Fix Poor WiFi Signal Strength Using Connectify Hotspot Software
Oops, out of the WiFi network coverage area again? If you find yourself often in this situation, it’s time you do something about it. Learn how to increase your WiFi signal strength so you get good reception everywhere.
Most frequent solutions call for moving the main wireless router or buying additional expensive hardware repeaters. But you don’t have to do that as long as you have a Windows laptop / PC. You just have to turn that into a WiFi repeater using Connectify Hotspot software.
Read below to see how to increase WiFi signal strength using Connectify Hotspot virtual router software!
Wi-Fi repeater mode
Connectify Hotspot extends your Wi-Fi using the Windows PC you already own
Connectify Hotspot's Wi-Fi repeater mode rebroadcasts the network you are already on, under the same name and password. Devices at the far end of the house join the same Wi-Fi as always and hand off without asking you to pick a second network.
A dedicated extender costs money and takes an outlet. A Windows laptop or desktop that is already sitting in the right room does the same job with software, and Wi-Fi repeater mode keeps the network name identical so phones roam onto the stronger signal on their own.
Placement decides whether Wi-Fi repeater mode helps. Put the Windows PC where the router signal is still solid but starting to fade, roughly at the edge of good coverage, not in the room that has no signal at all.
MAX Wi-Fi repeater mode is a Connectify Hotspot MAX feature. It repeats WPA or WPA2 networks and needs a Wi-Fi adapter that supports repeater mode. Hotspot Lite and PRO create a separate network instead of rebroadcasting the existing one.
A repeater can only rebroadcast what a repeater receives. A Windows PC parked in the dead zone will rebroadcast a weak signal, so moving the PC closer to the router does more than any setting in the software.
For 64-bit Windows 10 and 11
Why Boost Your WiFi Signal Using Software
Along with the multitude of networking equipment for increasing a WiFi network’s signal strength, there are also software programs for boosting the WiFi signal. These are called WiFi extender software, WiFi booster software or WiFi repeater software. Virtual router software is also a more generic name for this kind of applications.
But you should be careful what you choose. While some of these WiFi extender applications are even free to use, they also increase the WiFi signal strength without bridged mode. This means that clients that join the WiFi hotspot you create using the software don’t get real IP addresses from the shared network. They can get on the Internet through the hotspot, but they’re not really on the network to do any peer-to-peer networking.
So, game consoles will report NAT type problems, Chromecast apps won’t find your Chromecast, your Apple TV won’t show up for your Mac to stream to… and the list goes on.
How to Increase WiFi Signal Strength with a Windows PC in 5 Steps
Connectify Hotspot virtual router software allows you to create a WiFi repeater in order to increase WiFi signal strength with just a few clicks. It uses your laptop’s wireless card to give your existing WiFi network the signal boost needed to reach that out-of-signal place in your home or office.
- Download and install Connectify Hotspot on your 64-bit Windows 10 or 11 PC.
- Open it and choose Wi-Fi repeater. This mode is part of Connectify Hotspot MAX, and your PC’s Wi-Fi adapter has to support it.
- Under Wi-Fi network to repeat, pick the Wi-Fi network you want to extend.
- Set a password.
- Click Start hotspot. Devices join by scanning the QR code on the Hotspot screen, or with the network name and password, like any other Wi-Fi network.
Ad blocking and the other per-device protections work in Wi-Fi hotspot mode, not in Wi-Fi repeater mode.
Improve WiFi Reception and More with Connectify Hotspot
Connectify Hotspot is the most popular virtual router software and has a solid WiFi extender app component which helps you boost WiFi range. Outside of that, you also get many other functionalities, such as:
- Block ads on every device with the built-in universal ad blocker. It even blocks in-app ads!
- Easily bridge other devices onto your home network with bridged mode (part of MAX; works when the PC is on Wi-Fi or Ethernet), so game consoles and smart TVs join your home WiFi network directly.
- Share Your Internet Connection with All your Devices: share Internet from existing WiFi networks, LAN, DSL, 4G and 5G modems (with PRO), even tethered smartphones! You can also share a VPN connection over WiFi easily!
Free, PRO or MAX
Which version of Connectify Hotspot you need
This setup needs Connectify Hotspot MAX. Wi-Fi repeater mode and Bridged mode are both MAX features, and this guide relies on them.
Recommended: MAX is the full version, so nothing in any other guide on this site is out of reach.
For 64-bit Windows 10 and 11