Wireless routers used to have a limited range. But Wi-Fi technology has come a long way since it was initially rolled out. With modern routers, the signal strength is strong and covers large areas in your home. However, there are still times when you have areas in your network with a shoddy signal or none at all. Maybe your main PC is connected via Ethernet, there's no router in place, but someone needs Wi-Fi.

If you are a PC user, you can turn your Windows computer into a Wi-Fi hotspot when you need wireless connectivity for your devices. To be able to share the connection with other devices, your computer will first need working internet through Wi-Fi, Ethernet, or cellular communication.

Set up your Windows 11 PC as a Wi-Fi hotspot

Setting up your Windows 11 PC as a hotspot requires a few steps, but they are straightforward, as you will see here.

1. Open Settings (Win + I) and go to Network & internet > Mobile hotspot. Don’t worry about turning it on yet; instead, click to configure it first.
2. In the Share my internet connection from section, select your PC's connectivity from the dropdown, e.g., Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or Cellular.
3. For the Share over setting, choose the method you want to use to share the internet connection with other devices.
4. Expand the Properties section and click the Edit button to set up its name, password, and properties.
5. Type in a network name, password, and the network band you want to use, and click the Save button.
6. Now, toggle the Mobile hotspot switch to start it up. If you intend to leave it on 24/7, it’s a good idea to toggle off the Power saving option.

Another thing to point out is that on Windows 11, once everything for your Wi-Fi hotspot is set up, a QR code will appear in the Mobile hotspot section of the settings app. This allows you to simply scan the code with your phone or tablet's camera to easily join the network.

Connect your devices to the mobile hotspot

Find your hotspot and join

Now that your Wi-Fi hotspot is up and running, it’s time to connect devices to it. The process is the same as connecting to other wireless networks, but instead, you are looking for the network name of the hotspot which you just created.

1. Launch your device’s network settings (I'm using a Google Pixel) and select the network you created.
2. Type in the password for the hotspot.
3. Tap or click the Join or Connect button.

Once your device is connected to the hotspot, you can use it to browse the web, download files, listen to music, and do whatever else you need to do via internet connectivity.

Set up your Windows 10 PC as a Wi-Fi hotspot

If you aren’t running 11 yet

If you are still rocking Windows 10, you can set up a mobile hotspot if you need it. The idea is similar to Windows 11, but the steps vary a bit.

1. Navigate to Settings > Network & Internet > Mobile hotspot.
2. Click the Edit button
3. Type in a Network name and password, choose a Network band, and click Save.
4. Turn on the Share my Internet connection with other devices switch to fire up the hotspot.

Connecting your devices to the Windows 10 hotspot is essentially the same. Find the name of the network you created and connect to it from your phone, tablet, or other device.

Creating a Wi-Fi hotspot is helpful in many situations

When you only have internet access from a PC, creating a Wi-Fi hotspot is useful for accessing the internet on other devices. For example, you might be in a situation with no Wi-Fi router in range. However, if there’s a desktop connected via Ethernet nearby, creating a hotspot will allow you to share its internet access to other devices. It’s also worth noting that you can share the connection over Bluetooth or cellular, but that depends on what your computer has under the hood.