One of the hurdles when using a notebook PC outside is "how to connect to the Internet on the go". The other day, I introduced how to use the Internet on the go using a laptop and iPhone.
Android smartphones are also convenient when connecting your laptop to the Internet while you are out and about. In this article, we will show you how to connect your Android phone to your laptop.
Internet with a laptop x Android smartphoneWhat you need to prepare is very simple. All you need is a laptop and an Android smartphone. If you are worried about the remaining battery power, prepare a charging cable/adaptor for your laptop or smartphone. When using USB tethering, which will be described later, a "USB cable" that can also be used as a charging cable is also required.
All you need is a laptop and an Android smartphoneThe USB port of an Android smartphone has a different shape depending on the model. Recently, more and more models are adopting "USB Type-C", which does not care about the direction of the connector when connecting, but the mainstream is still "USB 2.0 Micro-B". If your smartphone does not come with a USB cable, prepare a USB cable that matches the shape of the terminal.
Next, let's check if "tethering" is possible with your Android smartphone's mobile phone line. Tethering is the ability to share your internet connection with other devices
When using tethering with a smartphone, depending on the communication company (carrier) you are using, you may need to subscribe to a "tethering option". See the table below for details.
| Carrier name | Application required | >Optional charges/remarks |
|---|---|---|
| NTT DOCOMO | Not required | Ultra Pack subscribers : 1000 yen/month (free until March 2018) Others: Free |
| au (KDDI, Okinawa Cellular Phone) | Required< /td> | Flat-rate Data 20/30 subscribers: 1000 yen/month (free until April 2017) Flat-rate Data 1-13 subscribers: Free LTE Flat-rate subscribers: 500 yen/month (Free for up to 2 years from the first application) |
| Softbank | Required | Data flat rate 20GB/30GB subscriber: 100 yen /month (free until April 2017) Flat-rate data (pack) subscribers with capacities other than the above: free Others: 500 yen/month (free for up to 2 years from initial application) (* 1) |
| Y!mobile | Not required (*2) | Free |
| *1 Only if you apply for the first time within the period specified by SoftBank after purchasing the model *2 Application required for some rate plans |
In the case of au and Softbank with the tethering option set, tethering cannot be turned on without a subscription, or a communication error will occur even if it can be turned on. Depending on the conditions, optional charges may be free, but an application is required. Let's watch out.
For au and Softbank, an optional contract is required to use tethering. On SoftBank Android smartphones (with some exceptions), optional subscription authentication is performed when tethering is enabled (image is for "Xperia Z5" upgraded to Android 6.0)You can choose from three tethering methods for Android smartphones: "Wi-Fi (wireless LAN)", "Bluetooth", and "USB". Each has advantages and disadvantages, so check the table below.
| Tethering methods | Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|---|
| Wi-Fi | High-speed communication without cables | Greatly increases battery consumption of smartphones Wi- Unstable when there are many Fi access points |
| Bluetooth | Cableless communication while reducing battery consumption | The communication speed is slow (There is a high possibility that the communication speed of LTE cannot be used) |
| USB | An environment where radio waves are interfering But fast and stable | Requires a USB cable Laptop battery consumption increases Not officially supported on macOS |
To start tethering, open "Tethering" in the device settings of your Android smartphone. For models with Android 5.0 or later OS, you can open it by entering "tethering" in the search bar on the setting screen and tapping the displayed shortcut. However, on some Softbank and former EMOBILE models (generally models with up to Android 5.1), it is necessary to open via the pre-installed "tethering" app.
For Android smartphones, the location of tethering settings varies depending on the manufacturer and device. If you want to find it quickly, it is recommended to tap "Search" in the terminal settings and enter "tethering" to search (the image is for "arrows NX F-01J")Turn on the switch for the tethering method you want to use from the tethering screen. This time, I will focus on "USB tethering" and "Wi-Fi tethering", which will be used by more people.
Android smartphone tethering can be selected from "Wi-Fi", "Bluetooth" and "USB". In the image, the USB tethering is gray and cannot be switched on, but the reason will be described later (the image is for "Galaxy S7 edge SC-02H")To turn on the USB tethering switch, you need to connect your smartphone and laptop with a USB cable. If it is not connected, or if it is not recognized as a USB device by the notebook PC, it will be grayed out and cannot be turned on.
In addition, on models with Android 6.0 or later, when connecting to a PC via USB, a notification "Using USB" will be displayed. If there is "USB tethering" in the list of connection methods displayed by tapping this, you can jump to tethering settings by selecting this. (*).
*Some manufacturers and models automatically display a list of connection methods when connected to a PC via USB.
To turn on USB tethering, it must be connected to a laptop and recognized.When you connect an Android smartphone running Android 6.0 or later to a PC, you will receive a "USB usage" notification. Get out. If you tap the notification and find "USB tethering" in the list of connection methods, you can also tap it to go to tethering settings (image is for arrows NX F-01J)Wi-Fi tethering is enabled by simply turning on the switch. In addition, almost all Android smartphones can be turned on/off from the switch on the notification panel.
Turn on "Wi-Fi tethering" in the tethering menu (image is for arrows NX F-01J)Wi-Fi tethering can be turned on/off from the notification panel switch (left is the Galaxy S7 edge SC-02H, the right is the Xperia Z5 notification panel switch)However, when using Wi-Fi tethering for the first time, the network name (SSID: Wi-Fi access point name), security The screen for setting the method (communication encryption method) and password (security key) is displayed. Make any changes you want and click "Save". You can make the SSID private (unable to be searched by other Wi-Fi devices) by performing "advanced settings". You can change these settings later.
"Wi-Fi Tethering Settings" that opens when you try to enable Wi-Fi tethering for the first time. SSID, security method and password can be set (image is from Xperia XZ SO-01J)