If you're in a place with no Wi-Fi and need to use your laptop/PC to access the web, there are a few solutions.
1. You can use the Wi-Fi hotspot function on your smartphone.
2. You can use Bluetooth to tether your smartphone to your laptop.
3. You can use direct connection via a USB-A cable. For Android phones, this is typically either a USB-A to USB-C or USB-A to Micro USB cable. For iPhone, this is the USB-A to Lightning cable.
With some ZMI battery packs, including the ZMI PowerPack 20K USB PD Backup Battery & Hub, you can use the USB hub mode or adapter mode feature to charge your laptop and phone while creating a direct connection for USB tethering.
Steps
Here's how you can do this. You'll need a ZMI battery pack that supports USB Hub mode or USB adapter mode. You'll also need a USB-C to USB-C cable, your smartphone's cable, and access to mobile data.
1. Connect the battery pack to the laptop. You can do this by plugging one end of the USB-C to USB-C cable into the USB-C port of the battery pack and the other end into your laptop's USB-C port.
2. Connect your smartphone to the battery pack. Plug the USB-A end of your smartphone's cable into the battery pack, then plug the other end into your smartphone.
3. Turn on Hub/USB adapter mode. To do this, double press the side button of the battery pack.
4. Now your smartphone and laptop should be connected.
5. Turn on Personal Hotspot or USB tethering on your smartphone. For Android, go to Settings > More Networks > Tethering. For iPhone, go to Settings > Personal Hotspot. Make sure USB Tethering or Personal Hotspot is enabled. If not, tap the checkbox or toggle to turn it on.
6. Go to the list of connected devices on your laptop. This should be called Network Settings or Network. When you connect your phone and turn on USB tethering, it should automatically connect and start providing Internet access. To check, look at the list of available networks in your network settings. There should be something called either "Remote NDIS based Internet Sharing Device" or the device name (i.e., "John's iPhone").
Benefits
Here are some of the benefits of this setup.
An alternative to Wi-Fi hotspot and Bluetooth. Tethering is not affected by electromagnetic interference. Tethering may provide better security and privacy protection.
ZMI's battery pack in hub mode will keep both the phone and laptop/PC powered (if the latter supports charging via USB-C port). At a minimum, the phone will not drain the laptop/PC’s battery.
Tethering a phone to a laptop/PC to extend Internet connectivity can be useful, but might drain either the phone or the laptop/PC’s battery. A battery pack with USB adapter/hub mode can mitigate the battery drain.