Perpetual problems with iPhone Hotspot

[Ambrosia7177]

Hello.

I have an iPhone 11 Pro Max (iOS 17.5.1) that I use as a hotspot and a camera and nothing more.

(For my "phone", I use my MacBook Pro and VoIP.)

My mobile carrier is AT&T.

As long as I have had this phone, I have crappy Internet on my mobile hotspot.

And this is a major issue, because I have a 100% remote job, and often takes me 30-40 minutes every morning to get my work laptop connected and working properly. But even then, I often have troubles throughout the day, including this application that I support which requires me to "remote in" to the application to use it - because it is not an outward-facing web app for security reasons.

This is also an issue, because with unreliable Internet, I have no way to use VoIP on my laptop.

Usually I am stuck on 2-bars at best, and often 1-bar.

Now you might be thinking, "Sounds like it's time to ditch AT&T!"

But I don't think this issue is that simple or obvious, which is why I am here.

For example, if this issue was just at home or the library, then I should be able to relocate and the problem would go away.

But I recall having similar issues over 1,000 miles away when I was working across the U.S. a couple of years ago.

And I can drive all around town and often have this issue.

It's hard to believe a company like AT&T has such unreliable service, that you'd have issues in multiple states and locations.

And, fwiw, I currently live in a metro of over 1 million people, so it's not like I'm out in the boonies!!

I have always treated my phone like family, and I don't abuse it like most people do, and it has never been dropped or thrown in a lake.

Are these struggles that I face with a nearly UN-USABLE MOBILE HOTSPOT on my iPhone 11 Pro Max a function of my iPhone just being old, or could my iPhone be damaged, or is it indeed as simple as the fact that maybe AT&T just sucks?

This issue is really debilitating, and to be honest, if I don't get it resolved, I could end up losing my job... ;-(

Am hoping there are some really smart people here who can help me figure this out, because if the solution was obvious, I wouldn't be here!!

(Trust me, this issue has been dogging me for over 4 years now!!!)

 

[now i see it]

iPhone mobile hotspot will cut the connection speed in half while it’s connected- is my experience.
Also iOS hotspot will disconnect other Apple devices at any chance it can get. It isn’t reliable (is my experience).

What I found that works for me is to get any used cheapo Android phone and connect that phone to your iOS hotspot. Once it’s connected, the hotspot never quits and stays up continuously. Then you can use your Apple products on the hotspot too - but you won’t get constantly disconnected.
Android phone connection seems to keep the connection alive. I use an old Samsung Galaxy S8

 

[Helmsley]

Some mobile network operators limit hotspot speeds.

If you're at risk of losing your job, why not ditch the hotspot and try a 5G dongle?

 

[Boyd01]

I still use an AT&T iPhone 12 Pro Max running iOS 16.6.1 as my only phone. Has been absolutely rock solid since I got it immediately after launch. I'm developing a GPS/Mapping web app and like to test it in the car with my 6th generation iPad. It's a cellular iPad, so it has a GPS, but I don't have a data plan for it anymore. Instead, I just use the 12 Pro Max as a hotspot. This works surprisingly well for me, was thinking about renewing the iPad data plan, but the mobile hotspot works so well that I decided not to.

Now, I'm driving around in mostly rural parts of Southern New Jersey (the Pine Barrens) where cell service can be somewhat dodgy in places, but it's really been working well for me. I can drive at 50 miles per hour zoomed way in on high resolution aerial imagery and it has no problem updating the map. This is probably very similar to streaming HD video in terms of data usage.

Could it be that one generation (iPhone 11 to 12) is the difference? Or maybe it has more to do with cell reception in your location. It's very flat in this coastal area, so no big mountains to block signals and no big buildings. Do you know somebody else with an AT&T phone that would let you do some testing? That might help to understand if it's a problem with your specific phone.

 

[Ambrosia7177]

iPhone mobile hotspot will cut the connection speed in half while it’s connected- is my experience.
Also iOS hotspot will disconnect other Apple devices at any chance it can get. It isn’t reliable (is my experience).

What I found that works for me is to get any used cheapo Android phone and connect that phone to your iOS hotspot. Once it’s connected, the hotspot never quits and stays up continuously. Then you can use your Apple products on the hotspot too - but you won’t get constantly disconnected.
Android phone connection seems to keep the connection alive. I use an old Samsung Galaxy S8

Do I have to have a cellular plan on an Android phone for that to work?

 

[Ambrosia7177]

Some mobile network operators limit hotspot speeds.

If you're at risk of losing your job, why not ditch the hotspot and try a 5G dongle?

I don't understand what that means?

 

[Ambrosia7177]

Could it be that one generation (iPhone 11 to 12) is the difference?

Am hoping someone could tell me that...

Or maybe it has more to do with cell reception in your location.

As mentioned above, "But I recall having similar issues over 1,000 miles away when I was working across the U.S. a couple of years ago."

It's very flat in this coastal area, so no big mountains to block signals and no big buildings.

It is flat where I am now.

Do you know somebody else with an AT&T phone that would let you do some testing? That might help to understand if it's a problem with your specific phone.

Unfortunately, I do not.

When I go to the AT&T store, they look at me in a perplexed way.

 

[winxmac]

You just need a random android phone to connect to your iPhone hotspot and it will keep the connection alive...

The iPhone hotspot gets turned off after a certain period of time when only iOS [or Apple] devices are connected...

 

[Ambrosia7177]

You just need a random android phone to connect to your iPhone hotspot and it will keep the connection alive...

The iPhone hotspot gets turned off after a certain period of time when only iOS [or Apple] devices are connected...

Okay, but that isn't my problem.

The problem is I only have 1-2 bars most of the time, and so I cannot even connect to the network at work, or if I can connect, the connection is so weak that MS Teams, or the application that I support, won't load on my work laptop - which by the way is a Dell - so that sort of disproves your theory.

 

[now i see it]

Do I have to have a cellular plan on an Android phone for that to work?

No. The android phone doesn’t need a SIM or plan. It just needs to be connected to the hotspot. - at least it worked for me.

 

[splifingate]

Connection is dependent upon signal strength.

Satisfaction is dependent upon signal quality.

You might find that the 12Mbps/1.3Mbps WIFI connection is more reliable than the two-bar 65Mbps/4Mbps Cellular connection. Or otherwise....

What you will eventually find, is that all this is subjective, and entirely dependent upon your particular situation . . . there is no Hard&Fast Rule for such things

 

[Ambrosia7177]

Connection is dependent upon signal strength.

Right so if I am in a metro area of 1 million people, then why is it there are so many places with a weak signal?

And why does this happen across the U.S.?

I find it hard to believe in 2024 that signal strength for any major U.S. telecom company could be weak.

In the middle of Montana or Alaska? Sure. But where I am, no way.

Satisfaction is dependent upon signal quality.

You might find that the 12Mbps/1.3Mbps WIFI connection is more reliable than the two-bar 65Mbps/4Mbps Cellular connection.

Okay, so I don't know anything about telephony.

Can you explain what you mean?

Are you implying that the issue is that I have an old iPhone?

Or otherwise....

What you will eventually find, is that all this is subjective, and entirely dependent upon your particular situation . . . there is no Hard&Fast Rule for such things

Yeah, but doesn't the problem that I described sound strange?

I always seem to have issues with signal when no one else around me does. And especially for work, it makes it seem like I am to blame when the problem isn't me!

Is an iPhone 11 Pro Max so ancient that it could be the cause of my problems?

Could I have a damaged iPhone?

Right now I am at the library, and I have to put my phone in the window in a certain spot just to get 1-2 bars - that is INSANE!!!!

 

[scouser75]

I used hot spot fur the first time in many years.

My phone was backing after a few minutes and the speed definitely was throttled.

 

[splifingate]

Right so if I am in a metro area of 1 million people, then why is it there are so many places with a weak signal?

And why does this happen across the U.S.?

I find it hard to believe in 2024 that signal strength for any major U.S. telecom company could be weak.

In the middle of Montana or Alaska? Sure. But where I am, no way.

My iPhone 13 Mini connects to Verizon, and I'm usually central to the Atlanta Metro area (which is, I believe is now the 6th largest metropolitan statistical area (MSA) in the United States).

In my mind, any one living in one of the Top 10 MSA's in the US (on any Carrier) should have five-bars, and excellent signal-strength . . . all the time 🤷‍♂️

Unfortunately, this does not hold-true.

I most-often have a decent signal, but my by-the-bar-signal regularly tells me that I have two-out-of-five bars available a lot of the time.

There is a lot of variability in my daily signal (even more so on my regular work trips x-country (I am often a multi-state traveler)).

Maybe it is because I am competing with ~5M other people for a quality signal?

I am still a bit new to the 5G arena, but I have found that--when connected to 5G--the quality of my signal is much less consistent than when connected via LTE.

When a 5G connection is strong, it's a great experience. When it is weak (2, or 1 bar), it is not.

Okay, so I don't know anything about telephony.

Can you explain what you mean?

This is my speedtest from a Desktop comp from Home when connected via 1GB fiber:

This is my iP13-mini speedtest over cellular:

And this is my iP13-mini speedtest connected to wifi:

In all three cases, my perceived, subjective performance is "Excellent"

My ping times via fiber are usually 1-3ms, but very (very consistent).

ping is often described as latency, but 'ping' is really "the actual command sent out. Latency refers to the response time, measured in milliseconds (ms), that the command retrieves. They are closely connected, but slightly different." [https://www.whatismyip.com/ping/]

Your phone goes "Yo" to a website, and (via the magic of Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP)) the website echoes "Sup?"

Sometimes this yodeling takes a handful of milliseconds, and sometimes it takes a hundred handfuls.

Remember that we're talking "thousandths-of-a-second", here!

What really sums-up the subjective 'latency' (or "ok, I'm gang hang for a few, because I really want to hear what you have to say") is having to wait-out (for example) 972 yodel-echoes, which--in the case of a ping-time of 278ms--is a cumulative 270,216ms . . . ~270 seconds of cumulative waiting time over this tête-à-tête transaction, when all you want to do is party like it's 2099

As another example (and this is increasingly becoming a non sequitur), a person's wait for a response (or any shared-activity) between the requestor and the responder may very-well be the direct cause of that particular website being hosted on a spinning-rust hard-drive, whose response-time (e.g., wake-up-and-begin-to-communicate) can be measured in tenths-of-a-second.

Are you implying that the issue is that I have an old iPhone?

My xSO uses an 11Pro, and She is quite happy with all aspects, apart from the battery-life. It seems quite performant.

Yeah, but doesn't the problem that I described sound strange?

I always seem to have issues with signal when no one else around me does. And especially for work, it makes it seem like I am to blame when the problem isn't me!

Oh, it's not your fault; there are always cases where one person can fluidly connect, while another cannot.

I sometimes get a call from my employer on my VZ phone so that He can talk with a co-worker who has ATT as their cellular provider

Things are always in flux.

Is an iPhone 11 Pro Max so ancient that it could be the cause of my problems?

Could I have a damaged iPhone?

Right now I am at the library, and I have to put my phone in the window in a certain spot just to get 1-2 bars - that is INSANE!!!!

The 11-Series uses an Intel modem (the thingy that allows a device to talk-the-talk with cellular towers, and wifi stations), and is often considered to not perform as well as the Qualcomm modems that were previously--and now--used.

I have no experience with iPhones using an Intel modem, so I cannot speak on the matter.

It may be that the Intel modems do not adhere to the lingua franca of the Communication World, or it could be that the World has changed such that the Intel modems are not able to communicate as well, or as fluently.

I'll have to leave that for others on which to speak

In the meantime, don't beat yourself up about the matter, ok 🙃

 

[Ambrosia7177]

@splifingate,

My iPhone 13 Mini connects to Verizon, and I'm usually central to the Atlanta Metro area (which is, I believe is now the 6th largest metropolitan statistical area (MSA) in the United States).

In my mind, any one living in one of the Top 10 MSA's in the US (on any Carrier) should have five-bars, and excellent signal-strength . . . all the time 🤷‍♂️

When you run for president - let me know - you have my vote!

Unfortunately, this does not hold-true.

I most-often have a decent signal, but my by-the-bar-signal regularly tells me that I have two-out-of-five bars available a lot of the time.

I have okay signal when I don't need it.

Maybe it is because I am competing with ~5M other people for a quality signal?

My expectation for reliable cellular (and hotspot) coverage in 2024 is that it is like electricity or running water - they just work.

I am still a bit new to the 5G arena, but I have found that--when connected to 5G--the quality of my signal is much less consistent than when connected via LTE.

When a 5G connection is strong, it's a great experience. When it is weak (2, or 1 bar), it is not.

What signal would I have an on iPhone 11 Pro Max?

This is my speedtest from a Desktop comp from Home when connected via 1GB fiber:

Is that application free or paid? (Wondering if I can do speed tests on my iPhone?)

Your phone goes "Yo" to a website, and (via the magic of Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP)) the website echoes "Sup?"

Sometimes this yodeling takes a handful of milliseconds, and sometimes it takes a hundred handfuls.

Remember that we're talking "thousandths-of-a-second", here!

What really sums-up the subjective 'latency' (or "ok, I'm gang hang for a few, because I really want to hear what you have to say") is having to wait-out (for example) 972 yodel-echoes, which--in the case of a ping-time of 278ms--is a cumulative 270,216ms . . . ~270 seconds of cumulative waiting time over this tête-à-tête transaction, when all you want to do is party like it's 2099

That was a mouthful!

(I think I'll learn a new language by the end of this thread?!)

My xSO uses an 11Pro, and She is quite happy with all aspects, apart from the battery-life. It seems quite performant.

Huh? xSO?

Oh, it's not your fault; there are always cases where one person can fluidly connect, while another cannot.

I sometimes get a call from my employer on my VZ phone so that He can talk with a co-worker who has ATT as their cellular provider

Things are always in flux.

Maybe, but it doesn't help me out.

The 11-Series uses an Intel modem (the thingy that allows a device to talk-the-talk with cellular towers, and wifi stations), and is often considered to not perform as well as the Qualcomm modems that were previously--and now--used.

I have no experience with iPhones using an Intel modem, so I cannot speak on the matter.

It may be that the Intel modems do not adhere to the lingua franca of the Communication World, or it could be that the World has changed such that the Intel modems are not able to communicate as well, or as fluently.

I'll have to leave that for others on which to speak

I will be getting a new iPhone 15 Pro Max here shortly, so maybe - and hopefully - what you are saying is true, and maybe new hardware will help out?

In the meantime, don't beat yourself up about the matter, ok 🙃

Tell my employer that!!


BTW, @splifingate, I think you should start a YouTube channel on "How to speak @splifingate"!! ;-)

 

[splifingate]

@splifingate,

When you run for president - let me know - you have my vote!

The Presidential Ham - by bijijoo

Every time I want to eat pork, all I see (when I close my eyes) is a smiling piglet.

Kinda takes the wind out of the ol' Sail, can't you imagine?

btw, thx

I have okay signal when I don't need it.

Yeah; that's kinda like how I'm only aware of appreciative glances from other women when I'm actually on the arm of a woman 🤷‍♂️

Life is awkward, at times.

My expectation for reliable cellular (and hotspot) coverage in 2024 is that it is like electricity or running water - they just work.

An entirely just, apropos and proper expectation!

These are just the early stages (thus there are--of course--inevitable growing-pains involved).

I'm eagerly awaiting Universal connectivity via a) the Cybersphere (Planetary Service), and b) the Unisphere (Galactic Service) . . .

. . . I may be waiting a while

What signal would I have an on iPhone 11 Pro Max?

Is that rhetorical?

I believe it is you who would be better-able to answer that question <smile>

Is that application free or paid? (Wondering if I can do speed tests on my iPhone?)

Ookla Speedtest

It may be that we 'pay' something for the usage, but it certainly is not $€£

That was a mouthful!

(I think I'll learn a new language by the end of this thread?!)

Oh, that's good!

Learning == understanding == knowledge == wisdom

[note-to-self] Don't do a web search for "when we cease to learn" when you're seeking to bolster the confidence of another individual [/note-to-self]

Huh? xSO?

It's Complicated.

Maybe, but it doesn't help me out.

Sorry about that.

I will be getting a new iPhone 15 Pro Max here shortly, so maybe - and hopefully - what you are saying is true, and maybe new hardware will help out?

Dude/Dudette!!1!

That's a bold and decisive way to empower your experience!

Having not used said Device, I can't--in all confidence--say that you will not be let-down; but, I can say that you will enjoy some great technology!

iP15PM is some seriously-righteous prime tech.

Tell my employer that!!

PM me HIr cell#, and I will

Or, you could source your tech outside Co., and not be dependent upon OP (other-party) Rule

BTW, @splifingate, I think you should start a YouTube channel on "How to speak @splifingate"!! ;-)

Goog and I currently have a love:hate relationship.

I love that Goog provides awesome Services, but Goog hates that I don't regularly avail myself of said Services.

Goog loves that I avail myself of their Service(s), and I hate how They ask me to always avail myself of said Services.

We're not really separated, or divorced . . . we just "Explore Options", while we navigate the nuances of caring for the digital children we have jointly created.

Ping us back with how your 15PM treats you in the coming days . . . this will be the true test of our latency

 

[Ambrosia7177]

@splifingate,

The Presidential Ham - by bijijoo

Every time I want to eat pork, all I see (when I close my eyes) is a smiling piglet.

Kinda takes the wind out of the ol' Sail, can't you imagine?

btw, thx

Wow! More strangeness... (What is the purpose of that website? Can the content be trusted? Or is it just for comedy?)

Yeah; that's kinda like how I'm only aware of appreciative glances from other women when I'm actually on the arm of a woman 🤷‍♂️

Life is awkward, at times.

I'll await the video to explain more on your upcoming YouTube channel... ;-)

(File it under "Splifingate's Love Life" playlist.)

An entirely just, apropos and proper expectation!

These are just the early stages (thus there are--of course--inevitable growing-pains involved).

I'm eagerly awaiting Universal connectivity via a) the Cybersphere (Planetary Service), and b) the Unisphere (Galactic Service) . . .

. . . I may be waiting a while

Do you really want to live in a world universe where AT&T and Verizon dominate the cosmos?

It's Complicated.

More splifingate drama... :O

Sorry about that.

Dude/Dudette!!1!

Dude.

That's a bold and decisive way to empower your experience!

Having not used said Device, I can't--in all confidence--say that you will not be let-down; but, I can say that you will enjoy some great technology!

iP15PM is some seriously-righteous prime tech.

Your words are like poetry... "Serious-righteous prime tech". Golden!

PM me HIr cell#, and I will

Do I sense a "neopronoun"? 🤔

Or, you could source your tech outside Co., and not be dependent upon OP (other-party) Rule

I'm trying to "break the chains" and leave my "master", but it is so hard in modern America... *sigh*

Goog and I currently have a love:hate relationship.

I love that Goog provides awesome Services, but Goog hates that I don't regularly avail myself of said Services.

Goog loves that I avail myself of their Service(s), and I hate how They ask me to always avail myself of said Services.

We're not really separated, or divorced . . . we just "Explore Options", while we navigate the nuances of caring for the digital children we have jointly created.

Ah, such is the demented and dysfunctional relationship so many of us have with technology!..

Ping us back with how your 15PM treats you in the coming days . . . this will be the true test of our latency

Assuming I don't have a stroke, I will report back if the iPhone 15 Pro Max thingy becomes a reality.

(Will have to find time to make the purchase in between fighting the world.)

 

[splifingate]

I will report back if the iPhone 15 Pro Max thingy becomes a reality.

Dude!

There are {checks python output} three people eagerly-awaiting your report

If I have my grep correct, I see roughly 76 individual IPs tracking 'problems-with-iphone-hotspot' (seventeen of which have [unfortunately] fallen-prey to the click-bait seductiveness of forbes dot com).

btw, my (or anyone else's (for that matter)) love-life is seriously OT!

That being said, I've been coaxing a slim Alder Lake CPU into some rather *cough* awkward p-states

 

[Ambrosia7177]

@splifingate,

OMG, you are so cryptic - and I love it!

Feels like watching Indiana Jones in the Map Room

Dude!

There are {checks python output} three people eagerly-awaiting your report

In my control center strategizing this weekend.

Looking to buy a new MacBook Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max and an iPad soon...

If I have my grep correct, I see roughly 76 individual IPs tracking 'problems-with-iphone-hotspot' (seventeen of which have [unfortunately] fallen-prey to the click-bait seductiveness of forbes dot com).

GREP? OMG!

btw, my (or anyone else's (for that matter)) love-life is seriously OT!

I tell, I just can't understand the youts these days!

That being said, I've been coaxing a slim Alder Lake CPU into some rather *cough* awkward p-states

See above.

*LOL*


I'm sure a new iPhone 15 Pro Max will be sweet for my videography, but if it solves my hot-spot issue that would be dreamy!

 

[splifingate]

I'm sure a new iPhone 15 Pro Max will be sweet for my videography, but if it solves my hot-spot issue that would be dreamy!

Absolutely no need to dream!

Go for it