So, dear readers of our online magazine, in this article we will share four simple and quick ways to "share" a laptop's Internet connection via Wi-Fi. In other words, we can easily turn our Windows 7 computer into Wi-Fi hotspot.
How it works?
Any Wi-Fi network card can be used to transmit a wired internet signal over the Wi-Fi protocol. To accomplish this task, you need a kind of virtual bridge or router that connects network devices. The Windows 7 operating system contains built-in capabilities for accessing a wired Internet connection through devices connected using a wireless protocol. However, now there is also software with which you can literally set up a real Wi-Fi point in your own computer with just one click. In this article we will offer several ways, but the choice is yours!
Wi-Fi access point using standard Windows 7 methods
The most obvious way to turn a laptop into a Wi-Fi hotspot is to use the standard function of creating a new WiFi connection Computer-to-Computer, which allows you to open access to local files and the Internet connection to all computers and devices connected via WiFi.
Go to Network and Sharing Center by clicking on the network icon in the system tray at the bottom right and selecting the appropriate item:
Security type is the type of connection security. Recommended type is WPA2-Personal. It requires a password from 8 to 63 characters long. When, if your external WiFi device(phone, tablet, laptop, etc.) the network will not be found or the connection will be dropped, You can change the security type to WEP(5-digit password required), or open ("No Authentication"), that is, without encryption and password.
Click Next and your access point will be created. You may also need to enable access to your computer's Internet connection over the network. To do this, go to the Network and Sharing Center, then in the left menu "Change adapter settings" and call the properties of the Wireless network connection. On the "Access" tab, check the "Allow other network users to use this computer's Internet connection" checkbox:
Due to the simplicity of configuration and quick activation / deactivation, this method is best suited for temporary and quick connection with various devices.
Configuring a Wi-Fi hotspot using Windows Command Prompt
If you are familiar with the Windows Command Line, then I think it will be easy for you to create a Wi-Fi connection using two simple console commands.
First of all, you need to run Command Prompt as Administrator. To do this, open the start and type in the search "cmd". In the search results, click on the icon cmd right click and select " Run as Administrator«:
netsh wlan set hostednetwork mode = allow ssid = YourSSID key = YourPassword keyusage = persistent
where YourSSID- The name of the network, and YourPassword- password. After that, with the following command, we turn on the configured network:
netsh wlan start hostednetwork
You can break the connection with the following command:
netsh wlan stop hostednetwork
Automatic creation of a Wi-Fi hotspot using a Batch file
All the actions indicated in the previous subsection can be easily automated by writing a small script. All we need to do is open Notepad (via the Start menu) and enter a few lines there:
@echo off
CLS
: MENU
ECHO.
ECHO —————————————————
ECHO.
ECHO Press 1, 2, or 3 to select your task, or 4 to Exit.
ECHO —————————————————
ECHO.
ECHO 1 - Set Wifi Sharing Attributes
ECHO 2 - Start WiFi Sharing
ECHO 3 - Stop WiFi Sharing
ECHO 4 - Exit
ECHO.
SET / P M = Type 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 = YourSSID key = YourPassword keyusage = persistent
GOTO MENU
: START
netsh wlan start hostednetwork
GOTO MENU
: STOP
netsh wlan stop hostednetwork
GOTO MENU
Again, instead of values YourSSID and YourPassword provide your own connection name and password values. Save the file under any name and necessarily specify the extension ".Bat"... All you need to do is run the script as Administrator and follow the instructions on the command line screen.
Virtual Wi-Fi hotspot using third-party applications
There are many applications that can turn your laptop into a virtual WiFi router. We will not consider this innumerable set, but dwell a little on a wonderful program called Connectify Hot Spot PRO... The application is distributed on a paid basis.
Connectify Hot Spot allows you to connect both mobile devices of various platforms and computers of various operating systems to a virtual access point. The program is easy to set up. All you need to indicate is Network name(Hotspot Name), password(Password) and, in fact, network adapter(Internet To Share), from which access to the Internet will be opened. After starting the button "Start Hotspot" on the "Clients" tab, you can view the connected or recently connected devices.
Conclusion
There are many different uses for a Wi-Fi hotspot besides opening up Internet access for Wi-Fi devices and computers. However, we hope that any of the methods described by us will help you with the task set in this article. Find the best one for yourself and don't forget to like it!
B lag-prudent users usually strive to protect their private Wi-Fi network as much as possible, for which, in addition to a strong password for the connection, they also set a password for the settings of the router itself and enable filtering by MAC addresses. And this is absolutely correct, but it may happen that the opposite will be required, that is, remove the protection from the network and make it publicly available.
Only for what, you ask, may it be needed? Why expose your network and connected devices to potential threats? The reasons may vary. For example, you are the owner of a cafe or other institution, and you want your customers to be able to connect to Wi-Fi freely without asking for help from employees or administration. Or maybe you decided to throw a party and make Wi-Fi temporarily public, thereby saving your guests the hassle.
So, if you have such an idea, before starting to implement it, if you please take some useful advice.
Remember that if you share your network, everyone who connects to it will be able to access the settings of the router, and this is already dangerous. Therefore, be sure to install a reliable username and password on the router itself. In addition, we strongly recommend that you deny access to the router's settings at the physical level, that is, make sure that you can enter its settings only from your computer.
If your computer has a home network, change its status to "Public"... Otherwise, there is a risk that users connected to the public Wi-Fi network will gain access to your open personal files and directories.
Also consider that the speed of the Internet in an open network will be an order of magnitude lower. If there are too many devices connected to it, communication may "Slow down", and in some cases, even temporarily disappear. However, it all depends on the power of your router.
We open the network
Well, let's get started. Since the internal location of the panels and setting tools for each router model is different, the given example given by us may not be enough to create a complete picture. In general, you need to find the section "Fi-Wi" or "Wireless", and in it find the security subsection. Here it will contain all the settings you need.
You can get into the settings of most routers by going in the browser to the address 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1 and then entering the default username and password. Usually this admin and admin, but it could be different, so you better get to know them yourself. Settings access address, as well as login and password usually located on the bottom of the router.
Some models of routers have a button to disable protection Disable Security, in other models, protection can be removed by changing the parameter value. All you need is to select from the list "Open".
And then apply the setting.
To close the network again, select the previously set value from the list.
This is almost all. It remains only to find the section with the administrator password and change it so that none of the users can enter the router settings.
Also in the basic Wi-Fi settings section, you can change the network name (SSID), but after that you will definitely need to delete the existing connections on your computer and reconnect to the wireless network, otherwise the Internet on your PC may become inaccessible.
Wireless technologies do not stand still, and more and more routers are appearing on the market that can distribute Wi-Fi at 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. The 5 GHz frequency has a number of advantages, among which, first of all ...
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Gone are the days when a single home computer was the pride of the owner and the center of leisure for the whole family.
The pace of development of electronics leads to the fact that soon there will not be a single household item in which a processor, albeit a small one, would not be installed. And even now in every home there are five or two devices capable of storing, processing and transmitting information. And sooner or later a moment comes when we, tired of running with a flash drive from one device to another, begin to think about what would be nice to connect them with each other.
Of course, ideally it would be to think over the composition of the equipment in advance so that there are no problems of incompatibility and unnecessary expenses. But in practice, it often happens that a host of motley devices are already present in your home and you need to somehow connect them together, minimizing efforts and costs as much as possible.
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Wired Ethernet is the optimal cost / benefit ratio. Of course, it requires drilling the walls for laying the cable, but it works very reliably and is out of competition in terms of connection speed, especially if you use ports with a speed of 1 Gb / s. And if all future nodes (this is what the network nodes are called) are equipped with an RJ-45 port and rarely move around the apartment outside the designated places, then this will be the best solution. All that is required to create a network is a few tens of meters of twisted pair cable and a simple router or switch.
But we will consider a more complex case, when some devices are constantly moving (netbooks, laptops or tablets - whoever has what), others do not have an Ethernet port, but are equipped with a Wi-Fi module (PDA or communicators), and still others do not nor the other (HD media player or external storage). You can be sure that building a network is in any case not something outstanding and is quite within the power of everyone.
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Varieties of Wi-Fi networks
Obviously, at home, the only possible universal solution would be a wireless network based on Wi-Fi. First, you need to decide on the basis of which of the Wi-Fi standards the future network should be designed. Currently, there are four types of them: 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g and 802.11n, colloquially called a, b, g, n - after the last letter.
The most common is b, it is also the slowest: the transmission channel speed does not exceed 11 Mb / s (compare with 100 or 1000 Mb / s for Ethernet). Moreover, if Ethernet's real data transfer rate approaches the channel speed, then for a wireless network it is usually about two times lower (see the article “In the city“ n ”in this issue).
A and g have a higher speed - up to 54 Mb / s, but a operates at a different frequency - 5 GHz, not certified in Russia, in contrast to b and g, which operate at 2.4 GHz. This speed is enough for surfing the Internet and most other applications, so we will choose 802.11g as the basis for our network. Typically, every device based on the g standard also supports b, which will ensure compatibility with less advanced devices such as PDAs.
If the speed of 20-30 Mb / s (that is, only about 3 Mb / s) seems insufficient (for example, you plan to transfer large files over the network, such as high-definition films, etc.), you will have to fork out for n - the most modern and expensive standard that allows you to reach speeds as high as 300 Mb / s. There are two versions of it - on 5 and 2.4 GHz, the first of which is also not certified, but more efficient, since it uses an almost unloaded frequency range.
Therefore, the most demanding users can be advised to purchase dual-band devices at their own peril and risk (given the very limited range of the transmitter - on the order of several tens of meters, you can see that the risk is small). But here a compatibility problem may appear, because not all 802.11n devices work at 5 GHz (I mean high-speed mode n, since they still support modes b and g).
Sharing resources
One of the main advantages of the network is the ability to share information (for example, movies, music, or documents). This problem can be solved in several ways. One of them is to share folders on one of the computers using standard operating system tools (for security, you can limit yourself to the "Read-only" mode). This method is quite simple, but it requires constant computer work with shared data. Likewise, you can make a locally connected printer or MFP publicly available.
Looking ahead, let's say that routers with built-in USB ports provide more convenience. They allow you to connect an external hard drive or printer, making them available to each of the network nodes, and even organize a "rocking" torrent. It will be able to work completely autonomously and around the clock (it is not customary to turn off the router, and its power consumption is quite insignificant), download files not only from distributions, but also from most popular file hosting services (the latter usually requires installing a modified firmware, but this is beyond the scope of this article ).
Wireless routers equipped with USB ports can also provide network access to external drives in the form of an FTP server. This method is a little more complicated in the settings (they are performed through the router's web interface), but it is more universal, does not depend on the computer, however, it forces you to convert the file system of an external hard drive, for example, to EXT.
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Equipment selection
Now let's talk about what kind of equipment we need. To organize a Wi-Fi network, a so-called access point is needed: it is she who is responsible for forwarding data packets from one device to another. But it is only suitable for connecting several devices over the air, so we will use a Wi-Fi router with such a point inside as the "heart" of our wireless network, as well as a built-in switch for wired devices. It is he who can provide not only the connection of "wired" devices (storage or desktop computer) along with wireless, but also the connection of this entire economy to the Internet. In the absence of a switch, we would have to keep one of the computers on at all times.
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So conduct an audit of your computer economy and choose an affordable router with the required set of ports and a wireless standard. For example, it can be a budget option with four hundred megabyte Ethernet ports and an 802.11b / g access point, or a fancy one with eight gigabit Ethernet ports, a dual-band 802.11n access point and three USB 2.0 ports, which covers almost any request.
Special consideration should be given to cases when the connection to the Internet is made not through a local Ethernet network, but through ADSL (for example, the infamous Stream), or in a more exotic way (WiMAX, GPRS or something else). Then this should be taken into account when choosing a router. For Stream, you will need a special router with a built-in ADSL modem, or, if you could not find one or want to save a little, you can use the existing ADSL modem by connecting the Internet through it, and all other nodes through an additional inexpensive router connected to the modem ...
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To work in WiMAX networks (Yota, Comstar and the like), there are special devices that include a WiMAX modem and a Wi-Fi access point. In this case, a router is either not needed at all, or can only be used to connect wired devices; you just need to pay attention to the fact that it can connect to the WAN via Wi-Fi (usually this is not possible with the standard firmware). The same applies to the GPRS / EDGE connection (or a more modern version, the so-called 3G) - the easiest way is to purchase a communicator capable of sharing an Internet access channel using the built-in Wi-Fi module.
All devices with Ethernet ports are better connected with wires: files will be transferred more reliably and faster. The rest will use built-in Wi-Fi adapters, or such adapters must be retrofitted. For most laptops, it is easy to purchase and install an onboard PCI Mini / PCIe Mini card, or use an external USB adapter that also works with some media players and NAS.
An external USB drive or flash drive (64 GB models are already quite affordable) connected to a router (it must have a USB port) is suitable for a network drive torrent "rocking". A flash drive has the advantage that it does not require additional power, unlike the vast majority of USB hard drives (the built-in USB port in the router is very limited in terms of the power provided), but it works slower. However, for most applications, its speed is sufficient. You can organize a "rocking chair" in a media player or NAS, many of which support the download mode, but this is less convenient, since it requires the constant inclusion of two devices instead of one.
Manual setting
To manually configure the network in each of the devices connected to it, you need to set three parameters - the IP addresses of the device and gateway, and the subnet mask. Everyone probably knows that an IP address is a unique number that can be used to transfer data to any of the network nodes.
There are two versions of the address - v.4 and v.6, consisting of 4 and 6 bytes, respectively. The 6-byte version is not supported by all devices, but it will dominate in the future. For now, the usual 4-byte is enough for us.
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Since the IP address is unique, it does not have to be the same for devices on the same network. This is an immutable rule, violation of which is fraught with either a complete failure of the network, or permanent problems. Therefore, you will have to strain your imagination and invent four numbers from 0 to 255 for each of the devices. To further facilitate this difficult task, there are certain rules.
Data in computer networks is transmitted using so-called packets or sets of bytes, with a header indicating the IP address or addresses of the destination nodes. Obviously, sending packets to all billions of computers on the Internet at once would make work impossible, so the networks are divided into smaller subnets, and IP packets for local computers should not leave the subnet. To simplify the transmission of packets, all nodes on the same network are assigned similar IP addresses: 1, 2, or 3 bytes are the same, the rest are different. The subnet mask will help you determine the number of bytes that match. Units are written in the place of the matching bits, and zeros are in place of the different bits.
Thus, the network mask of class C 255.255.255.0 means that only 1 byte, the last one, can change, that is, there cannot be more than 256 nodes in this network (in fact, only 255, since the address xxx255 is reserved for broadcast packets, delivered to all nodes of the network at once). It is unlikely that you will have more devices, so it is advisable not to fantasize and use this particular format. For addressing nodes in a type C network, addresses from 192.168.0.0 to 192.168.255.255 are reserved. Considering that they can be used on the local network of your Internet provider, and also taking into account the restrictions on the use of broadcast packets, it is reasonable to choose addresses for the hosts on the home network from 192.168.0.0 to 192.168.0.254 or from 192.168.N.0 to 192.168 .N.254, where N is any number from 1 to 254 (but necessarily the same for all network addresses!), If the first specified range matches the range of the provider's network. Let's leave the default subnet mask: 255.255.255.0.
And the last is the gateway address. A gateway is a network node through which all other nodes connect to the Internet. So we will have the address of the router (usually 192.168.0.1) or the always-on computer, which we decided to use as it. When configuring the router itself as a gateway, we indicate it (if it is directly connected to the provider's network) or the address of the ADSL modem (if it is connected via a modem).
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The story about IP addressing will be incomplete if we do not mention another, "special" address - 127.0.0.1. It is used to indicate the so-called local host, that is, the same computer from which the packet is sent. If you want to access files on the hard disk of the same computer on which you are currently working through a browser, use the address 127.0.0.1, or localhost.
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Automatic tuning
While it is easy to manually configure IP addresses, there are ways to automate this process. The main one is the DHCP server. As a rule, it is already built into most routers. It is enough to activate this option in the settings, and all network nodes that support the DHCP client function will be able to obtain an IP address themselves: you just need to tell them to “Obtain an IP address automatically”.
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This is convenient in some cases: for example, when friends often come to you with their laptops and there is no desire to go into their settings every time. In addition, certain devices, such as smartphones and media players, do not allow manual configuration of the IP address and only agree to the automatic option.
Although manual entry of addresses also has its advantages - the network configuration becomes more predictable, and some programs strive to remember the IP address of a network resource inside themselves, therefore, after changing it (which can happen in auto mode at any time), they happily report that “the resource is not available ".
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Safety
Is she needed? Many users do not pay enough attention to security, which is partly facilitated by the policy of the equipment manufacturers: to make the initial configuration of devices as easy as possible, all security systems are disabled in them by default. In wired networks, this is permissible, since there, in order to achieve absolute security, it is enough to disconnect your home network from the Internet, and then a possible attacker will have the only way to get into your network - to get inside the apartment and connect to your router.
Even when connected to the Internet, your internal resources are not visible from the outside: to ensure their visibility, you need to configure the Port forwarding function in the router (as they say, "forward ports"). Then, when accessing a local resource from the external network, the router will redirect the packet to the local network node where the required resource is located (each type of resource has its own port number). Initially, Port forwarding is not configured at all, which allows you to be calm until you decide to become interested in this issue and configure the function yourself.
A completely different situation with a wireless network. Since radio emission propagates well even through walls, it is possible to connect to it even at some distance from your apartment. That is, an attacker living in a neighboring apartment or simply entering the entrance (and sometimes sitting on a bench near the house) can easily connect to an unprotected ("open") network. With directional antennas, this is possible even at distances of several kilometers!
And don't say you have nothing to hide. At best, attackers can simply steal your traffic (even if you have unlimited bandwidth, the speed will still drop), and at worst, they can commit some illegal action (say, steal passwords from a bank) by accessing the Internet through your network. And then the security service, detecting a breach, will track the IP address of the hacker, which will lead - where do you think? - straight to you! And to explain that you have nothing to do with it will be quite problematic.
Therefore, using an open wireless network is unacceptable. There are three ways to protect your data: authorization, encryption, and packet filtering. Authorization is used to allow access to network resources only to those nodes that know the secret key. Encryption prevents an attacker from intercepting the transmitted data. Finally, packet filtering blocks access to the network for all users except the predefined ones. You might think that authorization and filtering are similar; in fact, this is not so - the packets of the node that have not passed filtering do not even reach the authorization stage.
But encryption and authorization are similar in that they are usually governed by the same security standard. Modern routers and access points support the following standards: WEP (aka Shared Key), WPA-Personal (sometimes referred to as WPA-PSK), WPA-Enterprise, WPA2-Personal, and WPA2-Enterprise. It is better not to use everything except the last two due to insufficient security, and WEP encryption (sometimes controlled by separate settings) also leads to a noticeable drop in transmission speed.
However, there are no other options in the 802.11b network; the few WPA implementations from different manufacturers are usually incompatible with each other. And if there are such devices in your network, the entire network will work in mode b, with all the ensuing consequences, including snail speed.
So it is highly desirable to get rid of legacy devices that do not support 802.11g. In laptops, this is usually possible by replacing the built-in Wi-Fi card or using an external USB adapter, while in a PDA ... Old PDAs will have to be replaced entirely or not be used at all in the network.
Now let's talk about the difference between Personal and Enterprise encryption options. The first of them uses the generation of access keys based on a password, which, of course, should be chosen as long as possible, using letters of different case, numbers and special characters. In case of failure when connecting one or several devices, you should try to enter the key in hexadecimal form, which is provided in almost all devices.
Of the two key encryption options - TKIP and AES - it is recommended to choose the second, more cryptographically strong one. The sometimes encountered combined version of TKIP + AES seems redundant and can lead to problems. Enterprise encryption is more secure, but requires a dedicated RADIUS server. Therefore, if you do not have the time and / or desire to configure such a server, it is advisable to limit yourself to the "personal" option, especially since WPA2-Personal provides a sufficient level of security - in conversations about hacking wireless networks, WEP is usually mentioned or, less often, WPA and almost never WPA2. The degradation in network performance with WPA2 encryption is almost imperceptible.
Those wishing to bring the level of security to the paranoid can be recommended to enable filtering by MAC-addresses. A MAC address is a unique identifier for a device that is different for each wireless adapter, laptop or PDA. By adding the MAC addresses of your devices to the list, you can be sure that only they will be able to access the network, and activating the hidden mode of the network (turning off Broadcast SSID) will not give an attacker even a reason to become interested in it. Additionally, you can activate the firewall (aka firewall) built into the router, leaving only the necessary ports open. In addition to protecting against port scans, it helps well against DoS (Denial of Service) attacks. You can also enable MAC filtering in the firewall, which will protect against unauthorized access through the wired network segment. Of course, it still won't protect you from the attention of the mafia or special services, but it will be several orders of magnitude more reliable than the lock on your front door.
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The delights of high speeds
Appetite, as they say, comes with eating. So it is in building a network: having collected and tested "at least some kind of mesh", you immediately want "the same, but faster." The wide distribution of high-quality films of 30-40 GB each and other entertainment content requires impressive resources not only for storing it, but also for transmission. Therefore, if finances and the availability of available equipment allow, it makes sense to build a network immediately with a reserve for the future, that is, based on 802.11n.
However, it would be too optimistic to expect from this standard a threefold increase in speed compared to Fast Ethernet. As tests show (see the article "In the city" n "in this issue of the magazine), the maximum that can be expected is to get very close to 100 Mb / s. Well, a fourfold increase in speed (over g) is also not bad. This will allow, for example, transferring a gigabyte file in a couple of minutes or directly watching a Full HD movie from a network drive.
However, if you are going to just open the movie file with a player program, smooth playback will be possible only if its size does not exceed one DVD. Due to possible drops in speed, which is almost inevitable in radio communications, "gags" can occur on larger files. If you want to watch movies in this way, you will have to install a streaming video broadcasting server, but this is a topic for a separate article.
To achieve even such relatively modest results in speed, you need to spend a certain amount of time. First - on the selection of equipment. Since we nevertheless chose a router as the main element of the network (we will immediately discard the budget option - using a computer with a Wi-Fi card instead, since we decided to go for a walk like this), a lot depends on it.
The best choice would be to use a dual-band (2.4 / 5 GHz) device, since the 5-GHz band, due to its unoccupation, provides noticeably better communication stability (even if the average speed does not differ much from 2.4 GHz). This will allow "hanging" applications critical to the quality of communication (such as video players) on the 5-GHz channel, and use 2.4 GHz to work with devices that are incompatible with a higher-frequency channel.
In the absence of strict requirements for the stability of communication, you can limit yourself to a single-band 2.4-GHz device (you should not buy a single-band 5 GHz router - it is incompatible with most client adapters. However, I have never seen such devices). But it is worth paying attention to the firm and the model, otherwise there is a risk of getting disappointed. If you have a fast Internet channel connected via VPN or PPPoE, do not choose a model with a weak processor, as it may not keep up with the channel speed.
For laptops, it is preferable to use the built-in card. Of course, the USB adapter is convenient and versatile, but due to the limited size, most "dongles" have an ineffective antenna, which has a detrimental effect on the quality of communication. The antenna built into the laptop lid is beyond competition here. Unfortunately, due to problems with certification in Russia, it can be difficult to purchase an embedded card, but it can be done without any problems abroad - through online stores. A wide variety of such cards allows you to choose the option that is suitable for the price and characteristics for almost any laptop, and sometimes even with free shipping.
As for 802.11g devices, they, of course, will work in the n network in compatibility mode, but if there is no need for this, it is better to disable this mode. Now let's take a closer look at how to tune 802.11n for maximum performance.
802.11n - squeezing out the last
How to ensure stable network operation at high speed? To better understand all the subtleties of the settings, let's talk a little about the reserves due to which we managed to raise the speed in 802.11n.
First, the modulation type was changed from Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) to Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM), which increased the speed from 54 Mb / s to 65 Mb / s. The “green field” mode allowed to reduce the size of the introductory package and thereby reduce overhead costs for service information. Finally, frame bursting has helped to reduce the number of packets required. Thus, the speed has grown a little more to 72.2 Mb / s. "And where is the promised 300 Mb / s?" - you ask, and I will answer that the laws of physics are unshakable, and 72 Mb / s is all that can be obtained in one standard communication channel.
A further increase in speed was achieved only by the "brute force method" - the number of possible channels was increased to four (the so-called MIMO mode, or multipath transceiver), and the frequency band in each channel was doubled. All this added up to a maximum speed of almost 600 Mb / s. However, there are no devices with such a bandwidth on the market yet, since the number of channels in real devices is limited to two. But this leaves the possibility of releasing them in the near future without any problems.
Now how to use this splendor. Often there are very few settings in the driver - only the channel number and frequency bandwidth. And just the second parameter by default is not configured in the best way: it is set to 20 MHz instead of 40, which gives only half the speed! Of course, this needs to be corrected. It is advisable to choose the channel number experimentally - for the best communication quality and the absence of interference with other devices. You can use "Auto" - the router will try to select the least loaded channel, and all adapters will adapt to it.
All other parameters listed earlier must be enabled, otherwise the speed will drop. Unfortunately, the use of green field and Frame Bursting leads to packet collisions if there are devices on the network that do not support them (and these are all 802.11g devices). It is also advisable to activate WMM (Wi-Fi multimedia) mode - this will ensure more stable operation of streaming data applications such as VoIP through the use of the QoS (Quality of Service) service. Enabling WMM mode in your router may be required for some adapters to work, which would otherwise refuse to work at high speed. The WMM No-Acknowledgment checkbox in the settings can add a bit more speed, but cause an increase in the number of errors in conditions of strong interference.
For all the features of the 802.11n network to function, clients exchange information with each other about what each of them can do. The 802.11d protocol is responsible for this. In its absence, the maximum speed will not be reached, so it must be turned on. But it is better not to use non-standard "enhancers" like Afterburner: not only will they work only on those devices where they are supported (and there are very few of them), but also only in 802.11g mode, plus they impose a lot of other restrictions.
And finally, about the physical configuration of the network. “What configuration can there be? - you say. - Arranged the pieces of iron - and forward! " But just this moment can significantly affect the quality of radio reception, and therefore, the speed and stability of the channel. If, in the case of a single antenna, radio waves propagate from it evenly in different directions, then in the case of two antennas (namely, two channels are involved in modern routers of the n standard), due to interference, the signal level can vary greatly. Try tilting or rotating one of them and see the results.
Setting the transmitter power to maximum (where it is possible to adjust it) is not the best solution. Of course, a more powerful signal is guaranteed to "finish off" to the farthest corners of your apartment, but it can drown out the response of the receiving device, and as a result, communication will be ineffective (the so-called near-field effect).
Attention should also be paid to the location of the devices. It is advisable to install the router higher, if possible at an equal distance from all receiving points. This is especially critical in houses with reinforced concrete walls, since the internal reinforcement of such walls significantly weakens the radio signal. In general, experiment and your efforts will be rewarded. At the planning stage, try borrowing equipment from friends for a while to figure out what and how. It is possible that you will need to revise the rest of the devices in your apartment: for example, a wireless mouse operating at a frequency of 47 MHz has a noticeably less effect on the operation of a Wi-Fi network than its sister based on Bluetooth technology.
Photo from hardnsoft.ru
Finally, we would like to thank the readers for the patience they needed to finish reading the article to the end. As it is easy to see, it contains the very minimum of recommendations, and we tried to avoid specific examples. This was done deliberately, since the specific implementations of certain parameters from different manufacturers may differ, but, having grasped the essence, it will not be difficult for you to determine which flag is responsible for the desired parameter. The most important thought that I would like to convey to the reader: there is nothing difficult in creating wireless networks. Just do it and you will succeed!
As you know, not only a device specially created for this can serve as a router, but also the computer itself. This article will discuss how to make wifi without a router by setting up a personal computer equipped with a Wi-Fi adapter, or just a laptop with built-in Wi-Fi.
The first setting method is more preferable
Installing the software
Let's take a look at the Connectify program first. The installation will take place on a computer running the Windows 7 operating system.
The first step is to download the Connectify utility itself, with which we will make a homemade router. You can download it from the official website http://www.connectify.me/
After installing the program, the Connectify icon should appear in the system tray in the lower right corner. Until the program is configured, the icon will be with a crossed out circle, which means that the access point has not yet been configured.
The icon with a circle in the tray means that the program is installed but not configured
Configuring Connectify
Double-clicking on this icon brings up the main program window:
The menu is not complicated, only three settings are required:
- Wi-Fi Name. Coming up and writing the name of the access point;
- Passphrase. Password for connecting the access point;
- Internet. In this menu, we choose which of the channels our homemade wifi router will distribute.
It is necessary to dwell on the third point in a little more detail. Considering that different people have different access to the Internet (for example, several ADSL providers, via a local network, 3G, etc.), then the list of connections will differ. It will look like this:
As you can see from the picture, the list will contain all currently available connections. If, for example, a router with its own hands will share 3G Internet, then choose a cellular operator. If the channel is ADSL, then select the item "Local Area Connection".
Setting up a network connection
OS Windows 7 Network Connections Control Panel
Find “Wireless Network Connection” and “Wireless Network Connection 2”, which were automatically created during the installation of the Connectify program. If these interfaces are not activated (gray icons), then you must enable. The connection on which the Internet we distribute is located must also be turned on. In our case, it will be ADSL, so we enable "Local Area Connection". We continue to configure the wifi router with our own hands.
Launching Connectify
That's it, close this window, go to the Connectify window and press the "Start Hotspot" button. The program started to work. The red circle on the tray icon will disappear:
Also, in the tab with connections, you will see 2 active connections: one with the Internet, the second - your access point.
When any Wi-Fi device is connected to your access point, the name of your device and its IP address will be displayed in the “Connected Clients” field of the program window.
In our case, the Internet is available both on the computer and on the iPhone. The wifi router circuit works.
It is important to remember that our computer is the access point, so it must always be turned on and connected to the Internet.
Possible problems
I would like to note 2 typical cases when using this program it is impossible to distribute the Internet.
Case one
The first case is the periodic disappearance of the Internet after a certain period of time. This is fixed as follows: go to Control Panel \ Network and Internet \ Network and Sharing Center \ Change adapter settings. In the menu that opens, go to the properties "Wireless Network Connection 2", in which we find our Wi-Fi adapter and press the "Configure" button opposite it. Next, go to the "Power Management" tab and uncheck the "Allow the device to turn off to save energy" checkbox.
Case two
The second case - sometimes it is impossible to create an access point at all. There can be many reasons, but the most common reason is Windows Firewall is preventing it. Advice - either add the program to the exceptions, or simply disable it and, if any, all the rest.
The second, more complex setup method
Protocol setting
There are other ways to make a Wi-Fi router without using the services of the Connectify program.
For example, by means of the operating system itself. The example below will take place on a computer running Windows XP.
So, we have a computer with an installed or integrated Wi-Fi adapter. We go to the control panel, then to wireless connections and see all currently available connections. It should be borne in mind that, specifically, your window contents may differ slightly, but this does not change the essence.
On the left side of the window, click "Change advanced settings". In the window that appears, go to the "General" tab, then click on "Internet Protocol TCP / IP", press the "Properties" button.
Another window will appear, in which we press "Use the following IP address" and set the values for the IP address - 192.168.0.1, the subnet mask - 255.255.255.0. Click "Ok".
Adding a wireless network
The previous window of wireless connection properties will appear again, in which we select the "Wireless networks" tab. Press the button "Add ..."
The following window appears, in which we configure a wireless connection of the "computer-to-computer" type:
- Network name (SSID) - the name of the created wireless network;
- Authentication - select "joint" in the drop-down list;
- Data encryption - select "WEP" in the drop-down menu;
- Network key - create and enter a password to connect from our network;
- Confirmation - repeat the password;
- The key is provided automatically - uncheck the box;
- Opposite "This is a direct computer-to-computer connection, access points are not used" put a tick.
Setting up a computer to distribute the Internet to the created wireless network
That's it, the router diagram is ready, we have created a new wireless connection. But there will be no internet distribution yet. To do this, continue the configuration and again click on "Change additional parameters" and in the window that opens, select the "Advanced" tab.
Launching the Network Setup Wizard
At the bottom of the window, click "Home Network Wizard". The network setup wizard will appear:
In the next window, put a tick in the "Ignore disconnected network equipment" box.
As a rule, the first option is suitable in most cases. We choose it. Click "Next". In the next window, you need to select the source of the Internet connection. As a rule, the operating system automatically selects the most probable one.
... and give the name of your private network and computer to display on the local network.
In this window, select the bottom item, click "Next", in the next window "Finish" and restart the computer. Everything, we learned using our wi fi how to make a router.
To create a Wi-Fi access point (aka a mobile hotspot), you do not need to use a router. Any modern devices - smartphones, tablets - can be used for this purpose. Even from a laptop, if it is initially equipped with a Wi-Fi adapter, it will be possible to distribute the Internet. For PC, you will need to purchase a separate adapter. Mobile devices can operate in modem mode only through traffic from a cellular operator; it will not work to connect an Ethernet cable to them.
Each operating system (and its version) has its own peculiarities of how to make an access point. But in most cases, setting up a hotspot does not take much time, does not require specific skills and a programmer's diploma.
From a mobile device
You can turn your phone into a Wi-Fi hotspot without any stress. Most modern mobile gadgets (smartphones, tablets) are capable of this. You can distribute Wi-Fi from your phone both through the Android platform and with the latest versions of Apple iOS.
You can connect to a mobile hotspot a variety of gadgets: other phones, tablets, IoT devices, laptops. But keep in mind that the distribution of the Internet quickly drains the battery of the smartphone. Therefore, it is recommended to turn it into an access point if there is a power bank or an available outlet nearby.
Don't forget about the consumed traffic. Pre-check its availability according to the terms of the tariff plan on which you are served. The connection used on Android and iOS is WPA2.
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Android
To access a Wi-Fi access point, you will need to go through the following steps:
- Open the settings section.
- Find the item "modem mode" (located under the "more" tab in the information and settings of the mobile Internet section).
- In the "Wi-Fi access point" section, move the switch to active.
In the same section, you will be able to track the number of devices, block certain devices, change the password or set a new network name. It is possible to connect up to 5 devices at a time.
iPhone
The ability to transform an iPhone into an access point appeared in the version of the iOS 4.3 operating system. Any wireless devices can also be connected to the iPhone. But keep in mind that using a personal hotspot may not be free, check this point with your mobile operator beforehand.
To turn your iPhone into a hotspot, you need:
- Go to "Settings".
- Go to the following path: "Basic" -> "Networks".
- Find the item "personal access point", click on it, then on "Password Wi-Fi".
- Set an access code of at least eight characters (letters, numbers, punctuation marks).
- Activate the distribution of wi-fi using the switch in the menu.
The name of the resulting point will be the same as the common name of your iPhone. The password can also be changed to a new one, if such a need arises.
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With PC and laptop
Share Wi-Fi from your computer, or your Windows operating system also allows. But all the settings depend on the actual version of the system you are working with.
Windows 10
The easiest way is to connect with the latest version of the operating system, Windows 10, for this:
- Open the options with the Windows key + I keyboard shortcut.
- Click on the "Network and Internet" tab (third from the right).
- Find the "Mobile hotspot" tab in the section menu.
- Activate the switch.
All hotspot information is provided in this section of the options menu. This is the network name, password, the ability to remotely activate a hotspot through a previously linked device via Bluetooth.
Windows 8
Setting up a hotspot on the G8 is not an easy task. There is an opportunity to make a distribution with this operating system, but there are a lot of subtleties. The switch that activates the mobile hot spot appeared only in the tenth version of the system. And it has become one of the most useful functions.
The sequence of setting and creating a point:
- Open the "Run" window (Win + R command).
- Enter the ncpa.cpl command in the text field, press "ok".
- In the appeared window of network connections, right-click on wireless networks, select "properties" in the drop-down menu.
- In the second tab, check the first item. This will allow other devices to be connected to the future network.
- Run the command line with administrator rights (via the Start button menu).
- Enter the command netsh wlan set hostednetwork mode = allow ssid = "" key = "", where SSID is the network identifier, and PASSWORD is the access code for connecting. Press ENTER. When executing the command, set any identifier and access code values, there are no predefined ones.
- Enter the words netsh wlan start hostednetwork. The first introduction with additional values simply creates a point, a second command is entered to start, without this data, where instead of set there will be start.
Connection information is also checked through the command line. There are no other ways to distribute from a computer or laptop with Windows 8 without involving programs from other developers.
Windows 7
You can also distribute Wi-Fi from a laptop or PC with the Windows 7 operating system, this feature is integrated by creating a wireless decentralized ad-hoc connection. This is a direct network between devices, the essence of which is very simple. But the method only works when the Ethernet cable is directly connected to a PC or laptop..
Setting:
- Open the "Start" menu, find the item "wireless".
- Add ad-hoc network by clicking on the corresponding button.
- Check in the connection settings (right mouse button -> properties) the ability to connect to the network with other devices.
Configuring distribution in Windows 7 is much easier than in the eighth version of the system. But connecting will drop any previous connections to the Wi-Fi adapter you were using.
