One of the wireless sharing tools that Windows 7 was supposed to have was the ability to turn any computer running Windows 7 into a WiFi hotspot. Unfortunately, Microsoft didn’t include that feature in the final release of Windows 7.
Thanks to a program called Connectify, you can get that feature back and turn your Windows 7-powered laptop into a WiFi hotspot so you can share your Internet connection with family, friends, classmates, co-workers and other mobile devices.
What is Connectify?
Connectify is a free and easy to use software router for Windows 7 computers. With Connectify, users can wirelessly share any Internet connection: a cable modem, a cellular card, or even another Wi-Fi network. Other Wi-Fi enabled devices including laptops, smart phones, music players, and gaming systems can see and join your Connectify hotspot just like any other Wi-Fi access point and are kept safe and secure by password-protected WPA2 Encryption.Connectify Video Demo
Popular Use Cases:
1. Home – You can use Connectify to act as a repeater for your home router and extend its range. You can also use it to share your WiFi connection to friends and visitors without having to provide the real SSID and password, keeping your network more secure.
2. School – Many schools and educational institutions limit the number of devices that a person can register to the wireless networks. By using Connectify, you bypass these limitations and securely connect other mobile devices to your personal WiFi network.
3. On the Road – For people who are always on the go and travel a lot, having a reliable Internet connection is very important. Not all airports, hotels, coffee shops and restaurants offer free WiFi and could charge around $10-15 per connection. With Connectify, you can share both the expense and the Internet connection with family, friends or co-workers. Most hotels offer free Internet connection, however they only provide access via an ethernet cable meaning you can’t access for your WiFi only mobile devices. Again with Connectify, you can share the single Internet connection with other mobile devices.
Connectify is 100% free and unrestricted, compatible with any WiFi enabled device and most importantly, it is reliable and secure. It is available to download for FREE only for computers running Windows 7.
Connectify is easy to install and setup. Just download the installer, install the program and run it. Once Connectify is running and you’re connected to the Internet, just create a new access point, create a passphrase/password and choose which connection to share (if your computer has multiple connections). People who will connect to your Connectify WiFi access point will see a real access point, not an “ad-hoc” network. Now you can share your Internet connection with family, friends, schoolmates and coworkers without the need for extra hardware or tethering hacks.
Connectify is definitely a must-have app for any Windows 7 user. Even if you don’t have a need for it right now, just download and install it on your Windows 7-powered computer because you’ll never know, it can be a lifesaver and might come in handy one of these days!
What do you think of Connectify? Anybody else tried or is using Connectify on their Windows 7-powered computers? Please share your thoughts.
No comments:
Post a Comment