What Is Tethering?

Date First Published: 6th February 2022

Topic: Computer Networking

Subtopic: Data Transmission Technologies

Article Type: Computer Terms & Definitions

Difficulty: Medium

Difficulty Level: 4/10

CONTENTS

Does Tethering Cost Money?
Compatibility
Advantages And Disadvantages Of Tethering
How To Tether? (For iPhones)

Learn more about what tethering is in this article.

Tethering, also known as phone-as-modem (PAM) is the sharing of the internet connection of a mobile phone to a connected computer. It is a way of turning a mobile phone into a private hotspot or a portable router. Sharing of internet connection can be performed over Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or by a wired connection, such as USB, which may require a password or PIN number.

Tethering is useful as it provides an internet connection for devices that cannot directly connect to the internet or do not have wireless network capabilities. Tethering could be used to share mobile data or a Wi-Fi connection. An example of tethering is using a USB cable to connect a phone to a laptop in order for the mobile data to be shared and the laptop to receive the internet connection of the phone whilst in a public place.

Does Tethering Cost Money?

Tethering uses mobile data (5G, 4G, 3G), which can result in charges by the mobile service provider. Even though most mobile service providers only charge tethering in the form of normal data usage, some mobile service providers charge monthly fees to allow mobile data to be used for tethering. Sometimes, it may only be activated by paying to add a tethering package to a mobile data plan or by choosing a data plan that includes tethering. In terms of tethering, mobile devices may have restricted functionality.

Compatibility

Most iOS and Android devices are compatible with tethering. Tethering is compatible with Android 2.2 and iOS 4.2.5 onwards. Devices as old as iPhone 4 and iPad (3rd generation) support tethering.

Advantages And Disadvantages Of Tethering

The advantages of tethering are:

It allows multiple devices to share an internet connection even if the device cannot directly connect to the internet or has no wireless network capabilities. This is useful when going out and using mobile data, but also wanting to use a laptop to browse websites. The laptop will receive the internet connection of the mobile phone and will have internet access, allowing online tasks to be performed.
It is flexible - As of now, tethering can be used almost anywhere as long as there is sufficient mobile data and a device to connect the mobile phone to.
It is easy to set up - There are not usually many steps that need to be taken to tether an internet connection between multiple devices.

The disadvantages of tethering are:

It drains the mobile phone battery fast. Tethering requires a lot of power to be used, especially via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. USB tethering gives the fastest connection speeds and it does not drain the phone battery as it uses power from the computer, but this will require a cable. Wi-Fi tethering uses more battery than Bluetooth tethering, but it is slightly faster and only one device can be tethered at a time using Bluetooth.
It can be expensive. In terms of mobile data costs, tethering can be expensive, especially if it is used for long periods of time.
The connection is slower - Mobile data connection is slower than regular Wi-Fi connection and the internet connection of a computer that is connected using tethering will be even slower when browsing websites.
Usage of the mobile phone is limited. It is not possible to tether and use a mobile phone to make or receive calls at the same time. Answering a call will break the tethered connection and it will have to be set up again after the call.

How To Tether? (For iPhones)

In order to tether on an iOS device, go into settings and mobile data options. Mobile data must be switched on in order to share an internet connection between devices. Once mobile data has been switched on, tap on 'Personal Hotspot', switch it on and then follow the instructions below on the iPhone. This method uses the shares the internet connection of an iPhone in order to connect to a computer.