Connect PC Internet to Mobile via Wifi

If you want to share your internet connection with your mobile devices, you can turn your computer into a wireless router. As long as you have a wireless adapter installed, you can create a mobile hotspot on your computer that you can connect your mobile devices to. Your devices will then share the computer's internet connection. This is great for hotels and other places that only provide a single login for Wi-Fi.

Steps

Using Windows 10

1. Press .⊞ Win+X and select "Command Prompt (Admin)." This will start the Command Prompt with administrator access. You may be prompted to continue depending on your computer's security settings.
   • You'll need to be logged in with an administrator account or know the administrator password in order to perform these steps.
2. Check to see if you have a compatible wireless adapter installed. You'll need a wireless adapter in order to create a wireless network for your mobile device to connect to. Virtually all Windows laptops have a wireless adapter installed, but many desktop computers do not come with one. Type the following command to check if you have an adapter installed, and if it's compatible:
   • netsh wlan show drivers
   • If you get a message saying The Wireless AutoConfig Service is not running, your computer does not have a wireless adapter installed. You can try a USB wireless adapter, or see Install a PCI Card for instructions on installing a network card.
3. Find the .Hosted network supported line. You may need to scroll back up to find it. If it says Yes, your wireless adapter supports broadcasting a wireless network. Keep the Command Prompt window open for now.
   • Not all wireless adapters support hosting their own network. If your computer does not have a compatible adapter, you can try a USB adapter instead.
4. Ensure your computer is connected to the network via Ethernet. This method requires that the computer you are turning into a wireless hotspot has an Ethernet cable connection to the network. You'll be sharing this connection with the devices that connect to your computer via wireless.
   • Press ⊞ Win+X and select "Network Connections" to load the Network Connections window. Look for an "Ethernet" connection in the list. It will have an Ethernet cable icon underneath the network icon.
   • If you don't have an Ethernet connection (i.e. you're using a Surface tablet), see the section below on using Connectify, which can use your wireless adapter to both receive internet and broadcast it to connected devices.
5. Enter the command to create the network. Return to the Command Prompt window, or open it in administration mode again if you closed it. Type the following command:
   • netsh wlan set hostednetwork mode=allow ssid=Template:Var key=Template:Var
   • Replace Template:Var with the name you want your network to appear as.
   • Replace Template:Var with the password you want to use to protect your network. It must be at least eight characters long.
6. Start the new hotspot. Enter the following command to start your new hotspot:
   • netsh wlan start hostednetwork
7. Return to the Network Connections window. You can find it in the ⊞ Win+X menu if you closed it earlier.
8. Right-click your Ethernet connection and select "Properties." This will open a new window with details on your Ethernet adapter.
9. Check the first box in the "Sharing" tab. It reads "Allow other network users to connect through this computer's Internet connection." A new menu will appear under the box.
10. Select your newly created network from the menu. You'll need to select the network that you just created, as this is the network that you'll be sharing your internet connection with. It could be labeled "Local Area Connection #," "Wi-Fi" or "Microsoft Hosted Virtual Adapter."
11. Click "OK" to save your changes. Mobile devices that connect to your network will now be able to access the internet using your computer's connection.
12. Connect your mobile device to the new network. Now that the new network is set up, you can find the wireless network on your mobile device and try connecting to it:
    • Android - Open the Settings app and tap "Wi-Fi." Tap your newly-created network in the list of available networks, then enter the password you made when prompted.
    • iOS - Open the Settings app on your Home screen. Tap "Wi-Fi" and then find your new network in the "Choose a Network" list. Tap it and then enter the password when prompted.
13. Test out your connection. Once you're connected to the wireless network, you can test it out by opening a browser and loading a webpage. You may notice a slower connection on your mobile device than on your computer.
14. Turn off the hotspot when you are finished. When you're done sharing your internet connection, you can disable the hotspot very similarly to how you turned it on:
    • Open the Command Prompt (Admin) from the ⊞ Win+X menu.
    • Type netsh wlan stop hosted network and press ↵ Enter.
    • Return to the Network Connections window, open the Ethernet connection's Properties, and disable connection sharing in the Sharing tab.

Using Windows 7 and 8

1. Ensure you have a wireless adapter installed in the computer. This is required in order to turn your PC into a router. Your laptop has a wireless adapter built-in, but many desktops do not have wireless adapters. You can get a USB dongle adapter that you simply plug in and use, or you can install a wireless network card, which may be more powerful.
   • You can check if your computer has an adapter installed by opening the Start menu or screen and typing ncpa.cpl. Press ↵ Enter and the Network Connections window will open. Look for a connection labeled "Wireless Network Connection." It will have a signal bar icon underneath the connection icon. This indicates that you have a wireless adapter installed.
   • See Install a PCI Card for instructions on installing a network card in your computer.
2. Download Virtual Router. This is a free, open-source program that can easily share your computer's internet connection via a new wireless network using protocols built into Windows. You can download it from virtualrouter.codeplex.com.
   • Virtual Router allows you to share your connection via wireless using the same card that your computer using to connect to the network. In other words, you only need a single wireless connection on your computer to create a Wi-Fi access point and share your internet with mobile devices.
   • If you're using Windows 10, you can try this method, but many users report that it doesn't work on their systems. See the next section for a method that is much more likely to work in Windows 10.
3. Double-click the downloaded program to start the installer. Follow the prompts to install the program. You can leave any settings at their default. If you downloaded the program from virtualrouter.codeplex.com, it should not have any adware or malware.
   • You can find the downloaded installer at the bottom of your browser window, and it can also be found in your Downloads folder.
4. Run the Virtual Router program. Once you've installed Virtual Router, you'll need to launch it. Find and open the Virtual Router Manager program in your Start menu.
5. Update your wireless drivers if Virtual Router will not start. Virtual Router requires a wireless device with drivers that are made for Windows 7 or 8. If you haven't updated your wireless card drivers in a while, or you upgraded your computer from Windows Vista or earlier, you may need the latest drivers for your device. If you do not have a wireless adapter installed, the program will not start.
   • Press ⊞ Win+R and type devmgmt.msc to launch the Device Manager.
   • Expand the "Network adapters" category, right-click on your wireless adapter, and select "Update Driver Software."
   • Click "Search automatically for updated driver software" and follow the prompts to install any drivers that Windows finds.
   • See Find and Update Drivers for more details on updating your drivers. If Virtual Router still doesn't work after updating drivers, or there are no updates available, see the Connectify section below.
6. Enter a name for your new wireless network in the "Network Name (SSID)" field. This will be the network name that appears on your device's list of available wireless networks. Make sure it doesn't contain any personal information, as anyone in the vicinity will be able to see it.
7. Enter the password you want to use to protect the network. A password is recommended to prevent unwanted users from accessing your network. Even if you're at home, you should include a password. You'll need to enter this password on your mobile device when connecting to the network.
8. Select the connection you want to share. For most people there will only be one connection listed. Select the connection that your computer is receiving the internet from.
9. Click the "Start Virtual Router" button. Your new wireless network will be created, and you'll be able to see it on your mobile device.
   • If the virtual network does not start, use the program in the next method.
10. Find the new network on your wireless device. Once the new network is up and running, you should be able to find it in the list of available networks on your wireless device. The process for finding this list varies depending on the device you are using, but it's usually in the Settings app.
    • Android - Open the Settings app and tap "Wi-Fi." Find and tap the newly-created network in the list of available networks. Enter the password when prompted.
    • iOS - Open the Settings app on your Home screen. Tap the "Wi-Fi" option at the top of the menu. Select your new wireless network and then enter the password you created.
    • See Connect to a Wireless Internet Connection for instructions on connecting a variety of devices.
11. Test out the connection. Once you're connected, you should see your device listed in the Virtual Router Manager window on your computer. Open your browser on your mobile device and test that you can load websites.

Using Connectify (Any Version of Windows)

1. Make sure you have a wireless adapter installed. You can only create a wireless network with your computer if you have a wireless adapter installed. If you're using a laptop, you'll already have one. If you are using a desktop computer, you may need to install one. You can use a USB wireless adapter or install a network card.
   • Press the ⊞ Win key and type ncpa.cpl to load the Network Connections window. If you have an adapter here labeled "Wireless Network Connection," then you have a wireless adapter installed.
   • See Install a PCI Card for instructions on installing a wireless adapter in a desktop computer.
2. Download Connectify. Connectify is a program that creates a virtual wireless hotspot using your computer's wireless adapter. If you can't get the built-in tools covered in the previous methods to work, or just need something that will get you up and running in a few clicks, Connectify may help.
   • Connectify has both a paid and a free option. The free option will allow you to create a wireless network from your computer, but you won't be able to rename the network.
   • You can download Connectify from connectify.me
3. Run the Connectify installer. After downloading the program, run it to begin installing the program. Click "I Agree" to begin the installation.
4. Reboot your computer. You'll need to reboot before you can start Connectify. Power down and restart your computer from the Start menu.
5. Start Connectify when your computer boots back up. You'll be prompted to select if you want to buy or try.
6. Allow Connectify through Windows Firewall if prompted. If a Windows Firewall window appears, click "Allow Access" for Connectify.
7. Click "Try Me" and then "Get Started with Lite." This will start the free version of Connectify.
8. Ensure "Wi-Fi Hotspot" is selected at the top of the window. This tells Connectify that you want to create a wireless hotspot using your internet connection.
   • If you don't see any options after selecting "Wi-Fi Hotspot," you may not have a wireless adapter installed in your computer.
9. Select your current network connection. If you have more than one adapter installed, you'll need to select the adapter that is currently being used to connect your computer to the internet. You can select your wireless or wired adapter, depending on what you are using.
10. Select the name for your hotspot. If you're using the free version of Connectify, the name must start with "Connectify-". If you're using the Pro or Max version, you can enter any name.
11. Create a password for your hotspot. This password will be required to connect to the network. It is recommended that you protect your network with a password, even if you're at home.
12. Click "Start Hotspot" to start your new network. Connectify will start broadcasting your new wireless network, and it will appear on your mobile device's list of available networks.
13. Connect to the new network on your mobile device. Select your new wireless network and enter the password you created. You should connect to the network after a moment, and your mobile device will appear in the Clients tab in Connectify.
14. Test out your connection. Once you're connected, open the browser on your mobile device and try to load a website. If everything has been configured correctly, it should begin to load almost immediately.

Using a Mac

1. Ensure that you Mac is connected to your network via Ethernet. In order to create a wireless hotspot and share your Mac's internet connection, your Mac must be connected to the network via Ethernet cable. You cannot share your share your internet via Wi-Fi if you are already connected to the network using your Mac's Wi-Fi adapter.
   • You can find the Ethernet port along the back or side of most Mac computers. If your Mac doesn't have an Ethernet port, you can use a USB or Thunderbolt adapter.
2. Click the Apple menu and select "System Preferences." This will load the System Preferences menu.
3. Select "Sharing" from the System Preferences menu. This will open a new window.
4. Highlight "Internet Sharing" but don't check the box next to it yet. This will display your internet sharing options in the right frame.
5. Select "Ethernet" from the "Share your connection from:" menu. This will share the internet connection that your Mac is getting from the Ethernet cable.
   • Your Mac will need to be connected to your network via Ethernet before you can share its internet connection. This method may not work on Mac devices that don't have an Ethernet port.
6. Check "Wi-Fi" in the "To computers using:" list. This will tell Internet Sharing that you're going to be creating a wireless hotspot to share your internet connection.
7. Click the "Wi-Fi Options" button. This will load a new window that allows you to configure your new wireless network.
8. Create a name for your network. Enter a name for the network in the "Network Name" field. Make sure it doesn't contain any personal information, as the name will be public.
9. Create a password. Enter a password that will be used to protect the network. You'll need to enter this password on your mobile device in order to connect to the network. Create a password even if you are at your home.
10. Check the box next to "Internet Sharing." This will enable Internet Sharing after you've selected that you want to share via Wi-Fi.
    • Click "Start" to confirm that you want to enable sharing.
11. Connect to your new network on your mobile device. Once Internet Sharing has been enabled on your Mac, you should see the network in the list of available networks on your mobile device. Select it and enter the password you created.
12. Test out the connection. Once you're connected, open a web browser on your mobile device and try to load a website. If you configured your Mac's internet sharing correctly, you should be able to load the site without issue.

Sources and Citations

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