Tethering for extended periods on Smartphones

[Bull Dog]

So I've finally convinced my dad that he needs to upgrade from his horrid feature phone and get a large-screened smartphone.

He needs to stay on Verizon right now. I currently looking at the $60/month single line smartphone plan.

Now, my dad went to the Verizon store today and the guy he talked to said that tethering for extended periods of time was bad because it would, "cause the phone to heat up." ....and "that he should (continue to) use his jetpack in addition to getting a smartphone.

I told Dad, "That is BS."

But he remains skeptical, and wants me to research if there is any credence to this outlandish theory that tethering is bad for smartphones. Thoughts?


tldr; Verizon store guy says tethering is bad for smartphones, use a jetpack instead. This is nonsense right?

 

[hanoverphist]

there is a bit of validity to it, in certain situations. i use mine (note 3) as a hotspot while working in the field often, and if im outside on a hot day it will get a bit warm. if i have no shade to sit in, my phone will overheat with the screen turned on and shut down after it goes into cool down mode.

that said, ive left it tethered to 2-4 devices and used the connection for hours and had no issue. i average about 12gb a month on my phone, most is work related and some is from staying in hotels with really bad wifi.

 

[openwheel]

it is perfectly fine to tether for long period of time. I do it almost 24hr a day with my Note 3 and previously G2, Razr M, iPhone 5, Razr Maxx and more.

The only down side is battery usage. Instead of 2000 charges in 4 years, you now need to replace that battery in 2 years. Not big deal.

 

[Paladin]

We just did in while in Maui where our condo had horrid wifi. Temporarily increased our data plan, and my wife tethered her Galaxy S3 non stop, and my son tethered his Droid HD quite a bit too. There were no issues.

 

[Eug]

No issue on the iPhone.

 

[ChronoReverse]

Works without issue on my Galaxy S4 other than draining battery faster. No problem, I can easily swap to the other battery.

 

[corkyg]

One of the main features I insisted on for my Smartphone was Hotspot. Call it wireless tethering if you must. I use it for extended periods of time. The main penalty is more rapid battery consumption. Yes, that would logically be more heat, but it's never been a problem. It is with Verizon. Due to battery use, when I use the Hotspot I connect the phone to my laptop's USB port. That solved the battery consumption problem. It thus stays balanced.

 

[Bull Dog]

Thanks guys!

I did some more reading last night and it would appear that the only other possible downside to tethering on a CDMA phone is that all the new phones don't support SVDO anymore (Simultanious Voice and Data on 3G). However since Verizon has LTE in most places in Montana now, this shouldn't be too much of an issue with SVLTE and the eventual roll out of VoLTE as well.

We are looking at possibly purchasing a Samsung's Galaxy Note 4. I would assume that it supports SVLTE since the Note 2 and 3 do. I will have to check to make sure.

 

[AznAnarchy99]

My Galaxy Nexus would get extremely hot. To the point where it might shut down and I'd put it in the fridge for a bit. This was me using tethering for my house internet.

I also had a GS4 that did not get nearly as hot but it got hot.

 

[s44]

Due to battery use, when I use the Hotspot I connect the phone to my laptop's USB port. That solved the battery consumption problem. It thus stays balanced.

If you're using it with one specific computer, USB tethering works nicely and is less wasteful.

(Assuming you're on Android, anyway.)

Btw, OP: find a crappy old smartphone he can use to trade in with a Note 4 preorder!