It is possible to connect to a Wi-Fi network, by connecting to another phone that is connected to Wi-Fi. By doing this, a phone can be turned into a Wi-Fi extender, or repeater.
One of the first things that generally comes to mind is that you can simply create a hotspot on the phone that is connected to Wi-Fi and then connect the second phone to this Hotspot. That unfortunately will not work if you want to share the Wi-Fi internet.
This is because mobile phones do not come standard with the ability to be connected to a Wi-Fi network and be a Wi-Fi Hotspot at the same time. When you enable the Hotspot functionality on the phone, it will only share your Mobile Data.
If you try to turn on a mobile Hotspot function on your phone while connected to Wi-Fi, the phone will prompt you to disconnect from Wi-Fi.
There are ways to get around this.
It Can Be Done With:
Bluetooth Tethering
Bluetooth tethering is a way to connect to another device using Bluetooth and then share that phone’s data and internet connection.
This can only be done if you use an Android phone as the Wi-Fi extender. An iPhone cannot be used as a Bluetooth tethered Wi-Fi extender, but you can use Bluetooth tethering to an iPhone, if the phoned used as a Wi-Fi extender is an Android phone.
If the phone that you are connecting to is connected to Wi-Fi, you will share that Wi-Fi connection. You can also share mobile data in this way if you wish to do so.
Bluetooth tethering can be used between phones, tablets, and computers. For this to work, both devices need to have Bluetooth tethering features.
Bluetooth connections are generally slower that Wi-Fi connections, so you may find that your internet connection will be slower.
To see if the Bluetooth tethering slows your internet connection down and by how much you can run a speed test.
By running a speed test while connected directly to Wi-Fi and the comparing it to a speed test done while connected through Bluetooth tethering, you will be able to see if it is slower and by how much.
How to activate Bluetooth Tethering
You can tether Android to Android, or iPhone to Android an vice versa
Turn on the Bluetooth on both devices.
Turn off mobile data on both devices to ensure that you do not use mobile data accidentally.
Turn off Wi-Fi on the device that you want to connect from.
Android
- Swipe down from the top of the screen and touch and hold the Bluetooth symbol.
- Check to ensure that the Bluetooth is activated.
- Go to the other device and check to ensure that the Bluetooth is activated.
- Scan for available devices.
- Select the device that you want to tether to.
- Pair devices.
- Go to the home screen of the device that you want to tether to.
- Swipe down from the top of the screen and touch and hold mobile hotspot.
- Select Bluetooth tethering. (Turn on)
- Go to the device that you want to tether from.
- Swipe down from the top of the screen and touch and hold Bluetooth.
- Select the device that you want to tether to. (If the device does not appear, repeat the scan and pair steps.)
- Wait for it to connect.
iPhone
- Go to settings and tap on it.
- Find Bluetooth and tap on it.
- Check to ensure that the Bluetooth is turned on.
- Go to the other device and check to ensure that the Bluetooth is on and that it is discoverable.
- Pair Devices
- On the phone that you want to connect from, go to settings.
- Select Bluetooth.
- This will bring up a list of paired devices. Select the device that you want to connect to.
- Wait for it to connect.
Advantages
If you place the phone that you are connect to strategically, you can extend the range of your Wi-Fi signal. You may want to do this if the area where you need to use the Wi-Fi is just outside the range of the Wi-Fi that you need to connect to. This can be due to range, or due to an obstruction that is blocking the Wi-Fi signal.
You will need to be able to place the phone that you want to connect to where it is in range of the Wi-Fi signal and in Bluetooth range of the device that you want to use.
Bluetooth Range
The Bluetooth ranges differ, depending on which device you have. Bluetooth range vary between 33 feet, or 10meters to 800 feet, or 240 meters. This will depend on the Bluetooth version of your phone.
| Version | Speed | Range |
| Bluetooth 1 | 1 Mbps | Up to 10m/33ft |
| Bluetooth 2 | 3 Mbps | Up to 30m/100 ft |
| Bluetooth 3 | Up to 24 Mbps | Up to 30m /100ft |
| Bluetooth 4 | 1Mbps | Up to 60m/200ft |
| Bluetooth 5 | 2Mbps | Up to 240m/800 ft |
Install an Application (App)
There are Apps available that you can download from App Stores that are designed to turn a phone into a Wi-Fi extender.
For IOS devices like iPhones and iPads, some of these Apps may be required to “Jailbreak” your device however, which is not advisable, but up to the user’s own discretion.
Jailbreaking is a way by which IOS users remove software restrictions that were imposed by Apple.
I have not used any of these Apps, but the Netshare App and the PdaNet App seems to be the most popular