How to use my Windows 10 computer as Wi-Fi extender?

Have you stumbled upon a Wi-Fi dead zone in your home or office? Do you want to boost the Wi-Fi range of your wireless network? In today’s Windows 10 guide, we share tips on how to use your Windows 10 PC as a Wi-Fi extender.

In many houses or offices, you may find that some areas register a weak Wi-Fi signal or the signal doesn’t reach some locations. Most people rely only on third-party apps to extend the signal range to those areas experiencing a weak or no internet connection.

What you may not know is that Windows 10 computers come with a feature that makes it easy to connect other devices to the internet without a Wi-Fi extender app or device.

Windows 10 laptops come with a hotspot feature that may come in handy when there’s only one Ethernet cable or the Wi-Fi network is restricted to only one login. This functionality is also useful in areas where the Wi-Fi internet reception is weak, for example, your summer house.

How a Wi-Fi Extender Works

A Wi-Fi extender or repeater acts as a bridge that captures the Wi-Fi from your router and rebroadcasts it to locations where the signal is weak or non-existent. This makes it possible to use the internet in far corners of your house, including the garden.

How to Set a Windows 10 PC to Act as a Wi-Fi Extender?

The feature that allows internet sharing comes hidden in Windows 10. The built-in wireless repeater creates a different hotspot network that you will use to connect your devices. Once created, the new wireless hotspot will have a different name and passphrase.

Using the Settings App

To set your Windows 10 PC as a Wi-Fi extender:

1. Run the “Settings” app from “Start”.
2. Open Network & Internet > Mobile hotspot.
3. Click the toggle button to turn on “Share my Internet connection with other devices”.
4. Click the “Edit” button, and assign a new network name and password.
5. Click “Save”.

You should now be able to connect to the hotspot you just created on your laptop or desktop.

Using Command Prompt

1. Right-click “Start”, and run “Command Prompt (Admin)”.
2. Execute the following command: netsh wlan set hostednetwork mode=allow ssid=(SSID) key=(password). Replace the (SSID) and (password) with the name you want to assign to your network and the appropriate password, without the brackets. This allows a new network with the password you created to run.
3. Next, launch “Control Panel” and change the “View by:” option to “Large icons”.
4. Find and select “Network and Sharing Center”.
5. Click “Change adapter settings” on the left pane.
6. Right-click your main network connection, and open “Properties”.
7. Select the “Sharing” tab, and check the checkbox next to “Allow other network users to connect through this computer’s Internet connection”.
8. In the “Home networking connection” drop-down list, choose your computer’s network connection, for example, Local Area Connection.

These settings will allow you to use your Windows 10 PC as a Wi-Fi extender by setting it as the new hotspot. To disable Windows 10 internet connection sharing, execute the following command in the Command Prompt window: netsh wlan stop hostednetwork.

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