Free WiFi Hotspot can satisfy all your devices’ surfing needs! This super easy virtual WiFi router enables you to share Internet from your laptop with your iPhone, iPod, iPad, Android phone, PSP, Xbox, Kindle, iWatch, Google Glass and other smartphones, e-readers, external media players, game consoles, smart watches and even other laptops.
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HomePCWindowsTop 7 Free WiFi Hotspot Software For Windows
- 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.
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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:
Best Third-Party WiFi Hotspot Software
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)
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)
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)
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.
Free Wifi Software For Laptop Download
Platform: Windows
Downlaod: (Free)
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)
Downlaod:(Free)
6. 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)
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)
Download: (Free)
Creating WiFi Hotspot in Windows Without Installing Any Software
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Via Windows GUI (Windows 10 Only)
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:
- First off, open ‘Settings’ on your Windows 10 PC by pressing Windows key + I simultaneously on your keyboard. Then, click on ‘Network and Internet’.
- Now click on ‘Mobile Hotspot’ on the left-hand side.
- On the next window, you’ll find an on/off slider at the top to activate or deactivate the mobile hotspot feature. Below that is a drop-down menu that lists all the connections available to your PC right then. In my case, the only available option is our work WiFi, so that’s exactly what I chose. Before you switch the toggle on, you might also want to choose your own SSID and password (by clicking on ‘Edit’) instead of going with the default values listed by Windows, but obviously, it isn’t mandatory.
- That’s it! Your Windows 10 PC should now function as a full-fledged WiFi router.
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.
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Using Command Prompt / Batch File
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.
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
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Create a Batch File to Automate the Task
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.
@echo off
CLS
:MENU
ECHO.
ECHO Press 1 To Set WiFi Sharing Attributes
ECHO Press 2 To Start WiFi Sharing
ECHO Press 3 To Stop WiFi Sharing
ECHO Press 4 To Exit
ECHO.
SET /P M=Please Press 1,2, 3 or 4, then press ENTER:
IF %M%1 GOTO SET
IF %M%2 GOTO START
IF %M%3 GOTO STOP
IF %M%4 GOTO EOF
:SET
netsh wlan set hostednetwork mode=allow ssid=DontStealMyWiFi key=idontneednopassword keyusage=persistent
GOTO MENU
:START
netsh wlan start hostednetwork
GOTO MENU
:STOP
netsh wlan stop hostednetwork
GOTO MENU
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.
- You can now Press 1 to create the hosted network or the WiFi hotspot.
- Press 2 to activate the hotspot.
- Press 3 to stop the hotspot once you’re done using it for the time being.
Free Wifi Software For Laptop
- We’re mostly done with it, but there’s just one last step before you get a fully functional WiFi hotspot through your PC. Right click on the network icon on your taskbar and click on “Open Network and Sharing Center”.
- Now click on the name of your active connection, the one you want to use for your WiFi hotspot. For me, it’s our office WiFi.
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
Free Wifi On Laptop
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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Free Wifi Software For Android
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It might just be hard to admit, but Internet more or less has become a very integral part of our lives, something without which it is hard for us to go about our normal day to day business. Whereas 20 years back we got internet through long network wires connected to our stationery PCs, today we get internet through wireless fidelity known as WiFi on our movable laptops. We move out of one Wifi hotspot to another. We connect multiple devices across the same connection using WiFi. But in some cases, you might just have one LAN cable, no modem and multiple devices to connect. This is where you rely on the hotspot app.
There are always ways for you to make your computer a hotspot, but you know that you have to have the right software in order to be able to take care of it. What software works best? Are there ones that stand up above the rest? Which ones are user-friendly and how well are you actually going to be able to utilize them? Which ones are reliable and how can you feel confident that you’re going to get everything done? That’s the sort of stuff that you need to know.
In this article, we’re going to help you with 10 of the best free WiFi hotspot software of 2019 for windows computers. We know that you don’t have all of the time in the world to figure out how to take care of such things. So, instead of settling or trying to struggle on your own, check out these options, try them out, and see how you can get ahead of the game with these great little software programs.
10 Best Wifi HotSpot Software of 2019 for Windows PC’s
1. Connectify Hotspot
Connectify is a well-known hotspot creator that has both paid and unpaid versions. The unpaid free version allows a user to share an internet connection from another WiFi or LAN cable etc across multiple devices. The main drawback of Connectify’s free version is the timeouts of 30 mins after which the hotspot will be stopped and will have to be restarted.
The app allows the user to see the amount of data or speed consumed by each device and also allows renaming the device and blacklisting unwanted devices. The name that the hotspot has will always be preceded by the word Connectify hence making the name not completely customizable and the app provides the feature of securing the hotspot through a password. The app does not facilitate the transfer of files or videos and also does not allow the allocation of network speed. The installation procedure is simple and finishes in a minute or so. The signal efficiency and range are high and reliable.
Key Features:
- 30 min timeout leading to interruption of the WiFi.
- Easy interface with good efficient signal range and efficiency.
- Semi Customisable name to WiFi.
- Efficient management of devices with the window showing internet speed being consumed by a device etc.
Website: Connectify Hotspot
2. mHotSpot
mHotspot is a WiFi application that is well known for the multiplayer gaming option that it provides to the user. Two computers or devices can be connected using the WiFi and gaming will be smooth and efficient. This is just a secondary feature of this software, the primary being providing a strong uninterrupted WiFi signal for the user to use and it performs this function too quite efficiently.
It can be used to identify the devices connected, restrict connections by setting strong passwords and also acts a good repeater to boost the range of your router’s signal.
Key Features:
- Efficient and Reliable.
- Facilitates smooth multiplayer gaming.
Website: mHotspot
3. My WIFI Router
My WiFI Router is a powerful and very efficient hotspot creating software that creates a hotspot with very strong and high range signals. The app apart from allowing you to share internet across multiple devices also allows the user to share videos across the devices connected to the WiFi network and view the video from their device. They also get to determine individually the video broadcast speed too.
It also allows the transfer of other files. The app allows you to customize the name of your Hotspot and also allows you to secure the network through a password. It allows the sharing of all kinds of connection from LAN to Ethernet to 4G and even another WiFi.
The details of all the connected device are readily available and these devices can be easily managed from the app itself and the app gives you the choice of blocking the said device, allocating the network speed it will get out of the WiFi etc. The app is absolutely free and it is a great reliable app to use when you do not require a professional paid hotspot app for your business or personal needs.
Key Features:
- Easy to use interface and powerful sharing of internet across multiple devices.
- Capability of sharing files and videos across devices.
- Capability of managing the devices efficiently.
Website: My WiFI Router
4. MyPublicWiFi
MyPublicWiFi as a hotspot creating software is quick efficient and simple to use. What distinguishes this software from the rest of the herd is the accountability it can be used to establish. It allows the user sharing the WiFi to see and know which URLs ie. sites were visited by the users of his hotspot.
The firewall system in the software can also be used to prevent access to certain file-sharing applications and hence restrict the avenues a hotspot user will have. Apart from this feature it has a good interface, the user can add a custom name, password protection can be enabled, multiple languages are present etc.
Key Features:
- Can track what the hotspot users do and can make them accountable.
- Simple Interface and Efficient in range and very reliable.
Website: MyPublicWiFi
5. MaryFi
MaryFi is a powerful hotspot creator that is compatible with Windows 7 and above versions. It is used to create hotspots which are accessible to most devices such as other laptops, music players, gaming systems etc. MaryFi has a good WiFi range and can genuinely cut expenses on the need to buy other WiFi routers.
The UI of MaryFi is simple and has only the basic required aspects to it to reduce the clutter that is associated with most other apps. The app also acts as a repeater taking the signal from one single WiFi router to multiple devices. The app can also be used to access shared files between various devices without the need for long network cables attached to the devices.
Key Features:
- Simple Interface without any clutter.
- Provides access to shared files across multiple devices.
- Acts an efficient repeater allowing the availability of WiFi signals throughout an area.
Website: MaryFi
6. HostedNetworkStarter
Hosted Network Starter is an app similar to Virtual Router by the fact that it does not require installation. It can be stored in various storage devices and can be used quite easily after plugging in the storage device onto a PC. Hence the portability of this software is high. This provides a GUI front end to the command line method of enabling WiFi hotspot in your PC.
The app allows you to share the internet that originates from LANs, other WiFi etc. It provides a well-defined list of all the clients that are connected to the PC and if the PC is not configured properly it provides detailed error message pointing to the error. Overall this is a good software to meet your WiFi needs.
Key Features:
- High Portability.
- Easy to use and efficient.
- Detailed info regarding errors, if any and info regarding the connected clients will be displayed.
Website: Hosted Network Starter
7. OSToto Hotspot
OS Toto is a favorite Wifi creating software to many people. It is simple to use and has a very efficient interface. It allows a user to manage the devices connected to it by allowing him to rename the devices and blacklist them to prevent them from accessing the WiFi. The software, however, does not provide the feature of sharing videos or files. It provides a good range to the Wifi it creates and the signal is also strong and reliable.
The app allows a user to give a custom name and also to set a password to restrict entry into the network. The app also allows a feature of measuring the network speed of your internet to decide whether or not to actually allow connections. The installation of the app is quick and simple and does not take much time. The app also allows the sharing of different forms of internet connection from another WiFi to an Ethernet cable.
Key Features:
- Easy to use and Simple Interface.
- Ability to connect multiple devices.
- Easy tracking and blacklisting of devices connected.
Website: OS Toto
8. Baidu WiFi Hotspot
Baidu WiFi is very easy to install with the installation taking less than a minute and compatible in multiple versions of Windows. It provides 6 languages including Portuguese, Spanish etc in which the app can be used and can also be used to send files and to receive files from phones apart from acting as a strong efficient and powerful hotspot creator.
It allows the user to change the name of the WiFi and also to set a password to restrict access. The app has a very simple interface and can be easily used by anyone with basic knowledge of how a computer functions. The range of the WiFi provided by the app is good and the signal is effective and reliable.
Key Features:
- Easy and Efficient UI.
- Allows transfer of files to and from a phone.
- Good efficient reliable WiFi signals.
Website: Baidu WiFi
9. Virtual Router
Virtual Router differs from all the other hotspot software from this list by the mere fact of it being open source. Being an open source program every aspect of the program is in one way or the other in your control with the choice of making modifications and tweaks.
The program runs without any background processes and does not require any installation, hence allowing the user to copy the app in pen-drives and other storage devices and to easily use it. The app has a very simple interface and is very easy to use. It performs efficiently all the functions that users expect of a WiFI hotspot and those which are discharged by the software mentioned above.
Key Features:
- Open Source and retention of control with the user.
- Does not run in the background, hence not consuming memory.
- Efficient and Simple Interface.
Website: Virtual Router
10. Antamedia
Antamedia, one of the first WiFi companies that developed PC-based WiFi management software back in 2006, just released a new Hotspot V5. It’s an industry-leading software to manage and sell WiFi HotSpotaccess that helps you provide the free Internet with social login, collect data, engage customers with video ads and surveys.
It is used in 170 countries by 30000 businesses and major brands like Hilton, Marriott, IHG, Nasa, Coca Cola, but also mid-sized and small businesses as it fits any WiFi requirement.
Key Features:
- Installs on a PC, easy setup with any network hardware controls all user devices
- One time payment, live support to assist with installation and deployment
- Configurable free access, social login, tiered paid access with credit card processing
- Collects user data and set up marketing campaigns with automatic email follow-ups
- Collect surveys to increase guest satisfaction and TripAdvisor rank
- Displays Video ads for complimentary access
- Easily branded with logo and background with 50 new themes
Website: Antamedia
We think any of these 10 free wifi hotspots should suffice your need to create a free wifi hotspot. If you think there is some better software available on the internet, please let us know in comments below and we would be glad to include it in our list.