; I think that it was after the 8.1.2 update. If I launch Personal Hotspot when Wi-Fi is off, I get the message that "Wi-Fi is Off. Personal Hotspot will only be avaliable over Bluetooth and USB. Do you also want to enable it over Wi-Fi? *Turn on Wi-Fi *Bluetooth and USB Only" I want the option to enable it over the mobile network.
 

BreakingKayfabe

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It's not convenient, but you can manually disable wifi when you are not using device as hotspot. Whenever you have the need to use hotspot, just enable it. Plus, even if wifi is on, if you haven't connected to them, your phone will not automatically connect to any wifi spots in the vicinity. Just uncheck the 'Ask to join networks' option in settings > wifi View attachment 74047

That way it will not bother you about conmecting to a network.

I have that setting off all the time. I've hated it since the initial iPhone was released.

Good thing about Instant Hotspot is that I really am not required to do anything. Even if my iPhone is connected to a WiFi hotspot and I take my iPad out I can easily just go tap the hotspot from my phone on my iPad and everything takes care of itself.
 

BreakingKayfabe

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Mine is already set to off.

This behavior only started recently; I think that it was after the 8.1.2 update. If I launch Personal Hotspot when Wi-Fi is off, I get the message that "Wi-Fi is Off. Personal Hotspot will only be avaliable over Bluetooth and USB. Do you also want to enable it over Wi-Fi? *Turn on Wi-Fi *Bluetooth and USB Only" I want the option to enable it over the mobile network.

Either of the three ways is enabled over the mobile network.
 

Tartarus

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Mine is already set to off.

This behavior only started recently; I think that it was after the 8.1.2 update. If I launch Personal Hotspot when Wi-Fi is off, I get the message that "Wi-Fi is Off. Personal Hotspot will only be avaliable over Bluetooth and USB. Do you also want to enable it over Wi-Fi? *Turn on Wi-Fi *Bluetooth and USB Only" I want the option to enable it over the mobile network.

Nope, the text is very clear. In order to use hotspots feature on your phone, you will have to enable wifi. Just disable it again when you're done using hotspot
 

zerog46

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It's been like this as far back as I can remember. I have been using my phone as a hotspot for at least 5 years.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 

JAYJr3834

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Mobile Hotstop on the iPhone 6/6+ use cellular data and turns on the Wifi so that other device can connect to to access the data. I you just want to use cellular data to have the iPhone use just it to surf the web or use the Internet you go to wifi setting and turn it off.
 

21stNow

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Mobile Hotstop on the iPhone 6/6+ use cellular data and turns on the Wifi so that other device can connect to to access the data. I you just want to use cellular data to have the iPhone use just it to surf the web or use the Internet you go to wifi setting and turn it off.

I'm getting from the responses that this is my only option. Since I use my Personal Hotspot at least twice a day, I consider it to be too much of an aggravation to have to continuously turn off Wi-Fi that never should have been on in the first place.
 

Tartarus

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Having wifi on or of doesn't change anything if you haven't logged in on any wifi spot anyway.. It doesn't use that much of a battery. You will have maybe 10 minutes less battery time if you have it enabled, and to be frank, that isn't that much of a shame
 

bsmith0731

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I'm getting from the responses that this is my only option. Since I use my Personal Hotspot at least twice a day, I consider it to be too much of an aggravation to have to continuously turn off Wi-Fi that never should have been on in the first place.

I believe it was doing this since I got the phone at release..

I don't like it either, but it seems like wifi needs to be on for someone to connect by wifi and Bluetooth for someone to connect by Bluetooth. Doesn't make much sense to me.
 

Tartarus

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Your phone distributes the mobile data by using wifi or Bluetooth. How else would your mobile data reach the device making use of that hotspot?
 

21stNow

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Your phone distributes the mobile data by using wifi or Bluetooth. How else would your mobile data reach the device making use of that hotspot?

The phone receiving the data service from the hotspot would be the one that is required to have Wi-Fi or Bluetooth on, not the phone that is sending the service. This has to be an iOS requirement, not a general requirement. My Android phones do not require that Wi-Fi is on in order to use mobile hotspot.
 

Tartarus

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The phone receiving the data service from the hotspot would be the one that is required to have Wi-Fi or Bluetooth on, not the phone that is sending the service. This has to be an iOS requirement, not a general requirement. My Android phones do not require that Wi-Fi is on in order to use mobile hotspot.

Well, then I guess android just enables wifi without notifying you about it. Your iPhone uses its wifi chip to distribute the mobile data signal to your other device. I can't make this more clear.
 

21stNow

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Well, then I guess android just enables wifi without notifying you about it. Your iPhone uses its wifi chip to distribute the mobile data signal to your other device. I can't make this more clear.

If the Android phone enables Wi-Fi, it also disables it so that I'm never inconvenienced. I don't believe that it actually enables the Wi-Fi radio, though. Wi-Fi wouldn't be active on the phone without the icon being in the notification bar.
 

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