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home  /  Multimedia/ Setting up the Connectify program and creating a wireless network. Creating and configuring HotSpot on Mikrotik hardware Creating a hotspot

Setting up Connectify and creating a wireless network. Creating and configuring HotSpot on Mikrotik hardware Creating a hotspot

Translated from English, hot spot means hot spot... It is created in one place using some kind of partitive technique (laptop, smartphone, or even a tablet equipped with a Wi-Fi module). Thus, the user can go online wherever he is with just one device.

Speaking more in simple words, this is a function with which, for example, your Android phone can act as Wi-Fi access points... That is hand out internet or just a network for other portable devices.

This technology has a mass advantages... For example, such as:

  • The technology is completely wireless which ensures its mobility and versatility. Get access to global web possible from almost every device.
  • High speed data transmission, fast connection and simple use that even a novice user with smart technology will understand.
  • Use like wireless connection convenient under any circumstances and even in roaming.

It should be remembered that the more connected devices to the access point, the more load is created.

Method of work

The principle of this technology is quite simple. Necessary activate the corresponding menu item in the settings of your gadget, and it will start using the built-in Wi-Fi module hand out wireless connection.

As mentioned above, if a large number of gadgets are connected, then the access point will work slowly, or in general, intermittently. This is due to the fact that the module installed in portable devices several times weaker than those that are installed on stationary routers. Therefore, in crowded places (for example, a coffee shop), several hot spot networks are used.

How to set up a hotspot

There are quite a few programs which are necessary for distribution activation wireless access point. A rather striking representative of this family is the program mhotspot.


Mhotspot- that's pretty simple a utility in use that allows you to turn any portable gadget into a portable access point (this requires a Wi-Fi module).

The main thing advantage programs are her simple interface, uninterrupted work and many settings(they are all located in the system shutter, from where they can be easily called). To activate the software, the user only needs to come up with title for your hot spot and enter password or leave the point open. You can also specify the allowed number of connections (no more than 10 devices).

When opening the application, the number connected gadgets, information the total amount of data used, as well as information about speed downloads.

Mobile hot spot in windows 10

With coming new version operating system laptop owners have the opportunity to make a hot stop out of their gadget without use additional software... This will require:

  1. Open the menu start- go to parameters.
  2. Next, you need to open the tab with the name Network and Internet and in the side field you need to select the item mobile hot spot.

This software feature of Windows 10 appeared not with the first version of the update, but with the arrival of the OS version under the number 1607. Therefore, if you do not have this menu item, then simply install Latest updates for your operating system.

For some time now, users of the operating room Windows systems of the tenth version, after the update, we faced the appearance of several new and, I must say, quite non-standard functions. Among all the innovations, it is worth mentioning the Windows 10 mobile hotspot separately. So far, few ordinary users know what it is, what it is for and how to activate this tool in the system. Further, it is proposed to dwell on all these issues in as much detail as possible.

What is a mobile hotspot?

Aside from purely technical side question, and confine ourselves to the simplest explanation, then new function is a unique tool that can be used to create an Internet hotspot for any other device.

To put it bluntly, Windows 10's mobile hotspot is a tool to transform computer terminal or laptop to a kind of station from which the connection signal is broadcast. If it's even simpler, computer device turns into an ordinary router like a router or modem based on a wireless connection.

Previously, it was necessary to perform complex manipulations using the command line in order to correctly configure the distribution. Now the question of how to set up a Windows 10 mobile hotspot is reduced only to determining for yourself which connection the distribution will be made from, setting the network name and specifying the desired password (this is a prerequisite).

And there can be quite a lot of connection and distribution options (each of them will be considered separately). In addition, the connection activated by this method can be used by any device, including computers, and mobile devices... But you should immediately pay attention that all of them must have built-in or external Wi-Fi adapters with correctly installed drivers.

How to enable mobile hotspot in Windows 10 for Wi-Fi sharing?

Based on the fact that the new function appeared only when updating to build 1607 (Anniversary Update), all those users who did not have the update installed in automatic mode, you need to search for updates yourself using the "Update Center".

After installing the update in the notifications menu, the icon of which is located in the system tray at the bottom right, the “Mobile hotspot” tile will appear during deployment. Windows 10, however, can provide access to this function through the options menu with a selection of the network and Internet settings section, where the corresponding line is displayed in the list. The tray icon serves solely to enable the hotspot, but the main settings are made in the specified section.

So, after entering the desired menu, the first thing to do is to pay attention to the name of the network and the password that the system sets by default on its own. Below there is a button to change them, which you need to click if you need to make adjustments to the set combination.

In the settings window, you can change both the name of the selected network and the access password itself, but it must contain at least eight characters.

The network share string can be anything in this moment available connection (provider name, Ethernet, wireless network, etc.).

To activate access, you just need to move the permission slider to the on position. Additionally, you can enable the remote enable function (the description explicitly says that Bluetooth must be activated on both devices), but this a prerequisite for the correct operation of the service is not.

Note: with this type of distribution, the maximum number of simultaneously connected devices cannot exceed eight (for purely technical reasons, it will be impossible to connect more).

Sharing via 3G / 4G-modems

With modems capable of working on the basis of 3G / 4G technologies, there should not be any special problems. The main condition here is the presence of a working device with correctly installed drivers.

The settings are the same, but modems, as a rule, are automatically detected by the system when the distribution is activated.

setting up a mobile hotspot to distribute a signal over a Wi-Fi network

No less interesting, albeit somewhat unnecessary, is the ability to connect a computer or laptop to a wireless network with signal distribution through it. It turns out that the terminal receives the Internet through established network and distributes a signal to it.

There is no particular sense in this, however, in practice, such a connection can be used if there are restrictions on the connection of only one device and no more in the existing Wi-Fi network.

Simplest management techniques

With regard to management, then the developers have tried to ensure that the user has everything at hand. Naturally, you can toggle the slider directly in the settings shown above.

However, as already noted, there is a special tile in the notification area, clicking on which activates or deactivates the distribution. Reasonable and simple.

What to do if Wi-Fi won't turn on?

Now a few words about possible failures and problems. Suppose that in Windows 10, the mobile hotspot does not turn on, and the system displays a message that Wi-Fi is not turned on.

You may not always be able to troubleshoot problems using the usual troubleshooting tools (let alone reinstalling the wireless adapter drivers). In this case, it will help command console which contains the line netsh wlan set hostednetwork mode = allow ssid = "NetworkName" key = "XXXXXXXX" keyUsage = persistent, as shown in the image above. Instead of the specified network name (NetworkName) and password (XXXXXXXX), you must enter your data). Usually, after executing such a command, everything falls into place.

In some cases, if the mobile hotspot is disabled in Windows 10, you should pay attention to the status of the corresponding driver. It should be understood that this situation is in no way related to its absence (if it had not been installed in the system, even the Mobile Hotspot tile would not have been in Windows 10).

The most optimal solution to start would be to call the "Device Manager" and enable the display of hidden components. Multiple adapters may be present here Wi-Fi Direct Virtual Adapter, on each of which you need to make a PCM and use the "Enable" line through the menu if the device is not active.

As a last resort, updating drivers is also suitable (this item can be called either directly from the PCM menu, or use the properties line, and in the new parameters window go to the driver tab).

Problems with mobile modems

In the case when in Windows 10 the mobile hotspot does not work when trying to distribute using connected modems, usually the problem is not with the drivers.

Most likely, this is due to short-term failures of the operating system itself or the absence of an operator signal. Either a regular reboot of the system, or the choice of another location, where the connection will become stable, will help here.

What if you can't connect to existing networks?

Finally, let's see what can be done if the mobile hotspot on Windows 10 goes missing, and after that the user receives a notification that the system cannot connect to an existing wireless or Ethernet network.

Apparently, the connection is really missing. In this case, it makes sense to check the cable for the wired connection or even reboot the router by first disconnecting it from the mains and pausing before turning it back on for about 15-20 seconds.

A similar situation can also arise due to the fact that the Internet connection uses high-speed PPPoE protocol... Unfortunately, it is just such connections that the Windows 10 mobile hotspot simply does not see or, if you want, does not recognize. Alas, this is the case. You may have to slightly change the settings of the router, setting the use of L2TP or choosing a static or dynamic IP with the automatic settings for IPv4 in its properties.

Finally

That's all there is to this interesting innovation. Finally, a simple and universal tool has appeared in Windows that allows you to distribute the Internet from any computer (or mobile) device running the tenth modification. And then even before many system administrators puzzled over the organization and inclusion of the access point, using the maximum number of system tools. Now you just need to specify the network name, set a password and press the power button. One can only wonder why this idea was implemented so late.

As for errors or failures when connecting, as you can already see, almost all of them, with rare exceptions, are software in nature. Do not forget that the service itself seems to many users to be somewhat incomplete (for example, some modems or Wi-Fi USB adapters may not work, while there are no problems with other models).

Sometimes the operation of the service can be blocked by various antiviruses or even by the built-in firewall of the system, so it makes sense to disable them for a while and see what the result will be.

But in general, the novelty looks decent enough and is useful to all those who are trying to quickly organize distribution from their computer device. And of course, I would like to hope that soon this service will be slightly improved (at least in order to use the support high-speed connection over PPPoE).

A wireless home network allows you to solve almost any problem with Internet access from several devices at the same time. Its only drawback is the need to purchase a router. However, now you can do without a router by assigning its functions regular Wi-Fi adapter. How to do it? You just need to know how to set up Connectify Hotspot.

Go to www.connectify.me and click the Download button. In the next window you will be asked to purchase the Pro version. Its differences from the demon are also indicated here. paid version... If you do not want to pay money for the program, click "Continue to Download". The installation file will start downloading to your computer.

There are no functional limitations that can prevent the creation of a network in the free version.

Find the installer and run it. Agree to the terms of the agreement by clicking "I Agree".

After the installation is complete, the installation wizard will prompt you to restart the systems. Select "Reboot now" and wait for the computer to restart.

Access point creation

After starting the system, a welcome window will appear, where you need to click the "Continue" button. Then click "Try Connectify Lite" to start using free version utilities.

If you know how to distribute wifi from a laptop, or have already configured mypublicwifi, then you can easily figure out all the functions Connectify software Hotspot. But in order to avoid misunderstandings, let us analyze sequentially the process of creating a wireless network using this utility.

The program icon should appear in the system tray. Click on it to open the settings. The main window of the program looks like this:

Now let's figure out which items need to be filled in.

  • The Hotspot Name is the name of your network. Come up with any name, but try not to use personal data: last name,
  • "Password" - the password for accessing the network. This field becomes active only after selecting "Wi-Fi Ad-Hoc, Encrypted (WEP)" in the "Sharing Mode" line. Subsequently, you can change the password to wifi if it became known to unwanted persons.
  • "Internet to Share" - select from the list the network card to which the provider's cable is connected.
  • "Share Over" - select a Wi-Fi adapter through which the Internet will be distributed.
  • "Sharing Mode" - adapter operation mode. "Wi-Fi Ad-Hoc, Open" - without a password, "Wi-Fi Ad-Hoc, Encrypted (WEP)" - with a password.
  • "Allow Internet Acsess" - denying access to the network. This function can be used only in the paid version of the program.
  • "Allow Local Network Acsess" - denying access to local network... Also only possible for the Pro version.

After specifying all the necessary data, click the "Start Hotspot" button. Now you will be able to connect to the created network from other devices.

To check if the created wireless network is working, update the list on the device available connections... The name of your network should appear in it. If you specified a password in the settings, then it will need to be entered to gain access to the network.

Connectify Hotspot has convenient function control over clients connected to the network at the moment. You can see the number of connected devices and their MAC address on the "Clients" tab.

MikroTik Wi-Fi routers are perfect for providing guest Internet access in public places such as parks, cafes, hotels, shopping centers, etc. This service is also called HotSpot (hotspot).

MikroTik provides the following HotSpot features:

  • redirecting clients to an advertising page;
  • limiting clients by speed;
  • time limitation of clients;
  • creation of a guest Wi-Fi network and a virtual isolated Wi-Fi network for administration.

In this manual, we will consider an example of how to configure HotSpot on a MikroTik Wi-Fi router.

Any MikroTik wireless router can be used to configure the hotspot. In the article, we will use a model with good processor and 4 dBi antennas. This model is perfect for medium-sized Wi-Fi networks. The router allows you to connect the provider's copper or fiber optic cable. In addition, you can connect several providers to the router or organize a backup connection via a 3G USB modem.

Resetting the router settings

The first time you connect to the router using the Winbox program, you need to reset the factory configuration by clicking the button Remove Configuration.

If you do not have such a window, then you can clear the configuration as follows:

  1. Open the menu New Terminal;
  2. In the terminal enter the command / system reset;
  3. Confirm the reset by pressing the button y on keyboard.

After the reboot, the configuration clear window will appear, in which you need to click Remove Configuration.

Configuring a connection to a provider

We connect the provider's cable to the first port of the router. Opposite the interface ether1 a letter will appear R.

DHCP client configuration

Our provider issues automatic settings via DHCP, so we perform the following settings:

  1. Open the menu IP -DHCPClient.
  2. Click the "+"
  3. In the window that appears in the list Interface select the first network port ether1.
  4. Click the button Apply.

After that on the tab Status the IP addresses that the device received will be displayed.

DNS setup

  1. Open the menu IP -DNS;
  2. Check the box AllowRemoteRequests so that clients get access to the Internet;
  3. You can specify an alternative DNS server Google 8.8.8.8 to not depend on the provider's DNS server.
  4. Click the button OK.

Configuring the Bridge hotspot interface

For the hotspot, we will create a separate Bridge interface, into which we will combine the 10th port of the router, and subsequently Wi-Fi interface... We will also assign the IP-address of the hotspot to the Bridge interface.

  1. Open the menu Bridge;
  2. Click the " + "
  3. In field Name specify the interface name bridge1
  4. Click on OK.

Add to bridge1 tenth network port ether10 so that you can check the settings using a laptop:

  1. Go to the tab Ports
  2. Click the " + "
  3. In the list Interface select a network port ether10
  4. In the list Bridge choose bridge1
  5. Click on OK.

Let's assign an IP address to the bridge interface:

  1. Open the menu IP -Address
  2. Click the " + "
  3. In field Address enter the IP address 192.168.10.1/24
  4. In the list Interface choose bridge1
  5. Click on OK

Configuring hotspot parameters

MikroTik routers have built-in hotspot functionality. Let's start configuring it.

  1. Open the menu IP -Hotspot
  2. Click the button HotspotSetup
  3. In the window that opens, select Hotspot Inerface: bridge1 and press the button Next.


  4. In field Local Address of Network indicates the IP address of the hotspot 192.168.10.1/24 ... The router has automatically detected it, so click Next.


  5. In field Address Pool of Network specifies the range of IP addresses that will be automatically issued to clients. Let's leave the range 192.168.10.2-192.168.10.254 unchanged and click Next.


  6. We answer the request for a certificate none and press Next.


  7. We don't need the IP address of the SMTP server, so we put 0.0.0.0


  8. We will specify the IP address of the Google server as the DNS server 8.8.8.8


  9. Leave the DNS server name blank.


  10. In the next window, we do not change the username and password.


After that, the setup is complete.

Time limitation of hotspot clients

Limiting clients on time must be approached responsibly. First, determine who your customers are and how often they can use the hotspot.

For example, customers of a cafe stop by for coffee or lunch and use Wi-Fi for no more than an hour. For a cafe, you can set a time limit of 1 hour, and after this time, block the client for 2 hours. In this case, the client will be able to come at lunchtime or in the evening and use Wi-Fi again. Those who like to hang out on the Internet will not sit for a long time either, and will go to look for another free Wi-Fi point.

To limit clients by time, do the following:

  1. Go to the tab ServerProfiles and open properties hsprof1;
  2. Uncheck the box Cookie and set to Trial;
  3. In field Trial Uptime Limit specify the time during which the client is allowed to use the Internet;
  4. In field TrialUptimeReset specify the time for which the client will be blocked after the allowed time expires Trial Uptime Limit.

If you will use a hotspot with advertising, then you do not need to set a time limit. In this case, set the running time Trial Uptime Limit 00:00:00 , and the blocking time is 1 minute. TrialUptimeReset 00:01:00 ... To disable the locking mechanism, put TrialUptimeReset 00:00:00 .

Limiting hotspot clients by speed

To limit the speed of clients, open the tab UserProfiles

  1. Keepalive timeout install 01:00:00 ;
  2. Delete Shared Users;
  3. In field Rate Limit specify speed limit rx / tx(download / upload). For example, the value 1m / 1m limits download and upload speed to 1 Mbps;
  4. In field Open Status Page choose HTTP Login.

In order for clients to use only the DNS server of our router, it is necessary to change the DHCP server settings:

  1. Open the menu IP -DHCPServer and go to the tab Networks;
  2. Open the properties of the existing DNS record and specify in the field DNS Servers: 192.168.10.1 ;
  3. Click on OK.

Connect the laptop via cable to the 10th network port of the MikroTik router. Network Card laptop must be configured to automatic receipt settings via DHCP.

Open your browser and enter the address www.google.com... The router will automatically redirect the browser to the hotspot authorization page. There will be a red link at the top of the page Click Here by clicking on which you can access the Internet without entering a username and password.

The list of clients connected to the hotspot is displayed on the tab Active... If you open the properties of the client, you can find out its IP and MAC address, operating time and the amount of transmitted traffic. If you select a client and press the "-" button, the client will be disconnected from the hotspot and he will have to go through the authorization page again.

Redirecting clients to an advertising page

Open the menu Files and delete the files alogin.html and status.html... Copy the file login.html to the computer by dragging and dropping with the mouse.

Open the file in the browser login.html, hover the mouse over the link click here, copy the link address and write it down in a notepad. The link looks like this:

$ (link-login-only)? dst = $ (link-orig-esc) & username = T - $ (mac-esc)

Create a simple page with text and a picture in any html editor. You can also use the usual Microsoft editor Word, only save the file as html.

Write the text "" and put a hyperlink on the text:

$ (link-login-only)? dst = $ (link-orig-esc) & username = T - $ (mac-esc)

$ (link-login-only)? dst = http: //google.ru/&username=T-$ (mac-esc)

When the client enters any address in the browser, it will still be redirected to the site http://google.ru/.

Be careful! Some editors may change the hyperlink address themselves. So open the file in notepad login.html and check if they have changed. If the links have changed, fix them.

Here's an example where the Word editor inserted extra letters and changed the hyperlinks.

We open the start page on the laptop and see our created advertising page. If in address bar browser to type any address, we will still get to the advertising page until we click on the picture.

After clicking on the picture, we are transferred to the site www.google.ru because we made a redirect to it. Instead of the Google site, you can specify any other.

Comment! Some browsers (including GoogleChrome) may give an error when following a link " Go online without viewing the provider's website"or when you first open your browser. This is due to the browser not handling the redirect link correctly. Therefore, we recommend that you always specify a redirect to an advertising page or search engine.

Network setup for administration

People in your organization need to create a separate network without being redirected to the welcome page.

Adding a bridge for the administrative network

On the menu Bridge create a bridge interface named bridge_work, and rename the hotspot bridge to bridge_hotspot.

On the menu IP - Address add the IP address 192.168.11.1/24 for interface bridge_work .

In the tab Ports add the 9th network port ether9 to bridge bridge_work to check the operation of the administrative network later using a laptop.

NAT setup

Open the menu IP - Firewall, go to the tab NAT, add a new rule and specify in the field Src. Address 192.168.11.0/24 .

Go to the tab Action, choose masquerade and press the button OK.

After that, the rules for the administrative network will appear at the end of the list of NAT rules. Above in the list are the rules for HotSpot, which were created automatically.

DHCP server configuration

Open the menu IP -DHCPServer, press the button DHCPSetup and do the following settings:

  • DHCP Server Interface - bridge_work
  • DHCP Address Space - 192.168.11.0/24
  • Gateway for DHCP Network - 192.168.11.1
  • Address to Give Out - 192.168.11.2-192.168.11.254
  • DNS Servers - 192.168.11.1
  • Lease time - 3d00:00:00 ... You can specify a shorter IP address lease time, but since this is an administrative network, it is not advisable to change IP addresses frequently.

After that, the DHCP server is ready to work.

Setting speed limits

Employees of the administrative network can download torrents or files from the Internet and thereby slow down the work of other employees. To prevent this from happening, you need to set up speed limits for employees.

To limit the speed and effective use bandwidth we will use the PCQ shaper. The advantage of the PCQ shaper is that when the client overspeeds, the shaper does not discard the client data immediately, but buffers it, increases the latency and informs applications to reduce the speed.

The first is to create a rule for limiting the download speed. Open the menu Queues, go to the tab QueuesTypes and create new entry with the following parameters:

  • Type Name - PCQ_Download.
  • Kind - PCQ.
  • Rate - 5 M- limiting the download speed per employee.
  • Limit - 500 - the size of the packet buffer per employee.
  • TotalLimit - 20000 - the size of the packet buffer for all.
  • Check the box Dst. Address.
  • Click on OK.

The second rule will limit upload rates:

  • Select the previously created rule and click the button Copy(gray watering can).
  • In field Type Name provide a name PCQ_Upload.
  • Check the box next to Src. Address(not Dst. Address.).
  • Click on OK.

We have created two rules to limit download and upload speed. Now let's apply them for the administrative network:

  • Go to the tab Simple Queues.
  • Click "+" to create a new rule.
  • Go to the tab Advanced.
  • Interface choose bridge_work- bridge interface of the administrative network.
  • In chapter Target Upload in the list Queue Type select a rule PCQ_Upload.
  • In chapter Target Download in the list Queue Type select a rule PCQ_Download.

This rule will limit the speed of all employees without adding them to AddressList.

Let's test the speed limits. We connect the laptop to the 9th network port of the router and set the torrent to download. After that, right-click on the bridge_work interface and select Torch... As you can see, the restrictions are working.

This completes the configuration of the organization's internal network. We have created two interface bridges on the router:

  • bridge_hotspot- to connect guests with a redirect to an advertising page;
  • bridge_work- for employees of the organization.

Configuring Wi-Fi interfaces

In order for guests and employees to be able to connect via Wi-Fi each to their own network, you need to configure the Wi-Fi interface of the router.

Setting up a Wi-Fi hotspot network

Open the menu Wireless, on the tab General provide a name Name: wlan_hotspot and press the button Advanced Mode to access all settings of the wireless adapter.

Go to the tab Wireless and configure the basic parameters:

  • Mode - apbridge- turn on the work in the access point mode.
  • Band - 2 GHz-B /G- work standards B /G, you can choose and B /G /N but usually it does not give a strong increase in speed, however, it creates problems with the connection of some devices.
  • Frequency - 2412 - frequency of work.
  • SSID - TECHNOTRADE-Wi-Fi- the name of the wireless network, you need to indicate the name of your organization, in order to raise it to the very top of the list of networks, you can specify in front Exclamation point - !.
  • RadioName - TECHNOTRADE-MAIN- the name of the access point, displayed when scanning the network. With a large number of devices, it will not be possible to distinguish them by SSID, because it is the same for everyone, and the name of the access point will be different for each device.
  • ScanList - 2400-2500 - range of scanning networks.
  • WirelessProtocol - 802.11 - work in standard wifi mode.
  • FrequencyMode - superchannel- the inclusion of all available frequencies, although the standard Wi-Fi works at standard frequencies, sometimes you need to scan the network for interference and outside it.
  • DefaultAuthenticate- disabling the checkbox allows you to enable the mode of limiting the minimum signal level.
  • DefaultForward- disabling the checkbox allows you to block traffic exchange between wireless clients.

In the tab Data rates choose Rate Selection: advanced, parameter Rate Configured and remove all the check marks from the speeds B modes above and below.

In the tab Advanced make the following settings:

  • Distance - indoors- setting the minimum distance to clients.
  • PeriodicCalibration - enabled- enable automatic redefinition of the noise level.
  • CalibrationInterval - 00:00:10 - override interval 10 seconds.
  • Hw.ProtectionMode - RTS /CTS- the inclusion of a protection mechanism from a hidden node when customers do not hear each other, for example, they are behind a thick concrete wall, this helps to increase throughput networks.
  • PreambleMode - both- the inclusion of a short and long preamble of packets, you can put and simply short, but not all devices may be able to connect to the network.

Go to the tab Ht and put 4 checkboxes in front of the chain channels. This will enable MIMO mode and get high data rates, but the range of Wi-Fi coverage will be shorter.

In the tab WDS We do not change anything, since laptops and smartphones that will connect to a Wi-Fi point do not support this mode.

In the tab Nstreme uncheck EnablePolling.

In the tab TxPower choose Tx Power Mode:All Rates Fixed and indicate the maximum transmitter output power of 18 dBm.

No need to strive to put high output power Wi-Fi hotspots access. The power of wireless transmitters of smartphones and tablets is usually in the range of 6-16 dBm. If you set the maximum power on the Wi-Fi point, you may get a situation where clients will see the point, but will not be able to connect. This is due to the fact that clients have weak signals and the Wi-Fi point does not hear them due to its high power.

In the tab CurrentTxPower the installed power for each speed and channel is displayed, as well as the total power for the two channels.

Setting up an administrative Wi-Fi network

Let's set up a closed Wi-Fi network enterprises. To do this, we need to create a new security profile and configure its parameters. Open the menu Wireless, go to the tab Security Profiles, press the "+" button and specify the following parameters:

  • Name - profile_work- the name of the profile, usually the same as the name of the network.
  • Mode - dynamickeys- choice of encryption with dynamic keys.
  • AuthenticationTypes - WPAPSK and WPA2PSK- enable both types of authentication.
  • Unicast and GroupChiphers - tkip and aesccm- and both encryption modes for compatibility.
  • WPA and WPA2Pre-SharedKey - 12345678 - enter the network key, at least 8 characters.

Now let's create a virtual access point for the organization's administrative network:

  • Open the menu Wireless and go to the tab Interfaces.
  • Click "+" and select from the drop-down list Virtual AP(virtual access point).
  • In field Name Enter your name wlan_work.
  • Click the button AdvancedMode for advanced customization.

In the tab Wireless specify the following settings:

  • SSID - TECHNOTRADE-WORK- the name of the wireless network.
  • MasterInterface - wlan1_hotspot- real wireless adapter, when creating a few more virtual points, you need to select it as the main one.
  • Security Profile - profile_work- encryption profile.
  • Uncheck the boxes Default Authenticate and Default forward.

Open the tab Access List and click "+" to create a new rule for limiting signal levels:

  • SignalStrengthRange in the interval -77..120 , which allows you to receive clients only if the signal strength is better than -77 ... If you do not intend to make a network with roaming, for example, at the initial stage when there is only one access point, then instead of -77 you can specify -90 then clients with even the weakest signals will be able to connect. It is important to understand that different wireless devices have different transmitter power, for example, in the same place, the laptop adapter will connect to points with a level -70 and will be able to work, and the phone adapter will try to connect with a signal -80 and will not be able to get to the point. To get out of this situation, you should either install wireless devices around the premises as often as possible, or change the minimum signal level to -80 , or the creation of another virtual point specifically for phones and smartphones, where a different limitation of signal levels will be indicated, for this, in the rule you need to specify the specific interface on which to work.
  • Uncheck Forwarding so that wireless clients cannot communicate with each other.

Add Wi-Fi interfaces to the corresponding bridges

Now let's add each Wi-Fi interface to its own bridge.

  • Open the menu Bridge and go to tab Ports.
  • Click "+".
  • Please select Interface: wlan_hotspot
  • Please select Bridge: bridge_hotspot.

Similarly, we add the Wi-Fi interface of the administrative network to our bridge:

  • Open the menu Bridge and go to tab Ports.
  • Click "+".
  • Please select Interface: wlan_work.
  • Please select Bridge: bridge_work.

Testing Wireless Networks

Scanning wireless networks on a laptop. The laptop found our two Wi-Fi networks:

  • TECHNOTRADE- Wi-Fi- hotspot for free access to the Internet with viewing an advertising page.
  • TECHNOTRADE-WORK- wireless network for employees of the organization.

We connect to the network TECHNOTRADE-Wi-Fi to check the operation of the hotspot. In the list of wireless clients on the tab Registration you can see that the client has connected via the interface wlan_hotspot.

Connecting a laptop to a wireless network TECHNOTRADE-WORK and look at the list of connected clients. The connection has now gone through the administrative network interface wlan_work.

If the menu Log look at the logs of the router, you can see that the laptop first connected to HotSpot and received the IP address 192.168.10.253, and then connected to the working network with the IP address 192.168.11.253.

Isolating traffic between multiple Wi-Fi points

If your wireless network will use many Wi-Fi devices, we recommend giving a name to the central router. This will make it easy to find the master router in the list of all devices.

Open the menu System -Identity and enter a name like TECHNOTRADE_Router.

If you plan to install several Wi-Fi points in the network, then you need to take care of isolating client traffic between points. If this is not done, then the clients different Wi-Fi points will exchange data with each other and broadcast garbage traffic will appear, which will create unnecessary load on the network.

To isolate client traffic, you need to do the following:

  • Connect each Wi-Fi point to a central point in a separate VLAN.
  • To isolate traffic in each VLAN and have access to the network from any Wi-Fi point, you need to combine them into a Bridge interface with traffic isolation.

Open the menu Bridge, go to the tab Filters and create a new filter. In the tab General open the section Bridges and select in the fields In.Bridge and Out. Bridge our bridge interface bridge_hotspot.

Go to the tab Action, choose drop and press the button OK.

After that, traffic between clients will be blocked and they will not be able to communicate with each other. This will eliminate junk broadcast traffic on the network and increase throughput.

Setting an administrator password

At the end change standard password administrator on the MikroTik router.

Open the menu System - Users, open user properties admin, press the button Password and enter a new password.

The MikroTik router is now fully operational. It can be installed in a cafe or hotel and organize a hotspot with redirection to an advertising page.

There are many ways to distribute the Internet via Wi-Fi from a laptop or computer with the appropriate adapter - free programs « virtual routers", Method with command line and built-in Windows tools, as well as the "Mobile Hotspot" function in Windows 10 (see). The Connectify Hotspot program (in Russian) serves the same purpose, but has additional functions, and also often works on such hardware configurations and network connections where other Wi-Fi distribution methods do not work (and is compatible with all the latest Windows versions including Windows 10 Fall Creators Update). This review is about using Connectify Hotspot 2018 and additional functions programs that you might find useful.

Download Windows 10 ISO image from Microsoft site / 4 options

Using Connectify Hostspot

Connectify Hotspot is available as a free version as well as a paid version. Pro variants and Max. Limitations of the free version - the ability to distribute only Ethernet or an existing wireless connection via Wi-Fi, the inability to change the network name (SSID) and sometimes useful modes"Wired router", repeater, bridge mode (Bridging Mode). In the Pro and Max versions, you can also distribute other connections - for example, mobile 3G and LTE, VPN, PPPoE.

The installation of the program is simple and straightforward, but you should definitely restart your computer after installation (since Connectify must configure and start its own services to work - the functions are not entirely based on the built-in Windows tools, as in other programs, due to which, often this method of distributing Wi-Fi works where others cannot be used).

Disable driver digital signature verification in Windows 10

After the first launch of the program, you will be prompted to use the free version (the "Try" button), enter the program key or make a purchase (you can, if you wish, do it at any time).

Further steps for setting up and running the distribution are as follows (if you wish, after the first launch, you can also view a simple instruction on how to use the program, which will appear in its window).

Activate Windows 10

By default, when entering Windows program Connectify Hotspot starts automatically in the same state that it was when the computer was turned off or restarted - if the access point was started, it will start again. If desired, this can be changed in Settings - Connectify Launch Options.

A useful feature considering that in Windows 10 automatic start access points Mobile hotspot is fraught with difficulties.