Can Android devices connect to both WiFi and mobile data networks at the same time?
Can Android devices connect to both WiFi LAN (not necessarily connected to the Internet) and mobile data networks at the same time? Or when it connects to one, does it have to disconnect from the other? The device is Kyocera Hydro Icon with Android 4.4.2 if it’s relevant.
4 Answers 4
Multipath TCP is a relatively new technology that allows a device to use multiple network connections for the same logical TCP connection. This is used for mobile phones to use WiFi and mobile data connections at the same time to reduce the time for retrieving data.
I’m not sure which Android phones currently support multipath TCP.
Without multipath TCP, a TCP connection must be either on WiFi or on the mobile data connection, but not both. It is up to the OS to decide how allocate these connections. I think the standard Android decision is to use WiFi if available (and perhaps with sufficient signal strength) to minimize cost under metered data plans.
Long before mobile devices, people were writing desktop applications connecting to several network interfaces simultaneously. It was necessary to handle that on the application, not system, level. iOS supports that perfectly, as long as Linux, Windows, OS X. The developers in Android team broke Linux they used to build Android and introduced a flip-flop switch in the Kernel to switch between Wi-Fi and 3G. Very sad. Some developers were trying to remove that but it was very complicated. So, Android sucks.
This answer is valid, but in my opinion it does not match the question. The question was not if it is possible to use Wifi and cellular at the same time using the same TCP connection (e.g. use both connections for increasing network bandwidth or as fallback if one connection breaks). Thus Multipath TCP is not really relevant.
I’m not sure about your phone, but the Samsung Galaxy S5 can do that. It offers a «Download Booster» ability which connects to a WiFi and mobile data network simultaneously while downloading a file.
@Tim When selected both, the Android system will first try to connect to a WiFi-Network. If that didn’t work, it will connect to mobile data automatically. Or did you mean the Download Booster function?
On Android 6.0 Marshmallow or later, there is a developer option.
For previous versions, something like this should work. The methods numbers are Android version specific and these should work for Android 4.4 KitKat:
#!/system/bin/sh radioM=20 mobileDataM=27 wlanIface=wlan0 ## turn on radio service call phone $radioM i32 1 ## turn on mobile data service call phone $mobiledataM ## set mobile data as preferred network service call connectivity $preferredNetworkM i32 0 ## wait for mobile data to connect while [ -z "$(ip a | grep ccmni | grep inet)" ]; do sleep 1; done ## reup wifi ifconfig $wlanIface up ## enable network bypassing android service echo enable_network 0 | wpa_cli -p /data/misc/wifi/sockets/ -i $wlanIface How to Connect a Cellphone to a Wi-Fi Network
This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Travis Boylls. Travis Boylls is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. Travis has experience writing technology-related articles, providing software customer service, and in graphic design. He specializes in Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, and Linux platforms. He studied graphic design at Pikes Peak Community College.
This article has been viewed 134,187 times.
Do need to connect your cellphone to Wi-Fi? Are you trying to figure out why your phone won’t connect to Wi-Fi? Luckily, connecting to Wi-Fi is really easy. To do so, make sure Wi-Fi is turned on, then select a network from the list and enter the Wi-Fi password. There are multiple ways to do this on both Android and iPhone. You can also connect to Wi-fi on KaiOS. This wikiHow article teaches you how to connect a cellphone to Wi-Fi and troubleshoot a cellphone that won’t connect to Wi-Fi.
- You can connect to Wi-Fi from within the Settings menu on iPhone and Android
- You can also connect to Wi-Fi from the Quick Access menu on Android or the Control Center on iPhone.
- You can connect to Wi-Fi on KaiOS from within the Settings menu.
iPhone (Control Center)
Swipe down from the upper-right corner. This displays the Control Center with multiple icons for quick access. [1] X Research source
Enter a password if prompted. If you tapped a network that has a lock icon, type that network’s password.
Tap Join . It’s in the top-right corner. If the password is correct you will be connected to the network
iPhone (Settings Menu)
. It has an icon that resembles two silver gears. You can find the Settings icon on your Home screen.
. It’s near the top of the Settings menu. It’s next to a blue icon with arching lines in the shape of a fan.
- If the switch next to Wi-Fi is green and to the right, Wi-Fi is already turned on.
- You can swipe down on the screen to refresh the list of networks.
Enter a password if prompted. If you tapped a network that has a lock icon, type that network’s password.
Tap Join . It’s in the top-right corner. If the password is correct you will be connected to the network
Android (Quick Access Menu)
- On some phones, you may need to tap the profile icon in the upper right to bring up the quick options.
. It has an icon that resembles arching lines in the shape of a fan. This will bring up a list of available networks. [2] X Research source
Turn on Wi-Fi if needed. If the toggle switch next to «Wi-Fi» at the top is to the left and grey, Wi-Fi is not turned on. Tap the toggle switch to turn Wi-Fi on.
- Password protected networks are indicated by a lock icon next to the Wi-Fi symbol.
- Tap Other Network to manually enter a network name (SSID) if the network is hidden or you do not see your network listed.
Enter a password (if prompted). If you tapped a network that has a lock icon, type that network’s password.
- If the password is incorrect you will receive an authentication error and will need to re-enter the password or try a different network.
Android (Settings)
. It’s the gear-shape icon in your Apps menu. You can also get there on most models by swiping down from the top of the home screen and tapping the gear at the top-right corner.
- If you are having trouble finding the Wi-Fi settings, tap the magnifying glass icon at the top fo the Settings menu and use the search bar to search «Wi-Fi.»
Turn on Wi-Fi if needed. If the toggle switch next to «Wi-Fi» at the top is to the left and grey, Wi-Fi is not turned on. Tap the toggle switch to turn Wi-Fi on.
- Password-protected networks are indicated by a lock icon next to the Wi-Fi icon.
- Tap the menu in the upper right and tap Add Network to manually enter a network name (SSID) if the network is hidden or you do not see it listed.
Enter a password if prompted. If you tapped a network that has a lock icon, type that network’s password.
Tap Join . It’s in the top-right corner. If the password is correct you will be connected to the network.
KaiOS
Open the Settings menu. It has an icon that resembles a gear. Tap the Settings icon to open the Settings menu.
Tap a network name. If the Wi-Fi network is not password-protected, your phone will connect to it immediately. If a password is required, you’ll have to enter it.
Enter the Wi-Fi network password if prompted. Once the password is accepted, you will be connected to the network. A wireless network symbol (which looks like a cone made of several curved lines
Troubleshooting
Turn your phone off and then back on. One of the first things you can try if your phone won’t connect to Wi-Fi is to power your phone off and then turn it back on. Then see if it’s able to connect.
Make sure you are within range of a Wi-Fi network. If you do not see any available networks, then you may not be within range of any. Relocate to another area that has Wi-Fi and try again.
Power cycle your router. If you are near your router and unable to connect to Wi-Fi, try unplugging your router for about 20 seconds and then plug it back in. Give it a couple of minutes to boot up. Then try connecting again.
See if any other devices are able to connect to Wi-Fi. If your cell phone is not able to connect to a particular Wi-Fi network, see if any other devices are able to connect to it (i.e., laptops, game consoles, other cell phones). If no other device is able to connect to the network, it may be down. Contact your internet service provider to see if there’s an outage or if anything needs to be repaired.
- iPhone: Tap the info button (“i” in a circle) next to a network in the Settings menu. Then select Forget this network.
- Android: Tap and hold a network in the Settings menu and select Forget network.
- iPhone: Open the Settings menu and tap General. Tap Reset at the bottom of the menu. Then tap Reset Network Settings. Enter your passcode and then tap Reset Network Settings again.
- Android: Open the Settings menu and tap General Management. Scroll down and tap Reset. Tap Reset Network Settings. Tap Reset Settings. Then enter your password and tap Continue.
Contact your cellular service provider. If you’ve tried everything and your phone is still not able to connect to Wi-Fi, there may be something wrong with your phone. Contact your cellular service provider or the retailer you bought your phone from. Check if your phone is under warranty. It may need to be replaced.
Community Q&A
When I try to connect my Android cell phone to my home WiFi and enter the password, a message comes up saying «authentication error occurred». I have been able to set up cell phones to this network before, but not this time. Any advice?
Forget the network, restart the phone, and retry. That’s the best and most simple thing to try. You can also unplug your router and modem for 30 seconds.
Thanks! We’re glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
As a small thank you, we’d like to offer you a $30 gift card (valid at GoNift.com). Use it to try out great new products and services nationwide without paying full price—wine, food delivery, clothing and more. Enjoy! Claim Your Gift If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Thanks! We’re glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
As a small thank you, we’d like to offer you a $30 gift card (valid at GoNift.com). Use it to try out great new products and services nationwide without paying full price—wine, food delivery, clothing and more. Enjoy! Claim Your Gift If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
You can try the advanced Wi-Fi option on your Android phone. This will do just fine, that is if you’re in a proximity of your router. Then, you can either enter a random PIN provided by your phone to connect your phone to your router, or you can select another option and activate a VPS on your router. Usually, it takes up to 2 minutes for your router to accept both of these new inputs and to establish a safe connection to your phone.
Thanks! We’re glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
As a small thank you, we’d like to offer you a $30 gift card (valid at GoNift.com). Use it to try out great new products and services nationwide without paying full price—wine, food delivery, clothing and more. Enjoy! Claim Your Gift If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow