First of all, before we get more into this topic, you need to know more about tethering. Tethering is a great feature available for any smartphone out there, that will let you use your smartphone internet and share it with other devices that can connect to your internet signal, making your phone something like a portable router. This can be done by enabling your 3G or 4G data on your phone, and then set up a password if you want (and I strongly recommend it) and then let your friends connect to your phone, or share it to your PC or laptop. It’s simple to do, and with our list of 10 best USB tethering apps for Android.
1. PdaNet+
I remember when tethering was still a new feature of Android, and when PdaNet+ launched, it was one of the first apps to provide such a great user experience, offering great features. The great thing about PdaNet+ is that you can link your laptop to your mobile network, without having to root your phone and void your warranty. This app will allow you some very fast tethering using either your USB or Bluetooth, using both 3G and 4G internet, depending on your provider. Other than that, you’ll have an easy time installing this app.
2. EasyTether Full
By installing EasyTether Full, you can easily share your internet data with the other smartphones and tablets, but what about a laptop? For that case, you’ll need to install additional software, to be able to connect to your phone. EasyTether full offers great features, allowing for both USB and Bluetooth tethering, and some advanced features like secure websites or games app are included in this Full version at the cost of $9.99.
3. ClockworkMod Tether
ClockworkMod Tether is a simple USB tethering app, that you can use your Android phone to share 3G or 4G data to your Windows, Linux or Mac PC. So, if you are in need of some data on your laptop, use this app to simply connect to your mobile phone’s data and enjoy the full-speed internet on your laptop. However, I recommend you to go for a premium version, as it removes some limitations like downloads or total time spent in tethering. Premium version costs just about five dollars, which is really cheap.
4. Barnacle WiFi Tether
Like ClockworkMod Teather, Barnacle WiFi Teather is another simple app for your Android phone, that will turn it into a portable wireless hotspot, using USB or Bluetooth. Feature-wise, Barnacle WiFi Tether offers a wide variety of devices for connection, some of them being PC, iPad, iOS, Xbox, and Linux. However, Barnacle WiFi Tether has one another great feature and a downside. The great thing is that you don’t need additional software on your PC, and the downside is that it requires root. Nevertheless, Barnacle works really well and it’s free, which is awesome.
5. Extended Controls
Extended Controls is a simple widget, that you can put on your home screen and easily activate USB or Bluetooth tethering. While not being a strictly tethering app, Extended Controls is great in providing a great connection for your devices that need additional internet data. Aside from that, Extended Controls allows you to operate with many other functions of your smartphone, so you’ll have a nice app, that doesn’t take much space on your storage, neither on a home screen.
6. FoxFi
FoxFi offers some of the best features when speaking about USB and Bluetooth tethering. With FoxFi, you’ll be able to connect devices such as a laptop, desktop computers, tablets and gaming consoles. What’s great is that FoxFi doesn’t require a root on your phone, but it comes in two versions, one is free and the other being paid. The only difference is in limited usage, in terms of time.
7. AndroidTethering
AndroidTethering is a great way to turn your smartphone or tablet into a portable hotspot for other devices. This app installs easily both on your Android device and PC, and it doesn’t require root access, but offers some of the best USB tethering I’ve ever seen. It’s simple, works fast and reliable. But, there is a full version that costs $13, which is quite expensive, and the difference between a full and free version is barely distinguishable, so you’ll be better with a free version.
8. 1-Click WiFi Tether
USB WiFi Tethering apps can sometimes be very demanding and interrupt your phone’s processes or performance, which is really frustrating. However, 1-Click WiFi Tether is a lightweight and compact app that follows a really simple workflow. Even if you are an Android newbie, you can still use this app successfully, as it doesn’t require root access and will always appear in your status bar, being easily noticeable. On top of that, 1-Click WiFi Tether will work on Android 2.2 and up, so you can use it on several-years-old phones.
9. Tether It
If you want a fast, reliable and rich USB tethering app, look no further than Tether It. If I could imagine a perfect app, allowing USB and Bluetooth tethering and WPA2 security, then it would be this one. Although the app is simple, it has a quick tutorial to get you going if you get stuck, so it’s even more user-friendly oriented. Its intuitive interface is what you’ll surely like, and to keep this app, you don’t even have to root your phone.
10. WiFi Tethering
WiFi Tethering offers a great, colourful interface that you’ll immediately get used to and love it, but this app comes with the main downside, and it’s root access requirement. It has advanced features like changing passphrase, changing a channel, changing SSID, and reducing/increasing the transmitted power. These settings will let you better tweak your app for better USB and Bluetooth tethering, and you won’t even have to pay for more expensive USB tethering apps, as this one has it all. Plus, you can connect literally any device from consoles to desktop PCs using this app.