Hidden WiFi Hotspot

In this episode, Hidden WiFi Hotspot . . .

As many of you know, I'm a MAC user at home and a PC user at work. Recently I read an article from one of my favorite online newsletters, How-To Geek, that caught my eye, How to turn your Windows PC into a WiFi hotspot. You can click the link in the blog post to review the entire article if you like but here is a quick summary.

Did you know, Windows 10 and Windows 11 both have built-in features that can turn your laptop (or desktop) into a wireless hotspot, allowing other devices to connect to it and share your internet connection. Here's how it works.

Thanks to a hidden virtual WiFi adapter feature in Windows, you can create a WiFi hotspot. At the same time, you're connected to another WiFi network or wireless router, sharing one WiFi connection over another.

Why Share Your PC's Internet Connection?

Let's say your phone doesn't get good WiFi or cell reception when you're at your computer, but your PC is connected via an Ethernet cable. If your PC desktop or laptop has built-in WiFi, you can create a WiFi hotspot, then connect your phone, tablet, (or any other wireless device) to that hotspot. Then, your device's wireless traffic is routed back through the Ethernet line, giving you satisfactory performance.

Here’s a little Geek talk for those concerned about network security. WiFi 6 and WiFi 6E use WPA3, which enables encryption on public WiFi networks. But not all networks you'll encounter use those standards yet. If you want to encrypt all of your wireless traffic on a WiFi network, you can fire up a VPN on your PC (probably a laptop), then connect all of your wireless devices to that laptop's hotspot. Then all your internet traffic will be encrypted, and you don't need to worry about whether or not someone is snooping on your online activity.

Another option when you're traveling, circumvent Per-Device Fees. During a hotel stay, on a plane, or anywhere else, many WiFi networks these days have per-device fees. That’s so frustrating. This is another workaround used for the built-in WiFi hotspot functionality. When you arrive sign up for the WiFi plan with one device — your laptop — and create a mobile hotspot. Then connect your other devices to your Windows PC's hotspot.

So, how do Share an Ethernet or WiFi Connection in Windows 11?

Open the Windows Settings app by pressing in combination the Windows key, plus the letter I, or search for "Settings" in the Start Menu.
Once Settings is open, click "Network & Internet," then click the "Mobile Hotspot" arrow to select it from the list.
Turn ON the Mobile hotspot toggle.
Under Network properties you will see the name of your computer's WiFi network and its password.
Click Edit and you can change the name and password if you like.

Sounds easy enough, but let’s face it, as a MAC user changing Widows settings always seems to be a BIG challenge. To view the complete article, click the link in the Blog post or check out the How-To Geek Newsletter; it's free.

I’m Patrick Ball; thanks for listening. See you in the next episode.

Comments

When Fear Becomes the Default

In this special episode, When Fear Becomes the Default. Early Sunday morning, I was cycling past a small veterans’ pocket park in San Marcos. The air was still, the streets nearly empty. On one corner stood a young woman, alone, holding a hand-painted sign that read: “Be ANGRY. ICE agents are murdering people.” I pedaled past, but the words stayed with me. I knew the context—the footage and headlines from Minneapolis the day before, already ricocheting through the country and hardening opinions. Even in the quiet of the ride, the noise followed. Two miles later, I stopped at a red light. A black car with dark windows pulled up inches from my bike. My heart jumped. My first instinct wasn’t neighbor —it was threat . I found myself bracing, scanning, and wondering if the person inside was angry, armed, or looking for trouble. Then the door opened. A well-dressed young woman stepped out, walked to the trunk, and pulled out a sign that read “Open House.” She turned, smiled brightly, and sa...

The Language of Home: Building a Sanctuary

This episode is for anyone trying to find their footing in a new place—whether it’s a new city, a new job, or a new country. The light in Florence, Italy, has a way of making everything feel like a Renaissance painting—the golden hue on the stone, the steady rhythm of the Arno River, and the feeling that you are walking through a history much larger than yourself. I was there to give a presentation to a class of Gemology students. I was prepared to discuss color grading and refractive indices, but not to be outed as a language tutor . Feeling very much like a guest in a storied land, a hand shot up enthusiastically. "You’re the guy on the podcasts," the young woman said, her eyes bright with recognition. "You’re the one teaching us English." I laughed nervously. If you know my flat Midwestern accent, you know the irony here. I am hardly an Oxford professor. But later, as I wandered the cobblestone streets beneath the shadow of the Duomo, the humor faded into a powe...

Practiced Hands: The 50-Year Warranty

What Doc Burch Taught Me About Staying Active. We talk a lot about "life hacks" these days, but most of them don’t have a very long shelf life. Usually, they’re forgotten by the next app update. But back in 1972, I received a piece of advice that came with a 50-year warranty. It’s the reason I’m still on my bike today, still chasing a golf ball around Carlsbad, and still—mostly—in one piece. The Kick That Changed Everything It started with a literal kick in the pants. A kid at school in Cuba, Illinois, was joking around and caught me just right. By the next morning, my lower back was screaming. My mom didn’t reach for the Tylenol; she reached for her car keys. "Let’s go see Doc Burch," she said. "He’ll fix you right up." Harry E. Burch, D.C., was a fixture in Lewistown. He’d graduated from Palmer College in ’59 and had been our family’s go-to for years. He was a man of practiced hands and steady eyes. After a quick exam and an X-ray, the mood in the room s...

On the Fly–Taking Flight

In this special 500th episode, On the Fly is moving to a new home. Here’s why—and what’s staying the same. For a very long time (since April 2012), On the Fly has lived on Blogger . Blogger has been a reliable host—dependable, quiet, and never complaining when I arrived late with another half-baked idea, a guitar riff, or a story that needed a little air. It faithfully archived my thoughts, my music, and more than a decade of curiosity. But the internet has changed. It’s louder now. Flashier. More insistent. Every thought is nudged to perform. Every sentence wants to be optimized, monetized, or interrupted by something that really wants your attention right this second. I’ve been craving the opposite. So today, On the Fly is moving to Substack . If you’ve been with me for a while, you know my quiet obsession: the A rt of Seeing . I’m interested in the moments we rush past—the Aversion Trap, the discipline hidden inside a guitarist’s daily practice, t...

On The Fly

Search This Blog