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While traveling, you might be in a situation where you only have a wired Ethernet connection and a Windows 7 laptop. Here’s how to make your laptop a WiFi hotspot and share the Internet connection with other devices. While WiFi is essentially everywhere you look, sometimes while traveling, you’ll be in a situation where you only have a wired Ethernet connection. What happens then if you need to connect your “WiFi only” device to the internet? If you have a Windows 7 laptop, you can turn it into a WiFi hotspot and share its wireless connection with your device via an Ad Hoc network. Here’s how to do it without third-party utilities. Note: Windows 8 has quietly removed this feature, but you can still do this with XP – Windows 7. And if you are running Windows 10, make sure to read our article on making Windows 10 a Wi-Fi hotspot. What You’ll Need
Turn Your Windows 7 Laptop into a WiFi HotspotClick the wired network connection icon in the System Tray and select Open Network and Sharing Center. In the screen that opens, click “Set Up a New Connection or Network” under Change your Network Settings. Now select the bottom option to set up a wireless ad-hoc network. The Wireless Ad Hoc Network wizard will start up. Click Next. On the next screen, give your ad-hoc network a name, select your security type, and enter a security key. If you’re in a public place, I recommend WPA2 for the best security of your network. It should just take a few seconds, and your ad-hoc network will be ready to use. If you click the connection icon in the system tray, you’ll see the network you just created in the list waiting for users. Then go to Network and Sharing Center and select Change Adapter Settings. Then check “Allow other network users to connect through this computer’s Internet connection” and click OK. Now you’ll be able to see the shared WiFi connection from your laptop on your mobile device. Just connect to it and you’ll have internet access on the device in no time. Need an internet connection for your PC or laptop, but don't have access to public Wi-Fi? The solution is simple: connect your smartphone's mobile internet connection to your PC. This process is known as tethering. While tethering with your laptop or tablet may be faster than the public network in your favorite cafe, it can have its own problems. Here's what you need to know about tethering with Android and how to connect your mobile internet to your PC. What Is Tethering?Tethering is the term for connecting your mobile device to your computer, so your PC can get online via your phone's mobile data connection. It works via USB, Bluetooth, or Wi-Fi. In the pre-iPhone days, this meant using an old-style feature phone to call a number that gave internet access anywhere. Some cell phones could share their internet connection, enabling you to get online via the device network's APN. Following the release of the iPhone in 2007, many cell phone networks began charging extra for tethering plans. Fortunately, this money-grabbing practice has since been phased out almost completely—these days, tethering is usually free aside from using your data allowance. Android Mobile Tethering Options ExplainedAndroid owners have three tethering options to share a mobile internet connection with their laptop, tablet, or even desktop PC:
Below we'll look at each of these to discover which method will drain your battery quickest, and which transfers data fastest. Before proceeding, make sure you have enabled mobile internet on your phone. It's important to note that mobile signal strength will impact your connection speed. Using tethering can also result in your phone's battery level decreasing quickly; wireless tethering is particularly power-intensive. We provide speed results from speedtest.net for comparison. The actual speeds you get will depend on various factors, including what phone you're using and the speed of the mobile network you're connected to. We were on 4G. 5G will obviously be a lot faster. 1. How to Connect Mobile Internet to a PC With a USB CableMobile phones have long had a modem feature, allowing you to hook up the device to your computer using USB tethering. This lets you share the mobile internet connection over a wired connection with your laptop or other devices. It's easy to do when you're using Windows. Connect the USB cable that you use for charging your phone to your computer, then plug it into the phone's USB port. Next, follow these steps to configure your Android device for sharing mobile internet. Some of the menus may be slightly different depending on the device and Android version you're using, but the general instructions are the same on all models.
A notification icon should appear to confirm that tethering is active. In testing, we found the following results:
If your computer is running on its battery, your phone will potentially drain the computer's battery, rather than its own. 2. Use Bluetooth Tethering With Mobile InternetWant to know how to connect mobile internet to a PC without a USB cable? The answer is to use Bluetooth. The short-range wireless technology has enough bandwidth to route data to and from your phone and a paired device. Start by pairing your phone with your computer:
Once the phone is paired with your computer, you can share the mobile internet connection:
Your phone should then display a notification that Bluetooth tethering is active. Our testing found:
3. How to Connect Your Mobile Internet to a PC WirelesslyCombining the wireless benefits of Bluetooth with the speed of USB, connecting your phone as a Wi-Fi hotspot is perhaps the most popular tethering option. Using your mobile internet and Wi-Fi connection, your phone creates a private network to connect your devices with a secure password. It's definitely the most convenient choice. To set up Wi-Fi tethering:
Then, on your Windows PC:
Here are the results we found from this option:
Once you've set up wireless tethering for the first time, it's easy to activate again. Open the Quick Settings panel on your phone by swiping down from the top twice. Tap the Hotspot button, then wait for your computer to connect. As long as you don't change the network name or password, it should reconnect automatically. The big advantage to using Wi-Fi for tethering is that it works with any device. Once you've set up the wireless hotspot on your Android phone, you can connect a Mac, a Chromebook, an iPad, or anything else. Just connect to it in the same way you'd connect to any other wireless network. How to Connect an iPhone Mobile Hotspot to a PCNot using Android? Need to borrow a phone to connect your PC to the internet and only have an iPhone available? iPhones have a hotspot mode that you can enable at Settings > Personal Hotspot. This is a Wi-Fi hotspot that any wireless-enabled device can connect to. For further compatibility, iOS also supports Bluetooth and USB tethering, just like Android. For full details on how to connect the mobile internet from an iPhone to your computer, check out how to use the hotspot feature on your iPhone. Mobile Tethering? Use USB for Best Battery LifeNow you know how to connect mobile internet to your computer, using Wi-Fi, USB, or Bluetooth. But which is best? Our tests show that USB tethering is the option that drains your phone's battery the slowest. Meanwhile, Bluetooth offers the worst speeds. Thanks to improvements in Bluetooth technology, though, its impact on battery is acceptable. It's Easy to Link Your Mobile Internet Connection to a ComputerStuck choosing between a Wi-Fi hotspot and USB tethering? Well, USB isn't the fastest at everything, making Wi-Fi the best all-around option. But if Wi-Fi isn't available, relying on USB tethering is your best alternative. How can I connect my mobile hotspot to PC without USB cable?Open Settings > Network and Internet > Advanced > Hotspot and tethering.. Tap Wi-Fi hotspot (called Portable hotspot on some phones).. At the next screen, switch the slider On.. You can then adjust options for the network on this page.. How do I connect my mobile hotspot to my computer wirelessly?What to Know. Wired: On PC, turn off Wi-Fi > turn on hotspot on phone > plug phone into PC. PC should connect to it automatically. Wireless: On phone, turn on hotpot > use PC to find phone's Wi-Fi signal > connect.
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