Increase Starlink Bandwidth and Reduce Latency by Combining with a Tethered iPhone on Mac
You may ask yourself why use two Internet sources at the same time, like Starlink and a tethered iPhone.
In this guide you will learn how to use your Starlink satellite Internet connection via Wi-Fi together with a tethered iPhone for better Internet.
Speedify bonds your Starlink with another Starlink, 4G/5G cellular, cable, DSL and splits traffic across them. If Starlink drops mid-call or mid-transfer, Speedify fails over to your remaining connections instantly.
NOTE: For best results, use internet connections from different sources. Joining one router over both Ethernet and Wi-Fi won't help.
Most Starlink users already run a second connection.
From a sample of 6,228 Starlink users on Speedify, 71% ran at least one other internet connection while using Starlink. Cellular is the most common choice of backup connection.
What they pair with
4 Steps to Combine Starlink Internet and Tethered iPhone on a Mac
Step 1: Connect to Your Starlink Wi-Fi Hotspot
First - make sure you setup your Starlink according to the instructions you received in the package. This includes setting up your new Starlink Wi-Fi network, along with your password.
Click the Wi-Fi icon in the menu bar. (If Wi-Fi is off, choose "Turn Wi-Fi on.") Select the Wi-Fi hotspot associated with your Starlink connection and enter the password to connect.
Step 2: Enable Personal Hotspot on Your iPhone
A Personal Hotspot lets you share the cellular data connection of your iPhone or iPad with other devices via Wi-Fi, USB, or Bluetooth.
Go to Settings > Cellular > Personal Hotspot or Settings > Personal Hotspot and flip the switch to on.
From this screen you can verify the name of the phone (which will be used as the Wi-Fi name/SSID) as well as configure the password.
NOTE: If you don't see the option for Personal Hotspot, contact your carrier to make sure that you can use Personal Hotspot with your plan.
Step 3: Connect the iPhone to Your Mac via USB
Connect your iPhone or iPad to your Mac with a USB cable. If you see an alert on your iPhone or iPad that says “Trust This Computer?” tap Trust.
Next, visit System Preferences, click Network, then select iPhone USB/iPad USB from the list on the left. In the right pane deselect the “Disable unless needed” checkbox under Status.
Step 4: Download and Install Speedify
Last but certainly not least, download and install Speedify. Once running, Speedify will automatically detect your Starlink connection and any other 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 Pair & Share 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.
When using Starlink Internet, Speedify is the only VPN that makes your online experiences faster, more reliable, and more secure.
Alex and the Speedify team are always exploring the latest in networking and security technology—like 5G, 6G, WiFi 7, laser and satellite internet—and sharing it in new discussion content across YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and LinkedIn every week.
Got a tech question? Let's go deeper! Pop into Speedify Office Hours live every Wednesday at 10 AM Eastern. Speedify CEO Alex Gizis and our network engineers are standing by to break down your questions about networks, tech updates, and Speedify features.
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