Maybe your home router died at an inconvenient time, you’re in a hotel room that only has a single Ethernet jack and terrible Wi-Fi, or you’re in a new place without internet.
In those situations, it is tempting to go out and buy a router to address the problem. However, that isn’t always an option, especially if you need internet in a pinch, and routers can be expensive. In those situations, you can actually turn your Windows 11 PC into a router.
Windows 11 gives you multiple options
Different tools for different jobs
Windows 11 actually has three different ways you can use it as a router, each suited for slightly different applications.
The mobile hotspot
The most accessible option that Windows has is the mobile hotpot. It can be found under Settings > Network & internet > Mobile hotspot.
From there, you can share a Wi-Fi, Ethernet, or cellular connection (if your PC has a cellular connection) over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth with up to eight devices.
Windows handles the technical parts, like Network Address Translation (NAT) and Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) automatically behind the scenes. It’ll even allow you to share your connection using a QR code, which is a nice convenience feature compared to typing in a long password.
Internet Connection Sharing (ICS)
If the mobile hotspot doesn’t work for you for some reason (like if you need to share a wired connection), you can use the older option, which is accessible via the Network Connections page in Control Panel.
You can also type ncpa.cpl in the run menu or Start Menu search bar.
All you need to do is right-click whichever adapter is currently connected to the internet and then go to Properties > Sharing. You can share that connection with a second adapter—like a USB Ethernet dongle.
This hands out addresses on a 192.168.137.x subnet. This is the specific tool you want when the device you need to get online requires a wired connection.
You can bridge connections
If you select two adapters in Network Connections and choose “Bridge Connections,” you create a Layer-2 bridge. Unlike the other methods, there is no NAT involved. In other words, anything you connect to the second adapter will get an IP address on the same subnet as the primary device.
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That can be very important if you need this item to have an address on the same subnet as everything else in the wider network.
There is one important caveat: bridging works best when you’re working with Ethernet connections. If the adapter you’re bridging from is a Wi-Fi adapter, it usually won’t work at all. Unfortunately, I found that Windows will let you create the bridge and then actually do nothing behind the scenes. If you’re connected to hotel Wi-Fi and need to get a wired device online, use ICS instead.
Windows is a better router than you’d expect
Routers are actually underpowered
Credit: Jerome Thomas / How-To Geek
You might expect that a laptop would be “bad” at being a router, but laptops are actually extremely overpowered for the job, and a desktop is even more capable. The primary difference is the CPU; a modern PC processor will outperform a $100 travel router’s processor without breaking a sweat.
It also has the usual advantages that come with a travel router. Captive portals—those annoying login pages at hotels and airports—are easy to deal with. You log in once on your PC, and every device you connect through your laptop skips the captive portal completely.
If you tunnel your PC’s connection through WireGuard to your home network, anything connected to your laptop will also get tunneled through the VPN. Not only does that pretty much guarantee that your host can’t snoop on your traffic, it allows all of your devices to use resources on your home network.
Software, Wi-Fi, and power settings are the big limitations
While a laptop has more than enough computational power to handle routing, the actual Wi-Fi connectivity tends to be a weak point. Laptops just aren’t designed to act as routers full-time, so don’t expect your laptop router’s signal to cover the same area as a dedicated router or achieve the same bandwidth. You’re also limited to eight connections under normal circumstances.
It also lacks most advanced networking settings, like DHCP reservations, port forwarding interfaces, QoS, VLANs, or parental controls.
Reliability is another issue. Your PC has to stay awake and plugged in; if the laptop sleeps, the network shuts off. You should turn off the hotspot’s power-saving toggle if you want the connection to survive idle periods.
Windows 11’s router tools aren’t designed for full-time work
Windows 11’s routing tools are definitely good enough in a pinch, but they’re pretty bare bones. If you find yourself using your laptop as a router every single week, you need to buy or build a dedicated travel router.
I also wouldn’t recommend trying to use a laptop for a whole-home Wi-Fi router either; it just isn’t cut out for it.