When in doubt, refer to your service provider and phone manufacturer for instructions, but here’s some information to get you started.
What You Need
To set up your cellphone as a modem, you need the following:
The device you want to use with the internet—your laptop or tablet, for example. A data-capable cellphone that you’ll use as the modem. Some feature cellphones can’t access the internet, so they won’t work. A data plan for the phone from your wireless provider. Most cellular providers require you to have a data plan for your smartphone, but regular (or feature) phones may also be web-capable and can act as modems for your laptop. You need a data plan for the phone, whether it’s a cellphone or smartphone.
Tethering Options
There are a couple of ways to tether your devices so you can go online on your laptop or tablet using your cellphone’s internet connection and data plan.
Tethering plans from your wireless carrier: This is the official way to tether your devices. The major wireless providers (AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile) require you to have data plans covering tethering or sign up for a separate hotspot plan. After you sign up for one of these plans, you can connect other devices to the phone’s connection over Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or USB. Apps: There are several mobile apps for tethering Android and other smartphones. You get a straightforward way to connect your laptop to your smartphone over USB or Bluetooth and use your smartphone’s data service on your computer, bypassing carrier tethering fees. PdaNet+ is a popular tethering app for most platforms.
How to Tether With an AT&T Cellphone
You can tether your laptop or tablet to most AT&T phones for access to the internet. Here’s how to get started using your AT&T cellphone as a modem for your laptop or tablet:
How to Tether With a Verizon Cellphone
Verizon’s entices you to “unleash your phone’s power” to use it as a portable modem to access the internet on your notebook. Your mobile phone already acts as a modem and pulls in a mobile broadband signal that your laptop can use with Verizon’s Mobile Hotspot feature that is included with most of its plans. If you don’t have a hotspot set up or your plan doesn’t support one, you’ll see Set Up Personal Hotspot with phone and website options to do that. All of Verizon’s current smartphones and basic phones are compatible with Mobile Hotspot. If you have a qualifying plan for your handset, you’re ready to go. Connecting your two devices varies by phone model and device, but Verizon includes instructions on its website that will help you. In general, open the Wi-Fi settings on the device you want to connect to the Mobile Hotspot and scan for available networks.
How to Tether With a T-Mobile Cellphone
T-Mobile lets you share your device’s internet connection with up to 10 Wi-Fi-enabled devices, provided you have a plan that includes Smartphone Mobile HotSpot (SMHS). Most plans include it, but you can log in to your account to make sure your plan does. On your phone, turn on Personal Hotspot or Wi-Fi Sharing in the settings. Then, on the laptop or other device, connect to the mobile hotspot network you just enabled using Wi-Fi. Alternatively, you can use a USB cable to connect to other devices.
