How to Connect Your Tablet to the Internet Without WiFi

Today, most of the people in our world are connected to the Internet in some way, some people more than others, but the Internet today is a necessity, not a simple luxury.

Has it ever happened to you that you’re connected to the Internet using your tablet PC, either working online, reading some news or downloading a video, and suddenly you lose the WiFi signal?

Whether you’re connected to a WiFi network in your home or at a friend’s house, or connected to a public network, this can sometimes be quite annoying and problematic…

But did you know that there are different methods to have Internet on your tablet without a permanent WiFi connection in your home, for example?

Well, here we’ve a list for you with the best methods to learn how to get internet on a tablet without WiFi; only safe and proven methods, and some are even totally free. Let’s see.

What You Need To Connect A Tablet To The Internet Without Wifi

Share a phone’s data connection

If you’ve a data plan on your phone or you’re with someone who has a data connection on their mobile, in case you need the connection urgently, you can share the connection of the smartphone with your tablet. This is called “tethering”.

How to Connect Your Tablet to the Internet Without WiFi

It’s a very simple process and you’ll consume only data as if you were browsing with the phone as you usually do. Some words may vary a bit, depending on the Android version of the phone, but in general it’s as follows:

  • “Settings” or “Configuration”.
  • “Network options”.
  • “Anchor to network and portable zone” or “Access point”.
  • “WiFi Zone” or “Activate Access Point”.
  • Look for the option “Configure WiFi zone” or similar.

There you can change the network name and password. Once you do this, you have to select “Save” and “Activate WiFi zone”.

Then you look for the username or network name on your tablet and access with the password you wrote. Done!

This is one of the fastest and safest method because it’s a private WiFi network, so this reduces the risk of suffering a hacker attack.

Use a SIM card in your own tablet

Actually, it’s possible to find in the market some tablet PCs capable of using a SIM card. This is a very useful feature for some people who use their devices while traveling.

The best part of the story is that these tablets are usually unlocked, so they accept the SIM card of any operator – perfect if you need to go to another country.

Right now, you can find 4G and 5G tablets on the market and in general, the connection speed is quite good. Naturally, these tablets can also be a bit more expensive than other models without SIM card capability, but the convenience of not having to carry anything else with you is worth it. Another one of the best methods to have Internet on your tablet without WiFi.

Using a WiFi Dongle device

Depending on the type of tablet you have, you can also consider using a Dongle.

This is a small device similar to a USB flash drive that you can connect to another mobile device such as a smartphone, desktop or laptop PC, or even another tablet.

This allows the Internet connection of such devices to be shared to several devices at the same time.

Some dongles work in wireless mode, while others additionally support connectivity through an Ethernet cable, so you can connect them to your tablet through the USB Type-C or Micro USB port.

Most of these dongles come with a “plug and play” interface, which doesn’t require much effort to have them configured and running quickly, since the operating system of the emitting device takes care of everything!

This is another pretty safe and accessible method that can also improve the connection speed, as long as the emitting device has a fast broadband connection. Also, dongle devices are quite inexpensive.

Use a mobile router as Hotspot

This is a good option when you’re traveling outside of your country and you know that you won’t have access to the Internet on a regular basis.

Basically, it’s a router that works as a mobile WiFi access point (hotspot), but for it to work you need a SIM card from the country you are in – which you can buy without major problems. So you can connect your tablet via a wireless and/or USB connection.

This isn’t a free option, however, it can be very cheap if you travel with other people, since they can all pay for the connection too. In addition, you’ll save all the headaches of looking for a WiFi connection at all times!

Bear in mind that your travel router must be “unlocked”, so that you can put any SIM card in it. There are currently two types:

  • 4G/5G routers, which are big and powerful. They’re very useful to use in a rental house, for example, because you must connect them to the electrical network.
  • On the other hand, we’ve portable routers, known as “MyFi”. They’re smaller, so you can take them everywhere. They’re also rechargeable, although somewhat less powerful.

WiFi Map

Now we’re entering into the field of software.

There are apps that function as a kind of database of WiFi access points – both free and paid – and WiFi Map is one of the most popular.

It’s very good for those who are looking for applications to travel without internet. This app will show you a map with more than 6 million access points all around the world!

With this app you’ve an offline world map where you can locate yourself thanks to your device’s GPS. You’ll see on the map the network access points that are close to you, with passwords and additional tips for use. You can also use it without having an Internet connection.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re in Europe, the United States, Latin America, Asia or Russia; you can connect to any alternative WiFi network if your normal WiFi connection fails.

Use the Facebook app

Did you know that with the Facebook app you can find WiFi networks easily and quickly, without downloading anything else?

If you want to locate a coffee shop, a restaurant or a place with an open WiFi network nearby, open the Facebook app and go to the “Menu” option. You’ll see a series of options, then click on “Show more”.

Then another list will open where you’ll see the phrase “Search WiFi”.

Tap on “Search WiFi” and you’ll see all the nearby places that have free and open WiFi connection. Easy, right?

Instabridge

Instabridge is a free application for Android and iOS that works very similar to WiFi Map.

Here you’ve a database with access points, but it’s the same app users who provide the passwords for connections from different places, cafes and restaurants so that anyone can have access to them. In fact, anyone can contribute with the expansion of this password network!

Instabridge doesn’t require any prior configuration on your tablet, you just download the app and you can start using it. Instabridge doesn’t hack any network nor it’s an app to unblock WiFi, so you don’t need to worry about that.

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How to Recover Your WiFi Connection on Your Android Phone or Tablet

In many cases, after having configured a WiFi network in our home or in a friend’s house, it may happen that the WiFi connection fails, leaving us without Internet on our devices.

Well, in most of the cases this is due to minor problems that can be solved with relative ease and speed. Let’s see.

Reset the devices

One of the most frequent problems is related to bad router operation, and a quick possible solution is to restart both the router and your Android tablet.

In the case of your tablet, all you need to do is hold down the power button for a few seconds until the “Restart” option appears on the screen.

In the case of the router, some models come with a button that allows you to restart them, while in other cases you must simply turn them off for at least 30 seconds for the same effect.

In most cases this trick works!

Reconfigure the router

Sometimes it can also happen that the WiFi modem or router is causing the problem. In that case you can try the following:

On your tablet, run a web browser and in the address bar and enter the following: http://192.168.1.1/.

In the “web page” that appears, look for one of the modem or router options that says something like “Return to factory settings” or similar.

This action will restore the modem or router to its default values, with which you’ll be eliminating any problems due to a bad configuration.

Regarding the reconfiguration of the router, don’t worry, since most modern models include a kind of automated guide for this process, so it does almost everything by itself!

Reset the IP address

Sometimes it can also happen that there is a small problem with the IP address assigned to the router, so you’ll have to reset it.

For this, look for the WiFi section in “Settings”, select the connected WiFi network and then the “Forget” option. Now touch the same WiFi network again, enter the password and click “Connect”. It’s done!

Change the DNS

“Domain Name System” or DNS is a system that converts any domain name to the corresponding IP address.

Sometimes problems related to the IP address can be solved by simply changing the IP of our device to the Google’s IP, that is, 8.8.8.8 or 8.8.4.4.

To do this, go to “Settings”, “Network and Internet”. Then tap on the current WiFi network.

Look for the option “Modify network”, then “Advanced” and “IP settings”.

By default it’ll be DHCP and you must change it to “Static”.

You’ll see some fields where you must enter 8.8.8.8 in “DNS1” and 8.8.4.4. in “DNS2”. Finally, save the changes to apply the new settings.

FAQ

Is it possible to connect to the Internet without having a contract with a provider?

It’s possible by accessing through public and/or free networks or by sharing other people’s data connection. But none of these options will give you a connection 100% of the times, although they are useful options for emergency moments.

Is there a way to hack the network and have unlimited Internet?

On the Web you can find websites claiming that they offer this possibility, but it’s better to stay away from these sites since it’s some kind of scam almost 100% for sure.

Why is the Internet not free?

Internet is free, the problem is that to use it, you’ve to pay for the infrastructure necessary for accessing it.

As an example, water is also free, but would you go to the sea or a river to directly drink its water?

No. For this, you pay a company that is in charge of purifying the water and distributing it so that we can all drink it without problems, and in the comfort of our home.

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