Tethering v Wi-Fi Hotspot

With the Samsung Galaxy S2 able to connect a laptop or PC to the internet via either USB tethering or by acting as a portable Wi-Fi hotspot it could be a difficult decision to choose which option to take. This little entry will try to explain the difference, the pros and the cons for the two systems.

First what they are:
The Wi-Fi hotspot is where the phone is effectively used as a wireless router using the phones mobile internet (Packet Data) to allow computers or laptops to browse the internet wirelessly. This method is wireless and allows for upto 8 computers to connect to the phone at once. The system is one that would well well for a small group of users.

USB tethering is where the phone is literally connected by a USB cable to the laptop or computer and the phone can either act as a USB Wi-Fi adapter or it can use mobile internet to allow the computer to connect to the internet. This system offers only a single connection and operates as a wired network as opposed to a wireless connection.

Effectively on paper they do the same basic thing, they allow you to use the phone to connect a laptop or computer to the internet, though there is a number of difference, and not just the wired v wireless comment (as you can connect the phone to a laptop whilst still using it as a portable Wi-Fi hotspot).

Firstly the battery life, if you are using the Wi-Fi hotspot option (unconnected) you can often run down a full battery in just a few hours as it's hugely battery intensive sending out the Wi-Fi signal none stop. If you've a plug socket or a USB cable make sure you have the phone connected or it will die pretty swiftly. On the other hand if you are using a USB tether you're phone will constantly be charging via the computer/laptop that it's connected to and the battery won't be an issue.

Security is another issue, the USB connection is the more secure option as only your device will have a connection whilst with Wi-Fi you can either forget to put a password on the hotspot or your password could be hacked. In fact in an extreme situation your phone could be snatched as someone walks by much easier than if it was tethered.

In public it's probably best to try and use a the USB tethering option, however don't rule out using the Wi-Fi hotspot mode at the right time. For example using the connection in your own home, you could easily put the Wi-Fi mode on and connect through that whilst walking around the house. The Wi-Fi hotspot mode does allow a lot more freedom, you don't need to drag the phone around with you just to keep connected. In fact, although I wouldn't advise it, you could basically use the Hotspot as the houses internet connection.

As well as their difference they both come with some similar drawbacks. Remember you'll only have the speed of the mobile internet connection. You won't have the greatest of connections (especially not in the British countryside) and you'll also need to keep a close eye on your usage, especially if you have a capped allowance as normal websites aren't created with mobile internet connections in mind and it can become expensive if you go over your limit. With this in mind I'd advise you to use 3G Watchdog with both methods just to keep an eye on things.

Neither method is "right" or "wrong" just use the one that you prefer and that suits your circumstances the best.

How to set up a tethered connection with a Samsung Galaxy S2

 Recently I did a guide on setting up a portable Wi-Fi Hotspot using the Samsung Galaxy S2. As well as using wireless technology to share the phones internet you can also use a wired connection via USB cable in a process that is known as "tethering". To start the "tethering" process you need to connect the phone to a laptop (or computer) via USB cable and make sure that the phone is still in "phone mode" (you may need to press "Home" to ensure you're not stuck in data mode).

After linking your phone and laptop you need to open the settings screen so press "Menu" on the hand set and then settings to open a screen similar to the one on the right hand side and then select the top option of "Wireless and network" which will
open up the wireless settings for the phone. In here you will need to scroll to the option entitled "Tethering and portable hotspot" (see the image on the left for guidance if you need it) and click on it.

With the USB cable connected you will notice that the USB tethering option is available to be selected (if the cable isn't connected this option will be grayed out completely). At this screen (one on the right) you need to put a tick in the "USB tethering" check box. After doing this you effectively done with
 the phones settings however you will notice a a new icon on the
 notification bar (a small blue square with a USB icon inside it)
and a small message saying "Tethering or hotspot active" (see left).

Although you're done with your phone at this point you will notice that your laptop, or computer will start to become much more active as it installs a number of drivers to allow you to actually use this function. These can take several minutes to fully install then you should notice a new icon in the taskbar as well as a connection to a "Network"

 If you click on the image to the right you will notice that the connection to the internet is via "Network", this is the tethering working (see the top arrow) whilst in icon tray you will notice a "network" type symbol.


As with setting up a Wi-Fi hotspot tethering does have it's draw backs. Firstly you are limited to the speed of the phones internet (unless you are using it to effectively join a Wi-Fi connection, where the phone acts as Wi-Fi card, where you are still limited to the Wi-Fi speed) and secondly you will use your data connection if you are using a form of mobile internet for the connection. Tethering, if done often could see you amassing a large phone bill if you're not careful due to the data usage so just be careful.

As with using the phone as a Wi-Fi hotspot, I wouldn't advise doing it too often unless you're on a truly unlimited internet package or can really keep an eye on your usage.