Although today it still seems incredible to us that there are computers that do not include Wi-Fi wireless connectivity, the truth is that it is .
We are talking about desktop computers , which, and in most cases, manufacturers assume that they will be used with a cable connection , so they incorporate an Ethernet network card (already directly on the motherboard), but no Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.
However, that is not always true, and it is possible that we have the desktop computer located in a room other than the one where we have the router located, and that to make the network signal pass through cable, we have to do work or leave a uncomfortable cable laid in the middle of the step.
In addition, we must bear in mind that an Ethernet cable is usually thicker than other types of cable such as that of the telephone , so it is less likely to stay in the way that is most convenient for us so that it does not disturb … and in many In some cases, people prefer not to touch the wall to stick it or do another ‘fudge’ to keep it out of the way.
So this is where PLC devices come into play , or other dedicated ones, such as this one that creates a Wi-Fi bridge between two points, connecting one of its ends to the router. The advantage is that, at the other end, it provides us with another Wi-Fi access point, in addition to five wired network ports.
Desktops can use older smartphones as a Wi-Fi card via USB
Reuse our old smartphone
Either of these two solutions requires an economic outlay , since we have to acquire new hardware (the PLC device, or the Devolo Gigagate or equivalent). However, many of us have something that haunts us in a drawer: an old smartphone, which we have not sold or recycled for some reason, and that we can use in this task.
The main operating systems have long recognized a USB network connection , so we only need to connect our smartphone to our computer using the appropriate cable (it may be the same with which we loaded that old phone), and configure the smartphone so that connect via Wi-Fi to the home network .
The terminal will not need to have a SIM card or be connected to the telephone network , although this is the same method used to connect to 4G from a laptop through a cellular network when we do not have Wi-Fi nearby.
How to set up the device
Connecting the phone to your home Wi-Fi network shouldn’t be a problem. In fact, when we configure the phone, it asks us to connect it to a Wi-Fi network.
Once access to the Wi-Fi network has been configured, in the terminal, we must access the system settings and the section Conexiones inalámbricas y redesand, within this Compartición de Internet y punto de acceso portátil,.
Option to share Wi-Fi connection via USB cable
If we have the phone correctly connected to the computer, we will see the option activated Anclaje por USB, which we must explicitly activate . These section names and options may vary slightly, depending on the Android customization used by the terminal manufacturer .
From here on, we should no longer configure anything else , since the computer’s operating system should directly recognize the connection.
This may be done in various ways (such as a network connection via USB , USB to Ethernet ,…), so we will only have to make sure in what way it indicates it to be able to manage the network afterwards.
Remember that the connection to the Wi-Fi network has to be done from the smartphone, not from the computer , since this last device will see it as a cable connection, that is: what enters through the cable is my network access, no matter how you manage it from there.
