How to Use a USB Cable to Connect Your PC to Your Phone’s Internet

July 2, 2024

<center>Pictured a phone tethered internet to a laptop via a USB cable. COURTESY PHOTO</center>

Tethering, or sharing your phone’s internet connection with your PC, is a simple yet powerful solution that ensures you are always online. This article will guide you through the straightforward process of tethering your PC to your smartphone, besides the usual hotspot feature we all know, highlighting just how easy and beneficial it can be.

Using your phone to connect a laptop, tablet, or even another phone to the internet is called tethering. It’s a bit like using 4GEE Wi-Fi but you can use either Bluetooth, USB cable or portable Wi-Fi hotspot to connect your phone to another device.

Let us start with how you can tether using your iPhone:

To set up your iPhone;

Open your iPhone settings.
Tap Personal Hotspot.
Slide the Allow Others to Join switch to on.

You then need to connect your iPhone to your laptop or tablet. Follow the instructions below to connect using either a USB cable, a portable Wi-Fi hotspot or Bluetooth.

Connecting using a USB cable

You will need a laptop or tablet running Windows XP SP2 or later, or Mac OS 10.5.7 or later; a USB port; iTunes 8.2 or later; and an iPhone USB cable.
Plug the USB cable into your iPhone and then into your laptop or tablet.
You may need to set up a new network connection. If so, follow the instructions on your laptop or tablet screen.

Connecting using Bluetooth

You will need a laptop or tablet able to use Bluetooth 2.0; a laptop or tablet running Windows XP SP2 or later, or Mac OS 10.4.11 or later.
Switch on Bluetooth on both your iPhone and your laptop or tablet.
Once you’re connected you need to pair your iPhone with your laptop or tablet.

Connecting using a portable Wi-Fi hotspot (the common way)

You will need a Wi-Fi-enabled laptop or tablet; a laptop or tablet running Windows XP SP2 or later, or Mac OS 10.4.11 or later; your Wi-Fi password.
Then connect your laptop or tablet to your phone by searching for the phone as you would for any other Wi-Fi network.

To pair your iPhone with an iPad or Mac

Click on Set Up New Device and follow the onscreen instructions.
When you’ve successfully paired your iPhone with your iPad or Mac, choose the option Use Device as a Network Port on your iPhone.
Click on the Bluetooth icon in the menu bar of your iPad or Mac.
Click on your iPhone, and then choose Connect to Network.
Your iPhone should now have a blue bar at the top of the screen to show that it’s tethered to your iPad or Mac.

To pair your iPhone with a Windows tablet or laptop

Click on the Bluetooth icon in your iPhone’s notification area.
Select Add a Bluetooth device and follow the onscreen instructions.
When you’ve successfully paired your devices, click on the Bluetooth icon in the notification area (the system tray) again.
Select Show Bluetooth devices.
Highlight your iPhone, then click the Properties button.
Click the Services tab.
Tick the Wireless iAP checkbox and click OK.
Click on the Bluetooth icon in your iPhone’s notification area again.
Click on Join A Personal Area Network.
Click Connect.

You can tether on most, but not all, 3G, 4G, and 5G devices.

Now let us replicate the same for an Android phone.

You will need an Android phone with version 2.2 or later.

To set up your phone:

Open your phone menu
Go to Settings > Wireless & Networks > Portable Wi-Fi hotspot
Open Portable Wi-Fi hotspot settings to set up a password and name your phone’s hotspot.

You then need to connect your phone to your laptop or tablet. Follow the instructions below to connect using either a USB cable, a portable Wi-Fi hotspot, or Bluetooth.

Connecting using a USB cable

You will need a laptop or tablet running Windows XP SP2 or later, or Mac OS 10.5.7 or later; a free USB port; and a USB cable.
Plug the USB cable into your phone and then into your laptop or tablet.
Follow the on-screen instructions if you need to set up a new network connection on your laptop or tablet

Connecting using a portable Wi-Fi hotspot

You will need a Wi-Fi-enabled laptop or tablet; a laptop or tablet running Windows XP SP2 or later, or Mac OS 10.4.11 or later; and your Wi-Fi password.
Then connect your laptop or tablet to your phone by searching for the phone as you would for any other Wi-Fi network.

Connecting using Bluetooth

You will need a laptop or tablet able to use Bluetooth 2.0; a laptop or tablet running Windows XP SP2 or later, or Mac OS 10.4.11 or later.
Switch on Bluetooth on both your phone and your laptop or tablet,.

Once you’re connected you need to pair your phone with your laptop or tablet.

To pair your Android device with your laptop or tablet

On your Android phone or device go to Settings > Wireless & networks > More > Tethering & Portable Hotspot
Slide Bluetooth tethering to On

Next, set up Bluetooth on your other device. To do this:

Android: tap your Android device’s name then Internet Access.
Windows: click your Android device’s name, select Connect, and then click Access Point
Mac: click your Android device’s name, then the settings gear at the bottom of the window and select Connect to Network
iPhone: should be automatically enabled if there’s no Wi-Fi

Pairing instructions for Android phones may be slightly different for each device.

You can tether on most, but not all, 3G, 4G, and 5G devices.

In conclusion, we can now stay connected from anywhere at anytime regardless of what state we are in. Gone are the days when one would be stuck and barred from connection because they had no Wi-Fi or Ethernet cable access! As long as your smartphone has internet, your computer/Laptop can be connected on the go, as simple and easy as that!

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