Bad WiFi while traveling? Here’s what you need to know about the use and risks of mobile hotspots | MyGuide

If you set your smartphone as a hotspot, you can share your mobile internet connection with other devices, such as your laptop. Have you enabled the option on your phone? Then check available WiFi networks on your laptop. Your phone name will appear. You only need to log in, and you can surf the mobile Internet on your phone.

Very useful as an emergency solution, for example when you are temporarily without a stable internet connection in the office or at home. But also to be able to browse on your laptop while on the train. Or when traveling, when WiFi is not available.

How much data does Waze use? What about other navigation apps? Avoid unpleasant surprises on your bill.

To start, there is something about network quality. The connection may seem very strong on your laptop, but that only says something about the quality of your mobile phone connection and nothing about your mobile internet connection. The latter will be as good or bad as the mobile internet connection on your smartphone itself.

Then of course there’s this other issue: every device connected to your mobile hotspot counts against your mobile phone data usage. And then it can go fast. If you’re the only mobile user browsing Facebook or Instagram, you’re using 100MB per hour. Watching YouTube on mobile consumes 1.8 GB per hour at the highest resolution. Netflix is ​​a little less greedy: it uses 1GB per hour in SD, but 3GB per hour in HD.

And again: the numbers refer to mobile phone use. If you connect a laptop to your mobile hotspot, it “thinks” it’s a stable internet connection. Quite simply: it’s best not to use your smartphone as a permanent hotspot while traveling, because your data consumption quickly goes through its cap.

Not sure how much mobile data you’re allowed to use at all? Please check with your telecom provider first.

Is your subscription a little outdated in that region? Be sure to check Our list of the ten cheapest plans Currently with over 20GB of mobile data, savings of up to €245 per year.

Does your season ticket also apply abroad? Well, you used to pay expensive roaming costs when you travel, but those costs are officially a thing of the past since June 2017. Operators aren’t allowed to charge any extra fees, as long as you stay within your national subscription limits.

Attention, this only applies to countries within the European Union. Outside the EU, you pay international rates and the bill can still be quite high. It is therefore necessary to pay extra attention in countries such as Switzerland. Fortunately, operators are legally required to cap your extra consumption. When you use € 60.50 outside your package, you will automatically receive a warning and your 3G / 4G / 5G connection will be cut off.

advice: Discover the ten cheapest mobile phone plans With over 2 GB of data and attractive options to reduce roaming costs outside the EU.

One final tip before you leave: make sure you have the app installed from your telecom provider. This allows you to monitor how many gigabytes you can still use mobile depending on your subscription. And while you’re at it, ask your carrier to send you alerts when your mobile data is about to run out. This way you can keep the situation under control.

By the way, are you sure you’re not paying too much for your mobile data? The Mijntelco.be comparison below helps you compare formulas from different operators, including current promotions.

Read more at mijntelco.be:

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