In the computer world, tethering is the use of a mobile device, such as a Smartphone, to provide Internet access to another device, typically a laptop. Tethering is usually accomplished using USB cables or another type of data cable, but Bluetooth tethering is becoming increasingly prevalent. The iPhone, which is arguably the most popular Smartphone on the market, recently got tethering capabilities when Apple added it to version 3.0 of the software.

The mere notion of tethering intimidates many iPhone users, and they assume that this is some obscure technique solely in the realm of the gadget geeks. But in actuality, tethering your iPhone is rather simple. Your first step should be to ensure that you have the software with tethering support. Since Apple added it in June 2010, you likely do, but this is a convenient opportunity to verify that your device is completely up-to-date in terms of software.

Connect your iPhone to your Mac or PC using the USB sync data cable. Plug the wide end into your iPhone, and then plug the regular USB lead into your PC or Mac. Next, run iTunes, and when the iPhone dialog appears, click the “Check for Updates” button. If your phone requires updating, iTunes will handle it automatically, and it may take several minutes or more to complete depending on the speed of your connection.

Once you’re phone is updated, you have to activate tethering, which is disabled by default. It’s rather simple to do and once you’ve done it, it remains activated until you disable it. In the iPhone settings, tap General, Network, and then Internet Tethering. This page is where all of your tethering options are. At the top of the page, the slider should be to the right in the off position, so go ahead and slide it to the left into the on position.

When connecting the computer, you have two options: the sync cable or Bluetooth. If using the sync cable, you’re all set. If your using Bluetooth, then you’ll need to access the settings again, tap General and then Bluetooth, and then move the slider into the on position. You’ll also have to achieve a connection to from the computer. In Windows, you access to the Bluetooth menu from the Control Panel, and in Mac OS X, you can access it via System Preferences.

Mobile hotspot is another name for Bluetooth tethering. On the Internet Tethering page, you likely saw the MyWi box, which contains the Wi-Fi settings. With Wi-Fi, you can connect to the iPhone via multiple computers. The number of connections depends on the carrier. In their default plans, AT&T allows only three while Verizon allows five. Using Wi-Fi exposes some risk, so it’s vital that you enable WEP Security to block unwanted users.

Now it’s time to access the connection from your computer. If you’re using Windows and this is the only Internet connection, then Windows likely detected it and set it properly auto-magically. Otherwise, you have to access the network services from inside the control panel, and then choose iPhone. If using Mac OS X, a new network interface dialog will appear. Click Network Preferences, configure the iPhone settings as needed and then click Apply.

If you have done everything correctly up to this point, a blue bar labelled Internet Tethering will appear at the top of your iPhone display. Note that from now on, whenever you connect to the computer for data transfers you will see this bar. When the bar is visible, that’s your cue that everything is working properly and you can surf the Web while also receiving phone calls and text message via your iPhone.

About Author : Guest post by Spencer Hogg from the Sim Only website where cheap SIM only deals can be found for your iPhone.