Connectify Hotspot takes a network connection already available to a Windows computer and shares it with other devices. It can broadcast a Wi-Fi hotspot, send traffic through a second Ethernet adapter or repeat a joined Wi-Fi network. Connectify Hotspot does not create an upstream Internet service. Internet to Share selects the existing source, while Share Over selects the adapter that client devices will use.
Routed and bridged clients join different networks
Routed access runs NAT and a DHCP server. Connectify Hotspot gives clients private addresses and keeps them on a new network, separate from devices on the upstream network. This is the normal choice when clients need the computer’s Internet connection without becoming peers on the original LAN.
Bridged access places clients on the upstream network. Its DHCP server supplies their addresses, and Connectify Hotspot does not run NAT or DHCP for them. This path lets a client reach upstream file shares, casting devices and other LAN services. A network with no DHCP server requires static addresses on the clients. Connectify also states that bridged mode does not work with PDANet.
The Settings tab controls Internet Access and Local Network Access for all connected devices. The Clients tab can change those permissions for one device. These switches alter client access; they do not replace the routed or bridged address model.
One Wi-Fi adapter can do work that one Ethernet port cannot
A single Wi-Fi adapter can receive an upstream Wi-Fi connection and broadcast the downstream hotspot. Ethernet sharing follows a stricter hardware boundary. The same Ethernet adapter cannot act as both Internet to Share and Share Over, so wired routing needs a second port or a USB Ethernet adapter.
A Wi-Fi hotspot cannot remain open. The Windows networking interfaces used by Connectify Hotspot require WPA2 and a password with at least eight characters. The password field therefore cannot reproduce an unprotected guest network.
Repeater mode depends on the original Wi-Fi setup
Wi-Fi Repeater works only after Windows has joined the source network and saved its password. The source must use WPA2. Connectify Hotspot then rebroadcasts the original SSID and password and bridges the clients to that network.
Repeater mode differs from creating a new routed hotspot with another name. It extends the joined network rather than hiding clients behind another private address range. If the source uses another security mode, the documented repeater path cannot begin.
VPN sharing accepts a narrow set of adapters
The VPN list is not a list of every tunnel Windows can run. Connectify Hotspot shares OpenVPN-based connections and Speedify through its documented VPN path. It does not support WireGuard, L2TP, PPTP or other VPN protocols there. VPN sharing also requires Routed access rather than Bridged access.
Internet to Share has a Help Me Pick choice for an available upstream adapter. Automatic switching between Ethernet and Wi-Fi belongs to edition-gated functions. When the selected source disappears, Connectify Hotspot can enter Paused instead of leaving a hotspot with no Internet. Settings > NAT Options > Pause On No Internet disables that response when the intended network is local only.
A third-party firewall can block the sharing services
Security software may need rules for Connectify.exe, Connectifyd.exe and ConnectifyNetServices.exe. Connectify’s firewall instructions also identify DHCP, DNS, UPnP and Windows Internet Connection Sharing traffic. Whitelisting only the visible desktop window can therefore leave a client without an address or name resolution.
