How to Share a Smart Phone Connection
Sharing a smart phone connection allows you to broadcast your mobile Internet connection to other devices, like computers and other mobile phones. This provides Internet access when there would not otherwise be a connection. This connection sharing, which is also called tethering, can be helpful if you are traveling away from your home or office and need an Internet connection. Smart phone connection sharing is usually completed via a USB cable or by creating a Bluetooth Personal Area Network (PAN) if all devices are equipped with Bluetooth radios.
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Instructions
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Launch your Internet sharing application. Smart phones that are able to share their connections with other devices must have an Internet sharing or tether application installed. If one is not installed on your phone, it may be available at the application store for your device. Some manufacturers and carriers do not activate connection sharing from the factory, instead requiring you to download the software and set it up on your own.
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Connect the smart phone to other devices. If you are sharing your smart phone connection with a computer, it is easiest to connect via USB. If you are connecting to other devices, you can connect via a Bluetooth PAN. In order for Bluetooth to work, you must have Bluetooth enabled on the devices that will be paired, and they must recognize each other. This is done by using the pairing function under the Bluetooth menu on your phone.
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Start the connection. Once the smart phone is connected to other devices via USB or Bluetooth PAN, start the connection. This is done by pressing the Connect button in the Internet sharing program. It can take a few seconds for the connection to initialize and for the Internet connection to begin working on other devices.
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Test the connection. After the smart phone says it has successfully connected to the network, try to load a website or messaging program. Sometimes the smart phone will accidentally connect to a slower wireless network. If this happens, simply use the Internet sharing program to stop the connection and restart it, making sure that the smart phone has a 3G or EVDO connection. This is indicated in the upper right corner of your smart phone screen.
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Tips & Warnings
Sharing a smart phone connection is a data-intensive activity. Wireless carriers limit monthly bandwidth to 5 gigabytes before overage fees are charged, so be sure to monitor your data use. If you do not have have a data plan on your contract, be sure to add one, or you could be charged per download when you are connected to the network.
References
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