Multi-Phone USB Tethering: A Complete Guide

Enabling simultaneous USB tethering across several smartphones demands proper setup and compatible equipment



Since standard desktops and laptops offer few USB connections, a powered hub is often essential to support multiple devices



A non-powered hub may fail to deliver sufficient current; always use one with an external power source to maintain stable connections



Start with factory-certified or premium-grade USB cables for reliable performance



Before configuring tethering, confirm each cable supports both charging and data synchronization



Once all phones are connected, enable USB tethering on each device



Navigate to Settings > Network & Internet > Hotspot & Tethering on most Android models



Activate each phone’s USB tethering feature individually to avoid system confusion



Each activated phone appears as a separate Ethernet adapter on your computer



Windows and macOS can handle multiple network connections, but they may not automatically route traffic through all of them



To optimize performance, manually configure which connection takes precedence



In Windows, http://hackmd.io go to Network Connections, right click each USB Ethernet adapter, select Properties, then Internet Protocol Version 4, and click Advanced



The interface with the smallest metric value becomes the default route for internet traffic



Metric values are inverse: the smaller the number, the more preferred the connection



Duplicate adapter names can cause routing conflicts or connection drops



Temporarily disable and then re-enable each tethered interface to clear naming conflicts



Also, remember that each phone needs its own active cellular data plan



Tethering requires an active cellular signal and available data allowance



You can test if all connections are working by opening a web browser on the computer and checking the network status



Use network analyzers such as Wireshark or GlassWire to visualize which connections are transmitting data



Bandwidth doesn’t stack—each phone is capped by its own cellular network



Each phone is limited by its own cellular connection, and the computer will typically use one connection as primary unless you’re using specialized software to balance traffic across multiple connections



Enterprise users often deploy tools like Connectify Dispatch, Speedify, or iToolab GoVir



Such tools are complex and often demand network administration knowledge



Phones under prolonged data transfer stress may overheat or shut down unexpectedly



If you’re running this setup for extended periods, make sure all phones are adequately powered, preferably by connecting them to wall chargers while tethered



Review your data plan’s fine print—many carriers limit or penalize multi-device tethering