# Turning a laptop into an access point

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-a-laptop-into-an-access-point/716768>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 4, 2015, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-a-laptop-into-an-access-point/716768 "2015-04-04T01:22:36Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\
**Post date:** [April 4, 2015, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-a-laptop-into-an-access-point/716768/1 "2015-04-04T01:22:36Z")

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I’m taking a trip next month to Mexico and the hotel only allows one device to connect to their wifi. I’m trying to find a way around this restriction. At my disposal, I have a laptop with builtin wifi, a USB wifi connector, an iPad and an iPhone.

I’ve read an article on Windows 8 internet connection sharing but I don’t believe that I understand it. I have both wifi adapters running and I thought that one would connect to the wifi network and the other would server as the access point. I can see the network connection that I’ve set up on my PC on my iPhone but it doesn’t connect. It just spins and spins.

Any help would be appreciated.

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**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\
**Post date:** [April 4, 2015, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-a-laptop-into-an-access-point/716768/2 "2015-04-04T01:35:57Z")

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> [@Nars\_Glinley](#):
>
> Any help would be appreciated.

[http://www.7tutorials.com/how-turn-your-windows-81-laptop-wifi-access-point](http://www.7tutorials.com/how-turn-your-windows-81-laptop-wifi-access-point)  
This gives a program that does most of the job.  
It then remains for you to turn on ICS.  
However, ICS may not properly enable a DHCP server, perhaps the DHCP service is permanently disabled, for example , so go to control panel, administrative tools, services, and check DHCP server is running ?  
Also read

> <https://stackoverflow.com/questions/23168152/use-netsh-wlan-set-hostednetwork-to-create-a-wifi-hotspot-and-the-authenti>

basically  
1.