How to Combine a 4G LTE Dongle and Tethered Android on Your Mac
Get More Bandwidth on Your Mac. Bond a 4G LTE Cellular Dongle with a Tethered Android Smartphone
If you’ve got a 3G / 4G LTE cellular USB dongle and an Android smartphone available, why waste one of them? Use them both at the same time on your Mac with a channel bonding app like Speedify.
Speedify is the only app that combines your wifi, 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.
3 Steps to Combine a 4G LTE Dongle with a Tethered Android Phone on a Mac Using Speedify
Step 1: Connect your USB Cellular Adapter to your Mac
Connect your Cellular Adapter to a USB port on your Mac. Some Cellular adapters require the use of proprietary dialer software to connect to the Internet. Be sure to follow the manufacturers installation and operating instructions closely.
To confirm your connection status, visit System Preferences, click Network, and look for your new adapter in the list on the left.
Step 2: Connect your Android device to your Mac and enable USB tethering
In order to get your Mac to properly interface with your Android device’s USB tethering mode, you’ll need to install some additional software.
INSTALL THIRD-PARTY DRIVER
HoRNDIS is a driver for macOS that allows you to use your Android device's native USB tethering mode to get Internet access. Download and installation instructions can be found here.
HoRNDIS support for macOS Catalina (v10.15) is still in beta.
ENABLE USB TETHERING
Once installed, connect your Android to your Mac using a USB cable. A notification will show at the top of the screen on your Android device - swipe down from the top of the screen > Touch and hold Hotspot > Turn on USB tethering.
Need help with this step? Visit Google’s knowledge base to learn more.
Next, on your Mac visit System Preferences, click Network, then select your Android device from the list on the left. In the right pane deselect the “Disable unless needed” checkbox under Status.
Please note that when USB tethering an Android phone, if that phone is connected to Wi-Fi, the tethering will share the Wi-Fi connection and not the cellular connection. In order to use the cellular connection from your Android phone into the mix, enable mobile data and turn off Wi-Fi on your smartphone.
NOTE: Some mobile carriers limit or charge extra for tethering. We recommend checking with your carrier. Additionally, Some of these steps work only on Android 9 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.
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.
Download Speedify
Speedify is the only app that combines your wifi, cellular, wired, and even your friend’s phone signals – 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.
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