Trouble with Internet Sharing on Win Phone? Try out this DIY solution

With the latest versions of Windows Phone consumers are able to make use of Internet Sharing, depending on carrier, device capabilities and allowance. But what if it doesn't work as planned? Many have encountered issues when attempting to connect to the Internet via a Windows Phone.

Devices are able to view and connect to the new access point created by the smartphone, but Internet access isn't available. Luckily, there are a few steps that should resolve the issue, thanks to folk at the Nokia forum and beyond. So what does one have to do to get Internet Sharing back up and working?

Solution 1 - update Access Point (Nokia only)

The first suggestion is to update Nokia Access Point settings (you can scan the QR codes in this thread to access the system app listing), but this doesn't always fix the problem, which leads us to the second step that can be carried out. If updating (or editing - if you know what you're doing) the settings app doesn't achieve anything, or if you're using a non-Lumia Windows Phone, be sure to check out APN settings. Moving on, captain.

Solution 2 - fiddle with APN connections

Essentially the second fix has the active APN connection reactivated through creating a dummy entry and switching between the two.

Only one connection should be present in the Access Point of the Settings, but adding a second entry (bypassing all the warnings that come with the setup process) would then present two entries. Switching to the newly created connection (select and hold > activate) would then disable the connection that was automatically entered using mobile operator data.

Now all that's left to do is reactivate the main APN entry again. Connecting a device to the Windows Phone will then be able to access the Internet through the smartphone. If this works out, then it's just an issue which required an APN reactivation, but if not then we'll have to look at other options. Have you encountered issues with Internet Sharing, have any of the steps above helped solve the problem? Let us know in the comments.

As usual, Windows Phone Central can't take any responsibility should your Windows Phone fall apart, or decides to take over the world.

Source: WPXbox

Rich Edmonds
Senior Editor, PC Build

Rich Edmonds was formerly a Senior Editor of PC hardware at Windows Central, covering everything related to PC components and NAS. He's been involved in technology for more than a decade and knows a thing or two about the magic inside a PC chassis. You can follow him on Twitter at @RichEdmonds.