How To Connect Two Computers Or Laptops Wirelessly

If you are trying to link two computers, the easiest method is to join them to the same network. Wired connections using ethernet work best for speed and reliability, but it’s fairly easy to link two devices wirelessly, especially if you have a wireless network available to use.

If you don’t have an existing network, you can create an ad-hoc wireless network, use bluetooth to make the connection, or use a portable wifi router or smartphone to create a temporary network for yourself. If you want to know how to connect two computers wirelessly, here’s what to do.

Reading: How to connect two computers wirelessly

join an existing wireless network

If you want to network two computers wirelessly, the easiest method is to use an existing wireless network to make the connection.

Although the other methods listed below will allow you to establish a connection, they will not offer the reliability of an established network. A network with a dedicated wireless router will offer the best Wi-Fi speeds and range, as well as potential Internet access and access to other devices on a network (such as a network printer).

Once two devices join an existing network, it’s a simple process to share files, play local games, and do much more.

create an ad-hoc wireless network

If you don’t have a local network to connect to, you can use the wireless adapter on your PC or laptop to create an ad-hoc wireless network. This is a temporary network that uses a USB or built-in Wi-Fi adapter to create a network that other devices can connect to.

To set up an ad-hoc network on windows 10, you will need to use windows powershell. to open it, right-click the start menu and select the windows powershell (admin) option.

In the open powershell terminal window, type netsh wlan show drivers. This will display information about your available Wi-Fi devices, including whether they support the ability to create a virtual hotspot. If hosted network compatible is listed as no, you may need to update the installed driver or try a different device.

if your device supports it, type netsh wlan sethostednetwork mode=allow ssid=adhoc key=password to create a virtual wifi network, replacing the ssid and key sections with your own preferred network name (ssid) and Wi-Fi network password (key). once you’ve done that, type netsh wlan starthostednetwork to start the network.

Assuming there are no errors, the ad-hoc wireless network you created should be visible to other devices. connect using the network password you specified to complete the connection.

If you want to disable ad-hoc networking when you’re done, type netsh wlan stophostednetwork in the open powershell window. any device that is currently connected will be disconnected at this point and the ad-hoc network will no longer be visible to other devices.

once an ad-hoc network has been established, you can use it to share files between devices or use internet connection sharing to share an existing internet connection.

connect two computers wirelessly using bluetooth

use wifi direct to send files wirelessly

If you’re having trouble with an ad-hoc wifi or bluetooth connection, you can use wifi direct to share files. Windows fully supports the Wi-Fi Direct standard, but to make things easier, you’ll need to use a third-party application called feem to share files and establish connectivity instead.

If you plan to establish a direct Wi-Fi connection in Windows, you will need to ensure that your Wi-Fi adapter or device on at least one device supports the Microsoft Virtual Wi-Fi Miniport Adapter. If this is not available, you will not be able to create a Wi-Fi Direct compatible network for another computer to connect to.

to send files using wifi direct, download and install feem for your operating system. feem is compatible with windows, linux and macos devices.

once feem is installed on your pc or mac, launch it. In the feem window, select the turn on wi-fi direct slider to turn on the wi-fi direct network.

On the other device, make sure to connect to the network created by feem, starting with feemwifi (eg, feemwifi-educatedpelican). once connected, the other devices will appear in the rate window. select the other computer in the list of charges, then select the send file option to send a file to that computer.

on the other device, the file being sent will appear in the feem chat log. selecting the file will give you options to open it or view it in windows file explorer.

create a mobile hotspot using a smartphone or tablet

As windows ad-hoc mode shows, creating a temporary wireless network can be a good way to connect two computers wirelessly for a short period of time, but that depends on you having a windows pc to do it.

An easier method is to use your smartphone or tablet to create a temporary wireless network. this turns your tablet or smartphone into a wireless router, allowing other types of devices to connect through it for file sharing or an internet connection.

The advantage of this method is that when you set up a mobile hotspot, your mobile data connection will be shared with all the devices that connect to it. Android devices running Android 2.2 and later, as well as iPhones or iPads running iOS 4.2.5 and later (including iPads), can become a mobile hotspot.

To do this on android, open the settings app. the settings menu will vary for different devices and android versions, but select network & internet or connections > mobile hotspot and tethering.

In the mobile hotspot & tethering menu (or hotspot & tethering on older devices), tap the hotspot mobile access , then touch the slider to the on position. make a note of the password or change it, if necessary.

on iphone or ipad, open the settings app. in the menu, tap mobile data or personal hotspot (depending on the device), then tap the personal hotspot slider until in position. make a note of (or change) the wifi password, as you will need it to connect to your temporary network.

Once the Wi-Fi hotspot is active, connect to the network using the selected password on both devices.

While a mobile hotspot will only be able to connect a small number of devices, it will allow you to connect at least two devices wirelessly. once connected, you can use existing services to share files across platforms or use shared services.

using a portable wifi router

While a smartphone or tablet can create a temporary and fast mobile network, a better solution for a larger number of devices is to use a portable Wi-Fi router. These have been designed for simple temporary networking while you’re away from home, but can also be used in everyday use to connect two PCs or laptops.

devices like the tp-link wr902ac create a network that any wifi-enabled device can connect to. More advanced routers, like the Huawei E5577CS-321, also include built-in 4G connectivity, providing a dedicated mobile internet connection for devices that connect to it.

Most portable routers don’t require any configuration, just plug and play. others come bundled with a mobile app that can allow quick setup and control of the device.

other connection methods

If you’re investigating how to connect two computers wirelessly, then the above methods offer your best options, with the ability to share files, internet connections, play games, and more.

Reading: How to connect two computers wirelessly