iPhone hotspot works on Windows but functions differently with other devices.
iPhone hotspot works on Windows but functions differently with other devices.
I'm really puzzled about this situation. With no broadband access lately, I've been relying on mobile data. My iPhone 15 shows decent speeds—30ms ping, 34Mbps on Xperia 5, and 34ms on iPad—while my desktop connection is much slower at 83ms and 10/3Mbps. On speedtest.net, everything seems fine, but connecting to the desktop feels much worse. I tested hotspot settings: iPad works well with 15ms ping and 70/20Mbps, but my iPhone struggles. When I tried connecting the desktop directly to the Xperia's hotspot, it worked, but when using an Android phone, it didn't. It seems like my phone might be throttling traffic from the desktop through the Xperia, making it appear slower. This is confusing—I don’t think anyone else has encountered this exact issue. Got any suggestions?
You could simply plug your iPhone into your desktop and use the hotspot feature there. The device says hotspots can work via USB, so give it a try and check if your connection speeds improve. If multiple devices are connected to the same hotspot, it may reduce your desktop speed. Try limiting the number of active devices. Additionally, your desktop might be using other applications or resources that could affect performance.
Unfortunately my phone is positioned near a particular window edge so I can get 5G access; otherwise I’m limited to unreliable 4G (damaged mast). The only devices linked to the hotspot are my old Android phone and my desktop—my iPad has its own connection but only joined the hotspot for testing. The tests were repeated several times with just one device connected to the hotspot and the phone plus desktop together. It’s strange and it doesn’t seem logical. Looking up online suggests there might have been compatibility issues between Windows and iPhone hotspots recently.