There are many different ways to turn your PC into a virtual WiFi router, so in case you’re looking for ways to do that, let’s take a comprehensive look at all of them and let you decide which one works best for you. While there are a plethora of third-party software that will convert your computer into a WiFi router, you can also create an on-demand WiFi hotspot on your PC natively either by running a few lines of code through the command prompt or, via the Windows GUI by just clicking through a few options. Today, we’ll take a look at all these methods, so let’s start off by checking out the 7 best WiFi Hotspot software for Windows available right now:
HomePCWindowsTop 7 Free WiFi Hotspot Software For Windows
Pc Into Wifi Hotspot Windows 7Best Third-Party WiFi Hotspot Software
Create WiFi Hotspot in Windows 8 and 7 with CMD. As mentioned earlier, the option that is available in Windows 10 is not all available in Windows 8 or Windows 7. In this case, it is a little bit hard for us to create WiFi Hotspot in Windows 8 and 7. But, I will explain it in simple methods and terms. Have a look at the Best WiFi Network SSID/Names. The Free WiFi Hotspot is a network sharing software which let your device works as a hotspot and share your data to the others. Download Free WiFi Hotspot for Windows 7/8/8.1/10/Vista/XP (32/64-Bit). Antamedia WiFi HotSpot for Windows 7 is the most feature-rich WiFi management software in the industry. It turns your PC into WiFi Hotspot controller that helps you limit user Internet speed and equally share your connection to all customers and engage them with ads, surveys and emails.
1. Connectify Hotspot
Connectify Hotspot is, by far, the best-known and most popular software to turn your PC into a WiFi hotspot. The program is available in a free avatar that would be good enough for many, but for a more comprehensive feature set, you will need to opt for one of the two paid versions: Pro or Max. The main difefrence between the free and the paid versions is that the free version allows users to share internet from Ethernet and WiFi networks only, while the paid versions also bring the ability to share cellular data. Real-time network usage monitoring is another feature that’s common to all versions of the software, and so is ad-blocking for connected clients. What you don’t get in the free version, however, is the ability to choose a custom SSID, firewall controls and a wired router mode, all of which are available in the ‘Pro’ version that costs $34.98 per year. The company also offers a ‘Max’ version that comes with more bells and whistles, like a bridging mode, WiFi repeater mode and custom DHCP controls, all of which can be yours’ for a cool $59.98.
Platform: Windows
Download: (Free, Paid versions start at $34.98) 2. mHotspot
Like Connectify, mHotspot is also a Windows program that transforms your PC into a virtual WiFi router, but unlike its more well-known counterpart, it is a completely free software without any premium versions, which means you get to use all its features for free. mHotspot allows users to share LAN, Ethernet, cellular and WiFi connections with multiple devices across platforms, including, laptops, smartphones, tablets, PDAs and other PCs. It is one of the most feature-rich free software in its category, and is officially available on Windows 7, 8 and 10. You can connect up to 10 devices to a hotspot created by this software that can also act as a repeater to extend the WiFi range. In terms of security, mHotspot secures your WiFi hotspot with WPA2 PSK password security.
Platform: Windows
Download: (Free) 3. HostedNetworkStarter
HostedNetworkStarter is yet another software that you can use to turn your PC into a WiFi hotspot. It is a great little utility that works similarly to the two programs mentioned earlier on this list, insofar as it creates a WiFi hotspot with the help of the wireless network adapter of your PC and, allows any device with WiFi support to access the network and the Internet connection available on your computer. It supports Windows 7 thru 10 (both 32 and 64-bit versions), but doesn’t work with Windows Vista or XP because of the lack of support for the WiFi Hosted Network feature in those versions of Windows. One of the coolest things about the program is that you don’t need to install the program on your computer in order to run it. You can just download the zip file, unzip it, and run the executable file right off the bat. Power users can also use command-line parameters to enhance the functionality of the software.
Platform: Windows
Download: (Free) 4. MaryFi
MaryFi is yet another free software that can turn your Windows PC into a virtual router. It’s way more feature-filled than Connectify’s free version, given how it supports all kinds of internet connections, including, but not limited to, Ethernet, WiFi and cellular. As is the case with the other programs on the list, a wide variety of devices can be hooked up to connections created by MaryFi, so whether you’re looking to get WiFi connectivity for your phone, tablet, music player, gaming console or other laptops and desktops, MaryFi’s got you covered. The program uses password-protected WPA2 Encryption for privacy and security. One thing to remember here is that software is only said to compatible with Windows 7, 8 and 8.1 officially, and not with Windows 10.
Platform: Windows
Downlaod: (Free) 5. Virtual Router Plus
Virtual Router Plus is a free and open source WiFi hotspot program that’s based on Chris Pietschmann’s Virtual Router project that’s hosted on Codeplex for now, but as with just about all other open source projects on the site, will be migrating to GitHub by the end of this year. The program is written in C# and, is officially available only on Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows Server 2012, although, during the time we spend with the software, it did seem to work alright on a Windows 10 laptop, effortlessly creating a WiFi access point for my Android smartphone. Like HostedNetworkStarter, this one also doesn’t need an installation to work on your computer, so you can just unzip the compressed file and run the .exe file to get started. The program doesn’t have any ads and nor does it track users’ web activity. It uses the WPA2 encryption for privacy and security.
Platform: Windows
Downlaod:(Free) Igi 3 download for windows 7. Windows 7 Create Wifi Hotspot6. Ostoto Hotspot
Ostoto is a great choice if you’re looking to get yourself a free WiFi hotspot software to turn your Windows PC into a WiFi access point for multiple devices. As is the case with the other free programs on our list, there are no restrictions on which types of internet connections can be turned into a hotspot with this utility, so you can potentially turn your WiFi, LAN, Ethernet or mobile broadband connection into a WiFi hotspot with this program. What’s also noteworthy is that unlike a few of the other software on the list, this one is officially compliant with all Windows versions since XP, so whether you’re running Windows 10, 8.1, 8, 7, Vista or XP, Ostoto Hotspot is guaranteed to work for you.
Platform: Windows
Download: (Free) 7. MyPublicWiFi
By now, you have got the idea. Apart from Connectify, all the other programs on our list today are completely free to use without any feature restrictions, and this particular software is no exception either. It allows users to set up an internet access point much like the other programs on this list, but it offers a few interesting possibilities for its users that none of the others offer. It actually comes with a built-in firewall that can be configured to restrict access to specific websites or protocols. It also allows you to “record and track all visited url pages on your virtual WIFI-Hotspot”, making it a really convenient tool for parents looking to keep their kids safe on the big bad web. As is the case with any decent WiFi software, MyPublicWiFi also uses WPA2 Encryption for privacy and security, but if you set up the network, you will be able to view the IP addresses, device names and MAC addresses of the connected clients. Unlike many of the other programs on the list, MyPublicWiFi is officially compatible with Windows 10, alongside Windows 7, 8, 8.1 and Server 2008 R2.
Platforms: Windows
Download: (Free) Creating WiFi Hotspot in Windows Without Installing Any Software
While third-party software can make the job of creating a WiFi access point out of your PC a really easy proposition, many users like myself try to keep their computers free of additional software to the extent possible. If you belong to that category, you may be more interested in some of the native ways in which you can set up WiFi hotspot on your Windows computers without having to resort to third-party software. Windows 10 takes the pain out of setting up a WiFi access point by letting you do that in a few easy clicks. I’m sure many of you already know how to do that, but for those who don’t, here’s what you need to do:
Note: This feature was only rolled out in the Windows 10 Anniversary Update, so it isn’t available in earlier builds of the OS. I tried this on an HP Envy laptop running Version 1607 (Build 14393.726) and it works perfectly on it.
You can actually also use the command prompt to activate the WiFi hotspot feature of your Windows PC. While this should, in theory, work on all versions of Windows from 7 onwards, some of you may stumble on an unexpected barrier like I did. To use this mode, the WiFi adapter on your computer needs to support a feature called ‘Hosted Network’, which, a lot of the recent HP laptops apparently do not. However, I checked with a Lenovo laptop of my colleague, and everything worked swimmingly on his PC. Since not every computer out there will not support this method, we’ll first need to check if our device is compatible with what we’re trying to accomplish.
To do that, open Command Prompt (search for cmd or command on the search pane) and type or copy+paste the following, the
n hit ‘Enter/Return’:
netsh wlan show drivers
This is what the output looks like on my work laptop (HP with Windows 10) that doesn’t support hosted networks. Easy church membership free download. Mac printer hold for authentication yosemite.
This is how it looks on one of my colleagues’ laptop (Lenovo with Windows 10) that supports hosted networks, which means the trick does work on his device.Now that we’ve established the prerequisites for this method to work, let’s go forward for those of you whose network adapters do support the feature. In the command prompt, enter the following command to create the hosted network, and hit ‘Enter’:
netsh wlan set hostednetwork mode=allow ssid=DontStealMyWiFi key=idontneednopassword keyusage=persistent
Mind you, the ‘SSID’ and ‘Key’ parameters could be anything you want them to be, and in my case, I just happened to pick “DontStealMyWiFi” and “idontneednopassword”, so you should replace them with whatever you feel like. You can also set the ‘Key Usage’ parameter to either “persistent” or “temporary”. Even if you omit it altogether, by default, it will still be ‘persistent’, but it’s just good practice to specify all the parameters manually. Either way, now that you’ve created the hosted network, you’ll need to activate it with the following command:
netsh wlan start hostednetwork
That’s it. You’ve successfully created a hosted network on your PC, thereby turning it into a WiFi router for all practical purposes. In case you want to stop or deactivate the hotspot, just use the following command:
netsh wlan stop hostednetwork
If this is a one-time experiment that you’re unlikely to use on a regular basis, you can skip the next few steps, but if you do want to share your PC’s internet connection with other devices on a regular basis, you can create what’s known as a batch file – a simple program that can automate repetitive tasks on your PC. To do that, copy+paste the following few lines on Notepad.
Note: As mentioned earlier, you can change the ‘SSID’ and ‘Key’ parameters to anything you want. As for me, I chose ‘DontStealMyWifi and ‘idontneednopassword’ respectively.
Once you’re done choosing the SSID and password of your choice, just save the text filewith a .bat extension instead of the default .txt extension. You may get a warning about the dangers of changing file extensions, but just disregard that and go ahead anyways. That’s it! You’ve successfully created a batch file. Running it will get you the following result.
Mac dmg password cracker. Finally, click on Properties > Sharing > and check the box next to “Allow other network users to connect …”. Also remember to pick the connection type of your internet from the drop-down menu. It could be a bit of a trial and error thing if you have multiple options and not sure which one to pick, so don’t beat yourself up over that. Finally, click on ‘OK’.
That’s it folks! Your PC is now acting as a WiFi router, and is an access point for other devices to connect to the internet.
SEE ALSO: 7 Best WiFi Analyzer Apps You Can Use
Turn your Windows PC into a Wireless Router in a Few Simple Steps
While converting an Android smartphone into a wireless router literally takes about 3-4 taps on most devices, doing the same with your Windows PC is admittedly a bit more work, but you don’t really have to be a tech whiz to be able to achieve that. If you’ve ever felt the need to share your laptop’s internet connection with your phone, tablet or other devices, now you know exactly how to. So go ahead and give these methods a shot and tell us about how things went. We look forward to hearing about your experiences.
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Windows can turn your laptop (or desktop) into a wireless hotspot, allowing other devices to connect to it. With Internet Connection Sharing, it can share your Internet connection with those connected devices. Here’s how the whole thing works.
Thanks to a hidden virtual Wi-Fi adapter feature in Windows, you can even create a Wi-Fi hotspot while you’re connected to another Wi-Fi network, sharing one Wi-Fi connection over another one.
Turn Your PC Into a Wi-Fi Hotspot the Easy Way
If you can’t get the built-in Windows Wi-Fi hotspot working, you should try using Connectify Hotspot instead — it’s a completely foolproof Wi-Fi hotspot with tons of options and a nice interface.
Connectify Hotspot is great if you’re at a hotel that charges per device, or if you’re on a plane and you connect your laptop but don’t want to pay more to connect your phone. If you pay for the Pro version you can even use your PC as a Wi-Fi repeater or a wired router, or share a tethered connection off your phone
It’s really more of a power user tool, but if you’re looking for a good solution, Hotspot is free to try out, and the basic version is free with some limitations.
Share a Wired or Wireless Internet Connection in Windows 10
RELATED:What’s New in Windows 10’s Anniversary Update
If you’re running Windows 10 with the Anniversary Update installed, then you’re in luck. With that update, Windows now has a single switch for turning any PC with Wi-Fi into a hotspot, and it doesn’t matter whether the Internet connection you want to share is wired or wireless.
https://treeproperties.weebly.com/home/anime-character-maker-download-mac. First, fire up Settings by pressing Windows+I on your keyboard. On the main Settings page, click “Network & Internet.”
On the Network & Internet page, on the left-hand side, click “Mobile hotspot.”
On the right-hand side, turn on the “Share my Internet connection with other devices” switch. If you want something other than the default network name and password, click the “Edit” button.
In the Edit window, type whatever network name and password you want to use and then click “OK.”
And that’s all you really have to do in Windows 10. It’s one of the best new features of the Windows 10 Anniversary Update, even though it rolled out with relatively little fanfare.
If you experience problems with this feature, here are some potential troubleshooting steps.
Share a Wired Internet Connection in Windows 7
The ability to share your PC’s wired Internet connection to wireless devices is integrated into Windows 7’s networking interface through something called an ad-hoc network. An ad-hoc network is really just a simple, direct network connection between devices. In this case, you’ll be creating an ad-hoc network between your PC’s wireless connection and any wireless devices you want to connect. You just need to make sure that your wired connection is set up and that the PC does have Wi-Fi available.
Note that when you set up an ad-hoc network using your PC’s Wi-Fi, it will disable any existing connection that uses that Wi-Fi adapter. That’s why this method only works if your internet is coming from an Ethernet source.
RELATED:Share an Internet Connection Between Wireless Machines with an Ad Hoc Network in Windows 7
If you’ve never set up a network like this, be sure to read our full guide to sharing an Internet connection through an ad-hoc network. In short, though, you’ll open the Manage Wireless Networks window (you can find it by opening start and searching for “wireless”), click the Add button, and then click “Create an ad hoc network”. Enter a name and passphrase for the network and it’ll appear in the list of wireless networks. Select it and your laptop will disconnect from its current Wi-Fi network and start hosting an ad-hoc network your other devices can connect to.
Be sure to enable the “Allow other network users to connect through this computer’s Internet connection” checkbox so that your PC will share its wired Internet connection with the devices connected to your PC over the ad-hoc network.
Share a Wired Internet Connection in Windows 8
Unfortunately, Windows 8 stripped away the graphical interface for setting up an ad-hoc network, so it’s not quite as easy to set up as it is in Windows 7 or 10. The underlying feature is still present, though. You just have to resort to a little command line trickery.
First, you’ll need to make sure your existing wireless network is shared with other network users. Press Windows+R on your keyboard to open the Run dialog box, type “ncpa.cpl”, and then hit Enter.
In the network connections window, right-click your Wireless network and select “Properties” from the context menu.
Switch over to the “Sharing” tab and enable the “Allow other network users to connect through this computer’s Internet connection” checkbox. Go ahead and clear the “Allow other network users to control or disable the shared Internet connection” checkbox while you’re at it and then click the “OK” button.
Next, you’ll need to launch the Command Prompt with administrative privileges. Right-click in the bottom left of your screen (or hit Windows+X) and then select “Command Prompt (Admin)” on the Power Users menu that appears.
Note: If you see PowerShell instead of Command Prompt on the Power Users menu, that’s a switch that came about with the Creators Update for Windows 10. It’s very easy to switch back to showing the Command Prompt on the Power Users menu if you want, or you can give PowerShell a try. You can do pretty much everything in PowerShell that you can do in Command Prompt, plus a lot of other useful things.
https://juheavy313.weebly.com/blog/latest-version-antares-auto-tune. With the command prompt open, your next step is to set up the wireless network using the netsh like so:
Where
<SSID> is the name of your network and <PASSWORD> is the password you want users to connect with. The access point is created with WPA2-PSK (AES) encryption.
Next, you’ll start broadcasting our network with the following command:
And at any time, you can use this last command to show information about the connection. Download mac os x 10.6 32 bit. It lists things like the channel your connection uses, ssid name, authentication type, radio type, and the number of clients connected to your network.
When you’re done, you should be able to connect any Wi-Fi device to your new ad-hoc network.
Share a Wireless Internet Connection in Windows 8 or 7
Note: this software doesn’t appear to work anymore. You’ll want to use Connectify Hotspot or one of the other methods mentioned above.
If you want to share a wireless Internet connection in Windows 8 or 7 with other wireless devices, you’ll need use a third party app. We recommend Virtual Router because it’s free, open-source, and easy to set up. You can also use it to share a wired connection if you just want an easier way to do it than creating an ad-hoc network.
Start by downloading Virtual Router and starting it up. Using it really couldn’t be easier. Provide a name for your network, enter a passphrase, and choose the connection you want to share with devices that connect to that Wi-Fi network. Click the “Start Virtual Router” button, and you’re done. You can even see a list of connected devices in this window.
Setting up a mobile hotspot on your Windows PC can be a bit of a hassle, or it can be pretty easy. It just depends on what version of Windows you’re running and whether you’re willing to use a third-party app. But the next time you’re stuck somewhere with only a wired Internet connection, at least you know you can use your PC to share that connection with your other wireless devices.
Image Credit: Iain Watson on Flickr
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