Wi-Fi hasn’t completely taken over the world yet. Some hotels may offer wired Ethernet connections and spotty or unavailable Wi-Fi, for example. But you can turn that wired Ethernet connection into a Wi-Fi connection all your devices can use.
In some cases, getting on an organization’s Wi-Fi can also be more of an ordeal — you may need a special Wi-Fi login. But you can sometimes just plug in an Ethernet cable and get on their network, if you have physical access.
Consider Travelling With a Wi-Fi Router
If you know you’ll be somewhere with only an Ethernet connection, you can always just use a bog-standard Wi-Fi router. Buy a new one or grab an old one out of the closet. That old Wi-Fi router may not support the latest wireless standards and may be a bit slow, but that can be fine for temporary use.
Plug in your router with a power cable, and then connect its WAN or Internet port to the Ethernet jack you have available to you. Your router will then create a Wi-Fi network all your devices can connect to — you can set up your router ahead of time and its SSID (Wi-Fi network name) and passphrase will be the same when you plug it in in a different location.
Connect a Laptop to Ethernet
There’s a good chance you’re not travelling with a Wi-Fi router. Never fear — you can always set up a wireless network with just your laptop. This will make your laptop function as a Wi-Fi hotspot all your other devices can connct to, just like how your smartphone can create a Wi-Fi hotspot so other devices can tether to it and access its mobile data connection.
Just plug an Ethernet cable into your laptop and connect the other end to the Ethernet port in the wall. if you’re travelling with a laptop with an Ethernet port, it’s a good idea to bring an Ethernet cable just in case.
Unfortunately, many modern laptops — from Windows ultrabooks to MacBooks — have shed the Ethernet port. If you want to connect them to an Ethernet cable, you’ll need to get an Ethernet adapter that works with your laptop. Buy a “USB Ethernet adapter” or similar product, which will take an Ethernet cable and allow you to plug it into a USB port on your laptop.
Create a Wi-Fi Hotspot
Not all Wi-Fi networks are created equal. Wi-Fi access points can function in either “ad-hoc” or “infrastructure” mode, and many... [Read Article]
Now you’ll just need to create a Wi-Fi hotspot on your laptop. Your laptop will host a local wireless network and share the Internet connection it gets through the Ethernet connection.
On Windows 7, use the graphical tools tocreate a new ad-hoc wireless network. On Windows 8 and 8.1, the option appears to be hidden, so you’ll need to use the Command Prompt. Be sure to enable the “Allow other network users to connect through this computer’s Internet connection” checkbox — otherwise devices that connect to your laptop’s wireless hotspot won’t be able to share its Internet connection.
On a Mac, click the Apple menu, select System Preferences, and click Sharing. Select the Intenret Sharing option and have your Mac share the Internet connection from Ethernet. Enable Wi-Fi sharing, click Wi-Fi Options, and provide a network name and passphrase. After you do, activate the “Internet Sharing” checkbox on the left.
On Linux, the NetworkManager tool most Linux desktops use allows you to set up a wireless hotspot and share a wired Internet connection via that wireless hotspot.
These methods create an ad-hoc wireless network, and some devices may not be able to connect to it. When in doubt, just plug a wireless router into the Ethernet port and host your own Wi-Fi network the old-fashioned way. Set up that router once and then you can just plug it in whenever you find a new Ethernet port — no additional configuration required.
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