I have a wifi iPad 2 and an iPhone on voda. Has anybody use them to avoid buying the 3G iPad?

I think you either need a plan with tethering or you jailbreak your phone and add an app to set up a personal hot spot. Think phone companies are robbing basts to charge you twice to download data but realise they’ll do it if they can get away with it.

Not done either yet myself

It can be done, I understand.
I use Barnacle on my HTC for my iPad .. But iPhones differ from gen to gen and require differing solutions

Not used on iPad, but as mentioned check the tethering charges, it maybe cheaper to get iPad with 3G and a plan.

The hotspot works really though, I used extensively when my 3G dongle wasn’t working

I use it with my wifi only iPad. I’m the one plan (all you can eat data) on Three – no extra charges involved.
Works well although it hammers the phone battery. I usually use it on a train and so plug it in when doing it, so it’s not really a problem.

I’ve heard other folk suggest the 3G dongle – it’s about £60 I believe and on PAYG

My desire has hotspot built in. Literally turn it on and my iPad has it available. I found it used less battery than the gps, either way saves buying a 3g iPad

I have iphone 4 on 3 – and have used it as a hotspot for my laptop (and a friends ipad, and an ipod touch) – it works really well

The 3 data allowance in generous compared to some of the other though (1 gig a month) and does not have any extra charges for tethering

I use my iPhone 4g as a hot spot for my wifi ipad. This was a included as part of the previous OS4 update.

I have a sim only contract with T-Mobile with internet as a bolt on and never been charged extra. I find it handy when working away and being in a hotel that charges £15 a day for internet access!!

OH does exactly this on O2, iPad 2 and iPhone 4.

She’d to change her data plan from “data” to “data with tethering,” but it’s the same price IIRC, so effectively they just have to enable it. (On my Android phone, also on O2, this step wasn’t neccessary).

One gotcha with the non-3G iPad 2 we didn’t realise when she bought it; the GPS *requires* a data connection, be that natively or tethered. It doesn’t work without it.

One gotcha with the non-3G iPad 2 we didn’t realise when she bought it; the GPS *requires* a data connection, be that natively or tethered. It doesn’t work without it.

The non-3G ipads don’t have a GPS chip. They get a reasonable idea of location by looking at nearby wifi hotspots.

Thanks for a the replys

I use my HTC phone as a hotspot quite a bit. It works really well and comes with the software installed. I’ve had my android tablet and a variety of ipads tethered to it via wifi no problem.