Tethering is the act of sharing your phone’s mobile data connection with another device—such as your laptop or tablet—connecting it to the Internet through your phone’s data connection. There are several ways to tether on Android. Tether an Internet Connection with an Android Phone
Tethering is useful when you’re somewhere where and don’t have Wi-Fi access, do have cellular data access, and want to do something on your computer instead of your phone. But you may pay extra for the convenience.
An intimate way to share the Android phone’s digital cellular connection is to connect the phone directly to a computer and activate the tethering feature. Not every Android phone has this capability.
Tethering is a solid way to provide Internet access to another gizmo, such as a laptop or a desktop computer. Follow these steps to set up Internet tethering:
- Connect the phone to a computer or laptop by using the USB cable.The best success with this operation is when the computer is a PC running Windows.
- Open the Settings app.
- Choose More, and then choose Tethering & Mobile Hotspot.
- Place a check mark by the USB Tethering item.Internet tethering is activated.
The other device should instantly recognize the phone as a “modem” with Internet access. Further configuration may be required, which depends on the computer using the tethered connection. For example, you may have to accept the installation of new software when prompted by Windows. Tether an Internet Connection with an Android Phone
- When tethering is active, a Tethering or Hotspot Active notification icon appears. Choose that notification to further configure tethering.
- Unlike creating a Wi-Fi hotspot, you don’t need to disable the Wi-Fi radio to activate USB tethering.
- Sharing the digital network connection incurs data usage charges against your cellular data plan. Be careful with your data usage when you’re sharing a connection.
Types of Tethering
We’ll cover how to use each tethering method. Here’s how they compare:
- Wi-Fi Tethering: Wi-Fi tethering turns your phone into a little Wi-Fi hotspot. It creates a Wi-Fi network that you connect to with your computer. It has decent speeds and you can connect more than one device—but the battery will drain faster than if you used one of the below options.
- Bluetooth Tethering: Bluetooth tethering is significantly slower than Wi-Fi, but uses less battery. You can only tether one device at a time via Bluetooth as well. It probably isn’t worth using unless you’re really trying to stretch your battery.
- USB Tethering: USB tethering has the fastest speeds, but you have to connect your phone to your laptop with a USB cable. Your phone’s battery won’t drain because it will draw power from your computer’s USB port.
In addition to the standard Android tethering options, there are other ways you might want to tether: Tether an Internet Connection with an Android Phone
- Third-Party Tethering Apps: If tethering is disabled on a phone you acquired from a carrier, you can install third-party apps and use them to tether. Your carrier may charge you anyway if they notice.
- Reverse Tethering: In rare situations, you may want to share your computer’s Internet connection with your Android phone instead. This is useful if you only have wired Ethernet connections in the area and don’t have access to Wi-Fi.
