Portable HostedNetworkStarter

Sharing your wired Internet connection with other devices is no novelty, but a bit of experience with the command prompt is required to achieve this without specialized software. Portable HostedNetworkStarter is a handy application that makes Internet sharing much easier.

What Portable HostedNetworkStarter does is create a hosted network on your computer and transform your regular Windows computer into a Wi-Fi access point other wireless-enabled devices can connect to.

Upon launch, you are prompted to start configuring the new hotspot by entering a few details, such as the desired network name (SSID) and the security key of the Wi-FI network. If you find it easier, Portable HostedNetworkStarter can remember the network key and write it in the configuration file. You can even choose whether the key should be encrypted or not. Other options enable you to specify the maximum number of connected devices that can connect to the hotspot.

Once the hotspot is active, Portable HostedNetworkStarter displays the connection details within its main window. You can check out the network state, the GUID and names of the connected devices, MAC addresses, channel numbers, the transfer speed and amount of exchanged data.

Connected clients are also displayed, along with their MAC address, connection time and device company. Complete reports containing selected chunks of data can be generated with just a few clicks.

Portable HostedNetworkStarter is a good option if you want to create a Wi-FI hotspot and share your connection with other devices. It has another advantage, being a special version of HostedNetworkStarter that does not require installation and runs without leaving traces in the registry.