Virtual Wireless router vs physical for small home network

[cech]

I am having only 4 devices on then network. There are two 2 laptop and 2 mobile. I want a wifi solution here. In one laptop I can use a virtual router software and we can share internet. And the other thing I can do is use a dedicated router. I want to know which one will be better here. Virtual router software or a dedicated hardware. I just need internet connection for email access and downloading apps.

[Zared]

I am using virtual router software at my home. I had installed that on my dell laptop. The limitation is that the wifi will only work if you turn on your laptop. And then it remains off. That's it. I do not really feel any difference in the speed. It works fine. You have to use different wifi tools if you find speed issue. For a home usage a virtual router software is quiet enough. No need to add a router.

[Jugo]

I do not think virtual router is a good option here. Because first thing your wifi does not remain on all the time. Second you will not get constant internet speed. Sometime there will be a connectivity problem. Instead of using a app create a ad-hoc network on Windows and share the internet through that. It will be more helpful and faster compared to managing the internet connection through a third party software.

[Bhuvana21]

I am using virtual router software. It is free and it works effectively. There is one thing I agree. When you have this app and wifi is working your wireless transfer speed between pc and any other device is slow. And if you are transferring the same file through wifi then things are more fast. It is good if you just want to use your mobile phone only for sharing internet connection.

[Reese-R]

The speed actually depend on the software. Some application will give you slow speed but some are quiet fine. I am using Connectify. I am using this on my XP laptop from long time. It provide instant connectivity and it is also easy to use. I had connected two portable devices on it. One is a laptop and another one is a tablet. Both are getting nice speed when surfing internet. I am watching videos on YouTube which does not buffer much.

[TABLITA]

Router is far more better instead of using a software. Because it has limited features and sometime it takes really long tike to connection. I had used a virtual router software long back but it was not working. It takes a really long time for my mobile phone to connect to the pc. Later I bought a portable on from Dlink that work really nice. And it is able to give me more higher range. In software you will have range issue.

[AmaF]

Buy any cheap wifi router. Because that will make your independent. If you use the software it will restrict your connectivity and usage. A portable router will help you to connect to your device all the time effectively and you can also enjoy good connectivity. You can transfer files through wifi on your pc. But through the software you cannot do this. I had tested that on Windows 7 where things were not so smooth.

[sameer22]

It is right. When you use a software things are quiet limited and there is nothing much left to do. But when you are on router you have too many options and one of the biggest benefit is the range. You get extended range around your room corner. But through a laptop wifi the speed will be slow and fluctuating. If you need a stable connectivity then going for a router can be quiet well.