Protect Your Family from EMF Pollution

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How to Wire an iPad or iPhone

One question that comes up a lot is how to wire an iPad or iPhone. This can be very beneficial to people who use Apple devices for their work (improved security and health outcomes). A few years ago, this process was complicated and rarely worked. However, in conversations with Apple employees and product users who have had recent success, it appears that Apple is making this much easier to accomplish – especially if you use their hardware and the newest OS.

At the bottom of this article, I also outline how to wire an Android device. Additionally, I have provided a video that demonstrates the process of wiring most mobile devices.

Here are the specific steps that successfully allowed one reader to wire her iPhone and iPad using an Ethernet connection:

“My connection sequence is as follows: Wired Router -> Ethernet Cable -> Lightning to Ethernet Adapter -> iPad or iPhone.

Note: If the above Lightning to Ethernet Adapter breaks or doesn’t work properly, then this more expensive version from Apple is advised.

The key element here is that your iPad and iPhone must be up-top-date with the latest OS. Earlier OS’s will not connect to the Ethernet. When the you make this connection, Ethernet miraculously appears in the settings list for connections (see image below). Turn off Bluetooth and WiFi, put your device on Airplane Mode and you are connected. You will not receive calls, but you have full access to the internet.”

Another important thing to keep in mind is that the iPad requires an Ethernet to USB-C / Thunderbolt 3 adapter, while the iPhone requires an Ethernet to Lightning adapter. If you use the wrong one, the wired setup will not work.

One reader found that for wiring an iPhone, the UGreen Ethernet Adapter combined with the Apple Lightning to USB 3 Camera Adapter work great. Here is an image of the parts:

I would add the following step to your setup to further reduce your EMF exposure:

As you can read in this article, reducing the EMI coming to your device from power supplies and modem/router is another important aspect of EMF reduction (the non-wireless part). To do this, use this Ethernet Ground Adapter between your modem/router and your iPhone/iPad (placed before the Lightning to Ethernet Adapter). You will need one extra shielded Cat-7 Ethernet cable as well. This step should significantly reduce the EMI coming to your iPad or iPhone, which you can confirm with your Electric Field meter.

The following video shows the steps seen above (without the EMI grounding part). Note: the process outlined above is now much more simple than what is seen in the following video. This is because the new Lightning to Ethernet adapter takes the place of the powered USB hub and the USB to Lightning/Thunderbolt adapter.

How to Wire an Android Device?

An electrically sensitive colleague recently shared how she uses her Android smart phone for emails when she is going through a time of heightened sensitivity. In the picture below, you can see her Samsung S3 that is connected to an external keyboard and mouse. The mouse cursor actually shows up and the smart phone acts like a small computer screen (which is much better than a normal computer screen for most ES people). She is able to compose her emails and do her writing on Airplane Mode. The messages then send once the phone is reconnected to the 3G/4G network (while she steps away from the phone). The USB attachment seen below can be found here.  The low-EMI wired keyboard she uses can be purchased here. As outlined above, it is also possible to attach the device to the internet via Ethernet. For an Android smart phone, this simple USB-to-Ethernet adapter should be all that is needed. This makes it possible to use your Android device without any wireless connectivity, which is truly a low-EMF solution.

This article was updated December 2019.

Comments

  1. Hello,

    Some great videos. I’m assuming the same method can be used to connect an Android Smartphone to a router?

    Reply

    • Hi Julia,

      I have not tried this with an Android based phone yet. However, I do know that many of the PC / Android based tablets can usually be wired.

      Let us know what you find!

      Jeromy

      Reply

  2. Ok. Thanks for that.

    I did take a quick look and it seems that only a limited number of models of Android phones have ‘Ethernet Capability’, unfortunately.

    Reply

    • Julia,

      One thing to consider: Apple does not officially state that the iPad or iPhone have Ethernet capability. For a long time (they have changed this message the past few months), when I would go into an Apple store and ask about this capability the employees would always say it is not possible. However, there were plenty of videos on YouTube and person experiences of people showing that it was indeed possible.

      So, you will only know when you try it out for yourself. My guess is that most Android tablets can be wired, and many phones as well if you know what you are doing.

      Jeromy

      Reply

  3. Saw the vid. Complicated for me. I’ve no Apple products, no cellphone, just old thinkpads and wired modem/router/PS2mouse/keyboard.

    Just wanting a 15″ Pixel-Qi e-ink type of laptop.
    Or else the original Fit-PC with standalone e-ink monitor.
    That would solve my problem – if they’d only offer it!

    Reply

  4. Thanks for the great information on this site. I actually switched to wired internet at my home after watching your TED talk and reading your website. I am disappointed that I can no longer use FaceTime or iMessage on either my iPad or iPhone after switching to Ethernet. This is the only way my mother can connect with me so I’m hoping there is a solution for it soon. If you have any ideas please do let me know.

    Thanks again!

    Reply

    • Hi Sonia,

      Thanks for writing. Glad you saw the TEDx talk.

      Do Facebook video or Skype work on the wired iPad / iPhone? That could be a work around.

      We never know why some Apps work and others do not when we change settings. They may want you to be on cellular or WiFi service and it could be a simple setting change.

      Jeromy

      Reply

  5. Hi Jeromy,
    Regarding connecting the iPad and iPhone to internet. I have my iPad connected using most of the strategies outlined above. As long as Sonia is logged into her iCloud account, iMessage will work when connected to the internet. I’m not certain about Facetime.

    Reply

  6. I tend to use my devices a lot in my bedroom but I do not have an Ethernet connection there. Otherwise it looks very good.

    Reply

  7. Hi. How do you troubleshoot if you are doing exactly what you show with the USB-3 and it still won’t connect to the internet?

    Reply

    • Hi Maria,

      What Apple device are you using? Model number?

      Have you taken this to your local Apple store to discuss with them?

      Jeromy

      Reply

    • Hi Maria,

      I can try to troubleshoot: do you have the latest OS installed? Be sure to turn off airplane mode (as well as blue tooth and WiFi from within settings — not from swipe-up control panel — while you make the initial connection.) You should see the Ethernet connection appear. Tap it to select it. Then turn the airplane mode back on. I hope this helps.

      Reply

  8. My computer person showed me how to turn wifi on and off so if I need it I can have it available for a short time. This has helped me a great deal as everything else is wired but sometimes with tablets you need wifi to download an App.

    Reply

  9. My daughter has a Chrome Book for school (required). It doesn’t have the traditional ethernet port. Do you know how to wire something like that?

    Reply

  10. Hi Jeromy,

    Thank You for posting this information. I have all the right parts but one. When I got the Apple USB-C to USB per the posted link, it wouldn’t fit into my iphone because the male plug is too big. My phone’s jack is too small in other words. I am at a loss to figure out where to get the right one? Do you have any suggestions?

    Reply

    • Hi Sheila,

      The iPhone should be using a USB-C / Thunderbolt 3 port of charging. This is what I link to above. Can you email me a picture of what you actually have?

      Thanks,

      Jeromy

      Reply

    • Hi Sheila,

      Your photo won’t open for me.

      You can email me the actual photo through the email address on my contact form.

      Can you go to a nearby Apple store? It seems that the model of your iPhone is not using a USB-C / Thunderbolt 3 connection. Perhaps is still uses a basic Thunderbolt port?

      For each device, you will need to figure out exactly what type of charging port you have and then search for that specific attachment on Amazon or the Apple store. Using Apple brand products is also usually the best.

      Jeromy

      Reply

    • Greetings, I have a sensitivity to those flame retardant chemicals in electrical cords and wires. The simplest and least expensive way to contain those fumes is to use electrical tape to fasten and wrap strips of well tolerated BPA free plastic bag film around the cord and completely seal the cord with a second skin of plastic film. It looks a little peculiar but it generally works. Another option is to place those cords in plastic conduit, but the seal is not as air tight as the tape and plastic bag strips. A good brand of BPA free plastic bags which can be cut into 1 1/2 to 2 inch wide strips is Natural Value Brand, available at most food co-operatives or natural food stores, and sometimes at conventional grocery stories, but since they are a specialize “natural” product, not available everywhere. Hopes this helps.

      Reply

  14. Mac owners actually have a more simple solution which doesn’t require any adapter. If you have a Mac with the latest mac os version, you can share your Mac internet connection with your iPhone via any lightning cable.

    That’s the method I’ve been using for the past few months, and it works!

    See this video I made: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vtunwsYds8

    Reply

  15. Hi Jeromy,

    This question doesn’t pertain to this blog, but I didn’t know the best way of contacting you. I have your e-book, but I didn’t see this covered. Do the bed canopies block out the higher 5g frequencies at 50 GHZ+? I’ve seen some say yes, some say no.

    Thanks.

    Reply

  16. Hello all, I recently bought the Lightning to Ethernet adapter Jeromy provided a link to on here for my iPad Air 2 (operating system version is 11.4), but I am getting no Internet connection.

    Ethernet shows up when the Ethernet and adapter cables are connected. I let the iPad auto configure IP address, etc. At suggestions made here, I tried letting it connect with airplane mode on as well as off at first. No luck.

    Does anyone have any suggestions? It seems so close to actually connecting! Thanks so much.

    Reply

    • Amy,

      Let’s see what others have to report. If you need to add in these other pieces, here is the long route:

      Apple USB Ethernet Adapter -> Amazon Powered USB Hub (see first video above) -> Apple USB to Lightning Adapter

      Newer iPads and iPhones may only have a USB-C (Thunderbolt 3) port. Instead of the USB Lightning Adapter, you will need this Apple USB-C to USB Adapter for the last step.

      Jeromy

      Reply

      • Thanks Jeromy. I’d love to hear if others have ideas. I double checked and the iPad Air 2 we have (purchased almost 2 years ago) has a Lightning port, not Thunderbolt. Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

        Reply

    • Hi Amy… can you describe your complete connection please? And what happens after you see ethernet in the listing? I can try to trouble-shoot this for you.

      Reply

      • Thanks Deborah. Under “Settings” on the iPad Air 2, here is what is shown when the Ethernet cable and adapter (Lightning to Ethernet) are connected to it…

        Airplane Mode: on
        WI-FI: off
        Ethernet: (blank, does not say off or on)
        Bluetooth: off

        When I select “Ethernet” from the above, it expands to show that as USB 10/100 LAN. When I then select “USB 10/100 LAN”, here is what it shows…

        Configure IP: Automatic
        IP Address: (numbers have filled in)
        Subnet Mask: (numbers have filled in)
        Router: (blank, does not say off or on)

        Renew lease (I believe this refreshes the IP address; I’ve tried selecting it and leaving it at different times)

        Configure DNS: Automatic
        Configure Proxy: Automatic

        Thanks!

        Reply

        • Hi Amy! Ok… it should be connected. you don’t even need to select ethernet. As long as it shows up in the settings, it is on. Try going to Safari and refresh a page. It will give you an error message… but you just cancel it and the page should come up. Same with the mail app. The error will appear. But you cancel it and then read your mail.

          I hope it works,

          Deborah

          Reply

  17. Hi! Do you have any ideas on how to reduce the wireless radiaiton from a cell phone (Samsung Galaxy 6) when the person is using it to talk or text? Is there an ethernet cable or connector that will allow a person to plug in to help with that? Thank you!

    Reply

  18. I would like to make my iPhone safe when making phone calls from home. We cannot get landline service or cable for tv. How can I make phone calls with my iPhone through my internet? We have Verizon service can you make allow phone calls through internet? If not what about Magicjack or Magicjack plus safe? My understanding is you don’t even need a computer now to plug old fashioned phone in and can make unlimited national phone calls for $40 a year plus. Is this safe?

    I do not understand why you cannot convert iPhone or any other mobile phone into a landline phone that uses a hardwired computer’s internet service?

    Reply

  19. In my home, we have all Android (Google) devices because I prefer it over Apple’s mobile OS (iOS). If you have an Android mobile device, I would suggest testing out the relatively inexpensive micro-USB to Ethernet adapter (Amazon link below). If it works, it will allow your mobile device to use an Ethernet connection rather than WiFi.

    We have 2 Android tablets and 2 Android smart phones. When I initially tested, the device worked with both tablets and one of the smart phones. A couple software updates later, and it now only works on a single tablet. And therein lies the problem: Google and Apple can decide to stop supporting Ethernet connections, if and when they feel like it. Based on what I have read, Google does not intend to support Ethernet connections in their mobile devices. And my guess is that it’s only a matter of time before none of them work.

    However, it appears Apple is embracing the support of Ethernet connections in mobile devices – especially in their latest hardware and software. So, our family’s future smart phone and tablet purchases will probably be Apple.

    The other option for a tablet-like device is purchasing a convertible/2-in-1 laptop with full-blown Windows on it. This would be a laptop with a detachable screen (see link below for a list). For our ‘tablet’ purposes, that will probably be the route we go. It’s cheaper than an iPad (~$400 for a basic Surface Go), and I won’t have to worry about Apple or Google deciding they don’t want to support Ethernet connections down the road. The downside is that I won’t have access to mobile app’s, but we can live with that. 🙂

    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00RM3KXAU/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
    https://www.pcmag.com/roundup/310159/the-best-windows-tablets
    https://www.bobjgear.shop/ethernet-supported-devices

    Reply

    • Thanks for sharing your experience Tracy. Very much appreciated.

      I think you are right about these companies making it harder to connect using Ethernet. However, that can easily switch back the other direction as the public demands this. It is just a matter of time until a critical mass of people demand this. That is what will shift things.

      Jeromy

      Reply

  20. Hi Jeromy,

    I followed these instructions and they work for my iPhone and iPad, then suddenly stopped working for the iPad (but still work for the iPhone). Now when I attempt to connect the iPad, I get the “Apple USB Ethernet Adaptor: This accessory requires too much power.”

    I am using a lightning camera adaptor plugged into power strip with all Apple products, and the iPad has the latest software update. Any troubleshooting ideas?

    Reply

  22. I have an iPhone that my kids use for imessaging and email over lightning to Ethernet. I noticed that the can’t send iMessages when the phone is in airplane mode, even though it’s conncted via Ethernet. It seems to be a message from the IOS, even though it should be able to send. By bringing it out of airplane mode, the phone attempts to search for cellular service, which is does not have. But I’m sure it’s emitting EMF while trying to connect to a cellular network. I believe if I turn WiFi on, even with no WiFi, it will then send an imessage. So the Apple phone appears to think that if you are in airplane mode and WiFi is not enabled, that it can’t send an imessage, even though it really can. I’m wondering If there is a workaround, or if it’s better to have the phone in airplane mode with WiFi enabled (but not connected) or have airplane mode off and WiFi disabled?

    Reply

    • JMAN – Doesn’t work the way you described for me. With Ethernet connected and Airplane mode enabled, I cannot send an iMessage whether WiFi is on or off (unless I am actually connected to a WiFi network).

      I sent Feedback to Apple (https://www.apple.com/feedback/) requesting All Services to work over Ethernet. Should be possible because WhatsApp can actually send/receive messages while on Ethernet and WiFi/LTE is off.

      Reply

  23. I got this to work with a 2nd (non Apple) power adapter. I think it was more powerful than the apple power phone adapter – which IOS told me didn’t have enough power. I’m cruising the web no problem with wired.

    Seems clear as stated above – no way to get calls or texts to work when Internet is working on my iPhone 8.

    I am considering switching to a Samsung or Android because Apple doesn’t want to provide the support. The new Your Phone App from Microsoft on the newest Windows 10 seems like it makes it easy for any android phone to handle texting from my computer. Not sure about calling. There doesn’t seem a simple way to do this with iPhone.

    Reply

  24. Thank you so much for sharing this information in a clear and concise manner. The links to purchase the correct products are extremely helpful as well. I’m not techy at all and I just set up my computer and iphone on the first try!

    Reply

  25. Unfortunately the Ethernet adapter I recommended from Amazon breaks at the connector end after a few weeks. I have spoken with support and they are redesigning it. In the meantime I have switched to this new adapter from Belkin.

    https://www.apple.com/shop/product/HMJU2ZM/A/belkin-ethernet-power-adapter-with-lightning-connector

    Here is my review.

    Tested with iPhone Max and iPhone X. 1GB pipe from FIOS.

    Negatives…

    The cable is too short for an absurdly large dongle! It is completely useless to hold an iPhone/iPad with this thing hanging underneath it plus the Ethernet cable. Even for kiosk use it is not long enough. Should have been at least 3′. There goes one star off. They should also have made the lightening connector pass more then just charging as it is technically capable of doing, for example, passing audio.

    Positives…

    Using SpeedTest I get 122Mbps down and 192Mbps. I have used a couple of other Lightening/Ethernet adapters from other companies and the best attained is 100 up/down. With those adapters my switch connects at 100BaseT. Which is what they advertised. With this Belkin my switch shows Gig connection. Which explains partly the better speed but contradicts Belkin saying it is only 10/100. What’s up with that and can a firmware update make it faster??

    It does work over POE (charging up to 10W) so that means you don’t have to use the Lightening connector to charge if you have a POE switch. Nice!

    The problem with the other brands is their cable breaks at the Ethernet side in a few weeks of use. Guess that is what you get for 1/3 the price.

    To counter the short cable I bought a male to female Lightening extension (13’) with all 8 pins connected and now I can leave the adapter far away and overall I am satisfied. While it would have been nice to have closer to 500+ Mbps, this is fine for now. I put it in airplane mode to cut down EMF so my kids can use iPads/iPhones when they have “tech time” on the weekend (not allowed during school week). But it is also good for users who have poor wireless or business needing POS and consistent speeds.

    Apple – please allow calling, Facetime and messaging (just discovered you can receive messages in airplane mode/Ethernet) over Ethernet in IOS 13. From what I heard you had it in IOS 9 and took it out!

    Reply

    • One addition to note. If using a large iPad, like the 9.7″ the longer the extension cable the more voltage will be lost along the cable. With iPhone doesn’t matter as much but if primarily using an iPad go with the shortest extension that will work for you.

      Reply

  26. Hi Jeromy,

    Great info, Jeromy. I’m in the process of hardwiring an iPad, and wonder if the Lightening to Ethernet Adapter works with the iPad Pro 9.7 (I think it has an iOS 10 system)? Or would we need to use the hub method instead?

    Thanks!
    Deborah

    Reply

  27. Good news! I just had to share! My son said that I should download the “text now” app. He said when he was younger he had an iPad and that’s how he always made calls and could text from his iPad.

    So I downloaded the app and I can now text AND MAKE PHONE CALLS in the “text now” app FOR FREE and on AIRPLANE MODE hooked up with Ethernet!!!

    I was so excited I could hardly fall asleep last night! I just wanted to share!

    I just love your website. It is simple to follow. I am pointing all of my friends to your site because you’ve explained how to do everything.

    Thank you so much!

    Reply

    • Thanks for the wonderful pro tip Lori!

      Grateful the website is making this topic more approachable for everyone.

      I’ll have more articles coming out soon.

      Jeromy

      Reply

  29. This is what I figured. You’re article gave me some new tips for safe use that I had not heard of.
    I have gone this far without using a cell phone regularly. So minimal use will be easy for me.
    Thank you so much for all the great info Jeromy!
    Allison

    Reply

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