How to Convert a 3G Modem to a Wi-Fi Hotspot

By Mircea Gabriel Suciu

You can use any Windows 8 computer to share your Internet connection.
i Joe Raedle/Getty Images News/Getty Images

By sharing the Internet connection of your 3G modem over Wi-Fi, you can use it on multiple devices at the same time, including other computers, mobile phones, smart TVs or gaming consoles. You can share your 3G connection using any machine running Windows. After getting online with your modem, you need to start a Wi-Fi network and adjust the settings for the Internet Connection Sharing feature.

Step 1

Plug your 3G modem into your Windows computer. Click the network icon on the lower-right corner of your screen to display a list of available networks to which you can connect.

Step 2

Select the name of your mobile network and click "Connect." Enter the Access Point Name or login credentials if prompted to do so. You can find this information in the user guide of your mobile broadband hardware.

Step 3

Click "Next" to connect to the Internet and wait for the message confirming the successful connection.

Step 1

Press the "Windows Key-X" key combination and select "Command Prompt (Admin)" to open a Command Prompt with administrator privileges.

Step 2

Type "netsh wlan set hostednetwork ssid=wifiname key=wifipassword" (without quotes), where "wifiname" is the name for your Wi-Fi network and "wifipassword" is the desired network password. Press "Enter."

Step 3

Type "netsh wlan start hostednetwork" and press "Enter" to start your Wi-Fi network and make it visible to other devices.

Step 4

Move your mouse cursor to the top-right corner of your screen to reveal the Charms bar and click "Search."

Step 5

Type "Network and Sharing Center" (without quotes) in the search box and select "Network and Sharing Center" from the list of results.

Step 6

Select the "Change Adapter Settings" option in the sidebar. Right-click your Wi-Fi adapter and select "Properties" to access its properties.

Step 7

Click the "Sharing" tab and check the "Allow Other Users to Connect Through This Computer's Internet Connection" box. Click "OK" to confirm that you want to share your mobile Internet connection with other devices.

×