Set up over USB#
PrismDesk has no separate USB mode. What you do is turn on USB tethering on the Android device: the cable becomes a network the PC is on, and everything else works exactly as it does over Wi-Fi.
Use it when the Wi-Fi is crowded, when you would rather not be on Wi-Fi at all, or when the tablet needs to charge anyway.
Turning USB tethering on#
Plug the device into the PC first. On most Android devices the switch cannot be turned on until a cable is attached.
| Device | Where the switch is |
|---|---|
| Google Pixel 9 | Settings → Network & internet → Hotspot & tethering → USB tethering |
| Lenovo Idea Tab Pro | Settings → Additional connections → Tethering → USB tethering |
| Anything else | Search the system settings for USB tethering. It is usually under tethering or hotspot. |
The app helps here: under Other ways to connect (address, USB), the connection screen shows "USB tethering: on (hosts over USB are searched too)" or "USB tethering: off. Turn it on in the system settings to connect over a cable." with an Open settings button that jumps straight to the tethering screen. From that jump you land one level in — Hotspot & tethering → USB tethering on a Pixel.
Then tap Search again in the app. The PC appears the same way it does over Wi-Fi.
What changes#
| Wi-Fi can be off. | The connection keeps working over the cable. |
| Connecting over Wi-Fi stops working while tethering is on. | The PC is reached over the cable instead. |
| Charging still works. | You can use the tablet over USB and charge it at the same time. |
| On a laptop, turning on USB tethering can drop the laptop's own Wi-Fi connection. | Windows may prefer the new connection. If the laptop needs Wi-Fi for other things, this is the trade. |
If it does not connect#
- Check that USB tethering is actually on. It switches itself off when the cable is unplugged, and it stays off when you plug the cable back in.
- Tap "Search again" in the app.
- If it still hangs, suspect a VPN first. During development a VPN on the PC had to be disabled before anything would connect — over the cable as much as over Wi-Fi.
- If none of that helps, the problem is more likely on the PC side than in the cable: look at Readiness on the host's Connection tab, and see Troubleshooting for what else hides a host. If you still cannot connect, open an issue with the diagnostics attached.
See also: Set up over Wi-Fi · Troubleshooting · Known issues