How it Works

• With this tethering process, you use your iPhone to generate a wireless network. Then you use the iPad to pick up on the wireless network. At that point, you can use the iPad on the Internet in the same way as if you had a 3G connection on the device. The Wi-Fi hotspot function of the iPhone allows you to pull in the 3G signal and then convert it into a usable Wi-Fi signal for up to five devices.
  
  

Tethering Plans

• Before you can tether your iPad to your iPhone, you must buy a tethering plan from your wireless provider. Both AT&T and Verizon offer tethering plans that allow you to create a Wi-Fi hotspot. If you get the tethering plan from AT&T, you have to give up unlimited data, if you had that option on your plan. You can choose from a few tiers of service, depending on how much data usage you need.
  
  

Battery Life Considerations

• When you use the iPhone to tether to the iPad, it works, but it could lead to battery life issues. For example, if you have an iPad 2, you can expect up to nine hours of battery life when using it. By comparison, if you are using your iPhone constantly, you can expect only about five hours of battery life. This means that you will have a gap in usage times between the two devices.
  
  

Overages

• When using this type of plan to access the Internet from your iPad, take into consideration how much data you are using. With both of the tethering plans that you can get, you can accrue extra data usage on top of what your iPhone plan provides. However, if you use more data than what your plan allows, you pay overage charges for the amount that you use. This can get expensive if you do not keep track of how much you are using.