How to run your laptop on your Korea eSIM's data: turning on the hotspot and keeping background data in check

Can I use a Kedanto Korea eSIM as a hotspot for my laptop?

Yes. On 14 September 2026, all 15 Kedanto Korea plans list Hotspot as "Allowed" on their product pages, and Kedanto's eSIM supplier says in its FAQ that hotspot data sharing is enabled. That covers the 1GB-a-day and 2GB-a-day plans and the total-data plans from 1GB to 50GB. It's the last row of the "Plan details" table on each page. The supplier's FAQ answers "Does my eSIM support hotspot, tethering or data sharing?" with: "Yes. All of our eSIMs have enabled hotspot data sharing with other devices as enabled by the device maker" (checked 14 September 2026). In other words, sharing is switched on for every eSIM, within what your phone's maker allows. Neither the product pages nor the supplier's FAQ say how fast a hotspot connection is or how many devices can join. The product pages only say that speed varies with the area, the time of day and how busy the network is. So nothing there promises that a video meeting on your laptop will run without drops. All plans are on the Korea eSIM page, and you can see the table on the 5-day, 1GB-a-day plan.

If my phone has two lines, whose data does the hotspot share?

On iPhone, it shares the line you've chosen for cellular data. Apple's iPhone User Guide says: "If you set up your iPhone to use two SIMs, Personal Hotspot uses the line you select for cellular data" (checked 14 September 2026). If your home line is still set as the data line, your laptop gets your home line's data. Pixel Phone Help describes a hotspot as sharing your phone's mobile data with other devices, but neither Google's nor Samsung's hotspot page says which SIM is used when there are two. So on Galaxy and Pixel too, set the travel eSIM as the mobile data line first. Where that setting sits on each phone is in the table in our post on a Korea eSIM with no internet. If the phone itself can't get online, there's nothing to share, so start there.

How do I turn on Personal Hotspot on iPhone and connect a laptop?

Go to Settings › Cellular › Set Up Personal Hotspot, set a password, then pick your iPhone from the laptop's Wi-Fi list. These steps follow Apple's iPhone User Guide (checked 14 September 2026):

1. First setup: in Settings › Cellular, tap Set Up Personal Hotspot and follow the onscreen instructions. You set the password here. To change it later, go to Settings › Cellular › Personal Hotspot and tap Wi-Fi Password.
2. On and off: turn it on or off in Settings › Personal Hotspot. The hotspot has the same name as your iPhone.
3. Mac: click the Wi-Fi icon in the menu bar and choose your iPhone. If both devices are signed in to the same Apple Account, you don't need the password.
4. Windows laptop: follow the manufacturer's instructions to join the iPhone's hotspot over Wi-Fi. To connect by USB cable instead, Windows needs the Apple Devices app or iTunes installed.

If Cellular Data is on but you don't see Set Up Personal Hotspot, Apple says to ask your carrier about adding Personal Hotspot to your plan. If that happens with a Kedanto Korea eSIM, email support@kedanto.com with your order number and a screenshot of Settings › Cellular. If the hotspot isn't working, Apple says to keep the devices within 30 feet (10 meters) of each other and to try turning on Maximize Compatibility in Settings › Personal Hotspot. Apple also warns that Maximize Compatibility may reduce performance for the devices connected to your hotspot.

Where is the hotspot setting on Galaxy and Pixel?

On Galaxy it's under Settings › Connections › Mobile Hotspot and Tethering. On Pixel it's under Settings › Network & internet › Hotspot & tethering. Both come from the companies' help pages (checked 14 September 2026):

• Galaxy: Samsung US says to go to Settings › Connections › Mobile Hotspot and Tethering and tap the switch next to Mobile Hotspot. Tap Mobile Hotspot itself to see or change the network name and password that your laptop will ask for.
• Pixel: Google says to tap Network & internet › Hotspot & tethering › Wi-Fi hotspot, then tap a setting such as the name or password to change it. You can share your phone's mobile data with up to 10 other devices this way. If Data Saver is on, Google says to turn it off to tether over Wi-Fi.

Google's page also notes that some mobile carriers limit or charge extra for tethering. For a Kedanto Korea eSIM, the product page lists Hotspot as Allowed, and the supplier's FAQ says hotspot sharing is enabled as far as the device maker allows.

How much more data does a laptop use than a phone?

Kedanto's data calculator counts usage per hour of activity rather than per device, and by that measure an hour-long video meeting on a laptop is 480MB. The published figures it uses are 480MB an hour for video conferencing such as FaceTime, Microsoft Teams and Zoom (AT&T, US), about 450MB an hour for standard-quality video, and about 1.3GB an hour for HD video (both SoftBank, Japan). Both sources were rechecked on 14 September 2026. AT&T adds that "data usage varies by device" and that its figures are estimates based on averages. With the calculator's 15% buffer, two hours of video meetings come to about 1.1GB, which is more than one day's allowance on a 1GB-a-day plan.

What really changes on a laptop is the updating and syncing that runs without an open window. The examples Microsoft gives of what a metered connection holds back are Windows Update, app downloads from the Microsoft Store and offline file sync. On a connection that isn't set as metered, none of that is held back. To size a plan for a whole trip, see 1GB a day or 5GB in total and the data calculator, and enter your meeting time under Video calls. If companions will join the same hotspot, raise "People using this eSIM" as well.

How do I stop a Windows laptop from using data in the background?

After joining your phone's hotspot over Wi-Fi, turn on Metered connection for that network. On Windows 11, Microsoft's steps are Settings › Network & internet › Wi-Fi, select the Wi-Fi network you're connected to, then turn on Metered connection. On Windows 10, it's the network's Properties › Set as metered connection (checked 14 September 2026). With it on, Windows Update downloads only priority updates, Microsoft Store downloads might be paused and offline files might not sync automatically. Microsoft says a cellular data connection is metered by default, while Windows sets Wi-Fi networks to non-metered by default. A phone hotspot shows up on the laptop as a Wi-Fi network, so check the switch each time you connect. OneDrive's help page adds that OneDrive pauses automatically when your PC is connected to a metered network, so the same switch holds back file syncing too.

What should I turn on for a Mac, iPhone or iPad?

On a Mac, turn on Low Data Mode for the hotspot network. On the iPhone sharing the hotspot, turn on Low Data Mode for the travel line. Both are from Apple's help pages (checked 14 September 2026):

• Mac: the Mac User Guide says to choose Apple menu › System Settings, click Wi-Fi in the sidebar, then click Details for the connected network to find Low data mode, which will "Reduce your data usage over the Wi-Fi network." The guide doesn't list what exactly it pauses on a Mac, so we don't either. When you join the hotspot, check whether it's on and turn it on if it isn't.
• iPhone: Apple's Low Data Mode page says that with Dual SIM you go to Settings › Cellular, tap one of your numbers and turn on Low Data Mode. That turns off Background App Refresh and automatic downloads and backups, and pauses updates for services such as iCloud Photos. The page doesn't say whether this also limits a laptop connected to the hotspot, so set up the laptop separately.
• iPad: an iPad joined to your iPhone's hotspot is on Wi-Fi. Go to Settings › Wi-Fi, tap the Info button next to the network and turn on Low Data Mode, as the same Apple page describes.

On a daily plan, does my laptop lose its connection once the day's data is gone?

No, it slows to 1 Mbps. Kedanto's data calculator says daily plans keep working at 1 Mbps after the day's allowance is used up, which is the supplier's specification. At that speed maps and messaging still work, but video needs a lower quality setting. Total-data plans are different: as the Korea page puts it, there's no drop to reduced speed, and the plan ends when the total runs out.

Does keeping the hotspot on drain the battery?

Samsung says mobile hotspots consume battery power, and Apple, Google and Samsung all have a way to stop an unused hotspot from running. From their help pages, checked 14 September 2026:

• Galaxy: Samsung US says "Mobile hotspots consume battery power and use data service," and blames a battery that dies quickly on leaving the hotspot on continuously. Under Mobile Hotspot › Advanced, "Turn off when no device connected for" lets you pick how long it waits before switching off.
• Pixel: Google says that "to save battery, your hotspot turns off when no devices are connected," and you can change this with Turn off hotspot automatically.
• iPhone: Apple says that when you're not using the hotspot, your devices automatically disconnect to save battery life.

We found nothing on heat during hotspot use in any of the three companies' help pages, so we've left it out.

Before you open the laptop at a café, check that the phone's data line is the travel eSIM, switch on the hotspot, and set Metered connection or Low Data Mode on the laptop first. While that's on, Windows fetches only priority updates, so leave the rest of the updates and any large syncs for the evening, on your hotel's Wi-Fi.