Tethering Phone...

[Lie-in King]

Hi all - apologies, but I've never been in this situation & genuinely don't get it.

Lynne's router finally stopped giving me access to BT W-Fi hotspots using my BT account. I've since managed to tether my phone & laptop & am now logged back on my BT account via giffgaff. I think! Is that how it works? Will this use up the credit on my giffgaff account or do I continue to get free access due to my BT Broadband account? Should I be worried about the phone bill?

Many thanks for your time & attention & any answers you can give me.

[bednobs]

if you have tethered it means you will be using your phone's data

[barry1010]

Do you really mean 'tethered'? Have you turned your phone's WiFi hotspot on so your laptop is connecting to it?

[Old_Geezer]

If you are using your giffgaff data then yes, your giffgaff allowance will be decreasing no matter where on the Net you visit.

[Lie-in King]

Barry am on my phone now as the connection failed, but yes, that's what I did. Laptop is now trying to reconnect to BT WiFi. Back as soon as I can, thank you all.

[Ellipsis]

You shouldn't need to connect to Lynne's router via BT Wi-Fi hotspots on your BT account. You should be able to just connect to it using the wifi password (which on a BT router is usually printed on a little plate on the outside somewhere).

Maybe you mean that Lynne's BT account has been closed? In which case, you will have to use your data allowance.

With Giffgaff, you can view your remaining data allowance here:

https://giffgaff.com/dashboard

Or you can call 43430 from your Giffgaff Mobile and select Option 2, which gives the option to listen to your balance amounts.

If you keep track of it, then you'll know how much you're using ...

[Lie-in King]

The phone now says the network is not in range - strange, considering it was full strength for two days. Yes, Lynne's account was closed on the 1st, yet the router worked fine for those two days. Back later, we're clearing stuff out.

[Ellipsis]

OK, then you will be using the data allowance on your giffgaff account. Data access can vary even as you move around a building, so if you find a place where your phone works, continue to use that place.

[Buenchico]

Just for a bit of clarification (if it's needed):
Unless the owner changes the default settings, EVERY BT Hub transmits TWO wi-fi signals. One is for use by the owner of the hub, whereas the other one is 'public' and accessible to anyone who's either got their own BT Broadband account or who is prepared to pay to use the service.

So, if you're in either of those positions, you can log into BT wi-fi using any BT Hub that's within range and turned on. (It doesn't have to be Lynne's; it could be a Hub belonging to any of her neighbours).

It seems to me that BT closed Lynne's account on one date but left the second signal from her Hub turned on until the equipment was physically disconnected at the exchange (or at the box out in the street) a couple of days later.

If your laptop was previously using the 'public' signal from Lynne's router, it will still try (unsuccessfully) to to connect to the same signal. If you click on the 'WiFi' symbol though, it will look for other wi-fi signals in the area. You might then see a different 'BT Wi-Fi' one, that's coming from a neighbour's BT Hub, enabling you to connect to that.

If you connect your laptop to your phone by 'tethering' it though, you'll inevitably be using your GiffGaff data.