How to Create a Free
WiFi Hotspot

What is a WiFi Hotspot?

Contrary to popular belief, a WiFi hotspot isn’t a device but a location. More specifically, it’s an area where people may obtain internet access using WiFi technology. This area of wireless internet access is typically created using a wireless router connected to an internet service provider.

Most people these days have WiFi hotspots at home to connect various internet-enabled devices and appliances to the internet without physical cables. Many businesses and organizations create hotspots to attract foot traffic and gain a competitive edge.

According to Statista, an online statistics, market research and business intelligence portal, there was 179 million of public WiFi hotspots worldwide in 2017. This number is forecasted to grow to 542 millions by 2022. The steep rise of the number of available public WiFi hotspots highlights our hunger for internet access and our preference for businesses and organizations that offer it for free.

Where Can I Find Free WiFi Hotspots?

The good news is that free WiFi hotspots are everywhere these days. Most coffee shops, shopping malls, and businesses offer a free WiFi hotspot to attract foot traffic, but the problem is that simply typing “free WiFi hotspot near me” into Google Search doesn’t yield any useful results.

What you need to reliably find all free WiFi hotspots near you is a professional app for wireless site surveys, WiFi analysis, and troubleshooting such as NetSpot. With it, you can quickly find out which wireless networks are available around you and use your own judgment to determine which are free based on their names.

Is There a Way to Turn My Laptop/Phone into WiFi Hotspot?

Most smartphones and laptops can be turned into a WiFi hotspot without any third-party application. The instructions how to do so vary from device to device, but the entire process typically involves only a couple of clicks.

Android: To turn your Android phone into a WiFi hotspot, go to Settings and tap the “Wireless & networks” option. There, look for an option called “Portable Wi-Fi hotspot” and click on it to turn your device into a WiFi hotspot.

iOS: To turn your iPhone into a WiFi hotspot, go to Settingsand then Cellular. Tap on the “Personal Hotspot” option to turn your iPhone into a WiFi hotspot.

Windows: To turn your Windows laptop into a WiFi hotspot, use the Windows key + X keyboard shortcut, and select Command Prompt (Admin). In Command Prompt (Admin) enter: “NETSH WLAN set hostednetwork mode=allow ssid=Your_SSID key=Your_Passphrase” (leave out the quotation marks). Then enter the following command to activate it: “NETSH WLAN start hostednetwork” (again, make sure to leave out the quotation marks).

macOS: To turn your Mac into a WiFi hotspot, go to System Preferences and click the Sharing icon. Select the “Internet Sharing” option and choose the Internet connection you want to share with the devices.

As you can see, it’s relatively straightforward to create WiFi hotspot on Mac/Windows as well as on mobile devices running Android and iOS. Just make sure to always secure your hotspot with strong encryption otherwise you might become a target of malicious hackers.