I want to if possible to take my ipad2 away with me, can I some how use my iPhone 3GS to get online using my iPad, if so how do i do it.

Depending if you have hotspots enabled on your 3GS then yes, easily, the iPhone will act as a mobile wifi router so you can connect the iPad to it by wifi or Bluetooth.

Remember it will use quite a lot of data though so I wouldn't use it if you're going abroad!

How do I do this, please remember I am not very technical.

On your iPhone go to settings then personal hotspot (presuming it is enabled, which network are you on?)

Turn the toggle to 'on'

Got to iPad settings menu, WiFi and make sure it is turned on then select your iPhone from the list of available WiFi connections, enter the password shown on the iPhone and that's it.

Your iPhone should now have a blue bar at the top showing you have a device connected to it

I guess we can presume you are in the UK. Despite that, we need to know where you plan to go and if you have made any arrangements with carriers, either at you home location or your destination, for service. You have not given enough information for anyone to make any reliable response.

thanks for your sharing.
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Yes I am in the uk and on orange, I will be taking my iPad with me fishing. I have also tried the above but the personal hotspot does not turn on just keeps going round and round.

Maybe you should speak to Orange and see if you have tethering included in your tariff, may be that it is disabled? I cannot remember if all tariffs on Orange include tethering or not.

I have just been told that you can not tether the iPad to the 3GS at all and that I need to upgrade to the 4s to enable personal hotspot . Would this be true is is orange just out for a sale

I don't believe that is entirely true. I'm working from the memory of half read articles here, so I could be wrong. Forgive me if I am.

The 3GS will not create a hotspot, but you should be able to tether it to the iPad through Bluetooth. I believe this is why the bluetooth tethering still exists on iPhone 4 and 4S; legacy support for the 3GS. Pair the two devices in the Bluetooth settings (may take several tries), then check your Network settings to see if the phone shows up, and select it. I'm not sure it it will show up there or not, so:

If you get the connection your normal wi-fi signal indicator should change to a couple of linked ovals.

This still needs your carrier to have tethering activated, but from the conversation it sounds like this is standard with Orange.

May not work at all, but it is worth a try.

Unless I'm getting things confused then I definitely used to tether from my 3GS on Orange, by Bluetooth maybe instead of WiFi, but 99% sure I did.

May dig it out and try again tonight for my own sanity...

I hope you do. It would be good to know for sure.

Pressure is on, now I have to get off my lazy backside and actually do it! Can't use my PAYM SIM though as it's a Micro SIM now and I've lost the adapter so will have to whack in a PAYG SIM I have kicking around

Don't feel you have to. I hate that when it's done to me. But it will be appreciated if you find the time.

And not held against you if you don't.

Thanks all , I am going back to the shop tomorrow and let them do it

Cool. Please let us know how it turns out.

I just did it! It worked! iPhone 3GS on iOS 5.0.1 with an Orange PAYM SIM from my blackberry to an iPad 1 3G

My instructions above we're crap though, sorry about that, they are for iPhone 4.

Turn on Bluetooth on 3GS by going to settings > general > Bluetooth and toggle to 'on'

Still on 3GS go to settings > general > network > personal hotspot and toggle to 'on'

On iPad to go settings > general > Bluetooth > on - wait for it to find the iPhone then select it from the list and click ok on the pop-up's on both devices

Should now be connected tethered via bluetooth

Thanks, Tim.

No problem, had to check to make sure I wasn't imagining things!

FYI I tried on an Orange PAYG SIM (with plenty of credit on) and it doesn't allow you to turn on the personal hotspot but says to contact Orange if I want to use this feature instead - means OP's 'should' work fine if it allows him to turn on the hotspot in the first place...

Don't know about Orange but works fine on O2. I tether my iPad 1 to an iPhone 3GS
Works fine

I am on a contract though (lowest rate) and know someone who couldn't get this set up with pay as you go