Connectify Hotspot

Connectify is a Software company focused on developing software for consumers. Connectify's flagship product Connectify Hotspot, is a software router for Microsoft Windows. It can enable a Windows PC to serve as a router over Ethernet or Wi-Fi. Along with a Windows 7 or 8 certified Wi-Fi device it can act as a wireless access point. This enables users to share files, printers, and Internet connections between multiple computing devices without the need for a separate physical access point or router.

History

According to Connectify CEO and founder Alex Gizis, back in 2009, the idea for the Connectify product started when the development team was testing wireless networking hardware at an Army base. Their hardware technology was driving Humvees wirelessly over miles, but the team itself was juggling USB drives to sneakernet files between Windows laptops. For the next trip out, they brought a hardware router, but the bulk of that extra gear, and the need to plug it in, became an issue. To address this need, they developed the original Connectify application, now known as Connectify Hotspot.

Overview

Simple wireless ad-hoc networking was introduced in the Windows operating system family with Windows XP. Windows 7 added support for the Virtual Wi-Fi, which allows a single physical wireless adapter to be split into two logical adapters. Windows 7 also added support for generating SoftAPs, which allows the creation of a virtual access point on a computer (together with Virtual Wi-Fi, this feature is called "Wireless Hosted Network" by Microsoft). Connectify takes advantage of these features to create an infrastructure mode wireless network and effectively turn the Windows 7 PC into a wireless access point.

Connectify is released on the freemium model. The free Connectify Lite license delivers basic wireless access point functionality. Some features in this EDition are limited; for example, the SSID of a Connectify Lite network will always start with "Connectify-". Additional paid Connectify Pro features include wireless repeater capability, more complete 3G/4G network sharing, automatic configuration features, firewall controls and priority technical support.

Reception

Connectify has been GeneRally well received by the press. These reviews can be found in Lifehacker, PC World, GigaOM, Engadget, ReadWriteWeb, TechRepublic, Maximum PC, IT Reviews, and MakeUseOf.