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I would like to connect the Pi (Raspberry pi 3 model b) to my laptop but because of the following problems, I could not achieve it.

  1. I don't have a router (and naturally, internet connection)
  2. My laptop does not have an Ethernet jack.

All the tutorials about the connection use either internet (router) or Ethernet, I could not find a suitable solution to my problem.

How can I connect to my Pi without ethernet?

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    When you say no internet connection, do you mean no internet connection, or do you mean you have no local network? If you just have a router but no internet connection you can connect to the Pi using SSH or VNC. – Darth Vader♦ Jan 3 '17 at 9:43
  • I do not have any internet connection or router at home. – Ad Infinitum Jan 3 '17 at 10:31
  • @techraf I have written the model but in the edit, they have removed this info. It is Raspberry pi 3 model b. – Ad Infinitum Jan 3 '17 at 10:59
  • With no router and no ethernet socket, your only option is to set up a WiFi hotspot using your laptop. Whether this is achievable or not depends on the make and model of the laptop, and the operating system installed on it. Please edit your question to include the relevant details. – goobering Jan 3 '17 at 11:11
  • @goobering Is it also possible to make a connection if i buy usb-to-ethernet adapter? Does it give the same performance or just an overhead? – Ad Infinitum Jan 3 '17 at 11:19
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Per my comments below the question, if you would like to create a network between your Raspberry Pi 3 and a laptop which has no ethernet socket you can try:

  1. Set up a wireless hotspot using the laptop's WiFi adapter. Connect to the hotspot using the Raspberry Pi's built-in WiFi adapter. This approach should also work in reverse (with the Pi acting as host), but I suspect you'll see better performance hosting the network on the more capable machine.
  2. Buy a USB ethernet adapter to connect to the laptop.

The achievable data rates between the machines should be governed by the maximum throughput of the Pi (Pi end is almost certainly less capable then the laptop end).

The specifics of achieving either of these approaches varies depending on the make, model and operating system of the laptop. In either case, once you've created the network connection you can use SSH to communicate with the connected Pi.

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There are several ways, with varying levels of difficulty and cost. I'm assuming your "laptop" is actually a "netbook" which is similar but with fewer features. Here are some ideas:

  1. Acquire a Wifi router. They can be used for a lot of different things, so you aren't just limited to using it to connect a single laptop with a single Pi. This really is the easiest method, so I had to list it.
  2. Acquire an Ethernet "crossover" cable. These cables are designed to connect two Ethernet devices together without a router or hub between them. They tend to cost about the same as a regular Ethernet patch cable because the only difference is two wires are swapped. You will have to set up static IP addresses on both machines, or setup one as a DHCP server. You've specified that your laptop has no Ethernet port, so you would need a USB to Ethernet network adapter too.
  3. Use a smartphone's Wifi hotspot feature. If you have one handy, you can set up your smartphone to share it's Internet connection via Wifi. Your phone cannot be connected to a Wifi hotspot at the same time, which shouldn't be a problem because you've said you don't have one.
  4. Connect the two devices together using a Bluetooth PAN. There are several tutorials around the Internet, but this assumes your laptop has Bluetooth capability.

Best of luck!

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  • I think I will go for the first option. Buying a Wifi router. What do I take into account when I am buying a Wifi router? or any wifi router makes the job? Thanks for the great answer btw. – Ad Infinitum Jan 3 '17 at 13:57
  • Any Wifi router should get the job done for what you've described, depending on how far apart you want your devices. One router I have is a Netgear Nighthawk, which really simplifies the process of setting up the router. The default login info is on the bottom of the router itself. I'm sure other brands do that too. If you plan on doing 4k streaming or gaming over your router, you will want one that's indicated as a performance router. If you will have solid walls between the devices or a bit of distance between them you might want to be concerned with the signal strength. – FlippingBinary Jan 3 '17 at 15:44
  • Other than that, I usually suggest comparing products on web sites like Amazon and check to see how many reviews it has and how highly it's rated compared to how much you're looking to spend. Read the reviews and decide what matters most to you. – FlippingBinary Jan 3 '17 at 15:44

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