If you need to bring your laptop online away from a Wi-Fi signal, you have to know how to tether. Here are the steps you need.

Tethering a phone to your laptop will help you stay connected to the world through internet, irrespective of your location.

Before using tethering, you must check that your cell phone service provider allows tethering and whether there is a charge. This will depend on your handset and your contract.

How do I connect my Samsung Android (v2.3) to my laptop in order to provide an internet connection? I don't have bluetooth on my laptop. I've got Verizon with a 4 GB/month plan.

But all things being equal, tethering apps like PDAnet and Tether didn't seem to consistently deliver the same speeds to my laptop that I could get on the phone alone. Want proof?

Happily, the iPhone can get you online anywhere you can get a mobile data signal. It's through a process called tethering – accessing the internet on your Mac or PC through your iPhone.

Let your smart phone deliver Internet access to your computer. It's called "tethering." Until last summer, when Verizon settled with the FCC for $1.25 million, tethering was costly.

Some phones allow for USB or Bluetooth tethering as an alternative to Wi-Fi, but both will still use your phone’s data connection, and the usual restrictions apply.

Simply connect your phone to your computer to get started. Once connected, navigate to the Hotspot & Tethering menu in the Android System popup. Toggle the USB Tethering option to On.