This article shows you how to connect an Android device to a computer running Windows 7, so you can access the web using your smartphone's data connection. This procedure is known as "tethering". You can connect your Android device to your computer using a USB or Wi-Fi connection.
Steps
Method 1 of 2: USB connection
Step 1. Connect the Android device to the computer
Use the same USB cable you use to charge the battery, then connect one end to a free USB port on your computer and the other to the communication port on your device.
The ability to take advantage of USB cable tethering on Android devices is only available on Windows platforms
Step 2. Launch the Settings app on your Android device
Access the notification bar by sliding your finger down the screen starting from the top, then tap the "Settings" icon
located in the upper right corner of the panel that appeared.
With some Android device models, you will need to use two fingers to open the notification panel
Step 3. Tap the Network and Internet option
It is displayed at the top of the page.
If you are using a Samsung device, you will need to select the item Connections.
Step 4. Tap Hotspot and Tethering
It is located in the center of the menu.
If you are using a Samsung device, select the item Wi-Fi router and tethering.
Step 5. Tap the white "USB Tethering" switch
It will turn blue
. At this point, the computer should have access to the internet via the data connection of the Android device.
Step 6. Troubleshoot connection problems if necessary
If the Windows 7 operating system fails and detects the Android device as a web access point, you will need to fix the problem manually by following these instructions:
- Open the "Device Manager" window, then click on the button Start, click on the search bar, type in the device management keywords, then click the icon Device management from the list of results;
- Double-click the entry Network cards;
- Select the option Remote NDIS based Internet Sharing Device with the right mouse button;
- Click on Driver software update …;
- Click the option Search for driver software on your computer;
- Click on the button Manually choose from a list of drivers on your computer placed at the bottom of the window;
- Uncheck the "Show compatible hardware" checkbox;
- Click the entry Microsoft Corporation displayed in the "Manufacturer" column;
- Click the option Remote NDIS Compatible Device, then click the button Come on;
- Click the buttons in succession Yup And Close when required.
Method 2 of 2: Wi-Fi connection
Step 1. Launch the Settings app on your Android device
Access the notification bar by sliding your finger down the screen from the top, then tap the "Settings" icon
located in the upper right corner of the panel that appeared.
With some Android device models, you will need to use two fingers to open the notification panel
Step 2. Tap the Network and Internet option
It is displayed at the top of the page.
If you are using a Samsung device, you will need to select the item Connections.
Step 3. Tap Hotspot and Tethering
It is located in the center of the menu.
If you are using a Samsung device, select the item Wi-Fi router and tethering.
Step 4. Tap Configure Wi-Fi hotspot
It is visible in the center of the page.
If you're using a Samsung device, select the white "Wi-Fi hotspot" slider to turn on data connection sharing via Wi-Fi. At this point, you can change the login password by tapping the text field Password, entering the one you want and pressing the button Save. When you're done setting up your Android device, skip straight to step 8.
Step 5. Configure the Wi-Fi hotspot of the Android device
Fill in the following fields with the necessary information:
- Network Name - this is the name of the Wi-Fi network that will be displayed on your computer when you scan for available wireless networks in the area;
- Security - select the security protocol WPA2 from the corresponding menu;
- Password - type in the password to access the network.
Step 6. Press the Save button
It is located at the bottom of the menu. This will redirect you to the "Hotspot and Tethering" screen.
Step 7. Tap the white "Portable Wi-Fi Hotspot" slider
It is located at the top of the "Hotspot and tethering" menu. It will turn blue
. At this point, the Android device should have created a Wi-Fi network.
Step 8. Access the computer's Wi-Fi network connection settings
Click the Wi-Fi network connection icon. It features the Wi-Fi network logo and is located in the lower right corner of the desktop. A new menu will appear.
In order to locate the icon, you may need to first click on the symbol ▲.
Step 9. Click the name of the Wi-Fi network managed by your Android device
It should be listed in the panel that appeared.
Step 10. Type your login password
This is the password you entered during the Wi-Fi hotspot setup process. At this point, click on the button Connect or press the Enter key.
If you have chosen not to change your Android device's default Wi-Fi network access password, you will find it listed in the "Portable Wi-Fi Hotspot" menu of your smartphone's Settings app. In order to view the default password in plain text, you may need to select the hotspot name
Step 11. Wait for the network connection to be established
Once your computer has connected to the Android device's Wi-Fi network, you will be able to browse the web as you normally do.
