How to Create a Hotspot from Your Laptop?

A laptop hotspot is a personal Wi-Fi network created using the laptop's existing connected internet. It allows users to create a new password and network name, enabling others to join that network and serving as a bridge between the Wi-Fi connection from the router and other devices. 

A laptop can share a Wi-Fi connection, an Ethernet connection, or a cellular data connection and be used as a bridge between them. It is ideal when you do not want to share your Wi-Fi router's name and password directly with other users and want to create a layer of protection when you do share it. 

How To Create a Hotspot on Your Laptop? 

Creating a hotspot on your laptop is easy, and anyone can do it without expert assistance. Follow the steps given below to create your own Wi-Fi hotspot setup from your computer and connect other devices to the hotspot created from your laptop. Steps to turn a laptop into a hotspot: 

1. Open settings.

    

1. Go to the network and internet settings. 

    

1. Select mobile and hotspot. 

    

1. Choose the internet connection you want to share with others (it can be an Ethernet connection, Wi-Fi, or a cellular data connection).

    

1. Select the internet connection from the dropdown menu 'Share my internet connection'.

    

1. Toggle on the hotspot switch. 

Connect another device

1. Open Wi-Fi settings on the device you want to connect. 

    

1. Find the network name you set up for your laptop hotspot network. 

    

1. Select the network.

    

1. Enter the password created. 

Other devices can now connect to the internet through your laptop hotspot. 

Why Should You Use a Laptop Hotspot? 

Setting up a laptop hotspot offers convenience and on-the-go internet access for other devices. It is convenient when no W-Fi is available for others to connect to or when the Wi-Fi router is too slow and lagging because too many devices are connected to it; as it creates a fresh connection network, making it faster and more reliable.  

It also saves costs; you no longer need to buy multiple data plans for all your devices, such as tablets and smartwatches, as they can connect to your laptop's hotspot. Benefits of a laptop hotspot: 

• Convenient 

   

• Extra layer of protection 

   

• Cost-effective 

   

• Fresh network connection bandwidth 

   

• Connect multiple devices 

What Are the Best Practices for Securing Your Laptop Hotspot? 

Securing your laptop's hotspot is crucial, as if hacked, critical data could be leaked. There are several ways to ensure your laptop's hotspot connection is secure. Steps to ensure hotspot security: 

• Use a VPN 

   

• Regularly monitor the hotspot 

   

• Turn off file sharing 

   

• Use a firewall 

   

• Create a secure password 

   

• Keep your laptop updated 

   

• Turn on WPA2/WPA3 encryption 

   

• Verify the original network source 

   

• Keep an antivirus scanner on 

   

• Limit hotspot users (share only with trusted users) 

   

• Disable Service Set Identifier (SSID) 

   

• Enable two-factor authentication 

Conclusion:

Using a laptop hotspot for other devices is ideal for convenience, especially when those internet connections are unreliable or unavailable. It does require safety measures to be taken, but it is a trusted method of sharing the internet with an additional layer of security for the original network provider.  

Questions like 'how to create a hotspot on your laptop?' 'How to secure laptop hotspots?', etc., are answered in this blog, which also explains what a laptop hotspot is.