OSToto Hotspot 4.1.9.4 for Windows

OSToto Hotspot 4.1.9.4 is a free Windows program from Drive The Life Co., Ltd., also known under its older name 160WiFi. It turns a laptop or PC with a Wi-Fi adapter into a wireless hotspot so that phones, tablets and other computers can use its internet connection. You can download OSToto Hotspot for Windows free of charge; there is no official website in our data, so choose the source carefully.

Overview

The idea is simple. Your PC is online, perhaps through a network cable in a hotel room, a USB modem or an office connection, while your phone has no Wi-Fi to join. OSToto Hotspot creates a new wireless network from the PC's Wi-Fi adapter, with a name and password you choose, and passes traffic from connected devices through to the internet. The program wraps this in a simple window where you can see which devices are connected. Windows has had a built-in mobile hotspot feature for some time, and on many PCs it does the same job without extra software, so try that first. A separate program can still help on PCs where the built-in option is missing or behaves unpredictably. Whether any hotspot works depends on the Wi-Fi adapter and its driver; some adapters cannot broadcast a network while they are connected to another one.

Setting up a hotspot

1. Install the program and start it with administrator rights if asked.
2. Make sure the PC is connected to the internet.
3. Enter a network name and a strong password.
4. Start the hotspot and connect your phone or tablet.
5. Check the device list and remove anything unknown.

The download is about 9.38 MB according to catalogue data.

When it will not start

Update the Wi-Fi driver from the laptop maker's website, make sure the adapter is switched on, and try sharing a wired connection instead of Wi-Fi. Firewalls and VPN software can block sharing; pause them to test. Restarting the PC after installation also helps the virtual adapter appear correctly.

Security tips

• Never run the hotspot without a password.
• Turn it off when you no longer need it.
• Check whether your internet plan or hotel terms allow sharing.
• Scan the installer with antivirus, since there is no official download page in our data.
• During installation, untick offers for additional software.

Key facts

Pros and cons

• Pro: shares a PC's internet over Wi-Fi quickly.
• Pro: shows and manages connected devices.
• Pro: free.
• Con: depends on the Wi-Fi adapter and driver.
• Con: no official download source in our data.

Alternatives

Other hotspot tools in our listings are Connectify Hotspot and Free WiFi Hotspot. To watch the traffic of the shared connection, NetSpeedMonitor or Wireless Network Watcher can help.