Want to connect your laptop to Wi-Fi while you're on the go? Or maybe you're working from home and your internet connection is less than stellar. If so, no need to rely on public networks—use your smartphone as a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot to share internet with other devices using your mobile data.

What is a mobile hotspot?

Using your phone as a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot lets you share your smartphone's mobile network connection with your other devices, letting them connect to the internet anywhere that you have mobile service. Most smartphones, have built-in features that allow you to quickly turn on a Wi-Fi hotspot from the Settings or App menu.

Sure, free Wi-Fi can be found everywhere from coffee shops to national parks, but using public Wi-Fi always carries certain security risks and often requires you to give out personal information, like your email address, in order to use the service. Using your smartphone's mobile hotspot allows you to put extra security measures in place to help protect you and your private information.

How to turn your iPhone into a mobile hotspot

1. Tap Settings, then Personal Hotspot.
2. Tap Allow Others to Join, and then tap Wi-Fi Password to change the password for your shared network.
3. Connect your computer to your phone's internet—you can choose to connect via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth®, or USB.

Note: Your iCloud® devices will be able to use it automatically.

How to block others from using your mobile hotspot

The easiest way to block others from using your personal mobile hotspot is to protect it with a strong, complex password. Combine uppercase and lowercase letters as well as numbers and special characters like, $, @, and #, to create a password that's at least 8 characters long. Don't use personal information, like your anniversary or your pet's name, and avoid using repetitive characters.

If you suspect someone is using your mobile hotspot without your permission, you can check to see who is on it by going to the Hotspot section in your phone's Settings and looking at Connected Devices. If someone is on your network that you don't want to be on it, disconnect your mobile hotspot and reactivate it using a completely different password. Some devices also offer you the option to select the user under Connected Devices and tap Block to prevent them from using your hotspot.