• How to distribute Wi-Fi without programs. How to distribute the Internet from a laptop - create a Wi-Fi access point

    Most Internet users are connected to the network using a cable brought into the room by the provider. This connection is quite convenient - connect a cable to your computer or laptop and use the Internet. But in recent years, any user could encounter a problem when purchasing mobile devices, digital cameras, tablets and entertainment products - all of them are equipped with a Wi-Fi module. Naturally, there is a need to connect them to the Internet. To connect all mobile devices to Wi-Fi, you need a wireless access point. And many people wonder whether it is possible to distribute WiFi with a laptop without spending additional cash for the purchase of special equipment?

    Several solutions

    On any operating system Windows family you can set up an access point and distribute WiFi from your laptop. XP, old system from Windows will not go unnoticed. Configuration is carried out in three known ways:

    1. Using Network Sharing Center. This method is suitable for almost all laptops that have a modern Wi-Fi adapter installed.
    2. Installation from the command line. This method will be of interest to advanced users who are well versed in operating systems. Windows systems. From the command line it is convenient to configure an access point on laptops remotely, for example, by a service operator technical support users who know how to distribute WiFi from a laptop. The second option is to write the commands sequentially in executable file and passing it on email the user, ensure remote creation and configuration of an access point on the required laptop.
    3. Using a third party software. Program WiFi distribution it will be from a laptop optimal choice if you have problems with the first two methods.

    Important points in the settings

    Whichever way Wi-Fi settings was selected, the user will need to specify the network name and password for the access point. The network name is specified only in English letters. But you should pay attention to the password. A simple password of numbers or English words can be quickly cracked. It is better to use a complex one - mixed letters and numbers. About setting the same password as in social networks or mailbox. There is no need to do this. Guests may arrive at any moment and need to connect to the Internet, and therefore they will have to tell them the Wi-Fi password... What if one of them then decides to try it on your account? So, for the sake of sporting interest. And he will get access.

    Nothing is simpler

    Any action Windows users start with the "Start" button. And then point by point:

    1. Open Control Panel and find Network and Sharing Center. Select “Set up a new connection or network” - “Settings wireless network computer-computer."
    2. A new window will ask you to name the network, set the security type and set a password for connecting to Wi-Fi. The security type should be maximum - WPA2. At the bottom of this menu, check the “Save settings for this network” option and click the “Next” button.
    3. A message appears indicating that the network is ready for use. At the bottom of this message, you must select “Enable general access to connect to the Internet" and after completing the operation, click on the "Close" button.
    4. Returning to the “Network Center”, before distributing WiFi from the laptop, you must select the “Change” option additional options public access", located in the left top corner current window. In a new window, allow network discovery and sharing. You can connect any devices via Wi-Fi that will work seamlessly on the Internet.

    Good to Great - Using the Command Line

    There will always be users who will be interested in using something more complex, but no less in an efficient way creating an access point from the command line. The execution algorithm is as follows:

    1. Run as administrator command line.
    2. In the command line, enter the command: netsh wlan set hostednetwork mode=allow ssid=IMYA key=PAROL, where instead of IMYA, enter your own network name, and instead of PAROL, write the password for the network.
    3. All that remains is to launch the access point itself with the command netsh wlan start hostednetwork.
    4. Before distributing WiFi from a laptop, you need to allow all users access to the Internet.

    Problems and their solutions

    Not all laptops can create a Wi-Fi hotspot. This is primarily due to the fact that the module installed in the laptop is a very old model. Or the driver installed for the Wi-Fi module does not understand standard Windows commands. There is no need to despair, because there is always a solution - you can install specialized software that will help resolve the issue. Having set the goal of how to distribute WiFi from a laptop using third-party programs, you need to know that most of such programs are shareware, and a dilemma arises: to find free version, figuring out how it works on your own, or using a shareware version whose functionality is limited. Alternatively, you can purchase a program, but there is no guarantee that it will be able to control the old Wi-Fi module, so you need to experiment with it yourself different programs. After making sure that the utility works one hundred percent, you can make a purchasing decision.

    Free Idea for Latest Windows Systems

    The Switch Virtual Router program impresses not only with its great functionality and excellent stability, but also with the presence of a Russified menu. Its only drawback is its incompatibility with moral outdated systems Windows XP and VISTA. The program creates a wireless local network and allows you to use office equipment by transferring data via WiFi from a laptop. Even a beginner can understand the user-friendly interface of the program. After installing and launching the program, you are asked to fill out only two fields - give the network name and enter the password twice. By clicking the “Start” button, you can safely connect devices via WiFi.

    Whatever you say, free is captivating

    To the owners of the old operating system don't be upset. There is one great program that doesn’t care what system it works with, and the functionality and ease of management are not inferior to the previous program. A nice bonus will automatic creation wireless network when turning on the laptop. Its name is MyPublicWiFi, and it is also free. There is only one drawback - the program is not Russified - without knowledge English language additional settings It will be difficult to master. To run the program, you will need administrator rights, and to configure, in addition to specifying the network name and password for it, you must select required connection to access the Internet from the list proposed by the program.

    The best program in the world

    The Connectify app has a lot of functionality, unlike its competitors. And it will help you distribute WiFi from your laptop without any problems. The program is capable of receiving Internet even from 3G networks, but you will have to pay for it. But the developers took a step towards users and created a program that was stripped down in functionality, which does not allow changing the name of the access point during setup and working with 3G networks. On the other hand, this simplifies setup: enter the network password and click “Start”. Easy and simple.

    Are penguin lovers left out?

    Linux is a system for advanced users. Therefore, the algorithm of actions is presented very briefly:

    1. Install packages: sudo apt-get install hostapd libpam-radius-auth.
    2. “Wireless networks” - “Add”.
    3. In the connection name and SSID field the name of the point is indicated, the mode is set to special, and mtu is set to automatic. The remaining points can be left untouched.
    4. Method, in the Ipv4 tab, be sure to select “Shared with other computers”, but with the “Security” tab you will have to experiment, apparently this is due to the type Wi-Fi module. To begin with, you can install WEP 40/128, it works on many laptops, and the key for it will be five characters, which is quite acceptable.

    Conclusions

    Each user decides for himself which method is right for him. The main thing is to remember that the right decision can only be obtained by taking some action. If one method does not work, you need to try the next one. The result will be in any case. Before distributing WiFi through a laptop, you need to make sure that the module is physically installed in it and that it is fully functional. To do this, you need to access the Internet using a laptop via WiFi in any convenient place - an Internet cafe, with friends, or contact specialists in service center. And only after making sure that the equipment is installed and capable of working, proceed to setting up the distribution. Otherwise, you can waste a lot of time swearing about programs not working.

    To connect several devices to the Internet at once, including wirelessly, most often a classic Wi-Fi router is used. Modern routers do an excellent job of providing a reliable and interference-resistant connection, but a router may not always be at hand. A standard situation - you decided to spend several days at the dacha and took with you only a laptop with a USB modem. It would be nice to be able to connect to the Internet through it not only on your laptop computer, but also on mobile gadgets such as a smartphone or iPod. Those. there is a need to use the laptop as a separate point Wi-Fi access, to which, by analogy with a regular router, other devices can be connected. If anyone didn’t know, the functionality for implementing such a task is built into the Windows 7/10 operating systems, the main thing is that your laptop is equipped with a wireless adapter.

    So, in this article in step by step mode Let's look at all the main ways to distribute Wi-Fi from a laptop running under Windows control 7 or Windows 10. We will create an access point both using the system itself and using the most popular third-party programs. The Internet source for the laptop will be a 3G modem from one of the operators mobile communications. However, all the schemes discussed will work in the case of normal wired connection Internet.

    Creating a virtual Wi-Fi router via the command line

    For users who are not familiar with the command line, this method will probably seem quite complicated and tricky. However, if you follow the instructions exactly, then no problems should arise. The most important, this method universal, i.e. works in both Window 7 and Windows 10, and does not require the installation of any additional applications.

    First of all, let's launch the command line itself as an administrator. You can do this through the search bar of the Start menu, right-clicking on “Command Prompt” and selecting “Run as administrator.” In Windows 10, simply right-click on the Start menu icon and select “Command Prompt (Admin).”

    In the console we immediately execute the command netsh wlan show drivers to make sure that the current Wi-Fi moment The laptop adapter is capable of operating in access point mode. After entering the specified command, press Enter and look for the line “Hosted network support.”

    If “Yes” is next to it, then everything is in order and you can move on to next stage, if it says “No”, then there is no point in continuing, since the adapter is not ready for Wi-Fi distribution. The reasons for the lack of hosted network support can be very different - from incorrectly installed (or old) drivers to incompatibility current version Windows with installed equipment. We have devoted a separate article to ways to solve such a problem (see “”), so now we will not focus on them and will move on.

    On at this stage we need to enter a command to initialize the created Wi-Fi virtual host. She looks like this:

    netsh wlan set hostednetwork mode=allow ssid=InternetNout key=87654321

    • InternetNout – name of the wireless network;
    • 87654321 – password.

    If everything went well, a corresponding message will appear, as in the screenshot.

    Now we launch our network with the command netsh wlan start hostednetwork, after which we should see the message “The hosted network has started.”

    You need to check whether a new wireless connection has indeed appeared. Go to the “Network and Sharing Center” and find the network we created InternetNout.

    True, its status is “Without network access”, which categorically does not suit us. To virtual point Wi-Fi was able to distribute the Internet, it must gain access directly to the connection through which the laptop itself receives the Internet. In our case it is Ethernet 3.

    Click on it, and then click on the “Properties” button.

    Next, go to the “Access” tab and check the box next to “Allow other network users to use the Internet connection” of this computer" Below, select the target connection from the drop-down list. We have this “Connection by local network* 14".

    Click “OK” to apply the parameters. Now in the network control center the status InternetNout changed to “Internet”, which is what we wanted.

    We pick up the smartphone and in the corresponding settings section we check whether the device sees the created Wi-Fi point. If all the steps described above are completed, the network will certainly be detected. Click on it, enter the password and wait for the connection to occur.

    The laptop will start distributing the Internet to our smartphone via Wi-Fi. The command allows you to display information about the network, for example, the number of connected clients netsh wlan show hostednetwork. To disable the access point, run the command netsh wlan stop hostednetwork.

    Distributing Wi-Fi using a computer-to-computer wireless network in Windows 7

    This method allows you to create an access point without any manipulations with the command line, but the method only works in Windows 7. First, open the “Network and Sharing Center”, and then follow the link “Set up a new connection or network”.

    In the window that opens, select the item “Set up a wireless computer-to-computer network,” and then click “Next.”

    Fill in the “Network name” and “Security key” fields, then click “Next” again.

    A window will appear notifying you that the network is ready to use. At the same stage, you are prompted to enable Internet connection sharing. This must be done by clicking on the appropriate link.

    Now all that remains is to wait for the operation to complete.

    To see the newly created network, in the “Network and Sharing Center” on the left, you need to click on the “Manage wireless networks” link.

    Here you can manage connections - delete, add, change properties, set priority.

    Mobile hotspot in Windows 10

    In Windows 10, it is possible to very quickly organize an access point for mobile devices through the Settings utility. Launch the application and go to the “Network and Internet” section. In the menu on the left, select “Mobile hotspot”.

    If the laptop is connected to the Internet wired or using a USB modem, on the page that opens you can allow sharing Internet connections across multiple devices. That is, the same Wi-Fi access point will appear through which the Internet will be distributed from the laptop to other devices. To activate the hotspot, move the slider located at the top to the “On” position.

    The network name and password to access it will be indicated below (they are generated automatically). The network exists (we call it DESKTOP-EHJUIN4 3118), but does not yet have access to the Internet, as you can verify by going to the network control center.

    To open this access, you need to repeat all the same steps that we performed when working with the command line. We go to the Properties of the connection responsible for “supplying” the Internet to the laptop, and on the “Access” tab, put a checkmark next to the corresponding item. Below, select the desired connection from the list for which you open access to the Internet. Save the changes with the OK button.

    We make sure that the network is now connected to the Internet.

    We connect to it on a smartphone or any other device.

    Popular programs for distributing Wi-Fi from a laptop

    If all the above methods do not suit you or if they did not help you distribute the Internet, it makes sense to use third party programs, of which there are a great many. We will look at the two most convenient in our opinion.

    MyPublicWiFi

    This application has a lot positive feedback and has simple interface, which allows you to start distributing the Internet via Wi-Fi from a laptop after just a couple of clicks. Download the program from the official website mypublicwifi.com and install it on your laptop computer. During installation you will need to restart your laptop. Next, launch the utility and set the settings for the virtual access point.

    We enter the network name and password, and also indicate the connection through which the Internet will be distributed via Wi-Fi. The virtual network is launched by clicking the “Set up and Start Hotspot” button. The program has minimal settings, so understanding them will not be difficult.

    Connectify Hotspot

    One more popular program, providing the opportunity to easily distribute Wi-Fi from a laptop to anyone portable devices. Download the Russian-language version of the utility at http://www.connectify.me/ru/, install it and restart the computer. Let's launch the program. On the Settings tab we see that the application can operate in several modes. By default, the “Wi-Fi hotspot” mode is selected – this suits us. We set the parameters of the virtual router approximately as in the screenshot below.

    Please note that we have created a new wireless access point, receiving the Internet through the same Wi-Fi. The program allows this configuration. Having completed all the settings, launch the point by clicking the button at the bottom of the window. After a few seconds of waiting, the network should appear. We find it on the smartphone and connect after entering the password.

    We did not encounter any difficulties - after a successful connection, the Internet distribution from the laptop occurred as if it were a regular router. Data about everyone connected to your Wi-Fi users will appear in the Clients tab of the Connectify Hotspot app.

    Note that to create an access point we used the free version of the program, the functionality of which turned out to be quite sufficient. If you need advanced features, you will, of course, have to pay.

    This is probably all we wanted to tell you about the topic of distributing Wi-Fi from a laptop using Windows 7/10 or using special programs. If virtual router does not want to be created, then most likely there are problems with the adapter drivers or it does not support operation in access point mode at all (the second is unlikely). If the network appears, but after connecting to it the sites do not load, then public access to the Internet is not open or is blocked by a firewall/antivirus. Write about any difficulties you encounter in the comments below, and we will work together to try to help you.

    Vladislav

    12/22/2018 at 09:06 (2 months ago)

    Sergey, hello again. Vladislav. Your advice about turning off and on both access “worked”: select virtual adapter succeeded in the list. We managed to connect two smartphones to the Internet at the same time, and both smartphones and both network adapters have four different IP addresses, although if you go to myip.com from the browsers of both smartphones and a computer, the site shows the same address - the same as that of the “Connection” adapter over a local network”, where the three IP addresses came from, which, by the way, differ only in the fourth digit, I cannot understand.

    However, it was possible to connect smartphones to the Internet with one caveat - by disabling the firewall. If turning it off for one or two minutes for experimental purposes is still acceptable, then exchanging Wi-Fi for a permanently disabled firewall is unacceptable. For a potential malicious program, it only takes one second of exchange of information with its site; every time I turn off the firewall ( public networks) immediately bursts of both yellow (receiving data) and red (sending data) colors appear in the Task Manager. I know about the Resource Monitor, but it has four tables on top of each other, and I don’t know how to use them to understand which program or browser tab just caused a spike in the graph. It is also annoying that the “Wireless network connection 2” graph is always empty, that is, it is impossible to separately see the traffic distributed from using Wi-Fi. It is also possible, with the firewall turned off, the location changed to “Home” and Wi-Fi being successfully distributed, to look at the network map (picture) to find out how Windows names the devices.

    Regarding the creation of new rules for outgoing and incoming connections. There is a lot written and described on the Internet about this. But nowhere is it written how to create rules for network locations, network adapters, hardware devices (smartphones) by their name or physical (MAC) address. And in the interface for creating new rules (future rule properties), the corresponding fields are not provided, but a field is provided for the IP address. I created both outgoing and incoming rules for the addresses 192.168.137.1 (virtual adapter), 192.168.137.26 (one of the smartphones), which were later replaced by the range 192.168.137.(0-255). I note that the myip.com website does not show any of them.

    The interface was first listed as “Wireless”, then was changed to “All interface types”. The following rules were also transferred from prohibiting (red) to allowing (green):

    rules for outgoing connection:

    Wireless portable devices (SSDP - outgoing) all,
    Wireless Handheld Devices (TCP - Outbound) Private, Public,
    Wireless portable devices (TCP - outgoing) domain,
    Wireless portable devices (UPnP - upstream) all,
    Internet Connection Sharing ( outgoing traffic SharedAccess) all,
    Internet connection sharing (outgoing SSDP traffic) all,
    Internet connection sharing (UPnP outgoing traffic) all,
    Internet connection sharing (UPnPHost outgoing traffic) all,

    rules for incoming connections: the same as for outgoing ones, as well as

    Wireless portable devices (SSDP - inbound) domain,
    Wireless Handheld Devices (SSDP - Inbound) Private, Public,
    Wireless portable devices (UPnP - incoming) private, public,
    Wireless portable devices (UPnP - incoming) domain,
    Internet connection sharing (incoming DHCPv4 traffic) all,
    Internet connection sharing (DHCPv6 incoming traffic) all,
    Internet connection sharing (DHCP server incoming traffic) all,
    Internet connection sharing (incoming DNS server traffic) all,
    Internet connection sharing (incoming SSDP traffic) all,
    Internet connection sharing (UPnP incoming traffic) all,
    Internet connection sharing (incoming routers request traffic) everything.

    Of course, I don’t know what all these Latin abbreviations mean, but the words “Wireless...”, “Sharing...” prompted me to switch these rules to permissive ones. Perhaps this is the rub. But, nevertheless, it was not possible to start distribution with the firewall turned on. Maybe there are more rules that need to be made permissive?, now almost all of them are prohibitive, except for a few created specifically for three browsers, two players, two converters, VPN, and several more programs. When you disable a rule in the list of outgoing connections, the corresponding program loses access to the Internet, checked now! Disabling rules in the list of incoming connections does not affect the access of the corresponding programs to the Internet.

    Regarding the reaction of the smartphone. It has been noticed that if you disable the firewall on your laptop, then start listening to an Internet radio station on your smartphone (with a player, via an m3u file, or in a browser by going to the radio station’s website), then turn on the firewall, then listening will continue until it is stopped ( not pause) or the page will not be refreshed. An update or access to another site will fail with the wording “DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NO_INTERNET”; if you contact via IP, the wording will be “ERR_ADDRESS_UNREACHABLE”. I am writing in detail because for me this information is practically “empty”, but you will most likely be able to glean something useful from it.

    Regarding the operating system. Its name was taken not from anywhere, but from the System Properties, in the same place - Index Windows performance. Assuming that I have wrong version Windows 7, I looked at the relevant Wikipedia article. It turned out that there are 6 versions of Windows 7, and among them there is “Home Basic”. But your mistake was not in vain, because having read the article almost to the end, I came across KB3080149 and Diagtrack, after “googling” it, I put my fingers to my open mouth in horror. I hope Android smartphones don’t have their own Diagtrack. Habrahabr writes that it has renamed itself to “Connected User Experiences and Telemetry”.

    Regarding the command line. Searching on the Internet for a way to add a device name or its physical (MAC) address to a firewall rule did not lead to the desired result, but it still led to something - a command was found that displayed a list of connected devices: “netsh wlan show hostednetwork”. The result of the command is shown in one of the images. You can add this command to this article.

    Regarding the picture in my previous comment. It's my mistake, I didn't notice this white background and didn't crop it, causing the image to be 2752x1504 pixels even though the color portion of the image is 1600x900, the same size as my computer display. The detailed image opens if you open it in a new window, a new tab, or by clicking on it, after temporarily disabling the execution of Jawa scripts for this site. Please correct the image if possible.

    Regarding the VPN program. It turned out that it only works with traffic from laptop programs, but does not affect traffic from smartphones. How to fix this?

    I came up with an idea on how to transfer all the firewall parameters to you at once. They are collected into one image 3496x1592 pixels, which should open normally in a new window. Thank you.

    At the request of visitors, I am posting this article...
    Distributing the Internet via Wi-Fi is actually very simple. Almost exactly the same as . It can be distributed in several ways. Now let's look at them in more detail.

    1 way to distribute Wi-Fi.

    The simplest and most effective is to buy a Wi-Fi-enabled access point. When purchasing, pay attention to this and the capabilities (in particular, speed). Everything is described in detail in the instructions for use. I won't write about the setup, because... There are now a great variety of brands and models, and entire websites are usually dedicated to customization. It’s better to contact your Internet provider for help (if you can’t figure out the instructions). They have such a service.
    In short, I’ll just write that you buy a router, then connect an Internet cable to it, then connect it to a computer with a cable, and then you configure everything on the computer or directly in the router (depending again on the model).

    2 way to distribute Wi-Fi

    If buying a router or router is problematic for you, then you need to buy either a separate “bar” in system unit(namely in ), which looks something like this:

    or, if there is no space on the motherboard or it doesn’t fit or the toad is choking, you can take an adapter something like this:


    In the screenshots I showed options with antennas. They will transmit the signal better and you need to take them preferably. There are also such devices without antennas (for example, adapters like flash drives). They are cheaper, but the signal quality will be worse. If we already touched on the topic of quality, then adapters that plug into the USB connector will also be worse than those that connect directly to motherboard. This factor is also worth taking into account.

    Let's assume that you already have Wi-Fi access on your computer, now you need to “share” (distribute) it. This can be done either according to the instructions, going through the steps, or you can take a slightly different path.
    This has already been described in the article, as well as in the article to which I gave a link above. There, one commentator described the same actions.
    But I digress a little.
    In general, we launch it, preferably with administrator rights. Next we enter into it:

    netsh wlan show drivers


    and pay attention to the highlighted line:


    This line will show us whether the computer is working as it should, namely to act as an access point (“distributor” in common parlance). It needs to be there Yes, if there is No, then you need to either update the device’s firmware or replace it altogether, because it does not support such a feature.
    If Windows version you have Russified properly, then the line will be called Hosted Network Support: Yes

    Now enter the command into the command line:

    netsh wlan set hostednetwork mode=allow ssid=NETWORK NAME key=PASSWORD


    This will create our access point. Please note here:
    NETWORK NAME - write what it will be called yourself, in Latin letters preferably
    PASSWORD - it must be at least 8 characters.

    Now enter the command:

    netsh wlan start hostednetwork



    With this we activate our network. The answer should appear as in the screenshot above ( The hosted network started, but in Russian it will be Hosted network is running). If the answer is hosted network couldn't start, then reconnect your bracket/adapter or start searching for new equipment. This error means that your module was not found.

    Next we go to Network connections V Control panels which is located. There we are looking for our Wireless connection or Local network connection(depending on how you connected) from which you are on the Internet, right-click on it and select Properties.


    Go to the tab Access and check the "Allow use by other users" checkbox. A drop-down menu will open in which you need to select the created connection:


    Click "OK" and check whether Wi-Fi works and is distributed...
    It happens that Internet providers prohibit multi-user access. Then you will need to register the IP manually (in the Internet protocol properties you need to select “Use the following IP addresses”).

    3 way to set up Wi-Fi distribution

    You can use the standard Windows capabilities to create a new network connection. For this purpose in Network connections run the “Connection and Network Setup Wizard” on the left (in XP this is the “New Connection Wizard”), then select “Configure a computer-to-computer network”, then enter a name for the network, then in the “Security Type” section select WPA2-Personal and enter the password in the “Security Key” field.
    The next step is to click on the “Enable Internet connection sharing” button and close the wizard.
    If you did everything correctly, you will again find yourself in Network Connections. Select the “Change sharing settings” link on the left and enable discovery and sharing there (optional).
    All. Now let's check.

    4 way to distribute Wi-Fi from a personal computer.

    In the article about distributing files from a laptop, I provided a link to the program Connectify. It also simplifies the entire setup and allows you to distribute the Internet (if you already have an adapter or Wi-Fi module). But now the developers have really gone crazy and decided to make extra money on it due to its popularity and now in the free version you can only distribute 90 minutes and you cannot work with 3G and 4G modems. In general, I don’t think that this method will suit you, but if you want, you can download it from. I would like to note that it works with Windows 7 and 8.

    About how to work with it, as well as learn good alternative, you can read in the article about.

    That's all I have. I hope that I didn’t disappoint you too much and that you can set up Wi-Fi on your computer and distribute it yourself.

    There are times when you need to access the Internet from your phone or tablet, but, as luck would have it, you don’t have one at hand WiFi networks. In this case, it is not necessary to buy traffic or look for a free access point. Advanced users and IT specialists know how to distribute wifi from a laptop and computer if an adapter is installed on it. We hope these methods will help everyone else quickly start distributing wifi without a router and provide themselves with a stable connection.

    Using a laptop as a WiFi access point is quite simple, and the speed provided when using this device is sufficient for comfortable browsing on the Internet. It is possible to distribute via WiFi from a laptop using:

    • Built-in Windows tools.
    • Third party software.

    There are a lot of programs that allow you to distribute via wifi from a laptop, but not all provide a high-quality connection. However, for certain tasks this is sufficient. In turn, it is possible to distribute a signal to Windows 7,8,10 from a laptop using built-in tools in only two ways.

    It is also possible to distribute wifi from a computer, but in this case an adapter must be installed on it wireless communication. It is installed extremely rarely in the factory assembly; it is most often used external device. This adapter resembles a radio receiver from wireless mouse and provides good signal Bluetooth and WiFi.

    Preparing the laptop

    If the laptop is connected to the network via a Lan cable and you need to distribute Wi-Fi from the laptop as a router, there is nothing complicated about it. The main thing is to create a regular connection so that the device itself has access to the Internet. You also need to check the functionality of the built-in network adapter.

    Job network cable easy to check. When it is connected to a laptop, the “Internet Access” icon appears in the lower right corner of the taskbar:

    The main reason why the laptop does not distribute wifi and there is no Internet connection is a faulty cable or its insufficiently tight contact with the socket. In this case, the icon looks like this:

    After connecting the cable, it's time to check the operation of the adapter. To do this, you need to go to “My Computer”. This is done as follows: open the Start menu or click on Windows button. Next, find the “Computer” button and click on it. In the menu that opens, right-click on any free area and select the last item - “Properties”.

    In the upper left corner, find the “Device Manager” section, click on it and find “Network adapters” in the list. All installed ones will be displayed in the drop-down menu. You need to find a line where NetWork is mentioned, for example:

    Right-click on it (RMB), if there is an “Enable” item, activate it, if there is no such option, it means that it is already working and you can start setting up Wi-Fi.

    The necessary virtual wifi access point for the laptop to simultaneously receive and distribute a signal, in this case using Windows 7 (and any other Windows will not cope), requires additional software. You can take a more trivial route and install an additional removable adapter, but further we will tell you how to do without extra costs using special software.

    Wi-Fi distribution using built-in tools

    The first way to make a wifi access point on a laptop , very simple and appeared in Windows 10 systems, versions older than 1607. This all happens in graphic menu and without using commands.

    First you need to open the “Start” menu, find it in the “Settings” column on the left. Open it and launch “Network and Internet”. Among the list of suggested parameters, find and open “Mobile hotspot”. Then immediately turn it on by dragging the slider, or click on the “Change” button and enter own password and the name of the future connection. That's it, after this the point will work. The answer to the question of how to properly distribute wifi on a laptop has been found.

    Distributing Wi-Fi using the command line and netsh

    The second way to distribute the Internet from a laptop is to use the built-in Windows tools. They are also called Wireless Hosted Network, they are available on all versions, starting with “seven”. Following these instructions using the command line, it is also possible to distribute WiFi on a laptop.

    To get started, go to Windows menu and in the lower window “Find programs and files” enter “cmd”, in the proposed programs you can see one single entry: “cmd.exe”. Right-click on it and run as administrator. In the black window that opens, you need to copy and paste the following command: netsh wlan set hostednetwork mode=allow ssid="1111" key="11111111"keyUsage=persistent.

    Where 1111 is the name of the network, and eight units are wifi password. This data can be changed to something more familiar to the user, as long as the password consists of eight or more characters.

    This core team WiFi distribution via command line. If everything is done correctly, an entry will appear informing you that the Virtual WiFi network has been created:

    All that remains is to launch virtual network so that the laptop distributes WiFi. To do this, copy and enter another command: netsh wlan start hostednetwork. If the launch is successful, you can see that the hosted network is running.

    If, after all that has been done, the Internet does not work when distributing from a laptop, you need to additionally enable the virtual adapter created by the system. Usually it starts automatically, but there are also bugs. It is used so that you can connect to the created WiFi from other laptops and from Android. To do this, go to “Device Manager”, in the “Network Adapters” section and enable the virtual adapter that appears in the list. How to turn adapters on and off was described above. Only now our adapter has specific name– Microsoft Hosted Network Virtual Adapter

    If you decide to enable WiFi hotspot access on a laptop running Windows 10, you need to check whether sharing is enabled. To do this, click PMC on the “Start” window, find “Network connections”, click on it PMC, go to the “Properties” tab, “Access” and check both boxes in the menu so that everyone uses the connection.

    Distributing Wi-Fi using programs

    If during the creation of an access point wifi Windows 7 difficulties have arisen and the system does not work; it can take a very long time to find the cause. It's easier to use programs. They automatically connect all services, start virtual router manager, so the user practically doesn't have to do anything. Also, some programs from a laptop “create” a repeater. It turns out this way: for it to distribute WiFi, you do not need to have a computer connected via a Lan cable. You can distribute the Internet and at the same time receive it yourself via wifi from another laptop or even a phone. But, of course, not every demon paid version The application gives you this opportunity.

    Connectify

    If it is difficult to understand how to distribute Wi-Fi from a computer to a phone using an adapter as a router, then for Windows 7 there is a very simple and intuitive program - “Connectify”. You need to download the free version of the program from the official website or another source and install it, then restart your computer and start setting up a new network.

    Understanding how to set up wifi distribution via a laptop running Windows 7 is quite simple. After launching the application, a program window will appear with several empty fields:

    1. “HotsSpotName”: enter a name here future network. It will appear when searching for WiFi from a tablet or phone.
    2. “Password”: create a password for the network.
    3. “Internet to Share”: select which Internet connection will be broadcast.
    4. “Share Over”: determine the method of Internet distribution. Either via a local network, if there are devices connected via a Lan cable, or WiFi. You need to choose the second method.
    5. “Sharing Mode”: selecting an adapter to broadcast the signal if the computer has one adapter capable of distributing WiFi. This means that at this point there will be only one of the options.

    The “Connectify” program is a paid version, it sets almost all the settings itself, but using these hints, the user will configure everything independently, quickly and correctly.

    This application is another way to quickly distribute wifi from a laptop. First you need to download and install the program. Next, right-click on the shortcut located on the desktop and run it as administrator.

    There are very few settings here; in the first field – Network Name – you should enter the name of the future network. Network key is the future password. Enable Internet Sharing is the most interesting part of the program, since here you can select as the initial connection and local cable, and another “Wi-Fi”. That is, this program on the computer uses it as a router and repeater.

    Mypublicwifi - free product, which has powerful and convenient functionality despite its simplicity.

    MHotSpot

    After downloading and installing this program, run it as an administrator in Windows and proceed to the setup stage. Here it is used standard menu, as in previous programs. One difference: in the last column it is possible to select the maximum number of users who can connect to the network. The program creates WiFi using only a Lan cable as an Internet connection, but allows you to distribute the Internet from a computer to a phone or to another laptop without problems and very quickly.

    This is the easiest way to distribute WiFi from a laptop. Download the program and run it. The menu is simple: only three fields. In the first one enter the name of the network, in the second - the password (at least eight characters) and in last section select the Internet distribution method: WiFi. That’s it, click on the “Start” button and enjoy the availability of Internet connection.

    Security when distributing Wi-Fi from a laptop

    In addition, when creating a password in the listed programs, it is possible to select an encryption code. The most secure is WPA 2.

    Problems and solutions when creating a Wi-Fi access point

    When creating your own WiFi network on a laptop, problems sometimes arise. For example, a network has been created, but the phone “does not see” it. In this case, you need to reboot network adapter. To do this, find it in Device Manager, turn it off and on again. More details on how to enter the “Dispatcher” are provided in the “Preparing the laptop” section.

    Also when creating wireless point you need to check whether the Airplane mode is turned off; this applies to both laptops and phones. For these purposes there is special key on the keyboard, in top line above the numbers, with the identification mark “aircraft”.

    To distribute the Internet on a laptop, you need to disable the antivirus and Windows firewall. The easiest way to do this is through “msconfig”. To do this, press Windows + R and enter “msconfig” in the line that appears. In the new “System Configuration” window, find the “Services” tab. The list includes antivirus (Kaspersky, Eset 32, Avast, etc.) and “ Windows Firewall" You need to uncheck the boxes next to them, save the settings and restart the laptop.

    The method for distributing WiFi from a PC is no different, of course, if it is equipped with an adapter. It is recommended to first update the drivers using the program Driver Booster 5. Now it’s clear whether the laptop can distribute wifi and how to prepare it for this process.