Ask the Genie: can I use a mobile broadband dongle with a Nexus 7 and other tablets?

More conundrums from our forum, this time relating to mobile broadband on tablets - Aline wants to know if she can use a Vodafone dongle with an Android tablet:

“Purchased an Android tablet for my daughter who has no Internet connection at home so bought her a Vodafone dongle, but cannot get this to work. Took it to the Vodafone shop and they could not get it to work either. I just want to know, do dongles work with tablets?"

And Steve has a similar query:

“Hello, I’ve just got a Nexus 7. I’m not near any Wi-Fi spots but I’ve got a pay as you go O2 dongle, but I plug it in and nothing happens. Do I need to download an app to use it?”

This is a common question, and we expect to see it a lot more this year (no doubt a few of you got a high tech slate for Christmas).

The answer is...maybe?

It is sometimes possible to use a dongle with your tablets, however this is generally unsupported by the manufacturers and networks and can be technically tricky to accomplish.

The problem is that Android does not have native support for USB mobile broadband dongles, so when you plug it in your tablet has no idea what the dongle is or how to use it.

There is an app on the Google Play store called PPP Widget which claims to solve this problem, and there are numerous positive reviews claiming success, but you have no guarantee it will work with a particular tablet and dongle combination (good news for Steve though as it seems to work well with the Nexus 7).

PPP Widget is free so it can’t hurt to try, but it does require your tablet to be rooted (which means we get access to system files normally locked to users). The rooting method differs for each device; we have a guide to rooting the Nexus 7 and that’s very easy, otherwise you’ll need to Google for a rooting tutorial for your particular tablet.

If this isn’t possible, or PPP Widget does not work, then you could try searching to see if anyone else has managed to get a dongle working on your model. Unfortunately even if a solution does exist it is unlikely to be straightforward.

There are some easy alternatives, however.

If you know you’ll be using mobile broadband a lot and haven’t yet purchased a tablet, look for one with mobile data support. That way you can just drop in a SIM card and not have to worry about using a dongle.

One unusual choice if you go this route is the Archos G9 101 Turbo, an Android tablet which comes bundled with a USB dongle. The dongle slots seamlessly into a port on the back of the tablet, but also supports Windows and OSX so you can use it on laptop and desktop computers. 

If you already own a tablet which lacks 3G mobile broadband, consider a mobile Wi-Fi dongle (sometimes called a MiFi) rather than a USB model. These devices generate a Wi-Fi hotspot which allows anything with wireless networking support to connect to the internet, so it’ll work with absolutely any tablet including the Nexus 7 and iPad.

Another similar option is using the Wi-Fi hotspot function on your smartphone to turn it into a Wi-Fi dongle (what’s known as tethering). Since most smartphones from the last few years support this you may not need to purchase any new hardware.

Only thing to be careful of when doing this is that your mobile phone contract allows tethering; because it has the potential to use a lot more data it is often forbidden unless you pay an additional fee. Speak to your network provider to find out if this is allowed. A notable exception is the Three One Plan, which not only expressly permits tethering but has an unlimited data allowance, too.