Internet, Networking, & Security > Home Networking How to Make Your Laptop a Wi-Fi Extender Transform your computer into a wireless repeater By Tim Fisher Tim Fisher Facebook Twitter Senior Vice President & Group General Manager, Tech & Sustainability Emporia State University Tim Fisher has more than 30 years' of professional technology experience. He's been writing about tech for more than two decades and serves as the VP and General Manager of Lifewire. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on February 22, 2022 Reviewed by Jessica Kormos Reviewed by Jessica Kormos Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College Jessica Kormos is a writer and editor with 15 years' experience writing articles, copy, and UX content for Tecca.com, Rosenfeld Media, and many others. lifewire's editorial guidelines Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Home Networking Wi-Fi & Wireless The Wireless Connection Routers & Firewalls Network Hubs ISP Broadband Ethernet Installing & Upgrading What to Know Use apps like MyPublicWiFi or Connectify to repeat the signal. Those same programs can create a Wi-Fi bridge.Share Wi-Fi: Windows Settings > Network & internet > Mobile hotspot choose the method for sharing (Wi-Fi, ethernet, etc.) This article describes two ways to make your laptop act as a Wi-Fi extender: by repeating the wireless signal without changing the login details or by creating a new network from your laptop to share the Wi-Fi signal with other devices. How Can I Increase My Laptop Wi-Fi Range? There are two methods to help to answer this question: Use a program that repeats the signal. It boosts the Wi-Fi signal to broaden the overall network reach, similar to how Wi-Fi extenders work, without needing actual Wi-Fi range extending hardware. If your house is too big for one router to cover it effectively, this technique should help. Windows' built-in Mobile hotspot feature builds an on-demand Wi-Fi hotspot, complete with a different SSID and password than the primary network. It's useful when you're paying for a single connection for your laptop (like in a hotel or airplane) but want to extend the Wi-Fi capabilities to your phone. You can also allow guests to use your home internet without sharing your actual Wi-Fi details. For a Separate Hardware Solution: Best Wi-Fi Range Extenders Repeat the Signal We'll use a program called MyPublicWiFi to show the process, but others work similarly, like Connectify with Hotspot MAX. Download and install MyPublicWiFi. It's built for Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows 8, and Windows 7. From the network tab at the top of the program, choose WLAN Repeater. Choose the correct internet connection from the menu (there's probably just one). Before finishing with the step below, there are other options you can toggle from the security tab, like bandwidth control, an ad blocker, and URL logging. Select Start Hotspot. 9 Ways to Boost Wi-Fi Signal Strength and Range Share Internet Access Windows 11 and Windows 10 make building a Wi-Fi hotspot incredibly easy. The option is in the Mobile hotspot area of Settings. Open Settings. The fastest way to get there is with the Win+i shortcut. Go to Network & internet > Mobile hotspot. Select the button next to Share my internet connection from if you need to change that option. For example, maybe you'd rather share the Ethernet connection rather than the Wi-Fi signal. If you're on Windows 11, there's another option next to Share over, which lets you choose Wi-Fi or Bluetooth as the sharing technique. Open Properties > Edit (Windows 11) or just Edit (Windows 10), if you want to change the default network properties, like the network name and password. It's these details other devices will need to know when they connect to the network. Select the button next to Mobile hotspot, at the top of the window, to turn it on. Can I Use My Laptop as a Wi-Fi Bridge? A Wi-Fi bridge is handy in specific circumstances, like if the devices that will use the shared connection will need to access other devices on the network. Without a bridged network, the alternative isn't ideal if, for example, you have a Roku plugged into your TV—if the Roku is on the bridged network, but your remote/phone isn't, then the two won't be able to communicate with each other. One program popular for such a scenario is Connectify Hotspot. You need to pay for Hotspot MAX to use Bridging Mode. The MyPublicWiFi program, mentioned above, works as well. Use the Multifunctional Hotspot tab to find the bridging option, and then choose the network adapters to make the bridged connection. FAQ How do I set up a Netgear Wi-Fi extender? To set up a Netgear Wi-Fi extender, plug in your Netgear Wi-Fi extender, press the Power button, and connect your computer or mobile device to the extender's Wi-Fi network (the default SSID is NETGEAR_EXT, and the default password is password). Launch a web browser, enter 192.168.1.250, select New Extender Setup, and follow the prompts. What is a Wi-Fi extender? A Wi-Fi extender spreads your Wi-Fi signal so you can use the internet in more areas of your home or office. You want the extender to be close enough to the router to extend its signal. What is the best Wi-Fi extender? The best Wi-Fi range extenders include several models by Netgear and TP-Link. You'll need to compare features and prices to find the best Wi-Fi extender for your needs. How do I reset a Netgear Wi-Fi extender? Plug in and power on the extender, and then locate a button labeled Reset or Factory reset on the side or bottom panel. Find a straightened paper clip or something similar, and then press and hold the Reset button for around 10 seconds. Release the clip when the power LED blinks. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Email Address Sign up There was an error. Please try again. You're in! Thanks for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. Thank you for signing up! Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit