Convert Windows 7 Laptop into WiFi Hotspot – Share Internet Connection

Here is a interesting software i recently found which would allow you to share your single Internet Connection with other Wi-fi devices like Laptops, Apple iPhone, iPod etc without the need of any external router. The traditional way recommends you to connect your Internet Connection to a Wi-fi router like Linksys WAG200G or D-Link 2640T or any other Wireless Router which can be connected through any Laptop. This can be a good option but would need you to spend more money in the form of purchasing routers and setting them up, and also cannot be used while you are travelling and looking to share your Internet Connection with others. There is another problem with the Wireless Routers which don’t allow you to share the USB Data Card connections and are generally considered to connect with only 1 PC through the USB Port. Here is a super simple solution for everyone who looks to share any Internet Connection they have on their Laptop with their friends without the use of any external hardware and making the inbuilt wifi setup as a Hotspot which can be connected by anyone after authentication.

Connectify Wifi Hotspot Setup

We are talking about Connectify – a small and useful Windows 7 utility which can Turn your Windows 7 laptop into a WiFi hotspot to share the Internet with friends, co-workers, and mobile devices. Once you install the software, you will find a small a small icon in the system tray with the name of ‘connectify’. Next you need to click on it and move towards the settings option. Under the settings section, you need to Type the name of your WiFi Network along with a password which would be required to access the connection you are sharing. The system allows you to share Local Area Network[LAN], VirtualBox Host-Only, Wireless Netconnection and USB Data Card Connections. Just select the type of connection using which your Laptop is connected to the Internet and then click on the Start Hotspot Button.

Connectify Wifi Hotspot

In my case i selected Internet connection as Reliance and the Wifi option as Wireless Network Connection following which any other Laptop or device can connect to my main laptop[HP Dv7] easily. Once the HotSpot is started and activated, the wifi connection would be listed on different devices instantly. Next we need to move to the other Laptop Computers through which we are going to access this newly shared connection and click on the Network & Connections > Wireless Network Connection > Wifi Connection option and click on ‘Refresh Network List’ option which would scan all the wifi hotspots available in the nearby area and give a list of the same. Once you find the network you had created, click on Connect and authenticate with the password you had previously setup.

Wireless Network Key

Once the password is entered, the connection would be established and now your Laptop would be working as a Wifi Hotspot sharing the single connection with multiple devices. Note that the speed would be distributed to multiple laptops if you are using this kind of services because its limited to the total maximum speed you receive on the main connection.

Connect Wireless Connection

Features of Connectify :

• Software Based WiFi Router – Take any Internet connection and share it wirelessly with no additional hardware, wires, plugs, or chargers.
• Connect with Mobile Devices – Easily connect any number of WiFi enabled devices to your network including laptops, phones, gaming systems, and more
• Absolutely Free and Unrestricted – Don’t break the bank paying for multiple WiFi connections on the road, Connectify is free and can actually save you money
• Secure and Reliable – WiFi enabled devices can see and join your Connectify hotspot just like any other WiFi access point and are kept safe and secure by rock solid WPA2 Encryption