I’ve been using the Galaxy Z Flip 5 as a secondary phone since I bought it in 2023, but recently I’ve had to rethink how I use it, especially after its flex cable broke and caused it to shut down every time I folded it. Spending hundreds of dollars on repairs didn’t make much sense when I was already using the iPhone 16 Pro Max as my daily driver. At the same time, I didn’t want to throw away a phone that was still working perfectly the entire time I left it on.
So I decided to use it as a dedicated hotspot device. I already had a SIM card in it and I was paying for a mobile plan anyway, so there wasn’t much point in letting it sit there doing nothing. You could argue that I could just use my iPhone, but I wouldn’t want to drain its battery and charge it multiple times a day. Having a second phone always ready to keep my computer online has proven useful several times over the past year, especially since my ISP provides scheduled maintenance every month during periodic outages.
Wi-Fi hotspot
The easiest way to share my mobile data
I know it’s no surprise that most of you find this at the top of my list because it’s the easiest way to easily get back online when there’s a sudden outage or a scheduled maintenance window. I don’t have to hunt for cables, and since my phone is almost always on my desk, I just Settings -> Connections -> Mobile Hotspot & Connection and turn it on Mobile Hotspot. After a few seconds, it appears in the list of available Wi-Fi networks on my computer, just like it does on my home router.
I use it so often that I don’t even need to manually enter the password anymore. That is, I configured the hotspot to prioritize performance over compatibility It uses the 5GHz band instead of 2.4GHz. Since my phone sits next to my computer, I don’t need the extra range that 2.4GHz provides. In fact, I also use this method to get my iPad and MacBook online when my fiber connection goes down. Being able to connect almost any device that supports Wi-Fi without connecting to any network is a real advantage here.
USB tethering
When I care about latency, the cable doesn’t hurt
While a wireless hotspot is incredible for convenience, there are times when I just want to avoid Wi-Fi. For example, if my internet goes down while I’m playing AssessmentI am not going to use the mobile hotspot feature on my phone. Of course, this will still allow me to go online and play the game, but I noticed my ping is about 7-10ms higher compared to USB connection. That’s the last thing I want when trying to rank, because every millisecond counts when you’re playing competitively.
So I’d rather spend an extra minute picking up a USB cable than dealing with higher ping for the entire game. First of all, it is not difficult to set up. All I have to do is enable the USB connection under the same Mobile Hotspot and Tethering menu and Windows recognizes it as a wired network connection almost immediately. If I’m just trying to get my desktop back online, plugging in the cable isn’t really a substitute. Plus, I can use a Wi-Fi hotspot at the same time to get my iPad or MacBook online if needed.
Ethernet tethering
An unconventional option that many people don’t know about
Admittedly, I almost never use this method because it’s no different than USB except that you need a USB-C to Ethernet adapter and an Ethernet cable. I know there’s no need to complicate things when a single USB cable does the same job. But what if the device doesn’t have a USB-C port or doesn’t support USB connectivity? Sure, I could just use a Wi-Fi hotspot, but if I’d rather stick with a wired connection, Ethernet tethering is a surprisingly affordable alternative.
For example, my LG C8 OLED TV is one device where an Ethernet connection actually makes sense, since a USB connection is not an option. I can simply plug my phone into the TV’s Ethernet port and continue streaming without relying on Wi-Fi. I can’t remember the last time I used this method because it’s so inconvenient, but I still like knowing I have an option. you can find USB-C to Ethernet adapters At as low as $10, this is a pretty cheap accessory to keep in the rare case.
That’s why I haven’t traded in my old phone yet
I mainly used it as an NFC wallet until the Z Flip 5’s flex cable started causing problems when folding and unfolding it. Even after I got the iPhone, I never had to worry about trading it in because it still worked perfectly, along with the folding mechanism. I don’t want it gathering dust so it can still do something useful, like help me stay online when my ISP decides to ruin my evening. I’ll probably continue to use it as my dedicated hotspot device until the battery dies.
