How to Share Wired Internet via Wi-Fi with a Windows Laptop
Want to connect all your devices (computers, mobile phones, tablets, game consoles) to the Internet via your LAN Internet connection, whether that is broadband or cable? It is easier than ever to do this, and you do not need any additional hardware such as a wireless router.
All you need is the Connectify Hotspot virtual router app for Windows PCs, which turns your laptop into a Wi-Fi hotspot and shares your wired Internet connection wirelessly with your other devices.
Wired in, Wi-Fi out
No router? Connectify Hotspot makes your Windows PC the router.
A Windows PC with a working connection already has everything a router has. Connectify Hotspot takes the connection coming in over the cable and hands out a Wi-Fi network your other devices can join.
Wired in Wi-Fi out
-
At the office
A desk with a network port and no wireless you are allowed to join. The Windows PC on that port can put your phone on the same connection.
-
In a hotel room
Older rooms still have an Ethernet socket behind the desk and little else. One cable covers everything you travelled with.
-
At home
A modem with no Wi-Fi built in. The Windows PC already plugged into that modem can hand out a network to the rest of the house.
Available for Windows 10 and 11
If the setup becomes something you use daily rather than once, Connectify Hotspot PRO drops the 60-minute session limit.
Turn Your Laptop Into a Wi-Fi Hotspot and Share Your LAN Connection
Taking a wired connection and handing it out as Wi-Fi works in every version of Connectify Hotspot, including the free one. There are no technical skills involved, no extra equipment and no cords: you pick the connection, name the network and press one button. Your hotspot is automatically secured with WPA2 encryption, exactly like a conventional router.
What the paid versions change is how long it runs and what else you can share:
- Unlimited uptime. The free version stops the hotspot every 60 minutes. That is fine for a one-off, and awkward for a desk setup you leave running all day.
- A custom hotspot name. Setting your own SSID, emojis included, is a PRO and MAX feature.
- More kinds of connection. Sharing from a 4G or 5G device, and Wired Mode, which sends your Wi-Fi connection back out over an Ethernet cable for devices that have no wireless at all.
If this is going to be how the room gets online every day, Connectify Hotspot PRO or MAX is the version worth having. If you just need it working this afternoon, start with the free one.
5 Steps to Share a LAN Connection Over Wi-Fi, No Router
Here are five easy steps to share your wired Internet connection with other computers, smartphones, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo and other Wi-Fi enabled devices:
- Have your PC connected to LAN Internet via Ethernet.
- Get Connectify Hotspot on your Windows PC or laptop. The free version shares a wired connection; PRO or MAX removes the 60-minute session limit.
- Run the Connectify Hotspot app and select the LAN network adapter as the ‘Internet to Share’. You can also share other types of Internet connection with Connectify Hotspot: Wi-Fi, 4G, VPN virtual adapters (to keep all your devices protected), and more.
- Give your Hotspot a Name (SSID) and Password. Make sure you have the ad blocker option selected, to save bandwidth, money and battery life.
- Press the ‘Start Hotspot’ button to share your wired Internet connection. Wi-Fi enabled devices such as PCs, laptops, tablets, smartphones, and game consoles can now connect wirelessly to your PC.
Connectify Hotspot Does More Than Just Share Your LAN Internet Connection Over Wi-Fi
Alongside the main function of sharing any type of Internet connection via Wi-Fi or Ethernet, Connectify Hotspot comes packed with other useful features:
- Boost Your Range Instantly with Wi-Fi Repeater Mode: easily extend the range of your existing Wi-Fi network.
- Save Money While Traveling: stuck at a hotel that charges for Internet per device? Join the Wi-Fi, start a hotspot, and get all of your devices online for the price of one. You can also save time when traveling with your Chromecast setup, which Connectify Hotspot gets done within seconds.
- Save time, bandwidth and battery life on your devices by turning your Windows laptop or PC into a whole house ad blocker. The ad blocking is universal: it also works with in-app ads and is a viable way to block iPhone app ads.
- Connectify Hotspot is also fully compatible with all gaming consoles: PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo and the rest. It solves the usual problems with connecting to the Internet or the home network via its Gaming Mode feature.
Share your LAN Internet connection with all your devices. Get started with Connectify Hotspot today: 70% Off PRO and MAX versions!
Free, PRO or MAX
Which version of Connectify Hotspot you need
The free version of Connectify Hotspot covers the setup in this guide. The only limit you will hit is the 60-minute session, and restarting the session takes one click.
Recommended: MAX adds Connectify Hotspot's Repeater Mode and Bridging Mode, which is what most people come back for later.
Available for Windows 10 and 11

