How To Use Wi-Fi HotSpot on the Moto X 2014

Whether you’re buying the Moto X 2014 because you enjoy being able to talk to the device with your own custom catch phrase or hoping that its Moto Display software will help you make it to dinner without needing to pull out a charger, the Moto X 2014 remains an Android-powered smartphone pure and simple. Sure, we expect Android smartphones to be customizable and include great hardware, but one of the big benefits of buying a smartphone is Wi-Fi hotspot setup.

It used to be that connecting to a mobile carrier’s network required users to buy little small boxes with a screen. These boxes required users to sign a contract in exchange for a discount. With the box on users could connect to the networks of T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon and others where they were available instead of hunting down a wireless internet connection that could be unreliable. With the Moto X 2014, getting a Wi-Fi hotspot connection to share with your tablet or laptop is as simple as a few taps on your screen – provided you know where to look.

Here’s how to use Wi-Fi hotspot on the Moto X 2014.

Before we begin its important that you understand how Wi-Fi hotspots work. Your Moto X 2014 already has a data connection that it taps into whenever you want to browse the internet or use some apps away from your home Wi-Fi network. Wi-Fi Hotspot allows your phone to take tap into that mobile internet connection and rebroadcast it as another network. More simply put, your Moto X 2014 becomes a Wi-Fi router.

For this to work on your Moto X 2014, you’ll need a wireless service plan that allows you to share your internet connection through Wi-Fi hotspot. Despite what you might think, this isn’t necessarily a given. T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon’s lower tiered plans don’t offer this capability. If you have a plan that doesn’t allow for Wi-Fi hotspot you’ll need to add it to your account through an Android app for your mobile carrier or through their website.

Turn on your Moto X 2014 by pressing the power button on its side. Depending on how you’ve configured your device you may find that you need to put in a PIN number or lock pattern.

Welcome to the Moto X 2014 home screen. The one used in our example may be a bit different than yours. For starters, we’re using the Moto X 2014 Pure Edition. Our version has been untouched by a carrier. As such, its missing some of the things you might have on your Moto X 2014. For example, T-Mobile actually includes a Wi-Fi hotspot app on the Android devices it sells directly to users. You can try looking for an app with “hotspot” in its name by opening the app drawer using the circle on the bottom of your screen in the center. Remember to swipe from right to left to look for it. Don’t worry if you don’t see such an app. That’s ok.

Place your finger on the top edge of your screen and slowly move it down towards the bottom of your screen to reveal the Notification and quick settings area.

Tap the button in the top-right corner of your screen.

This is the quick access settings area. From here you can quickly change basic settings. You can dim your screen here or choose whether you want Wi-Fi to be turned on or off. It is very important that you turn Wi-Fi off by tapping on the meter in the second row on the far left. In our example it’s labeled Google Starbucks. We’ll explain why that’s important in a bit.

 

Tap Off then press the back button.

Now tap the Settings shortcut. It’s the cog in the top right corner labeled Settings.

Tap More.

Tap Tethering and Portable Hotspot.

Tap Portable Wi-Fi hotspot. Your Moto X 2014 will now check with your wireless carrier to make sure that this functionality is available on your plan. It is at this point that disabling your Wi-Fi connection is important. As of today the Moto X 2014 has a hard time checking for and authoring Wi-Fi hotspot if you’re connected to a Wi-Fi network at a place like Starbucks or McDonald’s. If you see an error message saying Wi-Fi hotspot isn’t a part of your wireless plan but you know it is, check to make sure you aren’t connected to a Wi-Fi network.

Now tap Set up Wi-Fi hotspot to get the login credentials to put in your notebook or tablet. Don’t forget to tap show password because you’ll need that to sign into the network too.

For the purposes of this example, we’re using Wi-Fi Hotspot on a Surface Pro 3 running Windows 8. As you can see below.

That’s it, you’ve successfully used Wi-Fi hotspot on your Moto X 2014. If you’re in a large group of friends you can share your network name and password with up to five friends so that you can all make use of your connection. The Moto X 2014 allows users to create networks without any sort of password at all. Under no circumstances should you do that. Not having a password on your Wi-Fi hotspot allows those around you to login into your hot spot too. That doesn’t seem like a big deal until they wreak havoc on your data plan watching videos and more.

Good luck.