How to share your Android WiFi connection over Bluetooth

What can you do if you want to get your laptop online but you only seem to be able to pick up a wifi signal on your phone? What about if you want to get multiple devices online, but only want to pay to connect one? There is a solution - you can share your phone's WiFi connection to more phones, tablets and computers using Bluetooth so other devices can get online. Here's our guide on how to share your Android phone's WiFi connection over Bluetooth.

If you don’t have access to a wireless internet connection, it's easy to share your phone's data connection to other devices so you can get them online. But it's a slightly different story if you're looking to share a single internet connection between multiple devices.

Share WiFi over Bluetooth

Get your phone online using a WiFi connection and you're then ready to configure the connection for sharing over Bluetooth. It's a great way to get multiple devices online if you happen to be in a coffee shop or other location that issues codes for getting connected to the internet and you want to keep the costs down. Sharing a wireless signal via Bluetooth is also a good option if you are having trouble getting a particular phone or computer connected to the network in the usual way.

To share your phone's wireless connection, start by enabling Bluetooth. 

Once you are connected, head straight to Settings and move to the Connections section. Under the Network connections heading, click More networks and then tap Tethering and portable hotspot.

Bluetooth tethering is a simple way to share your phone's internet connection. 

Enable the Bluetooth tethering option by ticking the box. You'll see a warning that Bluetooth visibility needs to be adjusted.

Before other devices can connect to your phone, you need to make sure it's visible. 

Open up Settings, make sure that Bluetooth is enabled, and then tap the Bluetooth link in the Connections section. Tick the box next to the name of your phone to make it visible to other devices.

Enable Bluetooth on another device and you can connect to the internet via your phone. 

With this done, you can then use the Bluetooth capabilities of your laptop, tablet or other device to connect to your phone and make use of its internet connection. To connect a Windows computer, open Devices and Printers in the Control Panel, right click the icon representing your phone and select Connect using > Access point and you're ready to start browsing the internet.