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Create a Wi-Fi network using the Virtual Router Plus application. Virtual Wi-Fi router: how to distribute the Internet from a computer

Today, not a single modern person can live without a computer with Internet access and all kinds of devices. It’s easy to connect to the network via cable or wire by choosing the most convenient provider for yourself. After some manipulations on the part of the company’s employees and a subscription fee for the service, your computer has the ability to access the Internet. But what to do when this is not enough?

If you need Internet access on several devices, you need to organize a Wi-Fi network for this. You can create a network using a modem, router or network adapter with a signal distribution function. But there is an alternative option, such as installing a Wi-Fi access point on a computer or laptop using software. You can set up signal distribution to any connected devices using the Windows command line or software. The easiest way available is, of course, installing the application. A virtual router allows you to distribute a Wi-Fi signal without installing additional equipment.
There are many utilities that simulate a router on a computer, one of which is Virtual Router Plus. Thanks to this program, you can easily start distributing Wi-Fi in a matter of minutes. Virtual Router Plus performs the functions of a router, providing network access to absolutely any device capable of receiving a signal.

A prerequisite for creating a Wi-Fi source on your computer or laptop is the presence of a network card and an Internet connection. Whether the adapter is built-in or external does not matter, the main thing is its presence, because using a network device, Virtual Router Plus simulates a router.

Virtual Router Plus works well with laptops and PCs, occupying a minimum of disk space. To start using the application, you do not need special knowledge and setup skills, as is the case with a standard router.

Benefits of Virtual Router Plus

The application has a number of undoubted advantages that will help you create a Wi-Fi network in the shortest possible time:

  • the program is free,
  • simple and convenient interface,
  • easy setup,
  • light weight,
  • Russian language support,
  • ability to work from tray,
  • compatible with any devices,
  • Protect devices with WPA encryption

With all its minimalism, Virtual Router Plus efficiently copes with the task of providing all devices with the Internet within the signal range. A simple interface and the ability to download in Russian allow you to configure the application for a user with any, even the most minimal level of training.

Setting up the program

The utility does not require installation, and setting it up takes a minimum of time. Let's consider setting up the version in English, because in Russian everything is clear without instructions. First, make sure that the Internet is connected to your computer, then follow these steps:

  1. Download the required version of the Virtual Router Plus application from the official website (never download software from suspicious resources to avoid unpleasant surprises).
  2. Extract the contents of the archive into a folder, run the program file with the .exe extension.
  3. You will see a window with fields to fill in:
  • come up with a name for your network and enter it in the Network Name (SSID) field;
  • enter the connection password in the next line;
  • the third item Shared Connection involves selecting a connection.

The program provides the ability to function in minimized mode, then you will find it at the bottom right of the taskbar. To stop the virtual router, click on Stop Virtual Router Plus (this button will appear after startup instead of the start button).

If devices still do not connect to the Wi-Fi network, check the network card settings. Go to Network and Sharing Center. Here you need to select Change adapter settings and open Local Area Connection Properties. Check the Allow other network users to use the Internet connection and Allow connection sharing management options.

Restart the virtual router.

If the application does not work, there is also a possibility that your antivirus or system firewall will block it. To get rid of this problem, you need to configure your antivirus to ignore Virtual Router Plus, add the program to the exclusion list and blocking its launch will stop.

In the case when you have a computer with a Wi-Fi adapter or a laptop, and the connection to the Network is made using a 3G/4G modem, it may be necessary to distribute the Internet to a smartphone or tablet. To achieve this, you should make certain settings and take advantage of the functionality of a product such as Wi-Fi in the form of the Virtual Router Plus program.

Setting up Internet sharing in Windows 7


Virtual Router Plus: virtual Wi-Fi router

In order for virtual Wi-Fi to work without errors, you should enter cmd in the search bar of the Start menu and open the file of the same name with the extension .exe. Then run the following command: netsh wlan set hostednetwork mode=allow. This enables network hosting mode to be enabled. This can be verified after pressing the Enter key.

Further actions are extremely simple:



Connecting to a virtual access point

  1. Go to the settings of your mobile device and activate Wi-Fi.
  2. Find the access point you created and start the connection process.
  3. A password entry window will appear, in which you should enter the password created when starting the virtual router.
  4. Click the "Connect" button.

Virtual router: problems with Wi-Fi

Often a situation arises when a mobile device can be connected, but the Internet remains unavailable. In this case, the problems are less related to how the virtual Wi-Fi router functions. Basically they are:

  • blocked by an antivirus or firewall;
  • unable to obtain an IP address because the process hangs.

In the first case, the solution is to change the antivirus and firewall settings so that they do not interfere with the distribution of the Internet from the computer. As for the second option, here you need to go to the “Changes adapter settings” section, select the created wireless connection, right-click and find the TCP/IPv4 protocol in the properties. Then double-click and see if the “Obtain an IP address automatically” option is checked. If not, please note as this may affect your ability to access the internet. In addition, do not forget to restart your computer after completing all manipulations.

By the way, do not forget that after rebooting the computer system, you should start the virtual Wi-Fi router again. Also, if you are using a new Wi-Fi adapter, then take care of installing drivers for it. Otherwise, the above steps should help you distribute the Internet from a desktop computer or laptop.

Hello readers of the blog of the ComService company (Naberezhnye Chelny)! I once wrote an article about how... Popular and useful to become (judging by the comments). Virtual Router Plus is a good program that does its job well. But of course it wasn’t without problems.

For some, everything worked perfectly, but for others, while working with the Virtual Router Plus program, they observed an error. Which appeared immediately after clicking on the “Start Virtual Router Plus” button, that is, at the moment the network was launched.

This error looks like this:

In the comments to the article on setting up Virtual Router Plus (the link to which is above), they wrote about various errors. For example, the error “Cannot start virtual router plus” appears.

But it is not important. These errors indicate that the program cannot start the network because it did not detect the necessary hardware. If we are talking about Wi-Fi distribution, then we can suggest that the Virtual Router Plus program could not detect the wireless adapter. Or for some reason cannot work with it.

Update:

The comments advised running Virtual Router Plus as an administrator. This helped get rid of the error. I think it's worth a try. Just right-click on the Virtual Router Plus icon and select Run as administrator.

1. Your laptop does not have a Wi-Fi adapter at all. This is of course unlikely, unless yours is very old. But it may be that there is an adapter on your laptop, but you simply do not have the driver installed for it. As a result, neither the system nor Virtual Router Plus can work with it. Or Wi-Fi is simply turned off.

It is worth adding that if you successfully connect your laptop to wireless networks, then this option can be excluded (see the second point).

2. Recently, this topic was created on our forum. It just says about the problem with the error “Virtual Router Plus could not be started. Supported hardware may not have been found."

The author of the topic shared a solution to the problem. Updating the Wi-Fi driver helped. He used the Slim Drivers program for this task. But, you can download and install the new driver manually. The link to instructions for updating drivers is above.

Indeed, Virtual Router Plus may not work with certain driver versions, or with certain devices. Therefore, you need to select a driver version that will be able to run the virtual network.

Today we will talk about such a thing as a virtual router. If you are interested in this topic, then you are most likely a user who does not want or cannot purchase a real router. So, the idea of ​​a virtual router is to turn your laptop or computer with a Wi-Fi module using software into a device capable of performing the tasks of a real router.

Okay, so how do you create a virtual router for Windows? As we mentioned above, special software will help you accomplish this task, which will allow your Wi-Fi module to act as a router. That is, it can be argued that you can literally download a virtual router.

How to set up a virtual router?

So, to set up a virtual router, you will need exactly three things: a laptop or computer, a Wi-Fi module and, in fact, the application itself, which will help you create the specified functionality.

In this article we will look at setting up a virtual router program using VirtualRouter Plus as an example. This utility is one of the most popular among users who need such functionality, and it is also absolutely free.

To configure Virtual Router Plus, you will first need to download it. After downloading this program to your computer, place its executive file anywhere on your computer, as this does not matter much. For example, you can place it on your desktop.

Your next step will be to expand your Internet sharing. To do this, you need to right-click on the Internet connection icon in the Start notification area and select “Network and Sharing Center.”

Click on "Change adapter settings". Now find the network connection that you want to start distributing through the virtual Wi-Fi router for your computer. Right-click and go to “Properties”.

Go to the “Access” tab and check the box next to the option that will allow other users to use this network connection. Then click on the drop-down menu and select “Wireless Network Connection”. Confirm all changes in the settings.

Having sorted out the settings, let's go back to the downloaded program, which will allow you to create a virtual Wi-Fi router. Run the previously downloaded Virtual Router Plus file. A window will appear in front of you in which you will need to specify the network name, password and connections.

Enter any name you need in the SSID line. In the password line you need to specify the password accordingly. In the network connection line, select the connection for which you shared access in the settings of your network connection.

As soon as you finish setting all the necessary settings in the Virtual Router Plus window, all you have to do is click on the “Start...” button. By clicking on the button, the distribution of Internet connection via your Wi-Fi module will start. You will see a corresponding message in the Notification Area.

Outcome and possible problems

That's basically all you needed to do to create a virtual router. If you want to stop sharing your Internet connection via the Wi-Fi module, you just need to click the “Stop...” button in the Virtual Router Plus program.

However, with a virtual router, things may not always go so smoothly. Sometimes, even after doing all of the above, you will still not be able to create a wireless access point to the network. This may happen for several reasons. For example, your antivirus may easily block your network connection. Try deactivating your antivirus and follow the steps again.

If you are convinced that nothing prevents you from creating a virtual router on Windows, but you still cannot create a connection, then there is one more thing - a Wi-Fi module in your laptop or personal computer. There may be something wrong with the Wi-Fi drivers. In the worst case scenario, your Wi-Fi module may fail.

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Virtual Router Plus is such an excellent program that allows you to set up Wi-Fi distribution from your laptop. Works in Windows 7, Windows 8 (8.1), and even in Windows 10. I have not yet written instructions for setting up Internet distribution via Virtual Router Plus, but I want to tell you how to solve one popular error that many encounter when setting up Virtual Router Plus . This is the error: "Virtual Router Plus cannot be started." This is if you have a Russian version of the program. If in English, then the error: "Virtual Router Plus could not be started. Supported hardware may not have been found." She looks like this:

Or like this, in Virtual Router v3.3:

I want to say right away that if Virtual Router Plus does not work and such an error appears, then there is no way to start Internet distribution. You will just see a different error, but the reason is the same. We already have three instructions on our website:

If you want to configure distribution via the command line, you will see the error “The hosted network could not be started. The group or resource is not in the correct state to perform the required operation." This is because the problem is most likely not in the Virtual Router Plus program itself, but in your computer. Main reasons:

  • Complete lack of Wi-Fi adapter.
  • The driver for the Wi-Fi adapter is not installed.
  • The adapter/driver does not support running a virtual Wi-Fi network.
  • Wi-Fi is simply turned off.
  • The Microsoft Hosted Network Virtual Adapter is not enabled in Device Manager.

If you translate the error from English, it says that Virtual Router Plus cannot be launched because supported hardware was not found on your system. It doesn’t matter whether you have Windows 7 or Windows 10. Everything is the same in this regard.

The tips from this article are suitable for solving problems with launching a virtual Wi-Fi network when using any method: the command line, or special programs.

As a rule, the error appears immediately after clicking on the “Run virtual router plus” button. In the English version: "StartVirtual Router Plus".

Let's start solving the problem.

1 Check if there is a "Microsoft Hosted Network Virtual Adapter" adapter and if it is enabled. This needs to be done first. You can view it in Device Manager. If you don’t know how to open it, then do this: press the key combination Win+R, copy and paste the line into the window mmc devmgmt.msc, and press Ok.

Or, go to My Computer, right-click on an empty area, select Properties, and select Device Manager on the left.

In the manager, open the tab Network adapters, and see if there is an adapter called "Microsoft Hosted Network Virtual Adapter" or something like that. There may also be "Microsoft Hosted Network Virtual Adapter". If there is, and next to it you will see an arrow icon, then right-click on it and select Engage.

After this, the error in Virtual Router Plus should disappear. If you don’t have this adapter at all, and don’t even have a Wi-Fi adapter (usually it has "Wireless" "Wi-Fi" in its name), then see the next point, now I’ll tell you what to do.

2 Can't distribute Wi-Fi due to driver problems. This means that if we did not find a single wireless adapter in the device manager, but you are sure that your computer/laptop has Wi-Fi, then you just need to install the driver for the wireless adapter.

You can download it from the website of the manufacturer of your laptop/adapter for your model and for the operating system installed on your computer. Here are the detailed instructions: It is also suitable for Windows 10.

And if there is a Wi-Fi adapter driver, but there is no Microsoft Hosted Network Virtual Adapter, try updating the driver. By right-clicking on it and selecting Update (but most likely the update will not be found), or by downloading the driver and installing it manually.

You can also open "Network and Sharing Center..." and go to "Change adapter settings".

And see if the "Wireless Network Connection" or "Wireless Network" adapter is enabled (in Windows 10). If not, then turn it on.

Once you fix everything and turn on the wireless connection, you can start distribution through Virtual Router Plus.

As practice shows, the driver is always to blame for such errors. More precisely, its absence. It happens that an outdated driver is installed, or it is simply crooked.

I hope this article helped you solve the problem of launching a virtual wireless network through Virtual Router Plus, or another method.