Use Your Laptop as a Wi-Fi Hotspot

Next time you find yourself in a hotel room with only one wired connection and a handful of laptops begging for a Wi-Fi hotspot, transform your laptop into a wireless router by setting up an ad hoc wireless network and sharing your wired gateway. Here's how it works.

First, plug the ethernet cord into your laptop. To create a new ad hoc network, be sure to enable Internet Sharing on your laptop by checking the box labeled Allow other network users to connect through this computer's Internet connection in the Advanced tab of your connection's Properties menu. From there, setting up an ad hoc network works differently in XP and in Vista.

In XP, right-click the Wi-Fi icon in your system tray and select Open Network Connections. Then right-click the Wireless Network Connection icon and select Properties. Click the Add button in the Wireless Networks tab, give the new network a name and password, and check the box next to This is a computer-to-computer (ad hoc) network.

In Vista, right-click the Network icon in your system tray and choose Connect to a network. Click Set up a connection or network in the sidebar, and choose the Set up a wireless ad hoc network option. Then follow the setup wizard and save the new network.

Once you've created your ad hoc wireless network with the laptop you plugged in, you can connect any other computer to the new Wi-Fi network just as you would connect it to any other wireless hotspot.

Set Up a Laptop Security System

If you're a seasoned traveler, you're used to working with your laptop in public places. But if you're not securing that laptop, you're asking for trouble. Apart from using a physical laptop lock (which you should already do), you can set up a software security system on your laptop with free software designed to deter thieves and to recover laptops.