Does using a hotspot connection from my phone count as using a public wifi connection?

Question

I am using the hotspot from my phone to connect to internet on my (older) tablet but I am unable to access most websites due to the two error codes:
err_ssl_protocol_errorerr_ssl_version_or_cipher_mismatch
I have tried several different troubleshooting methods but have been unable to resolve the issue. I'm wondering if maybe it's because of my wifi connection, or maybe the tablet itself since it's an older tablet? Is there any way to solve or work around this issue? 

Thank you for any help/ advice you can offer. 

Info on tablet:

Model number 
QMV7A

Android version 
4.2.2

Baseband version 
ALT3100_04_05_06_00_94_TF

Kernel version 
3.4.5

Build number  
ALPS.JB2.MP.V1.9

SW version 
MV7A_31D26_422

HW version 
D3A

Answer 1

Using a phone's hotspot to connect to the Internet using cellular data does not count as public WiFi. However, if you do not have encryption enabled on the hotspot with a good password, then if someone else is using the the hotspot, security may be compromised.



As far as the errors are concerned, Android 4.2.2 is now fairly old and security improvements in various websites will stop them working with Android 4.2.2 and its Apps. If you need those Apps, then you may have to upgrade to a new tablet.

Answer 2

Its the OS the tablet is running.  SSL is like a moving target, you need the right CA certs, the right ciphers (old ones are untrusted) and right version (or just close).  The CA certs can usually updated by browser or OS by hand but the encryption and cipher is usually done by the OS.  There might be an option to trust untrusted sites or something like that, but I've only seen that on PCs and it usually pops up that the site is untrusted or something.



So I'd look into the latest version, but I believe you need to be on the Verizon cell network to get any update.  The last update seems to be about 2017.  And I don't see any announcement that it ran Android 5.



There are ways to mitigate the problem but they cost money or unsecure, you can try some of the procedures in the link, but in the end I think it won't fix it.

Answer 3

Without getting into super specific and technical details, SSL is an encryption method used on network communications so that data you send/receive on your device cannot be read by others.

One thing to try which may or may not apply is to check the date/time. Make sure it is set to the correct day/time. I would also try to update whatever browser you use to the latest version that it supports. Or you may need to download an alternative browser like Firefox, Opera