Android devices are known for their USB and Wi-Fi tethering abilities—rooted or unrooted—which comes in handy for those that travel and need internet on their laptops in areas that don't have any Wi-Fi networks available, but have a strong cellular signal.
And tethering via USB is pretty much everybody's preferred method, since it provides faster speeds compared to Wi-Fi tethering. Plus, your phone is constantly being charged, whereas Wi-Fi tethering drains your phone's battery.
While USB tethering your Android device to a Windows-based laptop is pretty easy, Mac users were required to root their phones in order to get the faster, more stable USB tethering to work. But not anymore. Now there's a new Android app on the market that lets you connect your un-rooted device to your MacBook for easy web access without any hiccups.
HoRNDIS, (pronounced horrendous) is a driver created by Joshua Wise for Mac OS X users with 10.6.8 and above. It allows you to use your Android smartphone's native USB tethering mode to gain internet access—without rooting.
How to Use HoRNDIS on Your Mac for USB Tethering
To get started, first download the latest binary package of HoRNDIS from Github. Follow the instructions in the installer. Once installed...
- Connect your Android phone to your Mac via USB cable.
- Go the settings menu on your phone.
- In the connections section, select "More…".
- Select "Tethering & Portable Hotspot".
- Check the "USB tethering" box.
If everything worked out okay, your device should now become available in Mac OS X's network menu.
HoRNDIS has been tested extensively on the Samsung Galaxy Nexus running Android Jelly Bean, but is reported to work just fine with other Android devices, such as the Samsung Galaxy S, S2 and S3 as well as the new LG Nexus 4.
Try out your phone and let us know if it works!
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13 Comments
worked like a charm...awesome
Worked for me as well (HTC Desire - Cyanogenmod 7.2) - Thanks!
when I check 'USB Tethering' it says I need to call my provider to enable USB Tethering?
Works on Note 2.
Does it work with Sprint? Hope so...
I don't have my Mac to test, but I'm going to try it out. But I CAN say without a doubt that NOTHING WORKS WITH SPRINT. On recent trip south, I got a whopping 0.37 Mbps down / 0.41Mbps up!! This was a new galaxy s3!! I'd be shocked if this works with Sprint
Hrmm, thats weird. I know In AZ where im at, I've topped at 7.8MBPS on my Note2 with 4GLTE, and Im not even in a big City.
Try Updating your PRL and all that stuff :) Might help out.
have galaxy s3 but do not have 'connectionc' option in settings
have Android 4.1.2
help.
Sadly it worked after I installed the driver might be because phone was using wifi I have sprint using a galaxy note II so I'm going to update my prl. I hope this works sprint is notorious for not allowing you to share the connection without paying.
Don't use third party apps.. they might be knowing what are you browsing..
I was looking for the same ... but I think bluetooth tethering is better and secure.
I connected my Mac 10.10 with Android's internet using Bluetooth.. and further shared my bluetooth's connection to all of my home Internet wifi enabled devices... :)
I could use my device's wifi too but, by Macbook has longer range then device...
Fantastic. I love it when things work correctly the first time with no hidden tricks, and this fit the bill. Almost TOO easy to use! :) Thanks for the link.
Im having as issue installing this on my iMac G3 running OS X 10.3.9... It keeps saying bill of materials not found...its doing it for all versions. any work arounds?
It's known to only work with 10.6.8 (Snow Leopard) through 10.10 (Yosemite) right now.
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