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How to get USB tethering or mobile hotspot to work

  • 13 December 2021
  • 28 replies
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Plan: $40 1GB Unltd min Plan SFD.

Phone: LG X Venture

 

I would like to be able to use either USB tethering or the WiFi hotspot function on my LG X Venture to send data to my PC. Koodo support had no idea what to do to get this working.

I don’t need the basic Android HOWTOs telling me what to click on. I tried the basics, and they didn’t work. What do I need in order to do the above?

 

Thanks

 

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Best answer by rikkster 13 December 2021, 13:34

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To set up a mobile hotspot, enable mobile data. Create a password-protected hotspot with your phone. Look for the hotspot name on your PC’s wireless list and login. Open a browser and visit a site to test. 

To share mobile data with another device, enable mobile data. Connect phone to PC via USB cable. Go to Settings > Connectivity > USB connection type. Tap Internet connection to use the ethernet function. If the phone is not recognized by Windows, download and install the USB driver for the LG X Venture. Unplug/plug in phone after installing the USB driver. Open a browser and visit a site to test.

LG X Venture USB Drivers | Windows

Thanks, but perhaps you didn’t see that I already have looked at the HOWTOs, as mentioned above.

Could you be more precise about “recognize the phone”. My Windows PC recognizes it at the hardware USB level, and when I connect the cable, it prompts me for charging, MTP, etc. But I have not installed the driver. Are you certain I need the driver to tether?

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I think it depends on the phone. For example, on my iPhone, there’s no addition driver needed. BUT, there’s iTunes and the drivers that come with it. I’d say give it a try and report back. 

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Thanks, but perhaps you didn’t see that I already have looked at the HOWTOs, as mentioned above.

Could you be more precise about “recognize the phone”. My Windows PC recognizes it at the hardware USB level, and when I connect the cable, it prompts me for charging, MTP, etc. But I have not installed the driver. Are you certain I need the driver to tether?

If you see RNDIS (ethernet) listed on your phone, select that option. Test to see whether data is accessible by your PC or not. Windows typically provides a generic USB device driver for connected devices. If the phone is not able to share data with your PC after selecting the RNDIS option, download and install the USB driver.

In which menu can I find RNDIS?

In general, I”m able to move files back and forth between my phone and my PC. No driver needed. (But it is installed now).

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In which menu can I find RNDIS?

There are two ways. On your phone, go to Settings > Connectivity > USB Connection type - Internet. The second way is through Developer Options which is a hidden menu feature on most Android phones.

Go to Settings > About Phone. Look for the Build Number and tap on it seven to ten times. A message will appear that you are now a developer. Go back to the Settings menu and look for/tap on Developer options. Scroll down and tap ‘Select USB Configuration’ or ‘USB Configuration’. Select RNDIS (USB Ethernet).

I did what you described above, but still get the same error. Is the error message indicating an authentication problem on APNs/the carrier?

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I did what you described above, but still get the same error. Is the error message indicating an authentication problem on APNs/the carrier?

Are you able to use data without connecting to a hotspot or tethering?

Have you compared APN settings on your LG device with Koodo’s APN settings?

Setting up data on your non-Koodo phone - see activate data on your Android phone.

Another option that is not visible in Koodo’s APN settings menu is the APN Protocol field. By default this is sometimes set to IPv4/IPv6. Tap the APN Protocol field and select IPv4 from the dropdown menu. Remember to save any edits to the APN.

I have no trouble using data on my phone.

It’s already set to IPv4. Any other suggestions?

I got my APN settings from a Koodo tech. support rep. last night. I haven’t changed anything related to the network since then.

 

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What exactly does the error message say?

Authentication was unsuccessful.
There is a temporary network problem that prevents the enablement of the USB tethering function. Please retry later.

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You will have to get a hold of another Koodo tech and ask if tethering/hotspot access is enabled on your account. For Koodo phones, tethering/hotspot access is not normally an issue. Some U.S. carriers will restrict these features to certain plans and specific phones. I think your LG device might be an AT&T branded phone. More info in the link below.

Can't get USB tether or WiFi hotspot to work on Koodo

I just got off the phone with a very helpful Koodo rep. She told me that indeed, there were no restrictions on tethering/hotspot at Koodo. She agreed it was likely a flag in the firmware telling the phone not to allow those features to work on networks other than AT&T. Yep, it’s an AT&T phone.

That other thread is mine. Busted. :kissing:

Does anyone know if USB tethering and/or WiFi Hotspot functions on the Samsung Galaxy S8 that used to be sold by Telus/Koodo  work on that network?

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Does anyone know if USB tethering and/or WiFi Hotspot functions on the Samsung Galaxy S8 that used to be sold by Telus/Koodo  work on that network?

Yes. Both features worked without issue on my Galaxy S7, S7 Edge and S8.

Thanks. That was very helpful.

Now, if I could just find one that was from Telus/Koodo. Ebay has plenty of them, but the ads don’t list from which carrier the phone was bought.

If I wanted to use a 4G/5G USB dongle on my home router, is there any way to do that on an as-needed or minimal fee basis? I’d like the redunandancy, but only if I don’t pay out a lot of money for it each month.

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Thanks. That was very helpful.

Now, if I could just find one that was from Telus/Koodo. Ebay has plenty of them, but the ads don’t list from which carrier the phone was bought.

The Galaxy S8, (model number SM-G950W) was sold throughout Canada by the the big three and their flanker brands. The “W” represents the Canadian variant. Ask the seller what the model number is.

You’ll have to conduct your own research on the dongle. Some routers are capable of leveraging this feature while others are not.

So, just to be clear, we don’t know if other Canadian ones that weren’t bought from Telus/Koodo will have USB tethering and mobile hotspot that will work with them, right?

For the USB dongle, that’s easy. My existing router will do it. The question is...is there  a plan I can use where I don’t have to pay every month, or if I do, the price is low, cause I’ll only use it as a failover.

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All Canadian ones will work with hotspoting. I presume also USB tethering.

No, there is no plan as such. Depends on what you consider a low price as a backup.

Do you have any idea what’s the lowest price? I assume I have pay for a separate plan? I can’t use data from my existing cell plan because the dongle will use another SIM car, right?

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There is a tablet only data plan, but otherwise it’s as you see for postpaid and prepaid options on Koodo’s site. What exactly are you willing to pay for how much? Why can’t you hotspot from your phone? Any wifi dongle will allow a non-wifi capable device to connect to your main phone’s hotspot, should you feel the need to do so. It’s what I do with my normal phone plan if I ever need it.

Two reasons:

 

  1. I avoid using Wifi as much as possible.
  2. Isn’t a 4G/5G dongle attached to my router going to provide much higher bandwidth than tethering of any kind?
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Ok...but this is supposed to be a backup? In that case, is avoiding it not necessary as a concern int aht case?

Potentially….but how much bandwidth do you need as a backup?

Whatever I can get.

 

Huh? double negatives are not terribly easy to understand.

is avoiding it not necessary as a concern