How to turn Your computer into a Wireless Wi-Fi Hot-spot.?
One day, one of my friend came with some project work and we have already discussed about that project details. I always have a high speed Internet connection of a good speed,so we started to work on the same project, but after some time Internet goes down and we both start facing problems in accessing the Internet.
But, it was not an issue for me, because I also have a Dongle with a good speed data plan. but the main problem was, We both need Internet to work on that particular project.
But the main issue was, How can we both access the Internet through that single Dongle.? We both started to trying to get an Idea to access the Internet by the same device. But, no luck.Finally, I found an utility software called Virtual Router Plus, a free utility that adds Wi-Fi hotspot capabilities to Windows 8. It works, but with a few important caveats.
Step 1 - Download and Install
After you made sure your computer is wireless-ready you need to download Virtual Router. This is a free application so you don't have to pay anything for it. Once you've downloaded the installer, double-click on it to start the setup.(This is a free software, it comes with the spy-ware, but you can ignore it when you pay attention while installing)
The installation process for Virtual Router is extremely simple. All you have to do is agree with the license terms and proceed to the setup window where you can select the installation folder and whether you want to install the program for just the current Windows user or all users. If you're not sure what to do with these options, leave the default settings and click the "Next" button.
Step 2 - Settings
Now it's time to actually use Virtual Router, so double-click the application to run it. By default, the application runs in the system tray. To open Virtual Router Manager (the program's interface) double-click the tray icon. Make sure you are connected to the Internet using the connection you want to share.
The settings are straightforward:
1. Fill in the network's name (SSID) - This can be any name you want, although you should choose a relevant one so you know that's your shared Internet Connection.
2. Choose a password - Since a virtual router works just like the physical device, you need a password to prevent unauthorized intruders from using your Internet Connection.
3. Select the connection you want to share from the drop-down menu - You can use the Refresh button if you've connected to it while the Virtual Router Manager was already open and it wasn't showing up in the list.
4. Start Virtual Router - Press this button, once you've completed all the settings to enable your shared connection.
Step 3 - Test the shared Internet Connection
If everything went well and Virtual Router is started you should be seeing your newly created connection in the Windows connections list.
Your computer should be currently connected to two connections: the connection you've shared, and the one you've just created.
To connect to it with any wireless-ready device (phone, laptop, tablet...etc) simply select the appropriate network and fill in the password, like you would for any other connection. Voila! You are now successfully sharing your Internet connection!
Step 4 - Troubleshooting
"The group or resource is not in the correct state to perform the requested operation
This is the most common error you can get from Virtual Router. There's a number of reasons for this error and several fixes, but you can't know which one works for you until you try them. After each step you should try to start Virtual Router to see if it solved your problem.
- The first step is to make sure your wireless adapter has the latest drivers. You can find in in the Windows Device Manager under Network Adapters.
- The second step, you need to make sure the hosted network can run. To do that, press the Windows Start button, open "Run" and type cmd to open a Command Prompt window (you'll need administrator rights). In the window type : netsh wlan set hostednetwork mode=allow
- To continue, check if the Microsoft Virtual WiFi Miniport Adapter is enabled. It's also under the Network Adapters section in the Windows Device Manager. Double-click it and the Properties window will pop-up. If under Device Status you see the message : "This device is disabled (Code 22). Click Enable Device to enable this device." it means it wasn't running and you do need to enable it.
- If the previous step didn't work either, there's a Microsoft hotfix available for a common problem that can occur on computers running under Windows 7 and Server 2008 R2. You can download it from here
