Can iPad connect to its own hotspot?

Your iPad is presumably a WiFi+Cellular model - and you have provisioned Cellular service for the iPad using a physical DataSIM or the iPad's internal eSIM (if applicable). While your iPad can share its Cellular network connection with other devices (such as your POS equipment) using its WiFi hotspot, your iPad cannot connect to itself.

As described, your iPad is presumably itself involved in transactions - and your POS equipment is not independent of the iPad. If the POS solution is not designed to work with an iPad that shares's its own Cellular network connection with connected devices - it is clearly not suitable for the task as configured.

As you observe, a technical workaround might be to utilise a Mobile Broadband Router (a.k.a., MiFi) - and use this to provide a WiFi network for all devices including your iPad. If using a DataSIM, you may simply need to move the SIM from your iPad to the MiFi Router.

If the supplier of the POS equipment can't help, then you should perhaps be looking for both a solution and supplier that provides adequate support.

Actually, an iPad can't connect to its own hotspot. Think of it like this: the hotspot feature on your iPad is designed to share its internet connection with other devices, like your laptop or another iPad. So, it can't really connect to itself because it's already busy being the source of the internet.

If you're looking to use a hotspot, you'll need another device with a data connection that can share its internet with your iPad. Does that help clear things up?

I hope I am understanding your question. You have a POS system... and want to have that POS use the hotspot on your iPad. That's what I think you are saying.

I can share the info I have about my challenge... I have an iPad Air 5 with Wifi + Cellular. I specifically purchased this because I wanted the iPad to be a hotspot. I did not want my iPhone to be the hotspot. My plan was to use a low cost provider so that in some emergency situations I would be able to use my iPad as a hotspot.

YES I purchased a sim card for the iPad Air 5 with Cellular and Wifi. That is how it has to work. However, nobody really seemed to know how to make it work at either the provider or via Apple. I may decide to pay for the one year plan which would cost $180 (plus fees) so that my cost for the 5GB monthly data plan would be $15 a month more or less. NO you can't make calls on the iPad though. The phone number issued only works to contact the cellular provider.

I found that very few people from either my cellular provider OR from the Apple Genius Bar understood why it didn't work when according to published information, the cellular provider was indeed compatible.

It boils down to the submission of an APN code or number. The APN may vary from one cellular provider to the next so I can only share how it worked with the one provider I use. (ignore the word "Text" floating in the middle of the illustration. That is an error I forgot to delete).

kitcatvi wrote:

It boils down to the submission of an APN code or number. The APN may vary from one cellular provider to the next so I can only share how it worked with the one provider I use. (ignore the word "Text" floating in the middle of the illustration. That is an error I forgot to delete).

Many Cellular Provider's SIMs do not expose the APN settings - but instead configure APN and other connection parameters using a Carrier Settings file.