Samsung Galaxy Nexus as hotspot

[ceemike]

I'm thinking about switching my Verizon Wireless service over to their Share Everything plan which would mean trading my basic phone and 3G wireless air card in for a smartphone with a data package.  I'm looking at a Certified Pre-owned Samsung Galaxy Nexus and I have a couple of questions.

1. If I'm using the phone as a Wi-Fi Mobile Hotspot to go online with my laptop, can I simultaneously us it as a phone to receive phone calls?

2. I've read that the phone can be used in Wi-Fi mode to go online when Wi-Fi is available in order to cut down on using your 4G data.  Is it a pain to switch from 4G mode to Wi-Fi mode or is it fairly easy?

Thanks for your help.

Mike Wagner

 

[Ned]

1. If I'm using the phone as a Wi-Fi Mobile Hotspot to go online with my laptop, can I simultaneously us it as a phone to receive phone calls?

Yes, if you're in a 4G LTE data area.  If you're using 3G, then no.

2. I've read that the phone can be used in Wi-Fi mode to go online when Wi-Fi is available in order to cut down on using your 4G data.  Is it a pain to switch from 4G mode to Wi-Fi mode or is it fairly easy?

Sure, turn on the WiFi on the phone and connect to the access point of your choice.  Leave the WiFi turned off when not using it so it doesn't draw down the battery unnecessarily.

 

[ceemike]

Thanks Ned.

 

[John From Detroit]

To switch from 4-G to Wi-Fi mode on my Samsung Galaxy S-III (I assume your nexus is similar) all I do is unlock it then swipe my finder straight down the screen.

The banner at the top has a number of soft-BUTTONS, you may have to move it right or left.. One of them is WI-FI.. tap it to light it up,  IF there is a router it can connect to it will..

If the router is encrypted it will give you a chance

For more options... Tape the daisy or gear (The Settings Icon) on that same info page. The top item is WI-FI. You can also turn it on and off there.. Press on the bar and you get the list of routers, open or encrypted, and you can pick and choose.

 

[donniedu]

I'm thinking about switching my Verizon Wireless service over to their Share Everything plan which would mean trading my basic phone and 3G wireless air card in for a smartphone with a data package.  I'm looking at a Certified Pre-owned Samsung Galaxy Nexus and I have a couple of questions.

1. If I'm using the phone as a Wi-Fi Mobile Hotspot to go online with my laptop, can I simultaneously us it as a phone to receive phone calls?i seriously doubt that you can.  I do know that I cannot using my bionic, and I suspect it is the same with all smart phones

2. I've read that the phone can be used in Wi-Fi mode to go online when Wi-Fi is available in order to cut down on using your 4G data.  Is it a pain to switch from 4G mode to Wi-Fi mode or is it fairly easy?  dead simple.  I use both pdanet and foxfi.  With foxfi I simply launch the app and start my computer. 

Thanks for your help.

Mike Wagner

No matter what you do, DO NOT let them talk you into their wifi hotspot plan for 30 dollars a month more.  Foxfi and pdanet both do the same thing for free.  The difference is pdanet needs the phone to be physically connected to the computer to work.  Or your computer needs a Bluetooth dongle.  Which so far I have not had much luck with.  I find foxfi much easier as it turns on your phones hotspot feature.  That way your computer is only looking for a wifi connection.

 

[Ned]

Donn, Mike would be on the Share Everything Plan that includes the mobile hot spot for all capable devices.  He won't need FoxFi.  Also, when in a 4G area, you can make voice calls simultaneously with data usage on a 4G smartphone.

 

[donniedu]

OK I stand corrected it is now giving you wifi hotspot for free.  Still not sure how you can do both.  I know my Bionic does not.  But then again where I go 4G is probably 10 years away.  Some places I am lucky to get 3G for an hour a day.

 

[Ned]

You can see it for yourself at the Verizon web site but here's a quote from the Share Everything Plans page:

Plus get unlimited talk and text for all devices on your account and included Mobile Hotspot on capable devices.

You can talk and use data at the same time but only when using 4G LTE.  Won't work in 3G.

 

[skyking12]

You can see it for yourself at the Verizon web site but here's a quote from the Share Everything Plans page:

You can talk and use data at the same time but only when using 4G LTE.  Won't work in 3G.

Thanks Ned, I had not researched that yet, and had kicked myself off the web while in a 3G area. I just figured it was a flaky connection among the various players.

 

[Ned]

Eventually, 4G LTE will use VOIP but for now it's the 4G radio for data and a different radio for voice.  Unfortunately, that's the same radio used for 3G data, so you can't do both simultaneously.

 

[Jeff3]

My new Droid Razr M with Ice Cream Sandwich can be set to automatically switch to WiFi when it is available. I believe it is part of IOS ICS.

 

[Ned]

Droid phones don't run IOS, thankfully

 

[Jeff3]

Droid phones don't run IOS, thankfully

Corrected.  :

 

[skyking12]

That's the phone I have. The wife has the galaxy 3. How do you like it so far, Jeff?

 

[Jeff3]

The Razr M has a good battery life (Thank goodness because it is not easily replaceable), a great screen, and a nice feel to the very thin case. I love Ice Cream Sandwich after having Gingerbread on my last Android phone. It without a doubt is the best phone I have used to date.


Unfortunately it has a 4g reception problem that means I basically have a 3G phone 90% of the time.


Verizon says Motorola is coming out with a software fix but yesterday afternoon I called Moto and was told by Level 2 support that there are no updates scheduled. My two weeks are up this weekend and I am about ready to take it back.

 

[skyking12]

Mine seems to get 4G OK when it is available at all. I am usually sitting right next to my wife and I can compare with her Galaxy. I will pay more attention now that you have brought it up.  At my home, I can't get any data so I have to leave to play with those features. Maybe there was a batch of bad ones?

 

[donniedu]

After the ICS fiasco with my Motoriola Bionic I would strongly suggest taking your phone back and get a Samsung Galaxy.  Since it was so bad Motorola is now promising a Jelly Bean upgrade sometime in the future,  But I am not holding my breath.  Whereas Samsung is already upgrading some of their phones.  If there is 4G in your service area your phone should be automatically picking it.  Download open signal from the android play store to see what antennas your phone is getting its signal from.

 

[Jeff3]

A quick update on my Droid Razr M. I took it back to the Verizon franchise that I bought it from and we laid out three phones, the Razr M, a Droid Razr HD Maxx, and a new Samsung. The dbm signal strength of all three were practically identical with the Razr M lightly higher than the Razr HD Maxx.


So I still have the M. :

 

[DarthMuffin]

Yes, if you're in a 4G LTE data area.  If you're using 3G, then no.

Even in 3G mode, you can receive calls while running as a hot-spot.  It will pause data while you're talking (so no Internet while on the phone).  My laptop picks right back up again once the call is completed.

Regarding WiFi, leave the wifi adapter enabled and set it to connect to any open wifi point (I believe that's the default).  When you wander past an open wifi point, it will connect.  Toss-up on battery life though.  If you have wifi on but aren't connected, it uses more juice.  If you do connect to a wifi spot, it uses less juice while connected.

 

[Ned]

Yes, but the question was:

1. If I'm using the phone as a Wi-Fi Mobile Hotspot to go online with my laptop, can I simultaneously us it as a phone to receive phone calls?

And the answer was as I stated.  In a 3G area you can either talk or use data, but not both simultaneously.