Turn Your ASUS Laptop Into a Wi‑Fi Hotspot: Simple Steps

Turn Your ASUS Laptop Into a Wi‑Fi Hotspot: Simple StepsTurning your ASUS laptop into a Wi‑Fi hotspot lets other devices share your internet connection — handy when only one device is connected to Ethernet, when your home router is out of reach, or when you want a private local network. Below is a clear, step‑by‑step guide covering Windows ⁄₁₀, Windows 7 (where possible), and Linux, plus troubleshooting tips and security advice.

What you’ll need

• An ASUS laptop with a working Wi‑Fi adapter.
• An active internet connection on the laptop (Ethernet, mobile broadband, or a USB tethered phone).
• Administrator access on the laptop.

Windows 11 & Windows 10 — Built‑in Mobile Hotspot (easiest)

Windows 10 and 11 include a Mobile Hotspot feature that makes setup quick.

1. Open Settings:
   • Press Windows + I, or click Start > Settings.
2. Go to Network & Internet > Mobile hotspot.
3. Under “Share my internet connection from,” choose the connection you want to share (e.g., Ethernet).
4. Choose whether to share over Wi‑Fi or Bluetooth (select Wi‑Fi).
5. Click Edit to set your network name (SSID) and password. Use a strong password (WPA2/WPA3 if available).
6. Toggle “Share my internet connection with other devices” to On.
7. Connect client devices using the SSID and password you set.

Notes:

• The hotspot will use your laptop’s Wi‑Fi adapter to broadcast. Some older Wi‑Fi cards won’t support hosted network mode.
• Windows will show the number of connected devices and allow you to turn sharing off quickly.

Windows 7 — Hosted Network with Command Prompt (if supported)

Windows 7 doesn’t have a built‑in GUI hotspot, but many Wi‑Fi adapters support Microsoft’s hosted network feature.

1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator:
   • Click Start, type cmd, right‑click Command Prompt, choose Run as administrator.
2. Check adapter support:
   • Run: netsh wlan show drivers
   • Look for “Hosted network supported: Yes”. If it says No, the adapter or driver doesn’t support this feature.
3. Create the hosted network:
   • Run:

     
     netsh wlan set hostednetwork mode=allow ssid=MyASUSHotspot key=StrongPassword123 

     Replace ssid and key with your preferred name and password (8+ characters).

4. Start the hosted network:
   • Run:

     
     netsh wlan start hostednetwork 

5. Share your internet connection:
   • Open Network and Sharing Center > Change adapter settings.
   • Right‑click the connection with internet access (e.g., Local Area Connection) > Properties > Sharing tab.
   • Check “Allow other network users to connect through this computer’s Internet connection” and choose the hosted network adapter from the dropdown (often named “Microsoft Hosted Network Virtual Adapter” or similar).
6. Stop the hosted network when finished:
   • Run:

     
     netsh wlan stop hostednetwork 

Notes:

• If the hosted network isn’t supported, update the Wi‑Fi driver from ASUS support or consider using third‑party software (see below).

Linux (Ubuntu example) — using NetworkManager (GUI) or nmcli

Many Linux distributions allow creating a hotspot via NetworkManager.

GUI (Ubuntu GNOME):

1. Click the system menu (top right) and open Settings > Wi‑Fi.
2. Click the menu (three dots) and choose “Turn On Wi‑Fi Hotspot” or select “Use as Hotspot.”
3. Edit the hotspot name and password if the option appears. Connect other devices.

Using nmcli (terminal):

1. Create a Wi‑Fi hotspot connection:

   
   nmcli device wifi hotspot ifname wlan0 ssid MyASUSHotspot password "StrongPassword123" 

   Replace wlan0 with your Wi‑Fi interface name (use nmcli device status to list interfaces), ssid, and password.

2. Stop it with:

   
   nmcli connection down Hotspot 

Notes:

• Some drivers or chips (especially Broadcom) may need proprietary drivers or extra steps.
• For sharing a wired connection, ensure IP forwarding and NAT are configured (NetworkManager handles this automatically in most desktop setups).

Third‑party apps & alternatives

• Connectify Hotspot (Windows): user‑friendly, feature‑rich (paid features for advanced options).
• MyPublicWiFi (Windows): simple and free, supports connection logging and URL filtering.
• Use your phone’s hotspot instead if your laptop’s Wi‑Fi adapter lacks support.

Security & performance tips

• Use WPA2/WPA3 with a strong password (12+ random characters recommended). Do not leave the hotspot open.
• Limit the number of connected devices — performance drops as more clients share bandwidth.
• For sensitive work, use a VPN on the hotspot host (your laptop) to protect client traffic.
• Monitor data usage if sharing a metered connection (mobile tethering).
• Turn off the hotspot when not needed to save battery and reduce attack surface.

Troubleshooting common problems

• Hotspot unavailable / feature missing:
  • Update Wi‑Fi drivers from ASUS Support or Windows Update.
  • Confirm the adapter supports hosted networks (Windows: netsh wlan show drivers).
• Devices can see but not connect:
  • Recheck SSID/password; try forgetting the network on client devices and reconnecting.
  • Ensure Internet Connection Sharing is enabled (Windows 7) or correct source selected (Windows ⁄₁₁).
• No internet access for clients:
  • Verify the host device has working internet.
  • Check firewall settings that may block sharing.
• Slow speeds:
  • Reduce distance between devices, limit simultaneous clients, or use 5 GHz if supported for less interference.

When to use an ASUS laptop hotspot — quick scenarios

• Temporary internet sharing at a meeting where only wired Ethernet is available.
• Creating a private local network for file sharing or testing.
• As a backup when home router is down and one device has an internet connection.

Turn your ASUS laptop into a hotspot in minutes using Windows’ built‑in tools, Linux NetworkManager, or hosted‑network commands on older Windows. If you hit driver or capability limits, third‑party tools or a phone hotspot are reliable fallbacks.