Save Money on iPad/iPhone 3G Combo!

How to Link iPhone to iPad with Personal Hotspot

iPad iPhone Personal Hotspot WiFi connection

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Todays Tip…iPad/iPhone 3G combo will save you hundreds!

If you would like to buy an iPad 1 or 2 so you can surf on the road, but don’t want to pay the full price of a 3G iPad 64Gig at $949.00 and a data pack at say $30.00 per month, with a little tweaking you can get by with a non 3G 16Gig iPad one or 2 and your iPhone 3G or 4G. This can save you at least $730.00 combined over a year of using a data sim card and your purchase.

Read on to find out how!

If you already own an iPhone and you are on a phone plan with data already this is a very simple and sweet way to get an iPad that will almost be half price.

Do you need the iPad 64Gig? only if you are going to use the iPad as your main computer, and carry a lot of music, video and photos on it. If you are only going to use it as a sort of satellite to your main computer, only carry what you need and move things over to your iPad as you want to swap them over. I keep a few movies on my iPad and music but keep the bulk of my media which other than apps are the largest files on my main computer. I mainly use my iPad to read, to surf, social media, email, and to watch movies and TV over my wi fi at home, and for presentations. I find the 16Gig iPad is plenty..if anything I have too many apps! but I’m an app junkie and I have to cull them from time to time.

The secret Sauce is in the iPhone!

The 4.3 and upwards operating system on the 3G/4G iPhones now include a setting called Personal Hotspot! its like having your own mobile WiFi router in your pocket. Once activated, anyone that has your private personal password can access your iPhone’s connection to the internet…(Share with up to five devices simultaneously using iPhone 4). Meaning that you do NOT need a 3G iPad on the road anymore.

3G enabled iPads cost around $150.00 more to buy than the non-3G Wi-Fi only iPads, and then on top of that purchase, you then have to buy a monthly data pack sim card for the iPad to connect to a 3G network, a monthly or pay as you go outlay. If you already have a data pack as part of your iPhone plan, even if you have to increase it a little to cover a bit more download to your iPad, its going to end up WAY cheeper. I have a plan on my iPhone for 3Gigs of data download, which covers both my iPhone and iPad email downloading easily and my incessant twittering and facebook checking and link browsing.

Approx cost of a 3Gig data pack on iPad is about 30 dollars a month here in Aust, and is about the same for the iPhone. I NEVER EVER go over my allowance, but, be savvy on your downloads, save large attachments for home download. If you have a 3G you have to use bluetooth or a USB cable to connect, with a 4G phone you are able to connect wirelessly.

At last look carriers in Australia that enable this are Telstra, Optus, 3, and Vodafone, so check if you are not sure first. In the USA its AT&T and Verizon, check your country here

I used to take my heavy Macbook Pro with me and a wireless dongle. ($29 dollars a month for 3 gigs) And since I have started using this set-up have found there has never been a need for me to have the laptop with me. The iPad battery last longer, I can keep it on all day, it never heats up, and it uses way less data than a laptop!

The benifits of being mobile with your iPad, (with all your required Apps on it…more on that later) and your iPhone means also, for us Gals, only one bag to take around with us, you can keep this combo in your largish handbag always. You will always be ready to type longer emails, and documents easily and read online without squinting. The ipad keyboard takes a bit to get used to, but is much easier to use than the iPhone one.

How To Link Your iPhone To Your iPad With Personal Hotspot. Below, are the settings you need to find on your iPhone to set it up, its really really easy, the password is provided for you, and as long as you have your iPhone set up with the latest iPhone iOS 4.3 update (connect to iTunes on your home computer and check) Personal Hotspot should be right there ready to be switched on. On iPhone 4G Just switch it on and go to wireless settings in your iPad find the name for your phone, put in the password and you are hooked up! and you never have to put the password in again, it will link to your phone every time you have personal hotspot on your iPhone switched on!

Do make sure you turn PHS off after use, as having it on and linked to your iPad, can drain your iPhone battery, just like having bluetooth on all the time does….(yes that also drains your battery, turn it off when not needed).If you don’t see PHS under settings on your iPhone see below’s link for further help.

Let me know if this works for you! As a computer and tech consultant for Small Business I have a lot of ways of saving you money and ensuring you don’t buy anything you won’t use or don’t need. If you would like to find out where else you can upgrade and save money see my services page on this site!

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