How To Get WiFi At Home Without A Router In 2022 Mesh Wifi Hub

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Is it possible for you to have Wi-Fi in your house although you don’t have a router? This may seem unusual, but it is feasible to use your computer’s mobile hotspot capability to do so. This functionality is supported by a large number of the more recent and popular computer operating systems (for free).

Not the mobile hotspot that you’re used to

A common term used to describe this method of sharing an internet connection is “mobile hotspot,” but this setup is not the same as what most people consider to be a mobile hotspot, which is the process of configuring their smartphone so that they can use their mobile data connection to tether a computer to the phone for internet access through the phone’s mobile data connection.

Using a smartphone’s hotspot on a regular basis can rapidly become pricey, since you will most likely exhaust your mobile data allowance in a short period of time. Using this sort of hotspot also requires that your phone has acceptable mobile data reception; if your signal is too weak, you won’t even be able to switch on the mobile hotspot feature on your phone.

When it comes to sharing an internet connection, the approach we’re talking about here makes use of a computer acting as a router. It is possible that the internet connection you are sharing is your own Cable or DSL service, or that you are sharing access to a neighbor’s Wi-Fi network that they have granted you access to.

Why no router?

There are a variety of reasons why someone could want to go without a router.

If you’ve just relocated and don’t yet have a router, the most likely explanation is that you either haven’t purchased one yet or your old router is packed away someplace and you can’t find it.

If they had leased their last router from their Internet service provider, they would have had to return it when they left their previous residence.

People who are on the road a lot might also profit from laptops with built-in hotspots. Sometimes, while using the internet while travelling, it is only possible to use one device at a time.

What if you want to use both your laptop and tablet at the same time? If this is the case, you may be required to pay again in order to connect a second device. Most airports and cruise ships provide this sort of service, and some hotels also do.

It is possible to avoid these extra fees by using a mobile hotspot on your computer to connect all of your gadgets to the Internet.

Pros and Cons to going router-less

Pros

In the beginning, it saves money.

Lack of a router reduces power usage by a little amount (this only applies in cases where you leave your computer running all the time anyway)
In a pinch, it’s a simple solution if you don’t have a router.
Highly recommendable to tourists

Cons

In certain circumstances traffic is twice NAT’ed, increasing the complexity and decreasing throughput.
Poorer performance – Your computer may not be able to route packets as rapidly as a traditional router, depending on the speed of your computer and the other tasks you are executing.
Most computers lack an external wireless antenna, and the ones that do have one are quite tiny. This means that they have a poorer range of coverage. It is much easier to cover a big region with a router than with a personal computer.
The computer must always be running – Your Wi-Fi network will be cut off whenever you shut down or reboot your computer, so don’t worry about it!
Wi-Fi range might be limited by the wired Ethernet adapter on your computer, which you are very certainly using for your DSL/Cable modem connection, making it difficult to extend your wireless network’s reach.
There can only be eight devices at a time. A maximum of eight devices may be shared with each other on Windows 10.

It’s only temporary (usually)

There’s no reason you couldn’t utilise this setup permanently, but most people will only use it while they’re on the road or have recently moved into a new home.

It’s not that costly to buy a router, and there are several advantages to doing so as opposed to utilising a mobile hotspot.

Getting Started

Difficulty: Medium
Time Required: 10 Minutes

Prerequisites

A computer with an Operating System that supports mobile hotspot functionality (Windows 10, MacOS)
The computer must have a wireless adapter (any modern laptop will have a wireless adapter built in, and some desktops have them too)
An internet connection to share – either your own Cable/DSL type service, or a nearby Wi-Fi network that you have access to (Windows 10 only – MacOS can’t be connected to WiFi and share via WiFi at the same time like Windows 10 can)

Optional

If you want to share your Cable/DSL service, you’ll need a wired network adapter on your PC. No need for a wired adaptor if you’re using a nearby Wi-Fi network.

Windows 10 Procedure

Click on the ‘Start’ Button and click on the ‘Settings’ icon:

How To Get WiFi At Home Without A Router

Click on ‘Network and Internet’:

On the menu on the left, click on ‘Mobile hotspot’

Share my Internet connection from appears in the drop-down menu. Here, you’ll find a list of all your internet connections, including Wi-Fi connections to other networks and wired connections to your Cable/DSL modem.

Select the network connection that you wish to make public.
The network name and password may be changed by selecting the ‘Edit’ button. A minimum of eight characters are required in your password.

Alternatively, you can keep the randomly generated name and password that is already shown on the settings screen.

Lastly, move the slider at the top of the screen that says ‘Share my Internet connection with other devices’ to ‘On’. Your computer is now acting as a router.

You should now see your shared wireless network available on other devices in your home and you should be able to connect to that network using the password shown on the mobile hotspot configuration screen.

You will also see a count of the number of devices that are connected to your shared wireless network:

Remember: If you turn off or reboot your computer, you will cut off anyone else that is using your hotspot.

MacOS Procedure

You can construct a mobile hotspot on MacOS, but you can only share a wired Ethernet connection, unlike in Windows 10. You can share a Wi-Fi network on the same wireless adapter in Windows 10 since it enables you to connect to a Wi-Fi network and then join to that same network.

When it comes to MacOS, you can only share an internet connection that comes in through wired Ethernet, unless you have two wireless adapters on your system. However, since so many people use their computer to share their Cable/DSL service, this feature on the Mac is still worth noting.

Click on the ‘Apple’ menu and then click on ‘System Preferences’:

Locate the ‘Sharing’ option and click on it:

Select ‘Internet Sharing’ on the left side:

Select ‘Ethernet‘ from the ‘Share your connection from’ drop-down menu. ’
Your Wi-Fi adapter should be selected in the ‘To computers using’ box. (The screenshot doesn’t display a wireless adapter, but your computer should)
To customise your hotspot, click the ‘Wi-Fi Options’ option at the bottom. It is possible to name your network and choose a channel:

We recommend selecting ‘WPA2 Personal’ from the ‘Security’ box and then pick a secure password. If you don’t set a security mode, the network will be created as an open network, which will allow anyone to connect to it. Bad idea.

Finally, turn on the hotspot by selecting the checkbox next to ‘Internet Sharing’ on the left. A green dot next to “Internet Sharing” indicates that the feature has been successfully activated.

Using other devices, you should now be able to see the Wi-Fi network and join it to surf the web.