Pros and Cons to Using a Computer as a Router
Benefits
Drawbacks
Using your computer as a router may lower the download and upload speeds your computer can access. Since it’s sharing its connection with other devices, you may see lower speeds than you do when the same devices and the computer are connected to a standalone router.
When Your Regular Router Isn’t Working, you can connect to the modem and use the connection to give a signal to your other devices. So many electronics require an internet connection for complete functionality now. Even some refrigerators, doorbells, and other household necessities can benefit from a wireless connection, even when the router cannot provide it.Access to Another Router can also be a big help when troubleshooting your primary router. For example, you can check whether a device can connect to the PC router and rule out or confirm problems with the device itself.A PC Router is Much More Portable than a traditional networking setup, and it can reduce the amount of equipment you need to bring when you’re away from home or the office. Sharing an internet connection with the people on site is extremely useful.
Whatever your reasons, it’s so easy to set up your computer to operate as a router that there’s no reason not to learn the method. Adding another networking card might also be considered a drawback, depending on your budget and the system you’re running. However, most networking cards aren’t expensive, and there are many models to suit your build, both internal and external.
Components Needed to Act as a Router
You only need two separate network cards if you want to use two wireless networks – one to give you the internet and one to share your internet with other devices. One will manage the incoming connection, while the other handles the outgoing connection. You may not be able to do this without two wireless cards. Check the manual for yours to see what it’s capable of. If you only have one built into your computer, you can get detachable network cards that plug in via USB and operate from outside the computer. Some have magnets to help hold them onto the computer itself if you prefer. Not everyone will need this, depending on your setup. You can try to do the software steps with a single network card, and if it doesn’t share via Wi-Fi, you know you need a secondary wireless card.
How to Set Up Your Computer as a Router?
On Windows Device
A few tweaks to your Windows settings are all that’s necessary once you have the equipment installed. Now you should be able to connect to your signal as you would normally from any other device. The computer will continue acting as a router until it no longer has an internet connection or until you turn the option back off. This should work on both a laptop and a PC. Remember, if you’re using a computer without two network adapters, you may not be able to share your connection unless you have one that can do both.
On Macbook
Mac computers also have the option to generate a hotspot. You can share the connection from and to multiple sources, depending on what you’re running. It’s as simple as sharing a connection on Windows. It should stay active until you need to disconnect the network or until the active internet connection drops.
Other Alternatives
If you don’t want to go through the process of setting up a router, or you don’t have an additional networking card and need to share a connection immediately, there may be a few other options to consider. Some devices can function as a hotspot. Not all phones can act as a router to share a Wi-Fi signal, but they can use USB tethering or Bluetooth to transmit their data signals if you have the proper plan from your phone service provider. You can also use USB tethering from your mobile device to share the connection with your PC, then share that connection via Wi-Fi since it doesn’t come from Wi-Fi and is a wired connection. In that case, you plug your phone into your PC and select USB connection sharing. (Not all phones have this feature.) Once it’s plugged in via a compatible USB port, the computer should have an internet connection. From there, you can start up your hotspot and try to share the connection from your mobile phone.
Is it Better to use Desktop PC or a Laptop as a Router?
There really isn’t much difference between using a desktop or a laptop as a router. They both perform the same function and are set up the same way. The main difference is the equipment you need may be bulkier and less easy to put on a laptop. If you’re planning to use it as a router regularly, you may want to consider a second wireless card that you can connect and remove as you please. While they aren’t notably bulky, they can make the laptop less portable.
Where is the Router Located on a Computer?
A computer doesn’t come with a router, per se. Usually, the router is located away from the computer. Then an ethernet cable runs between the two to share the internet. Routers also usually make Wi-Fi networks so devices without Ethernet ports or farther away devices can also share the connection.
Do You Need a Router to Get Wi-Fi?
A router is what splits and extends your internet connection, giving you a wireless signal. You can also get it via hotspot or with a modem-router combo if you don’t want to have two different devices.
How Do I Set Up a Router Without a Modem?
The only way to really use a router without a modem is to buy a combination device. It both accepts the signal from your provider, splits it, and creates Wi-Fi networks. There are many of these devices on the market with plenty of features to choose from. A router doesn’t work without a modem because it needs the essential connection from the modem to share it with other devices.
