Mobility

Screenshots: Create your own Wi-Fi hotspot with the help of these five free tools

By // November 4, 2015, 2:34 PM PST

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  • Introduction

    Whether you want to share a wired connection with your friends or just link multiple devices to a single Ethernet connection, having your own portable Wi-Fi hotspot can come in handy. Here are five free applications that can turn your own PC into a Wi-Fi hotspot to share its internet connection.

    Note: This gallery is also available as an article.

    Image: iStockphoto.com/Zhenikeyev

  • Free WiFi Hotspot

    Free WiFi Hotspot is a basic tool for sharing your Wi-Fi hotspot. Its only real configuration options are the hotspot name (the SSID) and password.

  • Free WiFi Hotspot

    After entering this information, you simply select your network connection and click Start to begin sharing. When you're finished, you can terminate the connection by clicking the Stop button.

  • Virtual WiFi Router

    Like Free WiFi Hotspot, Virtual WiFi Router is a simple tool with limited configuration options. However, this tool allows you to limit the number of peers that can connect to your hotspot.

  • Virtual WiFi Router

    Virtual WiFi Router also offers an option to see which devices are connected.

  • Winhotspot WiFi Router

    Winhotspot WiFi Router is another free tool for turning your PC into a Wi-Fi hotspot, but it offers a few extra options. Like the other tools, you can specify a custom hotspot name and password and choose which network connection you want to share.

  • Winhotspot WiFi Router

    You can also monitor upload and download bandwidth and see which clients are connected to your network. There is also an auto run option and a safe mode option.

  • mHotspot

    mHotspot has one of the better interfaces among the tools on this list.

  • mHotspot

    This tool lets you specify your hotspot’s SSID, password, internet source, and maximum number of clients, and it provides detailed information about bandwidth usage and device connectivity.

  • My WiFi Router

    My WiFi Router takes things to the next level. In addition to letting you share an internet connection with your friends, it has built-in video sharing capabilities.

  • My WiFi Router

    My WiFi Router also has some nice extras, such as automatic conflict detection and the ability to prevent your PC from going to sleep when the Wi-Fi hotspot is activated. There is even a power-off timer you can use if you want to provide limited internet connectivity.

Introduction

Whether you want to share a wired connection with your friends or just link multiple devices to a single Ethernet connection, having your own portable Wi-Fi hotspot can come in handy. Here are five free applications that can turn your own PC into a Wi-Fi hotspot to share its internet connection.

Note: This gallery is also available as an article.

Image: iStockphoto.com/Zhenikeyev

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