PC hotspot software

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ianboag

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#223819 18-Oct-2017 17:05

I know there are lots of options.

I am trying to find one that will start up - and run - without any intervention - at boot time.

Virtual Router looks really good - would run on startup, but then presents a "what shall I do now" screen. Apparently you can talk to it with some kind of supershell script but that is above my pay grade. Perhaps someone can recommend one from experience?

sbiddle

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#1885865 18-Oct-2017 18:27

What are you trying to achieve?

sonyxperiageek

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#1885887 18-Oct-2017 19:06

If you are looking to do what I was looking to do two days ago, and want to set up a wireless hotspot for a phone while an ethernet cable is plugged into your laptop, I used this and it works brilliantly: https://www.windowscentral.com/how-turn-your-windows-10-pc-wireless-hotspot

Only cause there was no WiFi.

Sony

ianboag

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#1886828 20-Oct-2017 11:21

My input is wifi ..... which I think makes your solution a bit hard .... ?

Coil

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#1886834 20-Oct-2017 11:27

ianboag:

My input is wifi ..... which I think makes your solution a bit hard .... ?

Are you wanting to use your current wifi connection and re broadcast that?
The only option I'd suggest for that is a TP Link repeater than can Change the SSID of the AP you are repeating.

Turn your Windows 10 PC into a mobile hotspot by sharing your Internet connection with other devices over Wi-Fi. You can share a Wi-Fi, Ethernet, or cellular data connection. If your PC has a cellular data connection and you share it, it will use data from your data plan.

Select the Start button, then select Settings > Network & Internet > Mobile hotspot.
For Share my Internet connection from, choose the Internet connection you want to share.
Select Edit > enter a new network name and password > Save.
Turn on Share my Internet connection with other devices.
To connect on the other device, go to the Wi-Fi settings on that device, find your network name, select it, enter the password, and then connect.

ianboag

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#1886838 20-Oct-2017 11:32

I have a connection to a wireless prepay service. The users are not real tech-savvy (two refugees with limited English). Connecting to the prepay involves a logon screen more or less every time which is a bit challenging for them. They can handle a simple "normal" wifi connection on their phones. Plus the signal does not go all that far into their flat - main room OK, bedrooms not.

The plan is to put an old laptop in the main room running as a hotspot. This will give them the sort of connection that they know about, plus signal penetration everywhere.

Think of it as a poor man's router I would have used a router if there was a way to get it to lo in to the service. I have put Freelancer on to making me a Powershell script that runs at boot and logs the lappie into the wireless service. The hotspot program will also run at boot after a delay to allow for setting up the network connect. The hotspot program has to run off a config file with no need for any user input.

Just one of those projects that fills in one's day :-)

ianboag

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#1886846 20-Oct-2017 11:53

The native hotspot in Win10 looks fine - I guess I will have to have a Powershell script to turn that on as well ...

jonb

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#1886868 20-Oct-2017 12:39

I still don't think it is possible for a laptop to both be connected to the main AP and then also act as a repeater hotspot at the same time?

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ianboag

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#1886938 20-Oct-2017 13:43

Yeah. Everything looks good until I try to connect to the hotspotted SSID ... where it just wanders off "getting IP address" ...... :-(

ianboag

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#1890872 26-Oct-2017 16:04

Seems to have nailed it. Too simple once it works.

A two line batch file

netsh wlan set hostednetwork mode=allow ssid=fredswifi key=12345678

netsh wlan start hostednetwork

Go to the network status in the control panel and click on the main (incoming) wifi connection. Turn on sharing for the adapter.

Job done. fredswifi now there for all and sundry ..

Turn off sleep of course ....

sonyxperiageek

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#1890876 26-Oct-2017 16:18

So it seems like pretty much what I linked you.. :)

Sony

ianboag

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#1890901 26-Oct-2017 17:45

Except I am redistributing wifi->wifi not ethernet->wifi. But yes .... :-)

Coil

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#1891107 27-Oct-2017 06:58

ianboag:

Seems to have nailed it. Too simple once it works.

A two line batch file

netsh wlan set hostednetwork mode=allow ssid=fredswifi key=12345678

netsh wlan start hostednetwork

Go to the network status in the control panel and click on the main (incoming) wifi connection. Turn on sharing for the adapter.

Job done. fredswifi now there for all and sundry ..

Turn off sleep of course ....

Go into deviceman and disable all the low power features on the NIC and CPU, I bet it will go into a lower power state on some hardware overnight which may cause issues.

I'd say the repeater option might work, Hard to say if the login can be authenticated via the TP Link.

Does the service have a timeout?

shk292

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#1891120 27-Oct-2017 08:18

Or you could use one of these https://www.pbtech.co.nz/product/NETTPL0802/TP-Link-TL-WR802N-Nano-Wi-Fi-Router-N300-1-x-LANWA

ianboag

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#1891123 27-Oct-2017 08:23

Timeout can be thwarted by scheduling a ping every 30 minutes or so