Thank you for being a valued part of the CNET community. As of December 1, 2020, the forums are in read-only format. In early 2021, CNET Forums will no longer be available. We are grateful for the participation and advice you have provided to one another over the years.

Thanks,

CNET Support

Question

Wifi adapter as wifi hotspot?

by Feb 8, 2019 3:53AM PST

If I bought a wifi adapter such as the Alfa AWUS036ACH Wifi Adapter, how do I then use that as a hotspot so I can connect to the internet via the wifi on my phone?

Basically I will set up a powerful wifi receiver ( because I am sharing wifi between houses with friends in the area) and then i want to use the signal received by my Alfa AWUS036ACH Wifi Adapter to create a wifi hotspot in my home. From here I want to connect my phone to it wirelessly (using the wifi adapter on my phone). My phone will not pick up a very strong wifi signal without some assistance.

Is this possible? How do I do this?

Thanks

Discussion is locked

5 Posts
- Collapse + Expand Details
- Collapse -
Answer
That's just the adaptor.
by Forum moderator Feb 8, 2019 9:22AM PST

To turn it into some WiFi hotspot it would have to be plugged into some computer and the computer configured to do what you want. I can't supply the setup instructions but the adapter on its own does nothing much like the goggles on The Simpsons.

- Collapse -
Rasberry pi?
by dominover Feb 8, 2019 1:49PM PST

Ok, so if I connect this wifi adapter to a small PC such as Rasberry Pi, would this work?
Thanks.

- Collapse -
Sure.
by r. proffitt Forum moderator Feb 8, 2019 2:12PM PST

That would be a nice programming challenge. You'll learn a lot by doing this!

- Collapse -
x86 vs ARM?
by dominover Feb 8, 2019 3:22PM PST

My suggestion for using Raspberry Pi above didn't take into the account that it has an ARM processor. I'm not sure you can run a modem of an ARM processor like the R'Pi as the relevant drivers may not be available.

Do you know if it's possible?
Any recommendations for a small x86 PC.
I came up with Minnowboard , UDOO x86, and SolidPC Q4.
I'll need to attach a screen to it and be able to connect my wifi adapter.

Any hints on how to go about this as well as the above?
Thanks

- Collapse -
I own a few too many Pi.
by r. proffitt Forum moderator Feb 8, 2019 5:50PM PST

The models I have builtin WiFi so I wouldn't need the USB adapter to get going. Let's see if anyone has Raspbian and mentions this USB adapter?

I'm researching with Google. It appears folk have it working.
Example: https://www.max2play.com/en/forums/topic/howto-raspberry-pi-3-realtek-802-11ac-rtl8812au/

The chip seems to be in that USB device too: https://www.google.com/search?q=AWUS036ACH+rtl8812

If you are shopping small x86 machines the problem is throughput. My bet are they are slow Atom or Celeron machines. But hey, read reviews to see what folk are saying.

Here's a NUC I like and own: https://computers.woot.com/offers/intel-nuc-kit-core-i3-128gb-ssd-tiny-pc Yes it's sold out there but it gives you an idea for what I would consider the least amount of PC I'd consider.

Back to Networking & Wireless forum

CNET Forums

Operating Systems
Software
Electronics & Gadgets
Hardware
Tablets & Mobile Devices
General Help
Brand Forums
Roadshow Autos
Off Topic

Other Forums

Forum Info