Many people may be interested in such an important question: how to create a Wi-Fi access point using the standard features of the popular Windows 7 operating system today?
It should be said to begin with about what kind of technology this is. Under Wi-Fi understand certain capabilities for building wireless networks, if wired communication channels are too expensive to operate or in their use simply does not make sense. Wireless networks are usually distinguished by topology. The point-to-point type is a peer-to-peer connection, which allows forwarding directly to each other . Disadvantages of this option may be low speed and weak security. Access points are another topology. In this case, packets are transmitted only through it, which guarantees high transmission speed and excellent security, as well as seamless integration with the wired segment.
How do I create a Wi-Fi hotspot?
Tools Windows 7 contain a special component designed to solve this problem. This is a software layer that abstracts the wireless network card to create a number of virtual adapters. It is possible to configure each of them in order to connect to a variety of wireless networks, but this will result in the use of resources of only a single physical adapter. So, if you are talking about how to create a Wi-Fi access point, it should be noted that Windows 7 provides the ability to create only one adapter in a virtual form.
In this case, the physical adapter is connected to the access point, which allows it to access the network. On the PC itself, the ISC service is started, in conjunction with which the NAT mechanism is activated. This allows you to extend the connection for computers connected through other network interfaces. You can use an adapter called Virtual WiFi.
To manage this component, use a special utility for the command line netsh. To do this, you need to open a command prompt on behalf of the administrator , run the command netsh, and then enter wlan. The next step is to enable Virtual WiFi - done through a special type command set hostednetwork mode = allow. This will install the Wi-Fi adapter as a virtual one, after which it can be configured to perform the functions of the access point: set hostednetwork ssid = "ssid" keyusage = persistent key = "password"
The network is started using the command: start hostednetwork.
Now with the problem of how to create a Wi-Fi access point, it's all more or less clear. But it is necessary to pay attention to certain aspects of the operation of such a network. When the computer restarts, the settings will be saved, but you will need to start the network, and this is done from the same context using the command start hostednetwork. The show hostednetwork command displays connection statistics.
In this article, we discussed how to create a wifi network and how to configure it. This scenario is appropriate at home or in business. The convenience of using this method is difficult to overestimate, since it gives a lot of opportunities for users of different levels. To use such a network, there is no need for any special skills.