Setting up a mobile hotspot?

JohnSwift10

Silly question but do I actually have to have a wifi card in my desktop computer to set up a mobile hotspot?

flaneurs_lobster

Probably.

What are you trying to do and what internet connectivity do you already have?

oldernonethewiser

Very possibly but not knowing what computer kind of difficult to confirm.

JohnSwift10

I was just reading an article on how to set up a mobile hotspot on a desktop computer and nowhere does it mention the computer having a wifi card.

I thought I would try it to have a separate network to reach my greenhouse as my router is in a place that my network does not reach my greenhouse but my desktop probably will as it sits in a room overlooking my greenhouse.

I moved rooms recently with my computer but it is still connected to my router by ethernet 

And I've just realised that would not work anyway because I'd still need a wifi card in my computer to reach my greenhouse.

I did that last year with a windows 10 laptop but that has just given up the ghost, I dropped it and it doesn't work anymore.

Being 80 years old gives you some brilliant ideas until you type them out and see how idiotic they are.

flaneurs_lobster

Not idiotic but yes, you'd need a Wi-fi card in the desktop. Even then, they are not really designed to throw a signal any distance, more to connect to a local Wi-fi source as the primary internet connection to the desktop.

Are you looking to have an internet signal in your greenhouse for a particular purpose? Smart watering system? Classical music to encourage seedlings? 

Does the greenhouse have power? Might look at a Wi-fi repeater plugged into the router or maybe even a ring-main repeater if the greenhouse supply is hooked up in a sympathetic way.

JohnSwift10

 Smart watering system run from a raspberry pi.

I did have it working from the mains but after a few "accidents"  thank goodness for circuit breakers, I've actually converted it to run from a car battery, I just need to charge it once a week or so.

I don't want to put a router or repeater or even a ring main repeater in the greenhouse, they would be corroded in a couple of days  

As I said I used a laptop last year but it broke, I'll get a wifi dongle for my desktop that should work

flaneurs_lobster

Don't happen to have an old router lying around? Can (usually) be used as a Wi-fi hub with a few tweaks, install between desktop and LAN.

Vitor

From what you say, your PC is connected to your router by cable and the WiFi card is installed but doesn't isn't used, at least while the cable is plugged in.  I see a couple of options.

1) If your router supports a 'mesh' configuration, many like Asus do, then buy an identical model and a simple ethernet switch. Plug the ethernet cable, PC and new router into the switch and setup the new device in a mesh configuration. This should extend WiFi into the garden using same SSID/passeord

2) Buy a switch and a dedicated WiFi access point (e.g. TP-Link EAP225). . Plug the ethernet cable, PC and new AP into the switch and setup the AP to provide a  new WiFI signal into the garden.

debitcardmayhem

Vitor said:

From what you say, your PC is connected to your router by cable and the WiFi card is installed but doesn't isn't used, at least while the cable is plugged in.  I see a couple of options.

1) If your router supports a 'mesh' configuration, many like Asus do, then buy an identical model and a simple ethernet switch. Plug the ethernet cable, PC and new router into the switch and setup the new device in a mesh configuration. This should extend WiFi into the garden using same SSID/passeord

2) Buy a switch and a dedicated WiFi access point (e.g. TP-Link EAP225). . Plug the ethernet cable, PC and new AP into the switch and setup the AP to provide a  new WiFI signal into the garden.

IF the op has a wireless then he can set the pc to be a hotspot, IF NOT then a spare router will work fine if it can support access point mode

Vitor

debitcardmayhem said:

Vitor said:

From what you say, your PC is connected to your router by cable and the WiFi card is installed but doesn't isn't used, at least while the cable is plugged in.  I see a couple of options.

1) If your router supports a 'mesh' configuration, many like Asus do, then buy an identical model and a simple ethernet switch. Plug the ethernet cable, PC and new router into the switch and setup the new device in a mesh configuration. This should extend WiFi into the garden using same SSID/passeord

2) Buy a switch and a dedicated WiFi access point (e.g. TP-Link EAP225). . Plug the ethernet cable, PC and new AP into the switch and setup the AP to provide a  new WiFI signal into the garden.

IF the op has a wireless then he can set the pc to be a hotspot, IF NOT then a spare router will work fine if it can support access point mode

Possibly, the WiFi card would need to support Hosted Networks, not all allow  AP mode

jshm2

JohnSwift10 said:

Silly question but do I actually have to have a wifi card in my desktop computer to set up a mobile hotspot?

Yes. Most PC's will come with an internal Wifi card, you may need to buy an external 4G/5G dongle if you want to use a sim card