How to Enable and Use Wi-Fi Hotspot on Samsung

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Author:

Danu Prasad

A Wi-Fi hotspot is a physical location where you can obtain wireless internet access using a wireless-enabled device, such as a smartphone or laptop.

When it comes to Samsung Galaxy smartphones, it refers to the ability of your phone to function as a mini wireless router, sharing your mobile data connection with other devices (PCs, Smartphones, TVs, Consoles, etc.).

On Samsung Galaxy smartphones, the Wi-Fi hotspot feature is not just a simple on-and-off switch. It offers a total of 13 configurations such as data limit settings, power saving mode, auto hotspot, and more. These settings allow you to customize the Wi-Fi hotspot to suit your specific needs and preferences.

In this guide, you will learn the process of enabling and using the Wi-Fi hotspot on your Samsung Galaxy smartphone. We will also explain the different configurations available and how to optimize them for security, power efficiency, performance, and compatibility. 

Additionally, we will cover the “Auto Hotspot” and “one-time password” features and provide alternatives to the Wi-Fi hotspot such as Bluetooth and USB tethering.

How to Enable Wi-Fi Hotspot

Enabling the Wi-Fi hotspot on your Samsung Galaxy smartphone is a simple process that can be done in a few steps:

  1. Open the Settings app.
  2. Scroll down and tap on “Connections”.
  3. In the Connections menu, tap on “Mobile Hotspot and Tethering”.
Mobile hotspot and tethering
  1. Tap on “Mobile Hotspot”. 
Mobile hotspot and tethering

Your Samsung Galaxy smartphone will now broadcast a Wi-Fi signal that other devices can connect to. The name of this Wi-Fi network will be the name of your phone by default.

In the following sections, we will get deeper into the configurations you can adjust to optimize your Wi-Fi hotspot.

How to Configure Wi-Fi Hotspot

Once you’ve come to the Wi-Fi hotspot setting on your Samsung Galaxy smartphone, you’ll find that there is a configurations button you can tap on to access configurations to tailor the experience to your needs. In fact, there are 12 options that you can adjust to ensure your hotspot works exactly how you want it to.

To access these mobile hotspot configurations, follow these steps:

  1. Go back to Settings > Connections > Mobile Hotspot and Tethering, and tap on
    “Mobile Hotspot”.
  2. Now you will see the hotspot details (Name, Password in dots, and band details). Tap on it to access configurations.
Mobile hotspot
  1. Then, tap on “Advanced settings” to access the list of full configuration options.
Configure mobile hotspot

Here are the 12 options that you can configure:

Configure mobile hotspot - advanced settings
  • Change Wi-Fi Hotspot Name: This allows you to set a custom name for your hotspot.
  • Change Wi-Fi Hotspot Password: You can set a secure password to prevent unauthorized access.
  • Change Wi-Fi Hotspot Band: Choose between 2.4GHz (better range, slower speed, best compatibility), 5GHz (shorter range, faster speed, less compatibility), and 6GHz (faster speeds, lowest latency, less compatibility).
  • Change Security: Options include Open, Enhanced Open, WPA2/WPA3-Personal, and WPA3-Personal.
  • Set Mobile Data Limit: This option allows you to control the amount of data that can be used via the hotspot in megabytes.
  • MAC Address Type: Choose between Randomized MAC (better privacy) and Phone MAC (better compatibility).
  • Turn off when no device connected for: This setting will automatically turn off the hotspot when not in use (hotspot timeout).
  • Hidden Network: This makes your hotspot invisible to other devices, unless they know the exact name of the network.
  • Support Wi-Fi 6 standard: This allows devices that support Wi-Fi 6 to connect to your hotspot.
  • Protect Management Frames: This adds an extra layer of security to your hotspot.
  • Power Saving Mode: This reduces the power consumption of your hotspot by analyzing the connected devices.
  • Wi-Fi Sharing: This allows other devices to share your hotspot’s internet connection.

When configuring these settings, it’s important to balance security, power efficiency, performance, and compatibility. 

Using a strong password and enabling “Protect Management Frames”’ can enhance security. Choosing the 5GHz band and enabling “Support Wi-Fi 6 standard” can improve performance. However, these settings may consume more power and may not be compatible with all devices.

Therefore, the best settings for the Wi-Fi hotspot would be:

  • Create a strong, 8 to 12-character hotspot password.
  • Choose Wi-Fi 2.4GHz if you want the best compatibility. Choose Wi-Fi 5GHz as a sweat spot (faster speed than 2.4GHz and more compatible than 6GHz).
  • Choose “WPA2/WPA3-Personal” for better security.
  • Set a mobile data limit if needed.
  • Select “Randomized MAC”.
  • Set a timeout between 5 minutes and 15 minutes to save battery power.
  • Select “Hidden network” if you care more about the privacy of your hotspot.
  • Toggle off Wi-Fi 6 to reduce problems as it is not compatible with every device.
  • Toggle on “Protect Management Frames”.
  • Toggle off Wi-Fi sharing to avoid users sharing your hotspot with other devices.

Auto Hotspot

Auto Hotspot is a feature available on Samsung Galaxy smartphones that allows your device to automatically share its mobile data with devices signed into your Samsung account or your Samsung family group when that option is enabled. 

This can be useful as you don’t need to enter a hotspot password. Also, you can combine this feature with “Hidden network” to make your device hidden from other guest devices.

To enable the Auto Hotspot feature, follow these steps:

  1. Got to Settings > Connections> Mobile hotspot and tethering.
  2. Tap on “Mobile Hotspot”.
  3. Here, you will see the “Auto Hotspot” option. Toggle the switch to turn it on.
Mobile hotspot auto hotspot settings

Once you’ve enabled Auto Hotspot, your Samsung Galaxy smartphone will automatically start sharing its mobile data with the devices signed into your Samsung account. 

To allow devices to connect with your mobile hotspot in the family group, you need to turn that feature on:

  • In the Mobile Hotspot settings, toggle on “Family sharing”.

One-time password

Mobile hotspot one time password option

The one-time password is a new setting introduced in Android 14 to allow users to connect guest devices to their Wi-Fi hotspots temporarily. 

When enabled, it will display a password that can be shared between other devices for that specific Wi-Fi hotspot session. The next time the Wi-Fi hotspot is turned on, the password will reset and a new one will be created. 

You need to keep in mind that this won’t affect the password you created for your hotspot. This is a temporary password that changes whenever the Wi-Fi hotspot is turned on and the password you created will not be affected.

Alternatives For Wi-Fi Hotspot

Connections - mobile hotspot and tethering

While the Wi-Fi Hotspot feature is a great option to share your smartphone’s mobile data with other devices, there are other options available to share your device’s internet connection. These alternatives are:

  1. Bluetooth Tethering: This option allows you to share your device’s internet connection with other devices via Bluetooth. This feature is useful when you want to save battery power or when you’re connecting to devices that don’t support Wi-Fi.

    To enable Bluetooth tethering, go to Settings > Connections > Mobile Hotspot and Tethering > Bluetooth tethering.
  2. USB Tethering: This option allows you to share your device’s internet connection with a computer via a USB cable. It’s a great choice when you want a stable and fast connection. It also charges your device while it’s connected.

    To enable USB tethering, first, connect your device to a computer using a USB cable. Then, go to Settings > Connections > Mobile Hotspot and Tethering > USB tethering.

    For more detailed information about USB tethering, you can read more about it here.

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