Author Topic: Mobile Tethering  (Read 3902 times)

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Offline wobblywalrus

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Mobile Tethering
« on: October 09, 2020, 11:16:39 PM »
This is how to connect a laptop to the i-net in places where there is phone service.  Usually I do this when I am out traveling around.  The bike shed is beyond the range of the household network and it is within the Verizon cell fone range.  It will be used as an example.

A tablet is put in a place where cell phone service happens.  It is the windowsill.  A cell phone can be used instead of a tablet.  The laptop and tablet are turned on.   

 
 

Offline wobblywalrus

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Re: Mobile Tethering
« Reply #1 on: October 09, 2020, 11:19:51 PM »
The "settings" option is selected on the tablet.  The "connections" option is opened.  The "mobile hotspots and tethering" tool is opened.  THe mobile hotspot is turned on. 

Offline wobblywalrus

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Re: Mobile Tethering
« Reply #2 on: October 09, 2020, 11:27:02 PM »
Back to the laptop.  The mobile hotspot is selected and the network and the password are entered.  The laptop is now connected to the i-net.  Sometimes the tablet needs to be placed at some distance from the laptop in order to get service.  This happens a lot when I am in the woods.  The antenna hooked up to the laptop helps to make a connection in these situations.

Offline TD

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Re: Mobile Tethering
« Reply #3 on: October 10, 2020, 08:27:53 AM »
To add a little color to WW's excellent how-to:

What's going on here is that the mobile phone or 3G/4G-capable tablet is acting as a WiFi access point, or router.  It communicates with the laptop via WiFi and in turn sends and receives data to and from the Internet via the 3G/4G 'macro' cellular network.

When you enable mobile hotspot, aka tethering, the mobile phone or tablet may verify with the network provider (ATT, Vz, etc) that that service is available to you before it is enabled.

Data to and from the laptop sent over the macro cellular network counts against whatever mobile data plan you have, btw.  A full length HD movie represents several gigabytes, a podcast or streaming music is much less.

Hope that helps.

Tim

Offline wobblywalrus

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Re: Mobile Tethering
« Reply #4 on: October 10, 2020, 10:14:10 AM »
In 2018 I left the speed trials and went to a wind tunnel on the east coast with the bike.  It was day-by-day travel with no preplanned campground reservations.  Every day I used the group network at the KOA campground, Starbucks, a truck stop, or other place to make reservations for the next night or to order supplies like new trailer tires.  Credit card info was sent over the i-net to do this and many of these networks were not secure.  Someone hacked into my info and made fraudulent charges.  They did not get money from me but it was a pain in the donkey to deal with the situation while on the road.  This tether method gives more security.

Like TD says, some mobile plans have limits on the data you can transmit each month unless you pay more money.  My el-cheapo plan gives me enough capacity to conduct business, read e-mails, look at Landracing dot com, the weather, and the news.  Streaming uses up the capacity real quick and I do not do it.