No internet? No problem. Did you know that you can use your iPhone’s super-fast data connection to connect your PC to the internet? If you’re stuck in an area without good Wi-Fi, you can tether your iPhone to your PC and get online wirelessly or through a USB.
In this article, we’re going to show you how to do both.
There are two major ways for your PC to utilize your iPhone to connect to the internet: tethered via USB or wirelessly as a hotspot. Let’s look at both methods and how to use them:
The Wireless iPhone PC Hotspot
To connect your PC to your iPhone, you’ll have to set up the phone as a hotspot that your PC can connect to. This will use your mobile data to provide access to the internet, and additional charges may apply. If you’re happy to proceed, do the following on your iPhone:
Step 1. Open Settings on your iPhone and navigate to “Personal Hotspot.” If the option is greyed out, ensure your mobile data is switched on.
Step 2. In the Personal Hotspot menu, drag the “Allow Others to Join” slider to “On.”
Step 3. Set a Wi-Fi password. Any device linking to it will need to enter to join.
Step 4. If your PC isn’t the latest, cutting-edge machine, you can drag the “Maximize Compatibility” slider (usually only available on older iPhone models) to “On.” This will ensure effective communication, but at the cost of speed.
Now for the PC:
Step 1. Click the System Tray at the bottom right of your screen and click the Wi-Fi icon.
Step 2. Your iPhone should be in the list of available devices.
Step 3. Click the iPhone name, enter the network security key, and you should be connected.
Connect via USB
To connect with a USB cable, you’ll need to set up both your PC and phone:
Step 1. Plug your iPhone into your PC with a USB cable.
Step 2. You should get a message on your iPhone asking if you trust this computer. Click the “Trust” button. You will be required to enter your passcode on your iPhone just to be sure. If you’ve previously connected your iPhone, this message may not appear.
Step 3. On your PC, open “Network & Internet” in Settings.
Step 4. Click “Ethernet” in the sidebar. You should see your iPhone listed as a remote internet sharing device. If it shows “Connected,” then your computer is using your iPhone’s internet.
If you don’t see your iPhone listed as an Ethernet option, then you’ll need to have iTunes installed to use it.
As an avid gamer, I’ve run into my fair share of error codes and weird faults that have forced me to find fixes to problems I never anticipated. That gave me a passion for sharing those fixes with others so we can all game without feeling like our hardware is rebelling against us.
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