System and method to manage and provide wireless tethering

A system comprising:

• communication management hardware associated with a wireless access point, the communication management hardware operative to:
• receive a first report from a wireless communication device residing in a first region of wireless coverage provided by the wireless access point;
• via the first report, detect a condition in which a second communication device resides within a second region of wireless coverage provided by the first wireless communication device;
• and
• in response to detecting that the second wireless communication device resides outside the first region of wireless coverage and within the second region of wireless coverage, notify the first wireless communication device to operate in a tethering mode.

Computer-readable storage hardware having instructions stored thereon, the instructions, when carried out by computer processor hardware, cause the computer processor hardware to:

• receive a first report from a first wireless communication device residing in a first region of wireless coverage provided by the wireless access point;
• via the first report, detect a condition in which a second communication device resides within a second region of wireless coverage provided by the first wireless communication device;
• and
• in response to detecting that the second wireless communication device resides outside the first region of wireless coverage and within the second region of wireless coverage, notify the first wireless communication device to operate in a tethering mode.

A method comprising:

• at a first wireless communication device, producing a first report indicating that a second wireless communication device resides in a first region of wireless coverage provided by the first wireless communication device;
• communicating the first report from the first wireless communication device to a wireless access point;
• and
• in response to communicating the first report to the wireless access point, and in response to a determination that the second wireless communication device resides outside a second region of wireless coverage provided by the wireless access point, receiving a command from the wireless access point to operate the first wireless communication device in a tethering mode.