smartphone hotspot

By the way I have sprint and talk/surf a lot….both 3g and 4g...

 

The app is actually called FoxFi(earlier in the thread it was called FiFox) it is an android only app and only the paid version allows you to surf to any/all websites. It isn't expensive, and well worth the one time price. I use it on my Note 3, had it on my S3... Pdanet was also mentioned, but that is now the usb hard wire tether part of FoxFi. I have used Foxfi for years. I stream Netflix and Youtube thru my wifi enabled blueray to my flat screen, and I have been watching tv, talking to my wife and surfing the internet when she needs some info she couldn't find herself (with the phone's browser) all at the same time without any lag. As long as there is at least 1 bar of 4g on Verizon, surfing or even video streaming is usually flawless (depending on how many in the neighborhood are using the same tower). The iPhone 6 is the 1st iPhone Verizon has allowed to have 2 transceivers for simultaneously talking and surfing...other carriers have had them for years

 

I had issues with my S3's reception as well. Side by side with my wifes Droid Charge and with her S4, her phone showed better signal. It's a firmware issue. The firmware doesn't compute signal strength correctly and attempts to find better signal. My Note 3 has lost signal stability after the 4.4.2 update. Supposedly has been resolved with the 4.4.4 OTA, but 4.4.4. eliminates an exploit if you want to root.

 

Note 4 Vz still can't without service from Vz. I just got one last month and have extensively looked for programming.
there's a bounty of over $10k online to the first that can do it, Vz blocks all the cellphones through their oem program, but was ruled by supreme court it is legal to reprogram YOUR device.

 

I have a note 3, T-Mobile and a truly unlimited plan. All I do is hit the preloaded hot spot icon and turn it on. Usually I use it to play PS4 online which is cool. I can still talk as well.

 

that's odd since the S4 and S5 can use Foxfi...give the dev's time, they'll bypass it in time. I had to keep refusing the 4.4.2 update on my Note-3 until they got it working, and I read on XDA that the 4.4.4 update still allows Foxfi use, it just closed the 'towelroot' exploit and fixed signal strength issues.

 

Yes, you can do both at once. Verizon was the last ones to get the ability because they ran an archaic network but now they have LTE (which is GSM) so the phone and data don't interupt each other assuming you have an LTE phone.

Upgrade to an LTE device and stop paying double (or whatever extra VZW charges you). If they charge you extra to tether your phone you can root it and they won't be able to distinguish phone vs computer data usage.

 

If your Android phone is one of the FoxFi-able phones(the list of phones is on the FoxFi website), no root necessary...on a new phone, helps keep the warranty alive...rooting voids it. But even if it isn't FoxFi-able, any Android smartphone can hard wire tether thru your data cable and a usb port via PDAnet.