Your Wi-Fi is down? Are you traveling and your friends don’t have a plan including international data? Do you feel like the charitable soul of an access provider? So learn how to switch your smartphone to modem mode in order to create an Internet connection sharing between your phone and a computer, whether via Wi-Fi or USB, or another device.
It is not always possible to find a safe connection to surf from your computer. In these moments, taking advantage of your 4G plan can sometimes save the day and allow you to confirm an appointment by email, load a route, or just work properly under acceptable conditions. For this, there are two methods, connection sharing in Wi-Fi, and sharing in USB. Handy for troubleshooting a friend or connecting your computer if you can’t find an acceptable Wi-Fi network.
By its simplicity, this tutorial is mainly aimed at Android neophytes.
The tutorial was made with a Galaxy Z Flip 3 running One UI 4 (Android 12). The method may vary slightly depending on your smartphone model, but the steps are basically the same whether your smartphone is made by Samsung, Huawei, Honor, OnePlus or any other Android manufacturer.
Wi-Fi connection sharing
The easiest way to switch your phone to modem mode is to share your connection via Wi-Fi.
To do this, simply go to the Settings of the device, then in Connections (some devices will offer a Wi-Fi menu directly) and click on Mobile hotspot and modem.
Source: Frandroid
Source: Frandroid
Source: Frandroid
Then just click on Mobile hotspot to enable connection sharing. Any device can then connect to it, provided it has the password, as for any access point.
If you press Access point Mobile, it is possible to change the name of the access point and to configure the password necessary to connect (which is highly recommended). It is also possible, on certain devices, to modify the compatible frequency bands or to program a deactivation after a certain time.
Source: Frandroid
Source: Frandroid
Note that once connection sharing is correctly configured in your Android’s settings, you can activate or deactivate it from this screen, but also often from the shortcuts pane at the top of your interface. Just look for the tile Mobile hotspot (for a Samsung, the name may vary on other models). This allows you to activate or deactivate this Wi-Fi sharing on the fly. By remaining pressed on this same tile, you will also access the settings mentioned above.
It is also possible to share your connection via a USB cable, but we recommend the Wi-Fi method which is much simpler and works just as well. If you still want to go through a cable, you will find the manipulation below.
Share your USB connection
For those who prefer the old-fashioned methods, you can also share your 4G/5G connection to a computer directly via USB, which also has the advantage of charging the phone at the same time, which is not a luxury given the energy cost of connection sharing. The manipulation is again very simple since it is necessary to go to the menu again Mobile hotspot and modem phone settings. If the latter is connected via USB to a computer, the option USB-modem will then be active.
On Windows or Linux, the telephone should then be directly recognized as an access point and therefore appear in the connections available in the control panel as if it were a modem connected to Ethernet. Under Mac OS X on the other hand, the manipulation is not automatic and it is therefore advisable to go through a Wi-Fi sharing.
This should allow you to finish your work on the train or to be the hero of the evening by providing a connection to your friends on the mobile network less efficient than yours.
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