"CONNECTIFY"
VIRTUAL WIRELESS ACCESS POINT
"Connectify" is a free software application
that lets any "Windows 7" computer that has a Wi-Fi adapter act as a
wireless access point for other "Windows 2000", "Windows
XP", "Windows Vista",
"Windows 7", "Linux", or "Apple" computers
that are in the vicinity. Even if you're "Windows 7" computer has a
single Wi-Fi adapter that is already acting as the computer's Internet
connection, "Connectify" will turn your computer into a wireless
access point for other Wi-Fi-capable computers that are nearby. You can
download "version 1.0" of Connectify for free at
For additional details, see also
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Connectify-Releases-prnews-998425882.html?x=0&.v=1
and
After you download and install the installation file from
the Connectify Web site, you will find that setting up your virtual wireless
access point is easy:
Go to the "Notification Area" at the right side
of the "Windows 7 taskbar":
You will find a new fan-shaped icon that looks like a wave form:
Right-click
on it and a pop-up utility menu will be displayed:
Click on
"Show Connectify" and a configuration dialog box for
"Connectify" will be displayed:
In the "WiFi Name" text box, type in a name for your virtual wireless
hot spot:
In this case, I gave my hotspot the unimaginative name of
"test".
In the "Password" text box, type in the password that you want
the wireless users of the hotspot to enter for the sake of security.
In the "Internet" text box, select the Internet connection that
you wish to share with your wireless users. If your computer has both a
wireless and a wired Internet connection, you should share the wired connection
to free up all of your Wi-Fi adapter's bandwidth for your wireless hotspot
users.
In the "Mode" text box, select "Access Point,
WPA2-PSK" if it is not already selected.
Click on the "Start Hotspot" button.
It will turn into a grayed-out "Starting Hotspot" button.
It will then become a "Stop Hotspot" button. (Do not click on
this "Stop Hotspot" button unless you need to deny wireless access to
all of your connected Wi-Fi clients.)
Finally, click anywhere on the Windows "Desktop" to make the
Connectify configuration dialog box go away.
In our example, any Wi-Fi capable computers that are within about 100 feet
of the computer that "Connectify" is running on will now display a
"Wireless Network Connection" called "test". Users of these
computers can click on "Test", click on a "Connect" button,
and then they can enter in the password (that you entered into
"Connectify"). They will then be connected to the Internet by means
of the Internet connection that "Connectify" is sharing wirelessly.
Please try this great freebie. You will love it as much as we do!
IF "CONNECTIFY" DOES NOT WORK
If you cannot get "Connectify" working, we have
discovered that different versions of "Connectify" will work with
different "Windows 7" computers. We do not know why but here is what
you can do to get "Connectify" working:
Use "Programs and Features" in the
"Control Panel" to remove the current installed copy of
"Connectify".
(In some cases, you have to use F8 during bootup to get
into regular "Safe Mode" before you can remove the current installed
copy of "Connectify".)
Reboot the computer.
Download the more advanced version of
"Connectify" at
http://www.connectify.me/download/2.1/ConnectifyInstaller_2.1_Beta_1.exe
and install it.
Configure it and click on "Start Hotspot".
Use another Wi-Fi-capable computer to see if the hotspot
is working correctly.
If this new "Version 2.1 Beta 1" version of
Connectify does not work, use "Programs and Features" to remove this
version of "Connectify" also.
Reboot the computer.
Finally, download the older but more stable version 1.2
of "Connectify" from
http://www.connectify.me/download/1.2/ConnectifyInstaller.exe
Install and configure it.
We have discovered that "Version 1.2" of
"Connectify" always runs okay when the newer versions fail. However,
"Version 1.2" has fewer "bells and whistles" so we do not
recommend using it unless the later versions of "Connectify" will not
run on your computer.