I don't have a huge house, but there are always one or two corners that don't receive a full Wi-Fi signal. My office is thankfully bathed in glorious 5GHz Wi-Fi signal, but the same can't be said for one of the bedrooms.
And wouldn't you know it? That bedroom is occupied by a teenage daughter who demands a constant stream of super-fast Wi-Fi, direct and uninterrupted. It's all for exam revision, I'm reliably informed.
Now, while I'm not so dense as to believe that, I do understand how frustrating it is when the Wi-Fi won't do its thing and your "revision materials" keep buffering or stuttering.
It got me thinking. Could I use one of the many Android smartphones I have lying around to create a Wi-Fi repeater of sorts? Or would the puny Wi-Fi hotspot be unable to deliver enough bandwidth to keep up with the stresses and strains of my daughters' busy revision schedule?
That disused smartphone could expand your Wi-Fi network
Just enough to reach that cold, Wi-Fi-less corner
Most modern smartphones can simultaneously receive and broadcast a Wi-Fi signal. This wasn't always the case, as older devices would have to shut down any incoming Wi-Fi operation to create a Wi-Fi hotspot. Instead, those older devices would typically use an incoming cellular connection, such as 4G, which the device network adapter could convert into a local hotspot.
The premise of the Wi-Fi hotspot is exactly the same. The only difference is that in this case, the smartphone's Wi-Fi hotspot is acting as a sort of Wi-Fi repeater in your house, rather than creating a Wi-Fi hotspot elsewhere.
Well, in reality, it's not a Wi-Fi repeater; the Wi-Fi hotspot becomes its own self-contained network that you adjust the settings for on your smartphone. But it's bringing Wi-Fi to the corners of your home, and that's what's important.
I've previously spent time mapping the Wi-Fi signal in my house, with varying levels of success.
As you'd expect, from a single centrally located router, the Wi-Fi signal will struggle to reach the extremities. I don't have a huge house, measuring around 1,400 sq feet, but that Wi-Fi signal just can't quite make it all the way throughout. In that, the in-home Wi-Fi hotspot repeater trick was absolutely worth a try.
Setting up the in-house Wi-Fi hotspot repeater
There were some quirks to the setup
Well, dear reader, you'll be pleased to know that the in-home Wi-Fi hotspot trick worked. My daughter could happily sit up at her desk while connected to a Wi-Fi hotspot, with the device placed conveniently at the top of the stairs, on the landing.
But I had to experiment to get it all working properly. That meant adjustments to the smartphone hotspot settings, distance between the router, smartphone, and laptop, and a couple of other adjustments here and there that I'll explain.
Smartphone Wi-Fi hotspot settings
The settings on your smartphone will vary depending on the device. But generally, you'll want to make sure a couple of settings are switched on:
- 2.4GHz or 5GHz Wi-Fi: Most modern smartphones can broadcast Wi-Fi on either the 2.4GHz or 5GHz band. The 2.4GHz band is slightly slower but has more range, while the 5GHz band is faster but broadcasts over a smaller area. In my case, the shorter but more powerful 5GHz band is the better option.
- WPA2 or WPA3-Personal security: If you're using a modern laptop (or other device) that supports WPA3 Wi-Fi security, you can toggle WPA3 Personal mode on in the hotspot security settings. This isn't imperative, but can better protect your hotspot network. You may find that a mixed WPA2/WPA3 mode works best.
- Force Wi-Fi 6 mode: Toggle this to force your device to use Wi-Fi 6, which is typically the fastest Wi-Fi standard available to most devices for ease of use.
- Low-power/battery saver mode: Make sure you're not using a battery saver mode, as this affect your device's performance, including the hotspot speed.
Outside of these, there aren't many hotspot settings you can toggle to boost performance.
Check the Wi-Fi network on the target device
Now, something that you absolutely must check is what Wi-Fi standard your connection is using. On Windows 11, head to Settings > Network & internet > Wi-Fi, then select the Wi-Fi network properties.
Scroll down a little and check the Wi-Fi Protocol. Ideally, your hotspot will be using Wi-Fi 6, which isn't the latest Wi-Fi standard but can offer fast speeds and a stable connection.
If you don't see Wi-Fi 6, first check if your device's hotspot supports this Wi-Fi standard. A quick internet search is typically the best option here. Most devices launched since 2019 will support this standard.
If you're not seeing a Wi-Fi 6 connection, there are a couple of fixes you can try.
- Use the Wi-Fi 6 only mode detailed in the previous section.
- In conjunction, toggle the Wi-Fi security between the various modes and see if that makes a difference. Sometimes, switching to the combined WPA2/WPA3 mode will allow Wi-Fi 6 to broadcast.
If all else fails, try turning off your devices and switching them back on again. A reset never hurt anyone and can often help devices remember how they should actually be communicating.
Experiment with distances
The next Wi-Fi hotspot speed boost variable is the distance between the router and the target device. In this case, I was only looking to broadcast the Wi-Fi to a single laptop, so I could be picky with finding the right spot.
As with your regular Wi-Fi, you should keep the area around the hotspot device clear.
Bonus: experiment with devices
I have a few different devices that can create a Wi-Fi hotspot, and the speed difference between devices was notable.
I first tried a Nothing Phone 3, which actually didn't deliver the speeds I was expecting, topping out at around 60 Mbps on my 500 Mbps connection. Not exactly blazing fast, but in fairness, it's enough for some basic streaming, revision, work, and so on.
But that wasn't good enough. So, I pulled out some other devices to see what difference could be found. I saw a speed increase on a Nothing Phone 3a, rising to 90 Mbps, then another increase on a Realme GT7, to 120 Mbps.
Then, for fun, I tried the original phone, the Nothing Phone 3, and saw speeds of over 200 Mbps, so I stuck with that.
Are all four corners of my house dripping with Wi-Fi?
Yes, the in-house Wi-Fi hotspot repeater trick means everywhere in my house now has enough Wi-Fi to suffice.
Just remember to play around with the settings and positioning to find the best connection. But in reality, if you're just trying to get any connection to a Wi-Fi cold spot, you may not need it to be the absolute best—any connection will do!