Fastest way to bluetooth tether a phone in Windows 8

Question

As a web developer, connecting my laptop computer to the internet via bluetooth with my iphone is something I do several times a day. Is there an easy way to do this in Windows 8 that I'm missing? It seems like the sort of thing that would be perfect in the charms menu somehow.

After it is paired, currently I:

1. Go to control panel
2. Search for "Devices and Printers"
3. Click on the iPhone icon
4. Click on "Connect Using"
5. Click on "Access Point"

I have pinned "Devices and Printers" to the task bar, but this doesn't survive OS restarts, which is annoying. Also it seems like an ugly way to do it.

Solution 1

In "Devices and Printers", right-click the iPhone and select "Create Shortcut". It should create the shortcut on your desktop.

You can right-click it and connect via that shortcut.

Solution 2

You can bind Win-B to tether Bluetooth.

1. As suggested by Techie007 create a shortcut by going to "Devices and Printers" right-clicking the phone and selecting "Create shortcut".
2. Put the shortcut in a directory like "C:\Windows\BluetoothLink" by itself
3. Install Autohotkey
4. Right click on the Desktop, and choose "New" -> "AutohotkeyScript"

5. Enter the following:

   #NoEnv  ; Recommended for performance and compatibility with future AutoHotkey releases.
   SendMode Input  ; Recommended for new scripts due to its superior speed and reliability.
   
   #B::
       SetKeyDelay, 200
       Run, C:\Windows\BluetoothLink
       Sleep, 300
       Send, {Down}
       Sleep, 200
       Send, {AppsKey}
       Sleep, 550
       Send, {Down}
       Send, {Down}
       Send, {Right}
       Send, {Enter}
   

6. Save the Autohotkey script (e.g. Ctrl-S)

7. Double click the Autohotkey script to run it
8. Press Win-B, test that it works
9. Open your startup directory (e.g. press Win-R and type "shell:startup")
10. Make a shortcut to the Autohotkey script (so that it works even after reboot).

Comments

[Kinnectus]

To extend this a little: Are you using the 3G/4G data connection when you tether it via BlueTooth? Or does the BlueTooth allow tethering via a WiFi connection?

[Daniel Alexiuc]

You are asking Henry Ford about Electronic Fuel Injection. Such things did not exist in 2012.

[Kinnectus]

Lol... What I was going to ask next is, rather than tethering using BlueTooth, why don't you just turn on your wifi hotspot on your iPhone? The moment this turns on (and you've already got the profile on your computer) your computer will connect to it with no intervention...

[Daniel Alexiuc]

The same reason they didn't put EFI on the model T. It didn't exist yet.

[CodeManX]

I'm on windows 8.1 and it only offers me a direct PAN connection. What do I need to do to get the access point option?