How to Change Your Personal Hotspot Password
Personal Hotspot turns your iPhone into a portable wireless router that shares its connection to your phone company with other Wi-Fi enabled devices such as computers and iPads. Every iPhone has a unique Personal Hotspot password that other devices need to connect to it. This password is a long string of letters and numbers and is randomly generated to make it secure and hard to guess. If you want a simpler, more accessible password, change the password.
Why You May Want to Change Your Personal Hotspot Password
There’s one main reason to change your Personal Hotspot default password: ease of use. The iOS-generated default password is secure, but it’s a mix of letters and numbers. If you connect your computer to your hotspot regularly, the password doesn’t matter. The first time you join, set your computer to save it, and you won’t have to enter it again. However, if you share your connection with other people often, a password that is easy for you to say and for them to type might be easier to use.
How to Change Your iPhone Personal Hotspot Network Name
You may also want to change the name that shows up when you click the Wi-Fi menu on your computer and look for a network to join. Your Personal Hotspot name is identical to the name you gave your iPhone during set up (which is also the name that appears when you sync your iPhone to iTunes or iCloud). To change the name of your Personal Hotspot, change the name of the phone. Here’s how:
Should You Change the Default Personal Hotspot Password for Security Reasons?
With other Wi-Fi routers, changing the default password is a key step in securing your network. That’s because other Wi-Fi routers usually ship with the same password, meaning if you know the password for one, you can access any router of the same make and model with the same password. That potentially lets other people use your Wi-Fi without your permission. That’s not an issue with the iPhone. Because the default Personal Hotspot password assigned to each iPhone is unique, no security risk exists in using the default. The original code may be more secure than a custom password. Even if your new password isn’t secure, the worst that can happen is that someone manages to get on your network and uses your data (which can result in bill overage charges). It’s extremely unlikely that someone getting onto your Personal Hotspot could hack your phone or the devices connected to the network.
