You can get free hotspot on your cricket phone with their hotspot feature! Cricket’s hotspot feature allows you to connect other devices to your cell phone data plan – so you never have to worry about paying extra data charges again! How awesome is that? This free guide will walk you through the steps of getting free hotspot on your cricket phone in less than 10 minutes – it’s so easy! You’ll never have to deal with slow internet or overage charges when you’re done! Enjoy the perks of having unlimited data and no extra fees with this helpful guide.
Step 1: Get a SIM card
The first step is getting a SIM card and activation code from Cricket. This is really simple and they walk you through it very clearly with an online chat. At $25, it’s cheap too. Once you have it, pop in your SIM card into your phone. It’s as simple as putting in a memory chip or battery – just find where your old one goes and slide it out, put in your new one and turn on the power switch. You will receive a text message confirming activation and be ready to go once you set up an online account. Step 2: Get a router: To use your hotspot, you need to connect it to a wireless router that has internet access. If you already have one at home (like me), then great! Just plug it in and follow these instructions for setting up your router for internet sharing. If not, there are plenty of options for buying routers online or at local electronics stores like Best Buy or Radio Shack (if they still exist). I got mine on Amazon for about $30. Just make sure that whatever device you buy supports Wi-Fi N connectivity.
Step 2: Turn Airplane mode On
Your smartphone is sending out a Wi-Fi signal even when you’re not using it. If you want to access Wi-Fi without paying for it, then you need to turn airplane mode off and use a Wi-Fi tethering app. On an iPhone, go into settings, then general and turn airplane mode off. On an Android device, go into Settings and click Wireless & networks > Tethering & portable hotspot. Turn Portable Wifi Hotspot ON here by clicking on that option. Then, go back one screen and select Wi-Fi Hotspot under Tethering & Portable Hotspot. You should now be able to use your phone as a Wi-Fi hotspot with any other devices nearby. Step 3: Connect to Free Wi-fi with your PC: Next, you need to connect your computer or laptop to Cricket’s hotspot. The easiest way to do so is by downloading a program called PdaNet+. This software allows you to connect easily from your computer or laptop directly through USB cable or Bluetooth. Or, you can simply search for hotspot in your web browser on your computer and then enter 192.168.1.1 (Cricket’s default IP address) in order to connect manually via Wi-Fi. Step 4: Enjoy Internet Access Without Paying For It: Now that you’re connected, all of your internet traffic will flow through Cricket’s network instead of AT&T or Verizon—which means no extra charges at all! As long as you have an active internet connection (you’ll know because there will be a green light next to Wi-Fi near the top of your screen), everything else should work just like normal—including YouTube videos, Google Maps searches, etc.
Step 3: Set up the Hot Spot
First, you’ll have to set up a Hot Spot. On most phones, it’s under Settings or Wireless & Networks or something like that. When you’ve found it, look for an option called Internet Tethering. This is what allows your computer and any other wireless devices (like tablets or smartphones) to connect via Wi-Fi. If there’s not an Internet tethering option, there might be one called Wi-Fi Hot Spot. If so, that’s what you want. It’s pretty straightforward from here; just select whether you want to share a 3G connection or a 4G LTE connection. Then enter in a password (and make sure nobody else knows it). You can also choose how long your network stays active after you turn off your phone. Most importantly, make sure all of these settings are turned on—otherwise they won’t work: Wi-Fi, Mobile Hotspot, and/or Wi-Fi Hotspot. It may take some time before everything is connected properly; if nothing happens right away, don’t worry about it—just give things some time to sort themselves out. Once everything looks good on your end, go ahead and try connecting with another device!
Step 4: Enjoy your Free Hotspot
AT&T owns cricket, so you’ll be using AT&T’s service for a Hotspot. It works much like any of their prepaid phones and comes with a $45 Unlimited Talk and Text plan. The best part of that plan is that it also includes 10GB of data, perfect for keeping you connected while abroad. After that you can use 3G at max speed, which isn’t bad for casual browsing or emailing with IMAP enabled. You’re probably better off getting a data sim if you want to stream video or listen to music offline, but it works well enough if you need something convenient while in Europe or Asia. Be sure to turn off auto-top up before you leave though, as there’s no way to disable it from overseas. If you run out of data while overseas they charge an extra $10 per gigabyte until you return home. On top of that there are plenty of other ways to save money when traveling internationally: Book accommodation through AirBnB instead of hotels and hostels; avoid paying high roaming charges by using Wi-Fi whenever possible; make friends with locals who will let you crash on their couch; etc…
Conclusion
Sadly, Cricket has decided to kill their Hotspot feature. If you’re still under contract, like I am, it means you won’t be able to use a mobile hotspot feature that Cricket once offered. A sad day for sure. However, they have already introduced 4G service with unlimited data so it’s not all bad. It just means that there is more of an incentive for me to get out of my expensive contract early and switch my plan over. In any case, if you are currently using a Hotspot feature on Cricket but wish you could use it again – keep reading below! I haven’t tried these steps yet so I cannot guarantee results but here goes nothing…
