When internet tethering is done via Wi-Fi, it is also known as a mobile hotspot. Fig. 1: Tethering refers to literally tethering your phone to the computer through USB to act as a USB modem. Fig. 2: Hotspot is the act of creating a Wi-Fi network where the phone acts as a modem/router. Its Visible+ phone plan is cheaper than pretty much any postpaid phone plan and lets you use as much hotspot data as you like over your cell phone's hotspot. That means you don't have to invest in a separate Wi-Fi hotspot to tether a device like a laptop or tablet. The plan has some limitations: you can only connect one device at a time For Verizon 's remaining unlimited data customers, it's turned out that Verizon being required to offer free tethering -- letting other devices share a 3G or 4G connection via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or In this article, we'll look at what exactly is a mobile hotspot and USB tether and check whether any of them gives an advantage in terms of speed, stability, and security. Is USB Tethering the Same as Hotspot? Without delving too deep into technicalities, here's a short answer: no, it is not. Check your phone or tablet's connection to the AT&T network. If you don't have mobile data or can't get to the internet, your device's hotspot may not work. Make sure you're connecting to the hotspot's network name and using the hotspot password. Try restarting your mobile hotspot device and the connected device. Your phone uses a different type of connection (DUN) to send tethered data but you can make the provider treat all traffic as if it is non-tethered: adb shell settings put global tether_dun_required 0 When enabling tethering on Android, the OS will first do a provisioning check with the carrier to determine if your plan allows tethering. I constantly use up my hotspot data on my phone. Does the T-mobile network allow USB tethering through my T-mobile phone? Unfortunately, your hotspot data is used when using WiFi or USB tethering. Smartphone Mobile HotSpot (SMHS) lets you share your phone, tablet, or Wi-Fi Hotspot's high-speed data with other Wi-Fi enabled or tethered devices. fedecape said: First of all, 10GB is a lot. And yes, of course it'll use more. You are basically sharing the same plan. You have a bottle with 10 liters of water (10gb of data) and a straw (your iPhone), but then your partner (your iPad) puts another straw to drink with you.. Well, you get the idea I guess. zDpj5z5.