Quick tethering question. I am trying to tether my iPad to the Slate 7 via USB port. I’ve tried both by battery and by plugging the Slate 7 directly into the wall for power supplies. Every time I use an iPad, I get the orange tether icon and a message on my iPad that it is “not charging”. I get that the Slate 7 might not be able to charge my iPads, but are they even connected? Does the orange icon mean there is a link? And does tethering really increase the connection between the router and the iPad, more so than via the WiFi / repeater connection?
disconnect all usb-cables cables from all devices
try to use usb.2.0 in the settings of Slate
try to geboot the Slate
try to reboot the iPad and check if the personal hot spot allows connections
reconnect the usb-cables (or try another cable)
iPad with a lightning port or iPad with usb-c port? iPads with a usb-c connector require 12W or more to run, which might be over the maximum power provided by the data port on the slate 7. If the slate 7 data port is overloaded, it’s going to be set in safe mode, disengaging data links to devices downstream.
I’ve tried 2 iPads. One with a lightning link, the other with c-port. I’ve tried it with the router plugged into a battery and with the router plugged directly into a wall outlet. Each time the icon shows orange. I unplug the iPads and the icon goes back to white. So there is a connection, just not a full one.
Also, the internet connection is from my home WiFi and not the iPads. They do not have hotspots. So the configuration is Slate 7 connected to home internet (Frontier) via WiFi, then the iPads tethered from the Slate 7. Is this a bad configuration?
Apple introduced a new feature starting from iOS 18. When wired charging power is below 7.5 W (which happens to be the maximum USB output of the Slate 7), and you open Settings and tap Battery, it will show orange to indicate a “slow charging” state.
If you want to confirm whether USB tethering is working properly, you can check it in the router’s admin panel under Internet → Tethering, where the status will be displayed.
Also, this feature is intended to provide network access to the router (so it can share the connection with other devices). If the Slate 7 is already connected to your home Wi-Fi, there’s no need to use USB tethering from the iPad to provide internet access.
Please also note that the USB port on the Slate 7 will only function when using the original power adapter or another power source that meets 9V/3A or 12V/2.5A specifications.
If your iPad is not a Wi-Fi + Cellular model, it does not support hotspot functionality and cannot provide a network connection to the Slate 7 via USB tethering.
Tethering is used to have the slate connect with a 4G/5G usb stick, not to give a usb network interface to your ipads as @will.qiu explained. You will have to connect the iPads to the Slate 7 routed 5Ghz wifi (the one shown as qr code in the screen) in order to make your setup work .
Thanks, all! I was testing it with my home WiFi. In practice, I’m trying to use it with a Starlink for outdoor sporting events (softball). My hope was to connect the router direct via Ethernet to the Starlink, which I’m able to do, and then connect the iPad to the router using tethering to have a stronger, all wired connection with the router versus a WiFi connection. The iPad will be my controlling device for streaming, so I’m wanting the strongest connection possible between the three devices.
You could test buying a certified Ethernet to lightning or usb-c adapter (depending on the iPad connector) and wire it up to the LAN port if you are really in contested spectrum.
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