How to configure Connectify to distribute Wi-Fi to all devices? How to configure Connectify correctly? Installation and configuration of the Connectify program Connectify hotspot pro is not installed.

Almost all self-respecting establishments try to provide access to Wi-Fi, including cafes, restaurants, hotels, etc. At home, many users also prefer to get rid of wires and cables. There are several ways to set up wireless Internet. So, a router is designed for this purpose. You can also manually configure the network adapter, which is available on many laptop models. But the easiest and most convenient way is to install a program like Connectify.

Installing Connectify

Before you set up the Connectify Hotspot program, like other versions of this wonderful utility, you should download it to your computer. It should be noted right away that using the program is impossible if the laptop does not have a built-in adapter. However, almost all modern models are equipped with this device.

So, download and install the program on your computer. To do the latter is quite simple; just use the prompts that the Installation Wizard will give. The next step is to restart the computer and open the main utility window. Here you will need to enter the required settings. In the Hotspot Name line, indicate the name of the Wi-Fi point. After this, you must enter a password. This will increase the security of your wireless connection and prevent other devices that have nothing to do with you from connecting to the network.

The Internet to Share line will contain a list of network cards. You need to choose the one that is connected to the Internet. In Share Over, we mark the adapter that will serve as a distributor and access point to the network. The Sharing Mode line allows the user to select the mode in which the adapter will operate. Their program developers provided two. First, Encrypted, which requires you to enter a password. Secondly, Open, in which Ad-Hoc mode will not require a password.

After the necessary settings have been entered, you will need to click on the Start Hotspot button. If everything is done correctly, then by the program icon you can determine that it has become active. Now we try to connect to Wi-Fi from a smartphone or laptop. If you configured the utility correctly, then you should be able to do this without any problems.

So, we looked at how to set up the Connectify Me program and other versions of the utility. As you can see, it's not too difficult. Moreover, the possibilities offered by the developers of the utility are quite wide, which is why it is becoming increasingly popular among those who prefer to use wireless Internet.

Often users who have a Wi-Fi adapter want to connect a laptop, tablet or smartphone to it via Wi-Fi in order to distribute the Internet to them. To transmit the Internet, the Wi-Fi adapter must support Ad-Hoc mode. Such Wi-Fi adapters can operate in Wi-Fi access point mode.

Setting up a Wi-Fi adapter in Wi-Fi access point mode can be configured using standard operating system tools, but in most cases this is a rather complicated process for the average user. That's why we suggest setting up in an easier way - using the free Connectify program.

This article will tell you how, using the Connectify program, you can easily set up a Wi-Fi adapter as an access point to distribute the Internet via Wi-Fi to a laptop, tablet or smartphone.

Installing Connectify

First, download the Connectify program from the website www.connectify.me and click Download.

On the next page you will see the difference between Connectify Lite (free version) and Connectify Pro (paid version). Scroll down to the bottom of the page and press the green button Download Now to download the free version of Connectify.

After downloading, install the Connectify program. Press the button I agree and wait for the installation to complete.

After installation, the program will ask you to restart your computer. Press the button Finish and reboot.

After the reboot, messages will appear telling you how to set up Connectify. Press the button Continue and in the last window click the button Try Connectify Lite to use the free version of the program.

Setting up a Wi-Fi adapter with an access point

In the lower right corner of the screen, click on the Connectify program icon to open its settings.

Let's configure:

Hotspot Name- indicate the name of the Wi-Fi access point;
Password- specify the password for Wi-Fi access to the access point. The password length must be 5, 10 or 26 characters. This field is active only if in the list Sharing Mode selected ;
Internet to Share- select from the list the network card that is connected to the provider and receives the Internet;
Share Over- select a Wi-Fi adapter that will distribute the Internet;
Sharing Mode- operating mode of the Wi-Fi adapter.
Wi-Fi Ad-Hoc, Open- Wi-Fi access point in Ad-Hoc mode without a password.
Wi-Fi Ad-Hoc, Encrypted (WEP)- Wi-Fi access point in Ad-Hoc mode with a password for access;
Allow Internet Access- allow/deny access to the Internet. You can only disable it in the paid version of the Connectify program;
Allow Local Network Access- allow/deny access to the local network. You can only disable it in the paid version of the Connectify program;

After configuring the Wi-Fi access point settings, click Start Hotspot. The program icon in the tray should change to this. Now you can connect Wi-Fi to a Wi-Fi adapter-based access point using a laptop, tablet, Wi-Fi TV or smartphone.

Attention! If you use additional software to configure the Wi-Fi adapter (for example, a proprietary configuration utility from the manufacturer), then it must be disabled.

Connecting a laptop to a Wi-Fi access point

Open the wireless network management icon in the lower right corner of your monitor and update it. The Connectify Wi-Fi access point will appear in the list of wireless networks. Select this point and press the button Connection.

If in the Connectify settings in the field Password If you have specified a password to access the Wi-Fi point, a window will appear in which you need to enter the password.

Now you can use the Internet on your laptop.

After connecting to a Wi-Fi access point on a computer with the Connectify program installed, the icon in the tray should change to this.

List of connected clients

To see who is connected to a Wi-Fi access point, in the Connectify program, open the Clients. The tab shows how many clients are connected via Wi-Fi and their MAC addresses.

I think many people had a situation where they needed to distribute home or 3G Internet via Wi-Fi to other devices. For example, a phone, a tablet, a player. But here the question arises: “Where can I get the necessary equipment?”

I don’t argue that buying it can be solved, but why buy it when, perhaps, you already have everything you need to create your own access point? This was the case in my situation, and I only recently found out about it. So, I present to your attention the Connectify program, which will allow you to “share” any of your Internet for access to other devices. This article will talk about how to set up Connectify.

In fact, Wi-Fi adapters can work in two directions: either receive the Internet, or distribute the existing one. Only for this you need special software that will prompt the adapter, for example, of your laptop, to think that “give it out, people are demanding it.”

Creating a Wi-Fi point without a router

I would immediately like to draw your attention to the compatibility of the program with your operating system, but it only works on Windows 7. Therefore, you don’t need to ask stupid questions in the comments later, like why the software doesn’t work on Windows XP, and even better, ask why it doesn’t work under DOS. Only Windows 7, I don’t know why the developers of this program decided this way, “seven” and that’s it.

As you already understand, this program is suitable for sharing any Internet, be it a modem, twisted-pair Internet or optical cable, or maybe a 3G modem. It doesn’t matter if you have the Internet, which you need to multiply, a Wi-Fi adapter (built-in or external), the Connectify program and Windows 7 (as discussed above). A machine can be not only a laptop, but also a netbook, your personal PC, etc.

A little about the program

The Connectify program, which is the subject of our article today, is available in both paid and free versions. The price to pay for being free is some limitation of functionality. Please review this table carefully to avoid possible questions in the future:

Function	Lite version	Pro version
Software access point	Yes	Yes
Internet distribution from other Wi-Fi networks	Yes	Yes
View a list of connected devices	Yes	Yes
Simple firewall management interface	Yes	Yes
Internet distribution from 3G/4G networks	Limited	Yes
File sharing via Drag-and-Drop	Limited	Yes
Search for open resources on network-connected devices	Limited	Yes
Ability to configure SSID (network name)	No	Yes
Repeater function (extends home/office network coverage using the same username and password)	No	Yes
Automatic selection of Internet connection type	No	Yes
Extended technical support	No	Yes

After the reboot, Connectify will launch automatically, and the screen will display information about the main features of the application, as well as an offer to buy the Pro version, or start working with the Lite version.

To fully use Connectify, you need a computer running Windows 7, as mentioned at the beginning. The cost of the Pro version is about 950 rubles. The application distribution, just over 6 MB in size, can be downloaded from the official website.

How to set up Connectify?

The program is absolutely free. You can download the latest version from the official website of the program by following the link http://www.connectify.me

by going to section (1) HOTSPOT and clicking the button (2) Download

There should be no problems with installation: it is simple and does not require only standard actions. After installation, I advise you to restart your laptop/computer. Next, let's move directly to the question of how to set up the Connectify program.

Now, after rebooting the machine, the Connectify program icon with a crossed out circle will “hang” in the tray, which means there is no active access point:

Click on the icon and you will see the main program window:

Everything is very simple:

WiFi Name is the name of the access point being created

Passphrase – password for the created access point

Internet – here we will dwell in more detail because... This point is quite important: in the Internet field, you choose which Internet you are going to “share”:

Next, we definitely need to enable “Wireless network connection” and “Wireless network connection 2” (it was created automatically when installing Connectify), as well as Wi-Fi itself. Usually the button to turn on the Wi-Fi network is located on the laptop body. I think you are not a stupid person and you will find how to turn on Wi-Fi for your car:

After completing these steps, you can click on “Start Hotspot”

The setup on your computer is ready. You will see a Wi-Fi connection icon in the tray:

And the program window will display the “Status” status and the “Access Point” connection type:

Also, in the connections tab, two active “Current connections” will be displayed: the Internet (Network) you have selected for distribution and your access point (User):

You can connect devices and use the Internet. When connected, the device is displayed separately in the “Connected Clients” column (the IP address is also there), and next to the file tray icon you will see an image of a little man:

A little about speed

There is no need to say much here. I will show you visual images

Internet speed test on computer (ADSL)

We used an iPhone as the connected device. As you can see, he found our access point without any problems and successfully connected to it

Emerging problems and their solutions

The first thing you may encounter is a falling connection. To solve this, go to “Control Panel\Network and Internet\Network and Sharing Center\Change adapter settings.” Go to the properties “Wireless network connection 2” and then “Configure” next to your adapter. Then, on the “Power Management” tab, you need to uncheck the box next to “Allow the device to turn off to save energy.”

The second thing you may encounter is an error creating an access point. There can be many reasons, but you can check the following basic points: turn off the Windows Firewall through “Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Windows Firewall”. If there are third-party firewalls, then I advise you to disable them for a while as well. they may block the connection.

The third is the absence of any connection in the list of available for “sharing”. In this case, I advise you to download an earlier version of the program, since newer versions of the program may add various little things, but also miss something at the same time, and vice versa, some bells and whistles of the program simply make it less efficient.

Well, as a conclusion: Connectify is a wonderful program that will probably be useful to you. It may be easier for you to buy and distribute the Internet through it, but it will be cheaper if you have fiber optic or ADSL Internet, but, for example, a 3G router is already quite expensive compared to a regular one. In order not to buy it, it will be enough to have a USB modem. There is also a version of the Connectify program for devices running the Android operating system. I don’t know exactly how to use it, I just provided it as data; anyone who is interested will probably find the information they need, because they came across my article.

I think this program has plenty of advantages, namely, that the source can use any Internet connection and requires a minimum of additional hardware (Wi-Fi adapter, if you don’t have one). The biggest disadvantage I would consider is the lack of support for operating systems of the Windows line, except for seven, as stated at the beginning of the article. Also

lack of support for Macintosh and Linux systems, but I think this is not a problem for now, because Windows is still easier and more understandable for the user, and the whole modern world, whatever one may say, uses Windows, because the lion's share of software is written for Windows.

Well, don’t forget the most important thing: your machine that distributes the Internet must be turned on so that all connecting devices can see the Internet.

I don’t argue that buying a router can solve this, but why buy one when you probably already have everything you need to create your own access point? This was the case in my situation and I only recently found out about it. So, I present to your attention the Connectify program, which allows you to “share” any of your Internet for access to other devices.

How it works?

I don’t know why until recently I didn’t know that Wi-Fi adapters can work in two directions: either receive the Internet or distribute the existing one. I thought about this when androids learned to “share” the 3G Internet, and then iOS.

How to create an access point without a router?

I warn you right away - the program ONLY supports Windows OS 7 (and higher).

This is how the program was created Connectify , which allows you to share any (cable, adsl, fiber optic, 3G) Internet connection with other devices equipped with a Wi-Fi module using a built-in or connected Wi-Fi card.

It is also worth noting that not only a laptop can serve as a device. A desktop PC with a Wi-Fi card will also work.

Where to download and how much it costs

The program is absolutely free. You can download the latest version on the official website, BUT I advise you not to do this!

It’s a paradox, but in newer versions of the program there are often bugs with available connections. Therefore, I advise you to download the version of the program that has personally worked stably for me for a long time (by the way, this version will be reviewed further). You can download it here .

And now the review

There should be no problems with installation: it is simple and does not require only standard actions. After installation, I advise you to restart your laptop/computer.

Now, after loading the OS, the Connectify program icon with a crossed out circle will “hang” in the tray, which means there is no active access point.

Click on the icon and you will see the main program window.

Everything is very simple:

WiFi Name— this is the name of the access point to be created
Passphrase— password for the created access point
Internet— here we will dwell in more detail because this point is quite important.

In the column Internet, you choose which Internet you are going to “share”.

Next, we definitely need to enable “Wireless network connection” and “Wireless network connection 2” (it was created automatically when installing Connectify), as well as wi-fi itself. Usually the button to turn on the wi-fi network is located on the laptop body. However, you probably won’t have any difficulty turning on Wi-Fi through the OS interface.

After completing these steps, you can click on Start Hotspot.

That's it, ready. You will see a Wi-Fi connection icon in the tray.

And the program window will display the “Status” status and the “Access Point” connection type.

Also, in the connections tab, two active “Current connections” will be displayed: the Internet you have selected for distribution and your access point.

You can connect devices and use the Internet. When connected, the device is displayed separately in the “Connected Clients” column (the IP address is also there), and next to the Wi-Fi icon in the tray you will see an image of a little man.

It is worth saying that you can simultaneously use the distributed Internet both on your computer and on the device connected to the point. In other words, after “sharing” the Internet from the computer does not disappear anywhere. It remains available both on the computer and on the device connected via Wi-Fi.

About speed

There is no need to say much here. I'll show you some visuals.

Internet speed test on computer (ADSL)

I used an iPhone as the connected device. As you can see, he found our access point without any problems and successfully connected to it.

Speed test via Wi-Fi ADSL Internet on iPhone

Problems and their solutions

The first thing you may encounter is a falling connection. To solve this, go to Control Panel\Network and Internet\Network and Sharing Center\Change adapter settings. Go to the properties “Wireless network connection 2” and then “Configure” next to your Wi-Fi adapter. In my case, this is the “Microsoft Virtual WiFi Miniport Adapter”. Then, on the “Power Management” tab, UNcheck the box next to “Allow the device to turn off to save energy.”

The second thing you may encounter is an error creating an access point. There could be many reasons, but you can check the following basic points: Turn off Windows Firewall through Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Windows Firewall. If there are third-party firewalls, then I advise you to disable them for a while as well. they may block the connection.

Third, the absence of any connection in the list of available for “sharing”. In this case, I advise you to download exactly the version of the program that I wrote about above. Once again I give it to her.

Bottom line

Connectify is a great program that will definitely come in handy for you. It may be easier for you to buy a router and distribute the Internet through it, but it will be cheaper if you have fiber optic or ADSL Internet, but, for example, a 3G router is already quite expensive compared to a regular one. In order not to buy it, it will be enough to have a USB modem.

I'm just going to order a Wi-Fi adapter on eBay (this one is very inexpensive) for my computer and distribute 3G Internet using the Connectify program.

Pros:

distribution of any method of Internet access, it is enough to have a computer/laptop with Wi-Fi
simple and intuitive program interface
the program is free
there is a version for OS Android

Minuses:

lack of support for Macintosh and Linux
For the access point to work, the computer must be turned on

In general, the bottom line is this: if you have at least some kind of Internet connection, a computer or laptop with Wi-Fi, then it is not at all necessary to buy a router to “share” your Internet. All you need to do is install the Connectify program, which will do this perfectly.

UPD 07/06/2013

A lot of time has passed since the article was published. I received over 250 comments and I can’t even count how many emails I received.

Basically, these are questions related to the operation of the program. In fact, I haven’t used the program for more than six months now due to the fact that I bought a full-fledged router TP-Link TL-WR741ND, so every time it becomes more and more difficult for me to answer your questions and advise anything.

Most popular question:“Everything is set up, everything works, the Internet is distributed, I’m connected, but I can’t access the Internet. Websites won't load." There can be a lot of reasons!

The first thing to do is check if the device you are connecting to has any problems with other access points.

Try connecting other devices to the created access point. If they are connected, but there is no access to the network, then read on.

Check:

Have you set up a working connection as a source for distributing the Internet?
Is your firewall disabled...if it is enabled, then the program should be added to the exceptions
It happens that your Wi-Fi module is not supported by the program. Try updating your drivers. They can be found on the manufacturer's website. Perhaps everything will work out.

In the article I recommend using the old version of the program. So, now a completely good and “non-glitchy” new version has been released, which I recommend that you install if you have problems with the old one. You can always download the latest version of the program from the official website

There are many ways to distribute the Internet via Wi-Fi from a laptop or computer with an appropriate adapter - free “virtual router” programs, a method with the command line and built-in Windows tools, as well as the “Mobile Hotspot” function in Windows 10 (see). Connectify Hotspot (in Russian) serves the same purpose, but has additional functions, and also often works on hardware and network connection configurations where other Wi-Fi distribution methods do not work (and is compatible with all the latest versions of Windows, including Windows 10 Fall Creators Update). This review is about using Connectify Hotspot 2018 and additional program features that may be useful.

How to restore the component store in Windows 10

Using Connectify Hostspot

Connectify Hotspot is available in a free version, as well as paid Pro and Max versions. The limitations of the free version are the ability to distribute only Ethernet or an existing wireless connection via Wi-Fi, the inability to change the network name (SSID) and the absence of sometimes useful “wired router”, repeater, and Bridging Mode modes. In the Pro and Max versions, you can distribute other connections - for example, mobile 3G and LTE, VPN, PPPoE.

Installing the program is simple and straightforward, but you should definitely restart your computer after installation (as Connectify must configure and start its own services to work - the functions do not rely entirely on built-in Windows tools, as in other programs, which is why this method of distribution is often Wi-Fi works where others fail).

Restoring the “Open Command Window” item in Windows 10 Explorer

After the first launch of the program, you will be asked to use the free version (the “Try” button), enter the program key, or make a purchase (you can, if desired, make it at any time).

Further steps for setting up and starting the distribution are as follows (if you wish, after the first launch, you can also view simple instructions for using the program, which will appear in its window).

Windows 10 Build 18298 (19H1) - Improvements to Explorer, Light Theme, Start Menu, Screen Snippet, Notepad and Console.

By default, when you log into Windows, Connectify Hotspot automatically starts in the same state as when you turned off or restarted your computer - if the hotspot was running, it will start again. If desired, this can be changed in “Settings” - “Connectify Launch Options”.

A useful feature, given that in Windows 10, automatically starting the Mobile Hotspot access point is fraught with difficulties.