Tethering Laptop to Phone

I can get my laptop to my phone by wifi but is a bit laborious getting it to connect.  Normally involves turning hotspot off and on on the phone and the wifi on and off on the computer before it recognises the phone network.

I do have a separate TP link portable which normally connects first time but it seems a bot extravagant paying for 2 unlimited data sim cards.

thanks

I just thether my phone by physically connecting it to the laptop.
Is this easier than using WiFi?

Step 1: enable hotspot on phone (in my Pixel that’s two swipe downs and a click – I could reduce that to one swipe down and a click if I was using it more frequently)

Step 2: select WiFi network in Windows settings (taskbar)

I guess Step 1 could be skipped if the phone Hotspot was permanently enabled.

Step 2 could be avoided by setting the Hotspot up as the preferred network in Windows.

Scotroutes you sir are a genius – Step 2 has just made my life complete!

Thanks Bruce but I could do without another lead – especially a USB-C to Lightening.

Thank you gentlemen have a lovely weekend

take all that back.  As soon as the  computer goes to sleep in reverts back to an old Preferred Network

Windows? Are you sure you’re checking the connect automatically box? Off the top of my head I can’t remember what the Max equivalent is.

https://www.elevenforum.com/t/change-wi-fi-network-connection-priority-order-in-windows-11.13552/

Give your phone hot spot the same name and password as your home WiFi. The laptop can’t tell the difference and will just treat them as one and the same. The only time this will not work is tethering at home as the networks will clash, but then if home WiFi is available you don’t need to tether.

Doing this also means you don’t need to configure any device that you use at home to work with your phone.

I just tether tablet to phone as a hotspot.  Only issue is if I reboot phone it defaults to hotspot being off, so just turn it back on.

Shows how slow my phone is compared to tablet, will have to upgrade soon.

Deleted all banking apps on phone, put them on tablet, so if I lose phone not much to lose.

Give your phone hot spot the same name and password as your home WiFi.

Came here to say this, bonus is any home device can then use hotspot without additional set up, like Chromecast, when away I plug it in any TV > Hotspot > Cast.