Check first that the hotspot is sharing the travel eSIM rather than your home line — after that, it is nearly always the standard restart
Work Through These
- Is mobile data set to the travel eSIM? The hotspot shares whichever line carries data, and if that is still the home SIM you are sharing an expensive connection
- Does the phone itself have internet? Open a page on the phone before blaming the hotspot
- Turn the hotspot off and on again, then reconnect the other device
- Forget the network on the other device and reconnect with the password
- Restart both devices
- Try the 2.4 GHz band if the phone offers a choice — older laptops and tablets cannot see 5 GHz hotspots
On an iPhone, check that Maximise Compatibility is on if the other device cannot see the hotspot at all. It switches to the older, slower band that everything supports.
If It Connects but Carries Nothing
- The plan has run out of data or days — check the remaining figure
- Data roaming is off for the travel line
- The connected device is set to a VPN or proxy that is not reachable
A small number of plans restrict tethering. Where that applies it is stated on the plan, and no setting on the phone will change it — see Can I Use Hotspot or Tethering?
Hotspot is hard on the battery and on the data allowance at the same time. Plug the phone in before a long working session, and pause cloud sync on the laptop first
