I'm a contract worker and often have downtime at my job, so I decided to bring my laptop to handle some non-work activities. However, while I can connect to the company's guest network, it's not secure, and I'm not comfortable using it for sensitive tasks. I've tried using my VPN but couldn't get it to connect, which makes me think the company is blocking it.
I then thought about using my phone as a hotspot since I have a mobile data allowance for that. My laptop connects to the hotspot, but I can't access the internet. I've attempted both Wi-Fi and USB tethering, but neither works at work. Oddly, the USB tethering works fine at home. My laptop runs Windows 11, and I use a Pixel 9 with GrapheneOS. I have a good 5G signal on my phone. Does anyone know what might be causing this?
I've also tried rebooting both devices, resetting my laptop's network adapter, turning off Wi-Fi before using USB tethering, and toggling airplane mode, yet nothing seems to help. I might buy a new USB cable just in case that's the issue.
3 Answers
It sounds like your phone might be trying to connect to the work Wi-Fi instead of using the cellular network. Make sure to disconnect from the work Wi-Fi before enabling the hotspot—sometimes phones prefer Wi-Fi if it’s available, even if it's not secure.
It’s possible that your workplace is blocking certain hotspot signals. If they have strict network policies, they could be filtering out unauthorized connections, even through USB. That said, wired connections like USB usually shouldn’t be blocked, so there's some confusion there.
That doesn't make sense if they are usb tethering though, that would be a wired connection and not WiFi right?
I didn't think it would be possible to block a wired signal.....?
Have you tried completely disabling the Wi-Fi on your phone? Turning off Wi-Fi before enabling the hotspot can help establish a better connection. Sometimes devices are a bit finicky with prioritizing networks.
I have already tried turning off WIFI and then turning on USB tethering.
I made sure to disconnect from my work's WIFI network first.