How to Connect Your Android to an Ethernet Connection

Wireless internet is everywhere these days and understandably the first choice for most internet users thanks to the convenience it provides. However, the speed isn’t always consistent and there can be security issues at times. Especially if there are other people using the same Wi-Fi connection at the same time, it can be a little unreliable.

Therefore, there may be times when you want to use the fastest speed available for your Android device. Here we run through what you need and how to make this possible by following these easy steps. Here’s how to connect Android to an Ethernet connection.

What You Need

There are three essential things you need to connect your Android to an ethernet connection:

• Android device running Marshmallow 6.0.1: Released in October 2015, Android Marshmallow introduced new drivers that mean you can connect your Android device directly to an ethernet cable without having to root it. You can view the version you have by going to Settings> About Device. If you’ve got an older model, download Android Marshmallow first for the easiest way to connect.
• USB OTG cable: This stands for USB on-the-go and is a small cable that plugs into an Android micro USB port. Usually, this is used for copying files to external storage but can also be used for a LAN internet connection.
• USB to ethernet cable: The final component required is a USB to ethernet cable from RS Components. This is simply used for the final part of the connection to the wired internet.

How to Connect Android to Ethernet Connection

Connecting your Android to a wired ethernet connection is fairly simple once you’ve got all the parts you need. Start by connecting your ethernet cable to the USB to ethernet adapter, then connect this adapter to the USB OTG cable. Finally, connect the USB OTG cable to your phone and you’re pretty much done.

The ethernet icon should now pop up in the top right corner, and all your apps, browsers, games, downloads and more will start running through this. To check you’re getting the full internet speed, run a test speed if you want.

Issues with Connecting

If you’ve followed these steps but it doesn’t seem to be connecting properly, there are a few options worth trying. Put your phone in airplane mode first, as this is a requirement for some phones, while others may depend on the ROM. Otherwise, check that no essential drivers have been removed from the Android device, as this does happen and may affect the connection capability.

Connecting your Android to an ethernet connection should be quick and easy and get you working with the fastest internet speeds around.