How to Connect Your PS4 to the Internet Using Your Phone's Data Plan

An Introduction to Connecting Your PS4 Without WiFi or Wired Internet

Are you trying to play games online with your PS4 but don’t have access to a WiFi network or Ethernet cable? Don’t worry, there is still a way to get an internet connection on your PS4 using just your phone and its mobile data plan. In this guide, I will outline the step-by-step process to share your phone’s internet connection with your PS4 to allow online gaming and app usage without any other internet sources.

Equipment and Software Needed

To connect your PS4 to the internet using your phone’s data plan, you will need the following:

• A Windows or Mac computer capable of tethering and internet connection sharing
• PDAnet software installed on your computer for managing tethering and internet sharing
• A Micro USB cable to connect your phone to your computer
• An Ethernet cable (strongly recommended but optional) to connect your PS4 to your computer
• A smartphone with an active mobile data plan Make sure your computer meets the minimum requirements for running PDAnet, which is available for both Windows and Mac operating systems. An Ethernet cable allows for a more stable wired connection compared to wireless but is not required if you prefer using a WiFi hotspot instead.

  Setting Up Internet Connection Sharing on Your Computer

  To begin, open your computer’s network settings either through Control Panel on Windows or System Preferences on Mac. First, we need to enable internet connection sharing using PDAnet. On Windows, this involves opening the PDAnet app and clicking “Internet Connection Sharing”. For Mac, you need to choose “Set Service Order” and move PDAnet to the top of the list. Next, select whether you want to share your internet connection over your computer’s Ethernet or wireless network card. Ethernet is preferred for stability but either option will work. Make a note of the name of your shared network, which you’ll need to connect devices like your PS4 later.

  Connecting Your Phone for Tethered Internet Access

  Now that your computer is configured to share its internet connection, it’s time to connect your phone to act as the internet source. Plug your phone into your computer using the provided USB cable, ensuring it is set to USB tethering or PTP (Picture Transfer Protocol) mode. You should see your phone appear as a network drive on your computer. Test that internet is working by opening a web browser on your computer. If all is well, your computer is now gaining internet access directly from your phone’s data plan. Leave your phone connected at this point.

  Connecting Your PS4 via Ethernet Cable for Wired Access

  With internet successfully running to your computer, it’s now time to connect your PS4. Plug one end of an Ethernet cable into your computer’s network port and the other end into your PS4. On your PS4, navigate to Settings > Network > Set Up Internet Connection. Choose “Use Wired Connection” and then “Easy” set up. Select the name of your computer’s shared network and enter the automatically generated password when prompted. After a few moments, your PS4 should now have an internet connection courtesy of your phone’s data plan without using WiFi at all.

  Connecting Your PS4 Wirelessly via a Mobile Hotspot

  If you don’t have or want to use an Ethernet cable, you can also connect your PS4 wirelessly using your computer as a mobile hotspot. First, open the Command Prompt on your Windows computer or Terminal on Mac. Type “netsh wlan set hostednetwork mode=allow ssid= key=" replacing the placeholders with your shared network name and password. This will turn on internet connection sharing via WiFi. On your PS4, select the same shared wireless network you used earlier from the list of available connections. After entering the password, your PS4 should now be connected to the internet via your computer's wireless hotspot instead of a wired Ethernet connection.

  Troubleshooting Common Connection Issues

  Connecting your PS4 this way does add some complexity that could lead to issues. First things first - make sure your PS4 is set as your primary/active console so it can connect online. Beyond that, try restarting your router, phone, computer and PS4 if problems arise. Some things to check are that your phone is still tethered, internet sharing is still enabled, and firewall settings aren’t blocking the connection. Issues persisting after resets may require contacting Sony support for guidance on console network settings. Be prepared to provide your setup details to help troubleshoot where the problem lies.

  Wrapping Up the Guide

  With this guide, you’ve learned how to use your mobile phone’s data plan as an internet source for your PS4 without requiring a WiFi network or wired Ethernet cable. The steps involve configuring internet connection sharing on your computer, connecting your phone for tethered internet access, and then either wired or wireless connection from your computer to the PS4. While adding some complexity, this method does allow you to get online gaming and usage wherever you have phone signal. Just keep your phone tethered and you’ll have internet for your PS4 wherever you go. I hope this guide helped provide a solution for connecting your PS4 without other wired internet sources available. Let me know if you have any other questions!