A first portable computing device comprising: a processor; a plurality of radios; and a memory coupled to the processor comprising instructions executable by the processor, the processor being operable when executing the instructions to: pair, by at least one of the radios, the first portable computing device with one or more devices (120 - 190) associated with a first user; monitor, while not in access point mode and by one or more of the radios, a signal for a connection established with a first communication network, wherein the first portable computing device has automatically determined that the first communication network is a familiar network by identifying a provider of the first communication network by detecting and authenticating a second portable computing device, wherein the second portable computing device is associated with a second user, and the second user is the provider of the first communication network, and wherein a social graph comprises a first node corresponding to the first user and a second node corresponding to the second user, and the first node is within a threshold degree of separation from the second node in the social graph; determine that the signal for the first network has dropped below a threshold level of quality; and based on the determination, enable an access point mode to provide connectivity using a second communication network for at least one of the paired devices (120 - 190) through the first portable computing device. a processor; a plurality of radios; and a memory coupled to the processor comprising instructions executable by the processor, the processor being operable when executing the instructions to: pair, by at least one of the radios, the first portable computing device with one or more devices (120 - 190) associated with a first user; monitor, while not in access point mode and by one or more of the radios, a signal for a connection established with a first communication network, wherein the first portable computing device has automatically determined that the first communication network is a familiar network by identifying a provider of the first communication network by detecting and authenticating a second portable computing device, wherein the second portable computing device is associated with a second user, and the second user is the provider of the first communication network, and wherein a social graph comprises a first node corresponding to the first user and a second node corresponding to the second user, and the first node is within a threshold degree of separation from the second node in the social graph; determine that the signal for the first network has dropped below a threshold level of quality; and based on the determination, enable an access point mode to provide connectivity using a second communication network for at least one of the paired devices (120 - 190) through the first portable computing device. pair, by at least one of the radios, the first portable computing device with one or more devices (120 - 190) associated with a first user; monitor, while not in access point mode and by one or more of the radios, a signal for a connection established with a first communication network, wherein the first portable computing device has automatically determined that the first communication network is a familiar network by identifying a provider of the first communication network by detecting and authenticating a second portable computing device, wherein the second portable computing device is associated with a second user, and the second user is the provider of the first communication network, and wherein a social graph comprises a first node corresponding to the first user and a second node corresponding to the second user, and the first node is within a threshold degree of separation from the second node in the social graph; determine that the signal for the first network has dropped below a threshold level of quality; and based on the determination, enable an access point mode to provide connectivity using a second communication network for at least one of the paired devices (120 - 190) through the first portable computing device.