Improve Bandwidth and Lower Latency on Mac by Combining 4G/5G Cellular with a Tethered Android Phone
You can use a 4G/5G USB cellular dongle and an Android phone’s 4G/5G cellular connection at the same time on a Mac, for faster upload and download speeds and more reliable internet. Speedify is an app that combines two or more internet connections at once, so you get faster uploads and downloads and stay online if one connection drops out. With only one of them, Speedify works as an encrypted VPN and cannot make that connection faster. USB tethering an Android phone does not work on a Mac that runs Speedify: it needs the HoRNDIS driver, which works only up to macOS 10.14 Mojave, and Speedify needs macOS 11.5 or later. Use Speedify’s cellular sharing feature instead, which shares the Android phone’s 4G/5G cellular connection with your Mac over Wi-Fi when Speedify runs on both. Step 2 below describes the older HoRNDIS method only.
Speedify uses every internet connection your device has, at the same time
Speedify is the only app available for all major platforms - Windows, MacOS, Linux, iOS, Android and OpenWrt - that combines your Wi-Fi, 4G / 5G cellular, wired, and even your friend’s phone signals – and turns them into one ultra-fast and super secure link that keeps you all connected for the best possible live streaming, video calling, or just posting to your favorite app.
Speedify can bond any number or combination of Internet connections and will intelligently distribute your online traffic among them for optimal performance. Plus, if you get disconnected from one of your connections in the middle of an important video call or file transfer, Speedify will seamlessly failover to your other working Internet connection(s) without skipping a beat.
NOTE: For best results, use Internet connections from different sources. In general, joining the same upstream network multiple times (such as the same router via Ethernet and Wi-Fi) will not improve performance.
How do I use WiFi and 4G/5G cellular at the same time with Speedify?
Pick your two internet connections and your device below and we'll take you to the step-by-step setup guide.
3 Steps to Combine a 4G LTE / 5G Dongle with a Tethered Android Phone on a Mac Using Speedify
Step 1: Connect your USB Cellular Adapter to your Mac
Connect your USB cellular adapter to a USB port on your Mac. Some cellular adapters need the manufacturer's dialer app to connect to the internet, so follow the manufacturer's installation and setup instructions.
To confirm the connection, open System Settings > Network (System Preferences > Network on macOS 12 Monterey or earlier) and look for the adapter in the list.
Step 2: Connect your Android device to your Mac and enable USB tethering
Google's Android help says Mac computers can't tether with Android by USB. The third-party HoRNDIS driver used to fill that gap, but it does not work on any Mac that can run Speedify (Speedify needs macOS 11.5 or later).
SHARE YOUR ANDROID PHONE'S 4G/5G CELLULAR OVER WI-FI INSTEAD
If your Mac's Wi-Fi is free, turn on your Android phone's Wi-Fi hotspot and join it from your Mac. If your Mac's Wi-Fi is already in use, for example on your Starlink Wi-Fi, install Speedify on your Android phone too and connect it to the same Wi-Fi network. Speedify's cellular sharing then shares your phone's 4G/5G cellular with your Mac over that network.
To turn on the Wi-Fi hotspot on your Android phone, swipe down from the top of the screen, touch and hold Hotspot, and turn on Wi-Fi hotspot. Then click the Wi-Fi icon in your Mac's menu bar and choose your phone's hotspot.
Note: Some mobile carriers limit tethering or charge extra for it, so check with your carrier. Some of these steps only work on Android 14 and up. Learn how to check your Android version.
Step 3: Download and Install Speedify
Last but certainly not least, download and install Speedify. Once running, Speedify will automatically detect any available Internet connections and combine them for increased speed, security, and stability.
Need to keep several devices connected in areas with limited or spotty network coverage, like event venues, remote locations or when traveling? Get consistent and uninterrupted online activity for all your devices using Speedify's cellular sharing functionality, which allows you to share cellular data between multiple devices wirelessly.
By pairing devices, you can effectively distribute your cellular connection across them, improving overall performance, especially when other network options like Wi-Fi may be slow or unstable.
You can manage settings, view statistics, and even apply limits to individual connections by either clicking/tapping on them from the Dashboard or by navigating to the desired connection through the main Settings menu.
Speedify will work quietly in the background to optimize performance including prioritizing streaming web traffic to avoid stuttering, buffering and disconnects.
Whether at home, work, or on-the-go, Speedify is the only VPN that makes your online experiences faster, more reliable, and more secure.
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