Why is my laptop so slow when using smartphone as a hotspot?

My guess would be driver issue or WiFi radio in laptop is not capable of high speeds (cheap Wal-Mart unit). I've had no difference in speed using the hot spot on my phone with my laptop(Samsung Chonos series 7) or work tablet(Samsung Galaxy Tab).

 

Your phone will charge form the usb port of your computer if teathered

 

C;early for the OP its not wah lah, Unless he has like windows 95, all drivers should install automatically. theoredicaly wifi is faster then th einternet and thus is fast enough. In reality, that not always the case since the phones wifi boradcast just isnt that powerfull

 

first of all try using different browsers. I have 3 different browsers and they all handle the incoming data differently. firefox handles more steady than chrome for example.

 

all drivers don't install automatically. most things bought AFTER the operating system was produced and released won't have drivers. till the next operating system comes out. they weren't produced yet so how can you have drivers. they also won't contain drivers for many things in the past. for instance, i run win7. there's NO drivers to run my usb gps receiver bought back in 2000. it was sold with msft streets. i also can't use my usb bluetooth dongles bought in 05. no drivers. or software.

msft MAY have generic drivers. and sometimes they work. most times they don't.

wifi is not faster then wire. signal bouncing around the airwaves will not be faster then a straight conductor. and phones wifi is plenty powerful. if you get a chance. and can tether. use the websight speedtest.net. you'll find you speed twice as fast or faster through wire then wireless.

as for the op. i think he stated he has a chromebook. most of us won't have an answer for him. as we don't run a linux operating system.

 

all my laptops are cheap walmart units. wifi never been a problem.

 

No, he was looking into a Chromebook. He currently has an HP that's over a year old.

 

I wasn't suggesting that all usb devices dont need drivers, but most phones will auto install if set to teather mode when plugged in. Also, OS generaly update all the time to get the latest driver updates after they are reliced. GPS units have mroe specific drivers and are not as compatible as phones. For win 7, a lot of older devices wont work, although things like phones are almost always compatible.

 

Try setting your hotspot to broadcast on a different channel.

 

the updates are big fixes. and slow your computer down. i keep mine turned off. and only install service packs. i don't like waiting 15 minutes before my computer is actually useable.