Here’s how to use your Android device as a wireless router. Your android device can do a lot for you that you may not have explored. While the need to stay connected across all of your devices is necessary, your Android phone can help you stay connected with all of your devices.
With a few clicks, you can stay connected to the internet on your laptop and any of your internet-enabled device. In this article, we will help you with step to step guide to use your Android Phone as a wireless router.
How To Use Your Android Device As A Wireless Router
Note: This feature is available to all Android devices, but connection speed will differ from device to device.
In using your Android device as a wireless router, you will need to have enough data on your network.
First, navigate to Settings > Network & internet and select Hotspot & tethering. The two available options will be connecting your other devices via wireless (WiFi Hotspot) or USB tethering.
Setting Up Wireless Tethering
Your hotspot name is the SSID you’ll see when you want to connect to the network on your laptop or tablet. For many Android devices, this usually comes with a default name which usually looks like ‘ADYHGJ555’ or the name of the Android device.
The point of it being a personal hotspot is that, you can have the name changed. You may choose to go by the default name or change it to something that suits you; you can also to keep your connection open or secure it with a password, we recommend securing your network.
To do this, you will need to tap on the Advanced Option to see the available settings.
In the advanced setting, you will see the default Hotspot name and password your device has created (If you choose to keep the network secured). The hotspot name is equivalent to the router label that’s normally found on the bottom of any router.
You can proceed to change the name and password of the Hotspot to make it feel personal, but really, there is no need for that, all you need do is have these details written somewhere or at the back of your mind.
The last option in setting up your Wifi connection will be the band. We recommend having the 5GHz band which is less prone to interference, so if you’re in a busy location with lots of other wireless networks nearby, choosing this might give you better performance. Your other device connections (laptop or tablet) also needs to support it.
After all is done, the next thing to do will be to toggle on the WiFi Hotspot on your device and let your WiFi on your other device find it.
Other Ways To Tether To Your Other Device
While the WiFi feature is the easiest way to turn your android device to a wireless router, there are other ways to get this done.
Bluetooth Tethering
This is as simple as setting up the WiFi tethering. All you need do is pair your phone with your laptop or tablet, then tap on the Bluetooth tethering toggle in the Hotspot & tethering settings.
Note: Both devices need to be connected for this to work successfully.
One advantage that the Bluetooth tethering has over the WiFi tethering is that the Bluetooth uses less battery power than Wi-Fi. So if you are big on conserving both devices’ power, Bluetooth tethering may be the right option for you.
However, Bluetooth is somewhat slower, especially with older devices with an older version of Bluetooth. Another downside with Bluetooth is that you can only tether one device at a time.
USB Tethering
You can also connect your phone to your PC via a USB cable and use the USB tethering option. Turn it on and you can get internet access on your computer over a wired connection.
Conclusion
Connecting your Android to your PC can go a long way to give you a sense of realtime connection across your devices. Another upside to this is that you can closely monitor your data usage as all of your data consumption shared across your devices is coming from your mobile device.
Note: You can set your connection as a metered connection to enable your data last longer across your devices.