Share Your Android Device's Internet Connection

Intro
Hey guys, this post (as you can see from the title) is about how to use your Android device as a wireless adapter! It’s a really simple trick, although I’m sure you guys might like it. Having said that lets get right into it! :smile:


Just a Bit of Backstory
So why would you need something like this? Well very recently I came upon the misfortune of having the only device that I have that currently ran Linux breaking- almost leaving me without a device to run Linux for around a year. Now I could have used an old laptop I had which ran windows and ran Linux on a VM but considering the laptop only had 1 gig of RAM and 2 gigs of space left, I don’t think it would have worked out. However when browsing a thrift shop I amazingly found a dell desktop with 2 gigs of RAM and 32 gigs of free space for only $20. When I had the chance to open it I saw it had Windows Vista- and Windows being Windows as usual it had a serious Malware problem. Since I was going to get Linux on it anyways I quickly installed Lubuntu on it with a usb drive, until I noticed that the desktop came without a wifi card. After some quick research I realized you could use an Android device as a wireless adapter.


What You’ll Need

  • An Android Device (Not sure which version you could use, although if you have an old version it is possible to switch to a newer version)

  • A Micro USB cable


What You’ll Need To Do
Alright so connect your Android Device to a computer by using the USB Cable. Then head into your settings and enable USB tethering. After doing so what I did was also enable Bluetooth tethering which shared my device’s internet connection.


Conclusion
Well guys that’s it! Just to clear a few things up this trick will work with most computers. If your device has a data connection you can also just make a portable hotspot without the need for something like a cable (although your computer would also have to be able to connect to the hotspot), however my device (a nexus 7 tablet) is Wi-Fi only meaning that in that case you would have needed a cable. Anyways thanks for reading! Hope the trick helps!

3 Likes

How about reverse tethering (giving your android internet through your PC)?

-Phoenix750

2 Likes

I heard it takes a horrible amount of effort and even then some apps don’t recognize the connection.

Atleast worth a try though.

-Phoenix750

Well, what about starting a wifi hotspot on your PC?

P.S.: If your device is rooted (and your using Windows :smile:), this application may work http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1371345

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