Hotspot
Sharing data with other devices and common limits.
A hotspot takes the mobile data on one device and rebroadcasts it as Wi-Fi for other devices to use. When that data comes from an eSIM bought for a trip, the questions that follow are not only about which switch to press: they are about whether this particular plan permits sharing at all, how much of your allowance another device will swallow, and why a laptop sometimes cannot see the network even though the phone says the hotspot is on. This introduction answers those before you work through the individual questions listed below.
What follows keeps to what actually happens on a trip: get the right line selected first, then look at what consumes the allowance, what drains the battery, and what cannot be fixed at all because it is a limit of the plan or of the handset. Wherever an answer depends on the supplier, the destination country or the phone model, we say so plainly rather than quoting a figure that sounds precise but does not hold everywhere.
How a hotspot works when the data comes from an eSIM
Your phone receives a mobile signal from the destination network through the eSIM profile, then creates a small Wi-Fi network of its own for other devices to join. Every byte those devices use is deducted from that eSIM plan and from nowhere else. This is where people go wrong most often: once a laptop reports that it is on Wi-Fi it behaves as if it were at home, pulling updates and syncing files in the ordinary way, while in fact spending the data you bought for the trip.
Another difference from an ordinary SIM is that one phone can carry several lines at once, typically your home SIM alongside the eSIM for the destination. With more than one line present, the phone has to know which one to rebroadcast. Choose wrongly and what you share out is roaming data on your home SIM, billed at your original operator's rates rather than drawn from the plan you have just bought. Check this before anything else.
Does your plan allow sharing at all?
Sharing is not automatically enabled on every plan. Some plans in some countries have tethering blocked at the network side, which means that however correctly you configure the phone, other devices still will not connect. That condition is stated on the plan page, so read the hotspot line before you buy, particularly if sharing to a laptop or to the rest of your group is the main reason you are buying at all.
If the plan says sharing is supported, treat it as usable in the normal way, but the detail still varies by supplier: some plans let you share the whole allowance exactly as you would use it on the phone, while others carry specific conditions written into their terms. We cannot reduce that to one rule covering every plan, because they come from different providers. What you can do is read the plan page for the one you are considering, and ask before buying if anything is unclear.
Setting the hotspot to broadcast the eSIM line
The sequence below works on both iPhone and Android, but the exact menu names differ by manufacturer and by OS version. Some devices call it Personal Hotspot, others Mobile Hotspot, Internet Sharing or Tethering. Look for the nearest equivalent under your phone's connection settings, and if you genuinely cannot find it, use the search box in the Settings app and type hotspot.
- 1Confirm data works on the phone itself firstOpen any web page on the phone that will do the sharing. If that phone cannot reach the internet, turning the hotspot on solves nothing because there is nothing to share. Fix the connection first.
- 2Set the eSIM as the mobile data lineUnder the SIM or mobile network menu, set the data line to this trip's eSIM profile rather than your home SIM. This is the step people skip most often, and the usual cause of an unintended roaming bill.
- 3Turn data roaming on for the eSIM lineA travel profile works through partner networks in that country, so data roaming must be enabled for this line specifically. The setting is per line, not one switch for the whole phone.
- 4Start the hotspot and set a passwordSwitch the hotspot on and set a password that is not the default. Note the network name the phone displays, since some models name it after the device, which may not be the name you expected.
- 5Connect the other device and test straight awayJoin with the second device and load a page. If it connects but has no internet, go back to step two: that symptom is nearly always the wrong data line rather than a password problem.
When other devices cannot see it or cannot connect
Symptoms that look identical from the outside usually have different causes. The table below separates the common ones from what to check first, so that you do not spend time resetting everything when the fault sits in one place. Work down the list in order: the upper rows are both easier to fix and more common than the lower ones.
| Symptom | Usual cause | What to try first |
|---|---|---|
| The other device does not see the network name | The hotspot has switched itself off, or the network name is not the one you assumed | Restart the hotspot and read the network name straight off the sharing phone's screen |
| It connects but there is no internet | The sharing phone's data line is not set to the eSIM | Return to the SIM menu, set the data line to this trip's profile, and try again |
| The password is right but the connection fails | The joining device remembers old settings for a network with the same name | Tell that device to forget the network, then join again from scratch |
| Only some devices can connect | Some older devices do not support the band the hotspot is currently using | If the sharing phone offers a band option, switch to the more widely supported band |
| Everything looks right and it still will not work | That plan blocks tethering at the network side | Open the plan page and read its hotspot line: if it says unsupported, no phone setting will change that |
Common hotspot symptoms and where to look first
How many devices can join
The maximum number of simultaneous connections is set by your handset rather than by the plan, and it differs from model to model. We do not quote a fixed figure, because a number that is right for one phone is wrong for another. The most direct answer is on your own phone's hotspot screen, which on many models shows how many devices are attached.
In practice the limit you feel long before the handset's ceiling is speed and battery. The more devices attached, the more the same slice of bandwidth is divided, and the hotter and faster-draining the sharing phone becomes. If you are travelling as a group and everyone needs data at the same time for hours, having two or three people carry their own plan usually gives a better experience than hanging everybody off one phone.
Why the allowance disappears faster than expected
When a laptop or tablet joins the hotspot it has no idea it is using trip data. It sees Wi-Fi, and so it starts doing what it is configured to do on Wi-Fi: pull system updates, sync cloud folders, back up photos and update every pending app. That is why a large slice of an allowance can vanish within minutes while you feel you have not used anything at all.
| What the attached device tends to do on its own | Why it costs data | What to do before connecting |
|---|---|---|
| Operating system updates | Update files are large and download in the background without asking | Postpone updates, or set them to download only when you start them |
| Cloud sync and photo backup | Trip photos are large, and the more you shoot the more gets uploaded | Turn automatic backup off during the trip and re-enable it on hotel Wi-Fi |
| Autoplaying video in social feeds | It plays whether or not you asked, and uses far more than text or images | Switch autoplay off in the apps you use most before you leave |
| Video calls with the camera on | Video flows up and down continuously for the whole call | Turn the camera off when it is not needed, or use audio only where possible |
What typically consumes the allowance once other devices are attached
Battery, heat and where you put the phone
While sharing, your phone does two jobs at once: receiving a mobile signal and transmitting Wi-Fi. It therefore uses noticeably more battery than ordinary use and often runs warm. That is normal behaviour rather than a fault in the eSIM. What genuinely helps is keeping it on charge while sharing, switching the hotspot off the moment it is not needed, and turning the screen brightness down.
Heat matters more than people expect: when a phone runs too hot it throttles itself to avoid damage, and the result is falling speed and an unsteady connection. If you are sharing in a car or in the open sun, move the phone out of the heat, keep it off a sunlit dashboard, and take a thick case off if it is getting very warm.
The speed each device actually gets
The speed a joined device sees depends first on the signal the sharing phone is getting from the network at that moment, then on how many devices are dividing it, and then on the distance between them. We do not quote speed figures, because they depend on the destination network, the location and the time of day, all of which change. Moving nearer a window or out of a building's interior usually helps more than any setting on the phone.
If speed drops suddenly after heavy use, check the remaining allowance first, because some plans reduce speed once a stated threshold is reached rather than cutting you off. That detail varies by plan and is written on the plan page; it is not something a handset setting can change.
Staying safe when you share with other people
Your hotspot is a genuine Wi-Fi network: anyone who knows the name and password can join, and every byte they use comes out of your plan. Set a password that is not the handset default, and change it after you have shared with someone who is not travelling on with you. Giving the network a name that does not announce your real name is also a good habit in public places.
It is also worth knowing that if you leave a hotspot running in a busy place, devices that joined before will rejoin automatically as soon as they come back in range, possibly a travelling companion's laptop with sync left on. When the allowance is running low, switch the hotspot off between uses rather than leaving it up all day.
Limits that come from the country and from the handset
Not every limit is yours to fix. Some are conditions of the plan, some are requirements of the network in that country, and some are limits of the handset you carry. Telling them apart saves a great deal of time, because if the block is in the plan's terms then resetting network settings ten times over will change nothing.
If you are still choosing and intend to share, check two things beforehand: what the plan page says about hotspots, and whether your handset supports eSIM and is unlocked. Phones bought in certain markets or tied to an operator can carry different restrictions, and those belong to the device rather than to the plan.
Checklist before opening a hotspot abroad
This short list covers what trips people up most in the first minutes after landing. If you pass every item and it still does not work, the problem is usually not configuration but the plan's terms or the signal where you are standing.
- Confirm the plan page states that hotspot sharing is supported
- Set the mobile data line to this trip's eSIM profile
- Enable data roaming on the eSIM line and disable it on the home SIM
- Test data on the sharing phone first, then start the hotspot
- Set a fresh hotspot password instead of the default
- Turn off photo backup and automatic updates on the devices that will join
- Have a charger or power bank ready if you will share for more than an hour
Ofte stillede spørgsmål
Does sharing use more data than using the phone directly?+
Sharing does not add a surcharge to the same data, but the devices that join usually use far more than a phone would, especially laptops that fetch updates and sync files the moment they see Wi-Fi. The effect looks like sharing costing more, when the cause is the behaviour of the attached device. The control that works is switching automatic updates and backups off on that device before it connects.
Why does a device connect to my hotspot but get no internet?+
Almost always the sharing phone's data line is not set to the eSIM, or roaming has not been enabled on that line. The joining device therefore sees Wi-Fi and connects successfully, but there is no route out to the internet behind it. Go back and set the data line correctly, then test on the sharing phone itself once before trying to share again.
Which plans do not allow hotspot sharing?+
That depends on the supplier and the country rather than following one sitewide rule. Some plans in some countries have tethering blocked at the network side, and the condition is stated on that plan's own page. If sharing is your main reason for buying, read the hotspot line before paying, and ask us beforehand if it is still unclear.
How many devices can connect at once?+
The ceiling comes from your handset rather than the plan and varies by model, so there is no single number we can give that applies to every phone. In practice what limits you first is divided speed and a fast-draining battery. If several devices need data at once for long stretches, giving some people in the group their own plan usually works better.
The battery drains very fast while sharing. Is something wrong?+
It is not a fault: the phone is receiving a mobile signal and transmitting Wi-Fi at the same time, so it uses markedly more power than usual. Keep it on charge while sharing, switch the hotspot off as soon as it is idle, lower the screen brightness, and have attached devices download in bursts rather than staying connected all day. If it gets very hot, move it out of the sun and take off a thick case.
If my plan cannot share, what are my options?+
The direct answer is to choose a plan that states hotspot support from the outset. For a trip where you will genuinely work from a laptop, picking a plan that allows sharing and carries a volume suited to computer use is worth more than trying to work around the restriction. If you have already bought and only now found that sharing is blocked, message us with the order number and we will tell you honestly what that plan's terms allow.
Common questions in this section
Can I share a hotspot from my eSIM?+
Plans marked Hotspot: yes can share normally. Make sure the hotspot uses the eSIM line for data, and remember laptops on a hotspot usually consume far more than a phone because of background updates.
Hotspot is on but other devices cannot connect+
Check three things: is the eSIM line set as the data line, is the hotspot configured to use it, and does the plan allow sharing? Some plans in some countries block tethering at the network side — that is stated on the plan page.
Sharing a hotspot drains my battery. What helps?+
Sharing makes the phone both a receiver and a Wi-Fi transmitter, so heavy drain is normal. Keep it on charge while sharing, switch the hotspot off when it is not in use, lower screen brightness, and have connected devices download in bursts rather than staying attached all day.
How many devices can share my hotspot?+
The maximum is set by your phone rather than the plan, and it varies by model. In practice, the more devices attached, the less speed each gets and the faster the battery drains. For long sharing sessions, keep the phone on charge.
I turned on the hotspot but other devices cannot see it+
Check the plan supports hotspot sharing, then switch the hotspot off and on, verify the network name, and have the other device forget the old network before reconnecting.