Temporary Internet (How does it work?)

[Mikeo512]

I believe it's possible to get a temporary internet connection for use in, say, a holiday flat. Of course, I'd have to search around for various options at the location but how does it actually work? Are these the WIFI hotspots that appear when I open WIFI on my MPB? For example, where I am now (with a standard internet connection via a router) I can see one of these "area WIFI signals" (is that the correct term?) at good strength. There are others that do not display a padlock? You are warned that anything sent via these is not secure and a VPN is recommended.

I would want internet access for an MPB, a couple of iPads and an iPhone. So what happens, do they give you an access code and does this make the connection secure? Not that I'd be doing banking or anything like that. But it would be good to download the newspaper, send and receive e-mails.

I presume that you don't get a router. So does each device just need to log into the area WIFI signal?

Sorry to be dim but I know nothing about this matter.

 

[Raz0rEdge]

There's not such that as a "temporary Internet" connection.

You either have a dedicated connection that you are paying for. You get access (freely) to someone else's connection with security because you are renting a space or staying for a little while (think your local coffee house)

You can also use your smart phone as a hotspot to share your cellular network with your devices.

If you see open WiFi networks, well definitely don't use those.

Some of them coming from printers to be able to print things on them.

 

[MacInWin]

If the holiday flat says it offers WiFi, then there will be a WiFi router in the flat, or at least in the building. I have seen it both ways, depending on the size and location of the flat. You will be given the name of the network and the password to join the network when you arrive, usually in some sort of notebook or welcome book for the flat. There may also be a card or page with the login information. In any event, you will click on the little fan icon on the top bar of the Mac screen for Wifi and look for that name in the list and select it. When prompted, enter the password. You are now connected, or should be, to the local net and to the internet. The same principle applies to iPhones and iPads. You select the WiFi name of the flat network and provide the password to join.

The lock shows that a password is required to enter the net. There are "free" network hotspots (as they are called) usually in restaurants, coffee shops and sometimes in a hotel lobby. These networks do not require a password to join so they don't show a lock icon.

The security of the network depends on who can connect and where the network is. In a public setting, like a restaurant, pub or coffee shop, there may well be folks there who are "listening in" to the network traffic for someone to show up that is unprotected and who uses passwords poorly. So, if your email password is weak and is the same for multiple locations (bank, home, anywhere you may have sensitive data) and there is one of the folks, they can get your information and try to do harm with it. A VPN should encrypt the traffic to and from your machine to the router to foil these miscreants.

Here is what I do when I travel. I use the WiFi in the flat and keep my VPN on to protect me. Ditto for any "public" network, free or not. The only time I don't use my VPN consistently is at home, on my own network, but here I am on ethernet, so anybody "listening in" on WiFi will get nothing.

 

[Mikeo512]

OK - thanks for the info ... but a bit disappointing.
The flat in question definitely has no internet.
On the other hand, there are friends in the town where I'd be able to connect to WIFI.
In the dim and distant past, I used the internet at places like Macdonald's. I suppose that would be OK for downloading our daily newspaper to the iPads.
So perhaps the best route would be to create a hotspot via my wife's iPhone.
I've heard of this but have never tried it.
Guess there is info about this on the internet ... but could someone pse describe the basics?
Many thanks in advance for the help and advice.
M

 

[MacInWin]

Hotspot is pretty straightforward. There are multiple ways to implement it. Basically, the iPhone becomes the router for a small network, then the cellular system is the connection to the Internet. You can connect to the iPhone either by WiFi or by a cable.

On her iPhone, open Settings, then Personal Hotspot. There is a slider for "Allow Others to Join" that toggles the function on/off. There is another block to enter the password for anyone to join. My hotspot password is pretty strong, 14 characters, mixed case letters and numbers. Totally random, no words. You can make her hotspot as long and as strong as you want.

To connect through WiFi, on your Mac look at the networks when you click on the WiFi icon on the top bar and you should see the name of her iPhone (Note, at this point anybody looking for networks will see the name of her iPhone, so you might want to edit the iPhone name if it divulges too much information (full name, for example.) Click on the name, enter the password and you are in. At this point all internet traffic passes through her iPhone, using up her services. Speed will depend on the strength and speed of the cellular network.

Another way to connect is to turn on the hotspot as before, but connect to the Mac with a USB cable from the iPhone to the Mac. Now you aren't using Wifi, but the cable to connect, the cellular for internet as before. I think you still have to provide the password.

When using hotspot the icon for the Wifi on the Mac and on the iPhone will show a icon of two links of a chain, showing that the hotspot function is being used.

Here is Apple's article on it:

How to set up a Personal Hotspot on your iPhone or iPad - Apple Support

A Personal Hotspot lets you share the cellular data connection of your iPhone or iPad (Wi-Fi + Cellular) when you don't have access to a Wi-Fi network.

support.apple.com

EDIT: BTW, hotspot is great when on the move. My wife likes to surf the internet on her MBP when we are driving somewhere reasonably far away. She will use her iPhone hotspot to connect the Mac to stream a movie or surf while we move along. She uses earphones so that I don't get distracted by whatever she's watching. Works well to pass the time.

 

[Mikeo512]

Thanks for the most recent reply ... not had time to read it properly yet.
But something else just occurred to me: the flat in question used to have a landline and a router, both of which are still there. But the line was discontinued two or three years ago. Is it likely that the former provider will switch it back on for a limited period of around 3 weeks.

 

[MacInWin]

Thanks for the most recent reply ... not had time to read it properly yet.
But something else just occurred to me: the flat in question used to have a landline and a router, both of which are still there. But the line was discontinued two or three years ago. Is it likely that the former provider will switch it back on for a limited period of around 3 weeks.

Unlikely. Providers usually want a longer contract, plus activation fees.

Does the flat claim to offer WiFi? I don't know where you are going, but I recently travelled in England and the various holiday cottages in the countryside and flat in London all offered WiFi.

 

[Slydude]

Maybe, but if it's an actual landline, you'll be connecting at landline speed instead of some high-speed connection.

One thing about the personal hotspot/tethering feature: Some carriers limit the amount of data used through the tethering/hotspot function. It's possible, for example, to have unlimited talk and data but be limited to maybe 5 GB of tethering data. Go over that tethering limit, and you pay extra.

 

[Mikeo512]

OK - thanks very much.
I said "holiday flat" but it's not a commercial thing. It's a flat belonging to someone who no longer lives there ... we are able to use for a holiday.
I know which provider used to serve the flat and I'll ask to see whether a short-term reconnection is perhaps on the cards.
Otherwise, I'll read carefully the information that has been provided here and see how I get on.
As ever, thanks to Mac-Forums for the support.
M

 

[krs]

One more comment:
If you end up using a Hotspot, ie connect to the internet via your cell phone and thus cell network, check how much data your cell phone plan includes (since data of your plan is what you will be using).
For just email and surfing, you wouldn't use a lot of data, but for YouTube, streaming, video - things like that, you're quickly into a lot of data use.

 

[Mikeo512]

Lots of really helpful information ... I'll be trying it out and will report back. Thanks very much indeed. But, as you'll see from my post on another board in a few moments, something rather more pressing has just occurred.

 

[Mikeo512]

To create a personal hotspot via an iPhone, I saw three options:
1. Using WI-FI
2. Using Bluetooth
3. Using USB
The Mac will always be next to the iPhone. Accordingly, it seemed better to use a USB connection. I’ve tried this and it works. Guess this cable method is the most secure as well as being the most straightforward.

I’m now wondering about our iPads, neither of which has cellular. We subscribe to a newspaper that we get on our iPads. Although it’s possible to download the newspaper to the Mac, it would be better to continue via the iPads.

Can I download from the iPhone to each iPad in turn? Again, I’d rather use a cable. How about the setting up and the cables? One iPad is 8th generation with IOS 15.5 and the other is 5th (mini) generation, also with 15.5.

Thanks again for your help - M

 

[MacInWin]

I would have the iPads connect to the phone by WiFi. I'm not sure a cable would work. On the iPad, the Wifi name assigned by the iPhone should show in the list of networks, tap it and provide the password for access and it should then work just fine. You can even do that if the iPhone is cabled to the Mac and being used there. Bear in mind the total bandwidth will remain the same, and will be divided amongst the devices attached. Also, multiple devices will eat through any data limitations faster as well. But it will work, I've done it before.