How do I connect my PC to the Internet using a 4G / 5G dongle?

When there's no Wi-Fi around, using a cellular dongle to access the Internet from your PC is a good solution. The connection speeds providers offer nowadays are more than enough for you to even enjoy video streaming. Actually, many times a 4G / 5G cellular data connection is faster than some Wi-Fi hotspots! Here are the steps to access the Internet through a 4G / 5G dongle.

Hardware requirements: 4G / 5G dongle

Step 1: Install your 4G / 5G dongle on your PC.

Connect the dongle through a USB port to your PC. If running Windows 10, it’s highly possible it will automatically set up the connection for you. In order to confirm this, click on the computer / Wi-Fi icon in the lower right area of the taskbar (systray) and check if a “Cellular” tile shows up.

If this doesn’t happen, make sure you run the installer program provided to you along with the 4G / 5G dongle. This may be directly on the dongle - check out “My Computer” / “This PC” for any CD / removable drives and run the setup program. You may be required to restart your PC after setting this up.

Step 2: Connect to the Internet using the dongle.

Make sure you run the proprietary software to connect to the Internet, if that exists. Usually it will be detected by your PC as a cellular connection or a Wi-Fi connection.

If you can’t connect, check to see if Windows installed a cellular adapter. Go to Network Connections (Windows key + X - “Network Connections”) and click on “Change adapter options” on the right. The 4G / 5G dongle should be listed there. If it’s not connected, click on “Diagnose this connection”.

If you still can’t connect to the Internet after troubleshooting this, contact your ISP / network provider.