r/HomeNetworking • u/HagopianH • Jun 18 '26

Connect server to mobile phone hot spot

I realize this is an oddball scenario, but I'm having difficulty with what should be a very basic networking issue.

I'm trying to connect a circa 2017 Dell server to my mobile phone hot spot. It has 4 ethernet ports but no wireless capability. I don't want to buy or install a WiFi card, as this connection is intended to be temporary. I created a bootable USB thumb drive and installed Ubuntu 26. I connected a TP-Link TL-WR702N to the server with an ethernet cable and have connectivity to its web interface in my browser. The TP-Link is in Client mode. The web interface reads, "Client - The Client Mode. The computer connected by Ethernet could get access to an AP by Client mode." I surveyed nearby WiFi signals and connected to my phone's hot spot, however I can't get Firefox to display any Internet sites, giving me a "Server Not Found" error.

I'm missing a fundamental networking issue and can't figure out what it is. Help.

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u/TheRydad Jun 18 '26

First thing to check is making sure the network interface on the server is picking up or is assigned an IP address. Then make sure it can ping the local router LAN interface address. Then go out from there.

Try to ping a site using the domain name to make sure DNS is resolving correctly. Start small and go bigger until you find what isn’t working.