Using phone data as wifi

Harness the Power: Use Your Mobile Phone for Home Internet Connection

Get Connected at Home with Just Your Mobile Phone: Learn How to Save Money and Stay Connected.

If you have 5G networks speeds in your area, you might be able to cancel your home internet and rely on your mobile phone’s unlimited data plan. But if you only have 4G or LTE speeds, we wouldn’t recommend it because 4G LTE cell phone plans don’t deliver enough data for things like streaming Netflix or online gaming.

In this case, we’d recommend a satellite internet provider (because they’re available almost everywhere) instead and using a mobile hotspot as a backup. Try calling HughesNet internet or Viasat internet to see what plans are available in your area.

But if you must rely on your 4G LTE cell phone for a connection, we’ve assembled the plans with the most hotspot data below.

Compare the best unlimited hotspot plans

The important thing to know about unlimited mobile plans is that they don’t offer truly unlimited hotspot data. Even if the plan is called unlimited, it probably restricts data (99% guaranteed). With most plans, after you use 20 GB (or some other amount) of data, your speed will slow to less than 1 Mbps. Ouch.

When it comes to providers, there are only a few exceptions to the not-truly-unlimited rule—such as Visible, which is why it’s in our recommended plans above. Visible doesn’t offer the fastest data (4G and up aren’t available for hotspotting), but it does give you a truly unlimited amount of hotspot data, which is a rare find. It also doesn’t require a contract and offers great prices.

But barring a beautiful unlimited data plan, the best you can do is go for fast data, which is why we’re also recommending Verizon and AT&T. These carriers offer wide coverage and a strong network, so you can get some work done at the park or watch movies at the beach.

What is a hotspot?

A mobile hotspot is usually either a physical hotspot device or a cell phone that can be turned into a hotspot you use to share mobile data with other devices. For example, if you have cell service while you’re out of town but no access to Wi-Fi, you can turn your cell phone’s hotspot on, connect your laptop to the hotspot, and then access the internet via your laptop instead of just your cell phone.

Hotspots have more restrictions in speed, data amount, and data prioritization than typical home internet options like HughesNet or T-Mobile’s full 5G Home Internet. You might experience lower speeds than other customers, for one, (particularly if you’re a heavy data user) when there’s network congestions. We think data hotspots can certainly be worth it, especially if you like to travel, as we mentioned above. But you have to make sure you can work within your chosen hotspot’s device and plan parameters.

T-Mobile hotspot for home internet

Alongside Verizon, we highly recommend T-Mobile, which does slow data after you reach a certain threshold but not as much as other carriers do. That means both the T-Mobile hotspot and T-mobile phone plans should keep you connected for longer.

T-Mobile’s slowest data speeds are still 3G speeds—which are fast enough for social media—but it also has the largest 5G network in the US.

Problems with using your mobile phone for home internet

But before you dive in head-first to the mobile-only internet life, you’ll want to keep in mind the limitations of mobile hotspots.

• Data: Most people will run out of data. Mobile plans offer 10–20 GB per month for hotspotting, but the average household uses 344 GB per month.
• Slowing: Some mobile carriers will slow your connection to dial up speeds once you use 10–20 GB of data in a month while hotspotting.
• Risk of termination: Some mobile carriers will flag you for data overage and/or terminate your service.

Data limits are the biggest problem with using your mobile phone for home internet.

For example, it takes just 20 hours of Netflix streaming to use up an entire month of Verizon’s hotspot data. And after you hit those 20 hours of streaming (which, let’s be real here, it will probably happen on the first rainy weekend you try this), you will be stuck with speeds of 600 Kbps for the rest of the month. Google search is about all you can do with speeds that slow.

Let’s take a look at which cellular plans will work best as a substitute home internet plan. We’ll also cover some additional internet options that might work better for you.

So, should I rely on my hotspot for WiFi?

Using cellular data for home internet as hotspot wifi can work in a pinch, like when you’re moving or traveling. It can also be a solution for some really low data use. But a better long-term option is combining your hotspot with a home internet plan from a cell phone provider or a plan without a phone line.

Yup, that’s a thing now! If you can get a mobile phone signal, there’s a good chance you can get a home plan that delivers a connection using cellular data.

T-Mobile, Verizon, and many smaller carriers offer fixed wireless or even portable internet plans outside of their mobile hotspot wifi plans. Check out our recommended favorites below.

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How to Turn Android into WiFi Adapter for PC

We know that Android phones are capable of using their mobile data and turn themselves into a WiFi hotspot. It broadcast signals that other devices, like phones, laptops, and tablets can connect to and enabling them to access the internet. But, can Android work the other way and using it as a WiFi adapter (receiver)?

Lucky for us, we can turn our modern Android phones into a WiFi adapter that can detect WiFi signal and use it to access the internet for the connected device, whether it’s a desktop computer or laptop. This is can be a good alternative if the onboard adapter is damaged or too weak to catch a WiFi signal.

So, how to turn an Android phone into WiFi adapter and use it for PC?

For information, some Android phones may not support protocol as a WiFi adapter. But you can only find out by following the guide below.

1. First, make sure the phone already connected with the desired network.

2. Now, connect the phone with PC via a USB cable.

3. Go to Android Settings.

4. Find Tethering & portable hotspot. This menu can be found under the network section.

5. Enable USB tethering. Make sure “Data Saver” and “Power Saver” are off, otherwise this feature won’t be available.

6. Check on your computer if the phone has connected with the WiFi.

Another method by using Bluetooth to connect the phone with the PC can be used if there’s no USB cable or USB port available. But sharing the connection via Bluetooth considered being slower as it introduces more latency and possibly signals interference with WiFi.

Other than that, the Android WiFi adapter should work just as well as conventional adapters, if not, better provided it connects by a cable so you can relocate the phone closer to the access point.

About The Author

Christian

A web developer and digital marketer who likes learning new stuff and sharing it with others along the way. Constantly striving for simplicity and accuracy and thus, AsapGuide was born.

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How To Use Your Android Phone as a USB WiFi Adapter

Using an Android smartphone or tablet as a WiFi adapter is easy to do.

It works well as a quick solution for a Desktop computer that needs a wireless connection or broken WiFi on a laptop.

Be aware not all cell phone Carriers allow for this and may turn off the WiFi forcing you to use your Data plan.

For this reason, it is best to use an Android device not setup on a Cell Plan so there is no chance of running up the data.

Any old Android Device will work. I have even used an old Galaxy S2 and S5 that work very well.

I also have a Galaxy S10 which is tied to my cell plan and turns off the WiFi so it can not be used.

There is many cheap low-cost WiFi dongles for a long term solution but an Android smartphone can be used as a short term quick fix.

Below are the steps to follow to use an Android Device as a wireless USB adapter along with screenshots if needed.

Some phones and Android versions may vary in setup but will be close to the following instructions with no need to Root the phone.

Steps To Use Your Android Phone as a USB WiFi Adapter

Connect the Android Smartphone or Tablet to the WiFi.

Plugin the phone to the computer with a USB cable.

Sometimes Drivers for the phone will need to be loaded. Usually, they are automatically found.

Go to Setting and find Mobile HotSpot and Tethering

On the new smartphones, it is under Connections.

On the old Android smartphones it is called Tethering and Portable HotSpot.

If you use a smartphone tied to a Cell Plan and it turns off the WiFi it may run up your bill depending on your Data Plan.

Summary
Using an Android device and a USB WiFi adapter is easy to do simply be careful if the device is on a cell plan.

Many cell phone Carriers will turn off the WiFi and force it to use the Data Plan which can run a bill up.

Using an old cell phone with no cell plan is best since there is no chance of it using Cell Data.

8 thoughts on “ How To Use Your Android Phone as a USB WiFi Adapter ”

1. Joel October 16, 2021 This works great for me! I have an Android phone on Xfinity Mobile that can access millions of Xfinity wifi hotspots. My Xfinity internet home plan is a lower tier that does not come with this same hotspot access. Since you can’t share a wifi connection by setting a hotspot on your phone (bluetooth tethering didnt work either), this is the only way I have found to get internet for my laptop in places where only Xfinity wifi is available. Thank you!

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