Windows 7 wifi hotspot

Russinating · 1 Sep 2011 at 22:31

The wifi signal in my room is terrible from the router downstairs so I've been using Homeplug/Powerline adapters for a good year or so and they're great.

However now with an Xbox, tablet and phone all in the same room too it'd be very useful to be able to create a wifi hotspot from my laptop just like I can on my phone.

I've got a Dell XPS M1530 laptop running Windows 7. The wireless adapter is an Intel Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN and I've also installed this driver: http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&DwnldID=18212&ProdId=3062&lang=eng (13.0.0.107).

However I've tried the "netsh wlan start hostednetwork" method to no avail (I get 2 error messages). I've also downloaded Connectify and Virtual Router Manager and neither work either.

Also, when trying to turn on ICS in both LAN and Wireless settings I get an error message, "An error occurred while ICS was being enabled. (null)".

What else can I try/do?

Russinating · 1 Sep 2011 at 22:59

Sorted ICS now by turning on Windows Firewall etc, but still can't get Connectify or Virtual Router Manager to work.

cavemanoc · 3 Sep 2011 at 10:41

I tried to do this a while ago and gave up in disgust - the honest answer is that (although it causes me immense pain to admit it) PCs just don't do hotspots well (unlike those hateful fruit-based machines!) In the end I just set up an Ad-Hoc network and used ICS through that - worked well enough - just needed to refresh it every couple of days. Not sure if the XBox will play nice with it, but the other option is to like them with a cheap wired switch and share the connection over the ethernet - much more dependable. (For the xBox - obviously you would have to rely on Ad-Hoc for the tablet/Phone)

Deleted member 77746 · 3 Sep 2011 at 10:49

It's easy. What your looking to do is a WiFi ad-hoc network. Then you can connect devices to it like a WiFi hotspot.

Control Panel\Network and Internet\Manage Wireless Networks

richb93 · 3 Sep 2011 at 11:02

Just use Connectify.

EDIT: Derp. Try finding different drivers. I had problems with Connectify on my netbook when I used the official Realtek drivers but with the built in Windows 7 ones it worked fine.

cavemanoc · 3 Sep 2011 at 12:49

Russinating said:
... I've also downloaded Connectify and Virtual Router Manager and neither work either...

Russinating said:
... but still can't get Connectify or Virtual Router Manager to work.

He's tried that - Unfortunately both of those programmes are great when they work, but often they just don't (I never had any joy with either

) - as above - Ad-Hoc will work in the short term, but it is 'flakey' at best

Deleted member 77746 · 3 Sep 2011 at 13:25

cavemanoc said:
He's tried that - Unfortunately both of those programmes are great when they work, but often they just don't (I never had any joy with either ) - as above - Ad-Hoc will work in the short term, but it is 'flakey' at best

Never been flakey for me at all.

richb93 · 3 Sep 2011 at 13:27

It basically boils down to the drivers supporting the feature.

nick1988 · 3 Sep 2011 at 13:37

if you are having problems with connectify you could just buy a cheap wireless router and put it into access point mode with the homeplug going into the new router in your room. This is how I have set it up in my room using a linksys wrt54gl that way i get wirless both upstairs and downsairs and also gives me 4 network ports in my room to plug my xbox/PC's etc in.