Working on the go can be a nightmare if you are in an area where there is no WiFi, or if the hotel you are staying does not support WiFi or the connection breaks frequently. Alternately, completing important work from home can cause headache if your ISP server is down. In such situations, tethering—a process of accessing web using your smartphone’s 3G connection—can save the day.

The steps involved in the process are different for different smartphones. Android users need to perform the steps detailed below.

Note: If your smartphone is running on Android 2.1 or earlier version, you will have to download a program like Easy Tether or PDANet

Turning an Android Smartphone into a WiFi hotspot

Unlock your Android Smartphone and perform the following steps:

1. Go to the Settings menu
2. Choose Wireless & Networks
3. Select Tethering & portable hotspot
4. Check the box beside Portable Wi-Fi hotspot
5. Tap this setting (Portable WiFi hotspot), enter an appropriate name for your WiFi network, and enter the password

After you are through with the above steps, power on your laptop, select your smartphone’s network, and enter the password.

Whether you access the Internet from your home Wi-Fi connection or via your 3G phone, you must protect yourself from malware attacks. This is something you can do quite effortlessly by using a good antivirus tool.