Trigger WiFi hotspot based on known WiFi availability or location

Question

I have a HTC One XL and a Nexus 7. They both know my home WiFi network and a few other networks, and my Nexus knows my HTC's WiFi hotspot as well. When I'm out and about I press my hotspot widget on my HTC to enable the WiFi hotspot, which allows my Nexus to automatically connect and get online.

What I'd like is a way to

• use a known WiFi network if available (to save battery and mobile data), and
• otherwise automatically turns on WiFi hotspot mode
• can be WiFi based or location based

This will allow me to use the Nexus 7 wherever I am, without having to take out my HTC and flick the hotspot switch. At the same time I'd like the Nexus to prioritise other known networks over the hotspot, so that if possible it drops off the hotspot network and uses the known network.

Searching for anything containing 'WiFi hotspot' returns dozens of apps to get around carrier imposed hotspot restriction, so I am not having much success there.

Answer 1

You can do all this using Tasker. It may not be free, and the interface may look dated but it does all this and so much more. You'll never go back to anything else once you get things setup the way you want.

This is honestly the best, and most useful app on my personal phone.

Answer 2

While I agree with Matt on the usefulness of Tasker, as to my current knowledge you'd have to configure all your Wifi zones manually here based on their location (e.g. via "Cell Near", which leverages cell tower information and does not use much battery as the current cell is either known to the system, or via network-based or GPS location). If you one day add a new Wifi, you had to manually add it to Tasker as well -- if not somebody has found a way to automate this.

So I want to additionally introduce Smart WiFi, which automatically does that part of the job: As soon as you connect to a Wifi, it records the corresponding cell tower IDs. Next time one of them comes in reach, Wifi will be turned on automatically. So you then could use a tool like Tasker to kick in on the "Wifi off" condition to enable your Hotspot functionality, and disable this again as soon as Smart Wifi enabled Wifi again.

Also agreed with Matt: Once you've got to understand Tasker, you will not want to miss it again -- it's such a powerful tool. Concerning its price: There's a 7-day trial available at the Tasker homepage. You can export its configuration, and uninstall and re-install the trial for another 7-day-period (as described by its developer) and import your configuration again, which gives you at least 14 days to get familiar with this app. You certainly won't regret it.